New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan signed legislation Thursday at the State House in Concord that will outlaw subminimum wage in the state. (Thinkstock) With legislation signed this week, New Hampshire is set to become the first state in the nation to make it illegal for people with disabilities to be paid less than minimum wage. Read more.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the year and a half or so since students in a high school engineering program helped bring it to fruition, the Sensory Lounger has enjoyed quite a run.
The high-tech chair has warranted significant attention across the Kansas City area recently. And last month, the project received a prestigious Edison Award for health and wellness innovation. (For context, products from Motorola, the Dow Chemical Co. and Gillette also were honored.)
Now, the man behind the chair — which provides the kind of full-body, deep-touch pressure many children with autism crave — has even bigger plans. Read more.

With new studies coming out regularly, Autism Speaks posted the recent International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) daily coverage to their website. View content related to the State of Science in Autism Research, Self-Care Skills and Success in Adulthood, and new insights in Autism-Anxiety Connection-and many more topics- here.

If you have an intellectual disability, you may receive funding from the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, and Federal Work-Study programs if you

• are enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a comprehensive transition and postsecondary (CTP) program for students with intellectual disabilities at an institution of higher education (a college or career school) that participates in the federal student aid programs;
• are maintaining satisfactory academic progress; and

meet the basic federal student aid eligibility requirements, except that you are not required to have a high school diploma or GED and are not required to be pursuing a degree or certificate.

Read more.

It’s beyond disappointing that Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration paid no heed to the call to rescue the failing state system that serves those with disabilities.

The May revision of Brown’s budget that was released this morning does not include the 10 percent funding infusion called for by the Lanterman Coalition, a call that this editorial board supports. Read more.

Health plans offered through Covered California have narrower hospital networks than commercial insurance plans but they don’t appear to have lower-quality providers or differences in geographic access, according to a study published in the May issue of Health Affairs.

Health plans with narrow networks restrict the number and scope of contracting physicians and hospitals to keep premiums low. Read more.

Saturday morning at Vintage House, more than 200 people gathered to share their ideas on the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center, bringing with them their thoughts, experience and passion. It marked the first stage of a year-long process to gather public input to “Transform SDC” – and determine the future of the 120-year-old state-run health-care center and its 950-acre property, dedicated to the least able in our population. Read more.