“When do you sleep, Liz?” I’m asking for the article, but I’m also concerned, frankly, about her long-term sleep deprivation. “I typically get two hours in a row, sometimes four, at night. Then I cat nap during the day.”
Netflix Orders Autism-Themed Comedy, “Atypical”
November 3, 2016 by
Netflix has made an Atypical series pickup, ordering eight episodes of the autism-themed family comedy starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Disability rights group sues Uber citing wheelchair access
October 18, 2016 by
A Chicago-area disability rights group sued the ride-hailing service Uber on Thursday, asserting that the company did not provide enough vehicles that can handle wheelchairs.
2016’s Best & Worst Cities for People with Disabilities
October 15, 2016 by
by Richie Bernardo | WalletHub
When searching for a new place to call home, most people share a common set of priorities such as affordability, ample job opportunities, quality schools and a variety of activities. People with disabilities, on the other hand, often have a longer list of considerations. Factors such as accessibility of public facilities, quality of health care or even cleanliness of the air can take precedence over others.
CA Treasurer John Chiang convenes CalABLE Advisory Council
September 27, 2016 by
In California, some people living with disabilities and their families rely on a variety of public benefits provided by state and federal governments to make ends meet. They include Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, CalFresh, and other state health insurance programs.
These programs provide critically important services to the disabled but often do not allow individuals to save more than a total of $2,000, or earn more than $680 a month.
These restrictions are a disincentive for people with disabilities and their families to save for long-term needs, leaving them vulnerable to changes in health, living arrangements, unexpected emergencies, or simply the explosive growth in the cost of disabled care.
During the 2015-2016 Legislative Session, Senator Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin of Thousand Oaks co-authored and passed two bills, Senate Bill (SB) 324 and Assembly Bill (AB) 449, that will help ease financial challenges faced daily by people with disabilities. The new laws give Californians access to the federally recognized 529A – ABLE accounts.
An ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account that can be established for the benefit of qualified individuals with disabilities. Contributions to the account, currently limited to $14,000 per year, can be made by family, friends, or the beneficiary themselves. The account’s earnings are allowed to accumulate tax-free, and the withdrawals, provided they are applied to qualifying disability expenses, are tax-free. One of the biggest benefits of the ABLE account is that the savings held in the account, up to a current $100,000 limit, is not counted against the $2,000 limit on personal assets for individuals to qualify for public benefits.
The ABLE program, once operational, will open up life-improving opportunities for California’s disabled and their families in much the same way ScholarShare 529 plans opened educational opportunities to California’s students. The treasurer’s office has administered the ScholarShare savings program for the past 16 years.
For more information about CalABLE and Advisory Council meetings, visit the CalABLE page on the Treasurer’s website.
DDS Campaign to Eliminate Flu and Pneumonia
September 16, 2016 by
As part of the California Department of Developmental Services’ (DDS) quality assurance response to the National Core Indicators (NCI) survey results, DDS is launching a campaign to get individuals with a developmental disability vaccinated for flu and those 65 years old and older, as well as those with certain chronic conditions, vaccinated for pneumonia. This is an ambitions goal, but vaccinations are easy to get and save lives.
For more information on what is a vaccination, how they work, and the suggested schedule for immunizations, please click here for the flu: flu_brochure_07_06; for pneumonia: pneu_brochure_07_06
For information on National Core Indicators data, please see here
RFP Technical Briefings at NBRC
August 25, 2016 by
North Bay Regional Center is excited to announce the 2016/2017 Request for Proposal (RFP) Technical Briefing Meetings at our two locations!
Please see more information here RFP technical assistance
