Where Am I Going, and How Do I Get There? Transition Planning for Students with Significant Disabilities

WHO: Families and professionals supporting students with significant disabilities

WHEN: SEPTEMBER 5 & 6, 2019, 8:30 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M.

WHERE: UNO TRAC, The Oliver St. Pe Center/TRAC Building is located across St. Anthony Avenue from Benjamin Franklin High School (located at 2001 Leon C. Simon Blvd.) at the intersection of Leon C. Simon Blvd. and St. Anthony Ave. As you enter the campus on St. Anthony Ave., turn left at your first opportunity into a parking lot. The Oliver St. Pe Center sits at the end of the parking lot. http://www.uno.edu/trac/contact

HOW: Register via email. ladbp@lsuhsc.edu  Please provide name, email address, and employer (if appropriate).

WHY: To assist students, families, and professionals in planning post-secondary lives for individuals with significant disabilities. Click here for the agenda.

Save the Date for Transition Institute, Sponsored by the HDC Louisiana Deafblind Project

HDC is proud to host the Transition Institute sponsored by its own Louisiana Deafblind Project, September 5 and 6, 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM.

For more information, see the Transition Institute flyer.

Rest in Love, Stephanie Payne

At HDC, we are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of our friend and former Louisiana Autism Spectrum and Related Disabilities (LASARD) facilitator Stephanie Payne. Stephanie was a valuable member of the LASARD team who approached her work with wit and compassion. The insights and engaging stories she shared are as unforgettable as her depth of knowledge and keen sense of humor. Her ability to connect with people was uncanny, and her passion contagious. Her smile, laugh, and hugs will always be remembered, and her footprint on all we do at LASARD endures.

Louisiana Autism Spectrum and Related Disabilities (LASARD) is a project of HDC under its K-12 Education Initiative.

Hearing on Social Security 2100 Act

On Thursday July 25, at 10 am, the full House Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing entitled “The Social Security 2100 Act.” This bill (H.R. 860), introduced by Congressman John Larson (D-CT-1) and cosponsored by over 200 Democrats, would increase benefits for all current and future Social Security recipients, cut taxes for almost 12 million seniors, and strengthen the trust fund by increasing some payroll taxes and by creating one trust fund for retirement, survivor, and disability benefits.

Earlier this year, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a series of hearings around this bill entitled “Protecting and Improving Social Security”: Enhancing Social Security to Strengthen the Middle Class (March 12), Benefit Enhancements (March 13), and Comprehensive Legislative Proposals to Enhance Social Security (April 10).

The hearing on July 25th will be before the full Committee on Ways and Means. The invited witnesses are: Stephen C. Goss, Chief Actuary, Social Security Administration; Nancy J. Altman, President, Social Security Works; Kelly Brozyna, Job Creators Network’s National Women’s Coalition; Abigail Zapote, Executive Director, Latinos for a Secure Retirement; and Shaun Castle, Deputy Executive Director, Paralyzed Veterans of America.

The hearing will be in room 1100 in the Longworth House Office Building (15 Independence Ave SE, Washington, D.C. 20515) and will be livestreamed here.

2019 LASARD July Newsletter

The 2019 LASARD July Newsletter can be found here.

Deaf Community Leader Award

Hamilton Relay, contracted service provider for Louisiana Relay, is currently seeking nominations for the 2019 Deaf Community Leader Award. Nominations are due August 12th. Please see the attached nomination letter and questionnaire for more details and feel free to forward this message on to others.

2019 DAW LA Questionnaire 2019 DAW LA Nomination Letter

The Last Week of June 2019 Was Deafblind Awareness Week

Please read the attached article from the National Center for the Deaf to learn more:

Trending Topic Tuesday, June 19, 2019

Join the ODEP’s Section 14 (c) National Online Dialogue on Employment of People with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), through its ePolicyWorks initiative, is hosting the Section 14(c) National Online Dialogue to gather perspectives on Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. We invite you to share your ideas, individual stories, and personal experiences illustrating the impact of Section 14(c) on the employment of people with disabilities.

Since 1938, Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act has authorized employers to pay wages that are less than the federal minimum wage to workers who have disabilities for the work being performed, after receiving a special wage certificate from Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The purpose of this National Online Dialogue is to capture perspectives about Section 14(c) based on individual input from those “on the ground,” including a wide range of stakeholders. The information gathered during this important online dialogue will provide the U.S. Department of Labor with an opportunity to better understand the current landscape, as well as the potential future of Section 14(c).

To participate, visit 14cDialogue.IdeaScale.com and register to share your experiences and ideas, and to comment on ideas submitted by others.

Kelly Davillier and Zaida Salame, two HDC LEND Trainees, with their poster “Screening and Assessment Protocols for Patients Referred to the ASDID Clinic: a Quality Improvement Project” at LSU Pediatric Research Day

Employment First Training Fall Schedule 2019

HDC in collaboration with Louisiana APSE has upcoming training classes on Employment First for the 40-Hour Core & 5-Hour Continuing Education Credits for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers. (There is a reduced fee for LA APSE members.)

See the LSU HDC Employment Initiatives Website for more information and to register

40 Hour Employment Core Training Certificate for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers

• Baton Rouge – September 10-12, 2019
• New Orleans – October 22-24, 2019
• Alexandria – December 10-12, 2019
• Additional 5.0-hour classes available, see website for dates and topics