Help NYSARC, Inc. reach more family members and members of the public with our flagship e-newsletter, Our Voice Today. Every new subscriber between May 14, 2012 and July 31, 2012 will be automatically entered into a drawing for one (1) Kindle Fire, generously provided by Bailey, Haskell, and LaLonde (BHL).

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*Contest Details: No purchase necessary; contest limited to residents of the U.S. ages 18 and over; void where prohibited.  Eligible new subscribers to Our Voice Today between Tuesday, May 14, 2012 and July 31, 2012 will be automatically entered. Entries must be received by 11:59 pm EST on July 31, 2012 to be entered. The drawing for one (1) winner will be conducted on August 1st and the winner will be notified by email.

The conference theme is The Future of Guardianship and Advocacy: Looking Ahead. All of the plenary sessions, panel presentations, and workshops are designed to provide the participants with practical tools and insight about current and new developments in the health care and decision making arena that have direct impact on the lives of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families.

Download the conference brochure and registration forms (.pdf)

A grant from the NYSARC Trust (administered by NYSARC Trust Services) will cover most of the cost associated with the symposium, including registration fees as well as the food and overnight room accommodations for two (2) people from each Chapter’s Guardianship Program, which will enable them to attend this exciting program.

This year, there will be a nominal registration fee of $50.00 required for two and possibly three of the Guardianship representatives who will be attending from each of the chapters.

This symposium will begin with a special film festival sponsored by Sprout for two hours beginning late Sunday afternoon scheduled from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. This will provide an opportunity for people to arrive leisurely prior to the next two-day intensive conference. Some of the featured renowned speakers and experts include Clarence Sundram, Esq., Gary Lind, Paul Kietzman, MaryBeth Schneider; Lawrence Faulkner, Esq., Lisa Friedman, Esq., Erica Wood, Esq. and Leigh Ann Kingsbury to name but a few.

Topics range from looking at the role of the guardian in a managed care environment and a person centered approach to guardianship and decision making to ethical decision making, healthcare advocacy and planning throughout and at the end of life; hospice and palliative care; communication and promoting good guardianship to effective strategies for financial planning on behalf of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities; to accessing records by guardians, parents and other family members. Also, the second annual Guardianship and Recognition Award will be presented after dinner on Monday evening, April 16th.

Should you have any questions about the conference, please feel free to contact Patti Conroy at conroyp@nysarc.org, or Erica Berman at bermane@nysarc.org.

Please share or forward the program and accompanying documents on to families, providers, attorneys, members of your health care profession, and others in your community who might benefit from attending this conference.

present the
5th Annual Compliance Conference for
Providers Serving Individuals with Disabilities

Download the 2012 Registration Brochure (.pdf)

May 8, 2012
Albany Marriott Hotel
189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY
8:45 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

What they said about it last year…

“Excellent presentations”

“I always leave this conference well informed & highly motivated”

“Excellent conference, great location”

“Information very helpful to a new compliance officer”

“Presenters were knowledgable & provided”

Sponsored by…

Update: Download the official New York State Proclamation declaring March as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month (.pdf)

March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month #DDAM12!

During this annual recognition, we like to bring awareness to the valuable contributions that people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities are making to their communities every day. Combined with our NYSARC Gives Back Campaign, this year’s observance is as important as ever.

Celebrating People Who Make a Difference

People with developmental disabilities help form the very fabric of their local communities. They regularly engage in volunteer activities, as highlighted in our NYSARC Gives Back publication (Download it now .pdf). They have also proven themselves to be excellent, reliable workers.

That is why National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is such an important observation. It is our time to celebrate the accomplishments of the people we support and raise awareness about the wonderful contributions they are making to their communities.

To help celebrate, we encourage you to click on the poster above, print it out, and post it in your workplace. You can also support your local NYSARC Chapter by becoming a member or making a donation. This organization is facing some significant challenges ahead and can use all the support you can provide–thank you!

Other Resources

2012 Small Poster (.pdf)
2012 Paycheck Inserts (.pdf)
2012 Quick Hit List (.pdf)

Twitter Users: Remember to use #DDAM12 in your status updates when talking about National Developmental Disabilities Month. Let’s raise awareness about how the people we support truly give back!

About NYSARC, Inc.

NYSARC, Inc. is the largest not-for-profit in New York State and the United States serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. The 55 Chapters comprising the family-led Organization provide services in every County in New York State. NYSARC, Inc. supports over 60,000 individuals, employs 30,000, and has a membership of nearly 87,000.

March is Statewide Family Advocacy Month, in  conjunction with CP of NYS and Alliance of Long Island Agencies

DON’T LET THEM FORGET US!! March is the opportunity to visit or call your legislators and make it clear to them that the people we serve have acute, unmet needs.  

Also, Friday, March 9th is Family Advocacy Call-In Day.

With only a few weeks until the State budget passes and March as federal Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, now is a particularly good time to get our message out.  Therefore, NYSARC and CP of NYS have collaborated on March as Family Advocacy Month!

Because it has become increasingly difficult to coordinate a single Statewide Family Advocacy Day and since NYSARC and CP of NYS are not doing an Albany Lobby Day, we are asking that you coordinate local events with your legislators.  To help you with this, please download NYSARC’s budget priorities for the 2012-2013 state fiscal year.

Since some chapters have already held events with their local Legislators, we are suggesting that you have families participate in the Alliance of Long Island Agencies’ Family Advocacy Call-In to local Legislators on FRIDAY, MARCH 9th (for more information, please download this flyer).  If Families can’t call in on March 9th, they can call their local Senator and Assemblymember any time during the first three weeks of March.

Because Family Advocacy events will be held throughout the State on different dates and the Governor’s OPWDD budget did not include new funding cuts, most associations decided that it was not useful to ask for additional funding as providers.  However, families, many of whom are waiting for a variety of services, must make sure that their legislators understand that there is a growing need for additional services. 

It is also critical to highlight the needs of our direct support professionals.

Families can call their local legislators about OPWDD, Early Intervention, Preschool Special Education or other priorities important to your Chapter.

NOW IS THE TIME TO BE HEARD.  WE CAN NOT LET OUR LEGISLATORS FORGET US.  They must understand that people with developmental disabilities continue to have critical unmet needs!

Please get the word out to your families ASAP!

Resources

For Assembly member contact information go to:

http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

For Senate member contact information go to:

http://www.nysenate.gov/senators

…That’s the theme of this year’s Membership Campaign and how true it is.  From participating in Meals on Wheels to gathering critically needed supplies for victims of Hurricane Irene, our staff, volunteers, and the people we support always strive to give back in meaningful ways.

In every county our local Chapters are a part of the very fabric that makes up our great State, helping the local economy to grow.  What better way for NYSARC to tell its story than having a strong, local, and informed membership.  Membership in NYSARC does matter….and the larger the membership the more clout and presence we have to advocate on behalf of the people we support and their families.

A difficult economy coupled with massive debt levels has made cutbacks in government spending a top priority.  The individuals we support and their families are facing changes in the system they know to challenges and uncertainties that are unknown. Now more than ever we need to build our membership to support, educate, and advocate for people who have intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families.

Whatever the final outcome of the proposed changes will be, it is clear that competition and branding will be part of the new system.  Now more than ever our local Chapters need to grow their membership…numbers do count.  We are very close to having a statewide membership of 100,000.  Your  efforts our critical to achieve our membership goals for this year.

Marc N. Brandt
Executive Director

Join Now–Become a Member

Become a member today! You can join your local Chapter directly through the NYSARC website. Here’s how:

Steps to Becoming a Member

1. Find your Chapter using the Chapter Locater tool.
2. Once you’ve found your Chapter, click the “Become a Member” button on the left side of the Chapter Profile page.
3. Confirm your eligibility for Chapter membership.
4. Complete the checkout process.

Click Here To Find Your Chapter

Chapter Resources

Help promote our 2012 Membership Drive!

8.5 x 11 Poster (.pdf)
11 x 17 Poster (.pdf)
11 x 17 Poster w/ Chapter Info Box (.pdf)
2012 Program Thermometer (.pdf)
(Sample) 2012 Membership Cards (.pdf)
(Sample) 2012 Trifold Brochure (.pdf)

To request an editable  Publisher version of any of these files, please contact Susan Brandt, Assistant Executive Director for Public Information and Special Projects.

The Future of Guardianship and Advocacy: Looking Ahead

Gideon-Putnam Resort & Spa
Saratoga Springs, NY

April 15-17, 2012

Registration form will be available shortly!

Compliance Challenges 2012
May 8, 2012

- Albany Marriott Hotel -
189 Wolf Road, Albany, NY 12205

8:30am to 4:00 pm

Topics being presented by speakers include the OMIG, board responsibilities and interactions, whistle-blowers, and labor issues.

Registration information will be available soon. This conference is recommended for Corporate Compliance Officers, Corporate Compliance Committee Members, Board Members, and Executive Leadership.

Download the Save-the-Date

When I was sworn in, and I took my vows, I was very proud. I am very proud of my agency, The Jefferson Rehabilitation Center, and NYSARC.

I take my responsibilities as a Board of Governors representative very seriously. There are some standing committees that I’ve been asked to be a part of and I hope to review those with my mentor in the next month or so. I’ve learned that as a Board of Governors representative I have a voice, I can speak for my agency, give important input, vote, but I also think a very important thing to do, as a board member, is to listen. By listening you develop a sense of responsibility. When you’re on the Board of Governors, you need to be fully committed to what you are doing.

All of the presentations and workshops I attended at the Convention were very good. MaryBeth Schneider, from the NYSARC, Inc. State Office, and I led a session on end-of-life decision-making for self-advocates. I think it was a very important thing to provide. I also did a similar training at my own agency on this topic. A lot of people with developmental disabilities do not know how to go about having a voice about what they want. It’s important that they’re heard. Quite often during the presentations, at the end-of-life, the person who was living wasn’t even involved. That’s an important issue to me: for them to be able to have their voices and develop a sense of self-worth.

In my next column for The Self-Advocate Corner I’d like to shed light on some significant transportation issues in the North Country and the impact it’s having.

I would like to wish everyone at NYSARC a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

David Liscomb
Chairperson, NYSARC Self-Advocacy Advisory Committee; Representative, NYSARC Board of Governors

NYSARC, Inc. President John A. Schuppenhauer is sworn in for his second term.

DELMAR, NY – NYSARC, Inc., the nation’s largest parent and family-governed organization supporting people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, elected John A. Schuppenhauer, a Canandaigua resident, its President on October 21 at the Organization’s 62nd Annual Convention. It is Schuppenhauer’s second term and he took the opportunity to announce the NYSARC Gives Back community support project.

“For 62 years, NYSARC staff have dedicated themselves to a life of providing supports and services for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities,” Schuppenhauer commented. “Throughout this time, our amazing staff and the people who are supported by our staff have continually sought out other ways to give to the community. Every year, our 55 local Chapters participate in blood drives, food bank collections, volunteer programs, and more. In 2012, we will be highlighting these efforts as part of our NYSARC Gives Back program.”

In addition, President Schuppenhauer was excited to announce a special “President’s Project” as part of the NYSARC Gives Back initiative: “Currently slated for the last week of March, 2012, the President’s Project will be a consolidated statewide effort to perform volunteer activities in our local communities.” Schuppenhauer went on to elaborate, “NYSARC will help provide an opportunity for every staff member, volunteer, and self-advocate to get involved. In troubling economic times like these, it is important for communities to come together. The President’s Project and the NYSARC Gives Back initiative is our attempt at lending a helping hand.”

Also of note from the Organization’s 62nd Convention was the appointment of David Liscomb, a self-advocate who is supported by NYSARC’s Jefferson County Chapter, to the Statewide Board of Governors, the decision-making body for NYSARC, Inc. Upon his appointment, Liscomb stressed the importance of the job, “I will do my best to serve as a Board member, knowing that I play an important role in this Organization and in our future. As a self-advocate, I appreciate NYSARC’s recognition of the contributions that self-advocates can make and, after serving on Committees and my own Chapter’s Board of Directors, welcome the opportunity to make a difference at this level.”