New York City budget cuts affect special ed, people with I/DD find it hard to get top care from doctors and more news to know for the week ending Dec. 16, 2023.

Spotlight

Interested in an Extended School-Year Program?

Here’s helpful advice from Westchester Institute for Human Development’s CSN Community newsletter. If you want to see if your child qualifies for an extended school-year program and related services over the summer, don’t wait until your annual review meeting in the spring to let your teachers and/or district know. Start the process soon. Find more information at NYS Ed Dept. website here.

New York

Eric Adams’ budget cuts hamper NYC’s compliance with special education court order Adams’ budget cuts are brutal and confusing, but even so this is bad: Only nine out of 40 court-ordered reforms have been implemented since the summer. (Chalkbeat)

NY State education officials share budget priorities The Board of Regents, as part of its annual state budget proposal, outlined its priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Do they include special ed? Not a heck of a lot, it would seem. (Chalkbeat)

Westchester company creates toys for kids with severe disabilities Enabling Devices is a family-run company founded in 1978. (News12 Westchester)

Caregivers

White House to highlight Maine for policies supporting direct care workers Maine has used pandemic relief funds to pay direct care workers bonuses that averaged nearly $3,500. (Press Herald)

Health

Adults With IDD Face Significant Hurdles At The Doctor, Study Finds Previous studies have primarily looked at access to health care or the perspectives of providers, but this is believed to be one of the first to give voice to those with disabilities themselves. (Disability Scoop)

And it sure makes this next bit of news unsurprising.

U.S. medical schools aren’t teaching future doctors about 7.4 million of their patients  Thirty of 155 medical schools provide zero curricular content about developmental disabilities and of those that do many offer it as an elective. (Stat News)

New Approach to Hospital Visits for Children with Behavioral and Developmental Disorders A Pittsburgh hospital’s Adaptive Care Team is providing customized care for special needs kids. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Autism

Orlando dad helps people with autism enjoy Orlando Magic games If it seems like these localized efforts to accommodate neurodiversity have been ramping up, it’s because, in good news, they have been. (Orlando Sentinel)

Tech

People with disabilities hope self-driving cars deliver independence This interesting pilot program seems targeted to people with physical disabilities. I wonder if it might be adapted to those with I/DD as well. Regardless, the technology, in general, is still pretty shaky. Just ask Tesla. (Minnesota Reformer)

SSI

Bank CEOs express support for Supplemental Security Income reform Their support came at a Senate Banking Committee hearing. (CNBC)