January 11th - First day of legislative session
January 20th - Legislative Briefing/Reception
A
folder of one-page information sheets on pertinent issues for the 2016
legislative session, along with charts and data from the Developmental
Disabilities Administration, will be reviewed. (Held at The United
Churches 2:00 – 4:00 pm) The annual Legislative Reception will be held in the Columbia Room from 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
January 27th - Community Residential Services (Rally)
Self-
adv0cates, supported living providers as well as family members and
others join to let legislators know how important living in the
community is and ask them to ensure that providers of these supports are
paid a fair living wage. We will meet at The United Churches at 10 am, then head over to the capitol for a rally. (More details to come)
February 3rd - Budget Overview
Creating a supplemental budget is the one thing legislators are required to
do during this legislative session. Learn what services and supports
are proposed for cuts or increases and what you can do to help. (Held at
The United Churches)
February 10th - Promoting Independence
Self-advocates
will lead the way on issues for the 2016 session that help them live in
their community as independently as possible. (Held at The United
Churches)
February 17th - Building Up Families
Our
state has created a new Individual and Family Services Waiver (IFS) to
provide respite and other services to 4,000 additional families in our
state. Learn about this new waiver and how to access it. The Community
First Choice (CFC) program has now replaced Medicaid Personal Care.
Parent to Parent, local chapters of The Arc and Parent Coalitions will
share what this means to you. We encourage parents to come to this
meeting and bring your children with you. Make your needs known to
legislators and help them to understand the reality of family situations
and why supports and services need their funding. We can help you
prepare, contact us for assistance. (Held at the General Administration
Building)
February 24th - Civil Rights
We
have the right to demand the end to unnecessary toxic chemicals
invading our homes, our environment, almost every aspect of our lives.
Harmful flame retardants are in furniture and children's products, but
don't prevent or slow down fires. They do, however, cause harm to our
children, our pets, our firefighters and ourselves. In addition, we will
look at pending legislation on other civil rights issues such as
isolation of people with disabilities, guardianship and more. (Held at
the General Administration Building)
March 2nd - Employment for All (Rally)
Everyone
has the right to live, work and play in their local community. Having a
job means that individuals with developmental disabilities can be
productive citizens, contributing to our economy by paying taxes while
providing valued services. Join self-advocates, families and employment
service providers from Community Employment Alliance (CEA) as we ensure
that supports are available to all those who need them. (Held in the
Columbia Room with a rally afterwards, more details to come)
