|
Videos
| |
of Students with IDD
National Goals of Education for
Students with I/DD
|
ACHIEVA Disability Talks
|
ACHIEVA's Disability Talks featured on KQV Radio are available online. Listen in as ACHIEVA staff explain all of the services provided by ACHIEVA and families share their experiences having a loved one with a disability and the years of services and support they have received from ACHIEVA.
Here's a link to all three of ACHIEVA's Disability Talks.
|
| Annual Report |
Please click here or on the picture to view ACHIEVA's Annual Report. It will give you a description of ACHIEVA's programs and
services for those we serve.
|
|
Mark Your Calendars!
|
A Sweet Gesture 2016 Casino Royale
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Fairmont Hotel, Pittsburgh
Family Life Fund is having "A Sweet Gesture 2016 Casino Royale" on February 13, 2016 at the Fairmont Hotel, Pittsburgh. Proceeds from this event will benefit ACHIEVA's Parenting Education Program, the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh and the Family Life Fund.
Pittsburgh Promenade Auction Westin Convention Center Hotel March 19, 2016
Please mark your calendar for ACHIEVA's Annual Pittsburgh Promenade as ACHIEVA celebrates its 65th year.
Run for a Reason!
Dick's Sporting Goods
Pittsburgh Marathon
Who doesn't like a head start? Registration for the May 2016 Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon just opened and this year you can support ACHIEVA while you run!
|
| Future Planning Sessions |
ACHIEVA Family Trust has scheduled a series of interesting topics on future planning. All sessions are from 9 - 11 a.m. at ACHIEVA, 711 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh PA 15203. A light breakfast will be served and the building and parking (free) are accessible.
SSI, SSDI and Representative Payees on Friday, February 12, 2016. Click here to register. Click here if you prefer to attend the live webinar.
Medicaid, MAWD and Waivers on Friday, March 11, 2016. Click here to register.
Click here if you prefer to attend the live webinar.
Medicare on Friday, April 8, 2016. Click here to register. Click here if you prefer to attend the live webinar.
Click here for the flyer. Space is limited so please RSVP to Rebecca Tyers Brown at 412.995.5000 x589 or
|
|
Join Our Team!
|
ACHIEVA is always looking for committed and capable job candidates. ACHIEVA offers competitive salary and benefits packages.
Click here to learn more or to apply.
|
| | ACHIEVA is not just a job! |
|
|
|
| Volume 10 Issue: #5 | February 4, 2016
| |
| 'A Sweet Gesture 2016 Casino Royale' | |
Family Life Fund is having "A Sweet Gesture 2016 Casino Royale" on
February 13, 2016 at the Fairmont Hotel, Pittsburgh. Proceeds from this event will benefit ACHIEVA's Parenting Education Program, the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh and the Family Life Fund.
For more information, please contact Laura at 412.708.7882 or Anju at 412.760.8184 or visit
|
Pittsburgh Promenade Auction
| |
 Please join us for ACHIEVA's Pittsburgh Promenade Auction on March 19, 2016 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel.
Click here for more information, to purchase raffle tickets or dinner tickets. |
|
| The Earned Income Tax Credit is Often Missed | |
From the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The Earned Income Tax Credit has helped workers with low and moderate incomes get a tax break for 40 years. Yet, one out of every five eligible workers fails to claim it. Here are some things you should know about this valuable credit:
- Review Your Eligibility. If you worked and earned under $53,267, you may qualify for EITC. If your income or family situation has changed, you should review the EITC eligibility rules. You might qualify for EITC this year even if you didn't in the past. If you qualify for EITC you must file a federal income tax return and claim the credit to get it. This is true even if you are not otherwise required to file a tax return. Don't guess about your EITC eligibility. Use the EITC Assistant tool on IRS.gov. The tool can help you find out if you qualify for the credit. It can also estimate the amount of your EITC.
- Know the Rules. You need to understand the rules before you claim the EITC, to be sure you qualify. It's important that you get this right. Here are some factors you should consider:
- If you are married and file a separate return you do not qualify for EITC.
- You must have a Social Security number that is valid for employment for yourself, your spouse, if married, and any qualifying child listed on your tax return.
- You must have earned income. Earned income includes earnings from working for someone else or working for yourself.
- You may be married or single, with or without children to qualify. If you don't have children, you must also meet age, residency and dependency rules. If you have a child who lived with you for more than six months of 2015, the child must meet age, residency, relationship and the joint return rules to qualify.
- If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces serving in a combat zone, special rules apply.
- Lower Your Tax or Get a Refund. If you qualify for EITC, you could pay less federal tax, no tax or even get a refund. EITC could be worth up to $6,242. The average credit was $2,447 last year.
- Use Free Services. If you do your own taxes, the best way to file your return to claim EITC is to use IRS Free File. Free brand-name software will figure your taxes and EITC for you. Combining e-file with direct deposit is the fastest and safest way to get your refund. Free File is only available on IRS.gov/freefile. You can also get free help preparing and e-filing your return to claim your EITC. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program offers free help at thousands of sites around the country. You can also get help with the health care law tax provisions with Free File or VITA.
For more on EITC, see IRS Publication 596, Earned Income Credit. It's available in English and Spanish on IRS.gov.
Each and every taxpayer has a set of fundamental rights they should be aware of when dealing with the IRS. These are your Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Explore your rights and our obligations to protect them on IRS.gov.
|
|
| Scholarship Opportunities | |
From the National Down Syndrome Society
The National Down Syndrome Society as scholarship opportunitites for students with Down syndrome. The application for the O'Neill Tabani Enrichment Fund is now available. The mission of the O'Neill Tabani Enrichment Fund is to offer financial assistance to young adults with Down syndrome - 18 and older - who are continuing to enrich their lives by taking classes or enrolling in postsecondary educational programs.
Click here to read more and download the application.
For any questions regarding the O'Neill Tabani Enrichment Fund, please email to [email protected] or call 1-800-221-4602.
|
|
| Wireless Technologies Pilot Program | |
Eligible Pennsylvanians with disabilities could get an iPad Air, iPad mini or iPod touch for telecommunication at no cost through Pennsylvania's Telecommunication Device Distribution Program (TDDP). This is a program of Pennsylvania's Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT).
You or someone you know, may be eligible for a free wireless device to improve telecommunication at work, at home and in the community. To be eligible, you must:
- Be a Pennsylvania resident with a disability that limits your access to mobile telecommunication
- Be six years of age or older
- Have individual gross income of 200% of the federal poverty level or less (low income)
- Have the ability to learn how to use the device.
Several meetings at Temple University in Philadelphia are required throughout the year. At the end of one year, participants who fulfill all requirements will be given the device.
|
|
|
Helping Older Adults Avoid Hypothermia
| |
From Disability.gov
The tip sheet from the National Institutes of Health provides information to help older adults avoid hypothermia. Americans aged 65 years and older are vulnerable to this condition because their body's response to cold can be affected by medical conditions such as diabetes and some medicines including over-the-counter cold remedies. Hypothermia can develop in older adults after even mild exposure to cold weather or a small drop in temperature.
|
|
|
Threat Facing 18 - 20 Year Olds
| |
From the Health Law PA News
Community HealthChoices is the name of Pennsylvania's plan to require dual eligibles (those on Medicare and Medicaid), as well as all adults on waivers administered by the Office of Long Term Living, to be enrolled in managed care plans for their Medicaid and any long term care services they receive. In December and January, Pennsylvania Health Law Project (PHLP) submitted detailed comments and recommendations. This included writing on behalf of more than 35 organizations and individuals to request that the Department of Human Services (DHS) reconsider its decision to raise the minimum age of eligibility for Community HealthChoices from 18 to 21 for young adults with significant physical disabilities - e.g., muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and spinal cord injury; disabilities that significantly limit mobility. PHLP's statement details the services that keep these young adults in their homes and communities and out of institutional care - e.g., respite, home modifications and residential habilitation. Denying 18 - 20-year-olds these essential supports will place them at serious risk of institutionalization.
It also contradicts basic principles of adolescent development. As youth move into adulthood around the age of eighteen (often on completion of high school), their choices and challenges shift to decisions about post-secondary education or vocational training, entry into and transitions within the labor market, moving out of the family home, and sometimes marriage. These are positive milestones, but the Department's current approach will delay, at a critical time, this transition to adulthood. Unaltered, Community HealthChoices will isolate young adults with disabilities, unnecessarily blocking their path to becoming independent and productive. Click here to read the article in the PHLP newsletter.
|
|
|
Free Dental Clinics in PA
| |
MOM-n-PA is an annual two-day free dental clinic for underserved Pennsylvanians. All services are provided free of charge by a host of volunteers. The MOM-n-PA mission is a large-scale dental clinic where dental treatment is provided at no cost to individuals who cannot afford dental care.
Treatment is provided on a first-come, first-served basis and it is expected that several hundred individuals will be attending this year's event, so please come early for the next mission on June 3 and June 4, 2016. Patients do not preregister.
|
|
|
Sensory Friendly Concert: Heroes and Inspirations
| |
A sensory friendly concert: Heroes and Inspirations will be held on Saturday,  June 25, 2016 at 2:30 p.m. at Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh. This concert is open to people of all ages and abilities but designed especially for individuals with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities or other disabilities. This sensory-friendly performance will provide patrons with the opportunity to enjoy a symphony concert together with family and friends in a relaxed environment. Everyone is welcome to come and appreciate the music in his or her own way at this event.
In addition to keeping house lights partially up and providing fidgets, earplugs and a specially-designed quiet room to help each person regulate his or her sensory stimulation at the event, the Pittsburgh Symphony will offer pre-visit materials to help patrons prepare for the trip to Heinz Hall.
Click here for more information or to purchase tickets.
|
|
| The 'A' Word | |
From Disability Scoop, Article by Michelle Diament
A one-hour drama about a family with a young child who has just been diagnosed with autism is headed to television. SundanceTV will air the six-episode series "The A-Word" later this year.
Described as "thought-provoking and lighthearted," the show focuses on 5-year-old Joe, who is newly-diagnosed on the spectrum, and his parents Paul and Alison who are struggling with different child-rearing approaches. In addition, the drama follows Joe's aunt and uncle who are working to overcome unfaithfulness in their marriage and the boy's widower grandfather who owns the family brewery.
"'The A-Word' is exactly the kind of intimate, unique and emotionally impactful story we want to showcase on SundanceTV," said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. "It's hopeful, honest and ultimately about the power of family, and the range of issues that families can face together, from autism to aging to adultery."
The show, which will premiere this spring on BBC One in the United Kingdom before airing on SundanceTV, is based on an Israeli series called "Yellow Peppers."
|
|
|
Intelligent Lives
| |
From Dan Habib, The University of New Hampshire
If Micah Fialka-Feldman or Naieer Shaheed were born in the early 20th century, their IQ scores would have led them toward institutionalization and involuntary sterilization. Micah was given an IQ score of 40 when he was 11. Today he co-teaches classes at Syracuse University.
 Naieer has struggled with speech his entire life. Today he is a talented artist and included in general education classes at a public high school in Boston. But unlike Micah and Naieer, most of the 6.5 million Americans identified as having an intellectual disability (ID) continue to live segregated lives based on early labels and a lifetime of low expectations.
The new film Intelligent Lives (working title, coming Fall 2017) will explore how our narrow views of intelligence have created unnecessary "ceilings" for people with intellectual disability and how Micah and Naieer embody a new paradigm of what it means to be intelligent. The film features narration and a personal perspective from Academy Award winning actor Chris Cooper.
Click here to watch the video preview.
|
|
|
Click here or on the Subscribe to our Newsletter and join our mailing list. We encourage you to share our newsletter.
Privacy is important to us; therefore, ACHIEVA does not sell, rent or give your name or address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe. Thanks again for registering. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us.
|
|
|
|
|
