Another group home operator in New York sounds the alarm about low pay for DSPs, Hawaii tries an out-of-the-box method to retain special ed teachers, and more news to know for the week ending Jan. 6, 2024.

Spotlight

Pleasantville Struggles to Handle Influx of NYC Kids in Crisis

This report on the crisis at Pleasantville Cottage Campus, a residential program that houses about 160 young people with behavioral challenges, focuses on how it’s “an extreme and very public version of something that’s occurring at foster care programs across New York state: Government child welfare authorities are placing kids with acute mental health challenges on campuses that are ill-equipped to handle them — largely because there’s nowhere else for them to go.” (Thecity.nyc and ProPublica)

Posted back in August, the article Crisis Rocks JCCA Children’s Residential Treatment Center in Pleasantville, NY, has some helpful background. (The Boost)

New York

Could developmentally disabled face return to institutions if group homes can’t pay staff? Another New York group home operator sounds the alarm. (lohud.com)

Hartsdale train station unveils new elevators to aid commuters The elevators serve as a significant help for individuals requiring assistance to access the train platform in the Westchester County town. (News12 Westchester)

DSPs

Survey Of Disability Service Providers Finds Deepening Crisis Survey finds that almost 600 providers of community-based services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities nationwide are facing staffing shortages. (Disability Scoop)

Autism

The Pervasive Loneliness of Autism An autistic Ph.D. Neuroscience student at Vanderbilt looks at how “independent living” can increase some people’s sense of isolation. (Time)

Education

Hawaii Gave $10,000 Raises to Special Ed Teachers. It’s Working—for Now In Hawaii, the challenges of recruitment are more pronounced than elsewhere in the country. (Mother Jones)

Health

Disabled women talk about what they bring to medicine Important perspectives given how a majority of doctors and med students say they don’t know how to treat people with disabilities. (Bloom Blog)

Caregiving

How $37 billion in federal funding is being used to improve at-home caregiving VP Kamala Harris touted new data illustrating how $37 billion in American Rescue Plan funding has expanded and improved home- and community-based services. (19thnews.org)

Tech

How AI helps some people with disabilities communicate Project Relate is an artificial intelligence-enabled app that makes conversations easier for people who have difficulties speaking clearly. (Marketplace)

Across the Pond

Ruben Reuter challenges disability prejudice in the media industry The young Channel 4 News journalist with Down syndrome is winning over viewers. (journalism.co.uk)