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 Respect ABILITY Law
Center
Teacher Punching Special Needs Student Caught on Video
Call Your Senators and
Representatives Take Action! Don't Cut Medicaid -- Reform
It: Call Your Senators and Representatives and tell them
that arbitrary Medicaid cuts will hurt people with
disabilities. Real Medicaid reform is what is needed.
Congress appears to be closer to reaching an agreement about
spending cuts before the August 2nd deadline to raise the
debt ceiling. Entitlement spending (e.g., Social Security,
Medicare and Medicaid) is at the center of these
discussions. Although nothing is “off the table,” it appears
that Medicaid is the major target for spending cuts. The
ways in which the program would be cut are being referred to
as spending caps, block grants and blended funding. Any
large cuts in Medicaid will likely result in a serious blow
to, if not elimination of home and community based services.
These are the services that adults with disabilities rely on
to live and work in the community. Action Needed: Press the
“take action” button and contact your Senators and
Representative today with the message that cutting Medicaid
arbitrarily will hurt people with disabilities. Talking
Points: Medicaid is the main source of funds for people with
disabilities to live and work in the community with dignity,
avoiding costly, segregated and dehumanizing nursing homes
or institutions. Indiscriminate cuts to Medicaid will force
people into higher cost institutional placements; Expanding
self-directed services options which allow beneficiaries and
families greater control over their resources will save
money and preserve important services. If you have
questions, please contact
susan@ndsccenter.org.
Restraint and Seclusion in Schools HB 4676
introduced May 24, 2011
Superintendent's Letter to the Governor: "This is Why I'm
Proposing to Make My School a Prison"
Shouldn’t School Be Safe?
A parent’s guide on prevention, detection and response to
restraint, seclusion or other aversive interventions. The
process of finding help when a child is abused is not always
clear, and many parents are discouraged or overwhelmed by the
patchwork of laws and regulations handling restraint and
seclusion in schools. Shouldn’t School Be Safe? is a free
resource developed for parents and by parents that offers
insight and advice to respond to and prevent restraint and
seclusion.
Download the
report here.
Learn More About Us
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BIOS
Calvin has been a lawyer since 1981 and has concentrated
exclusively on issues related to people with disabilities
since 1990, including 10 years with the Michigan Protection
and Advocacy Service. Calvin specializes in individual
representation in Special Education; end of life issues;
fair housing law; guardianship/conservatorship law; juvenile
justice; and other legal areas when they directly impact his
clients with disabilities. Calvin also has been involved in
issue/systems work through governmental lobbying, non-profit
and parent group advocacy. He has presented seminars and
workshops locally and nationally on many disability-related
issues including special education; housing law;
alternatives to guardianships and conservatorships; respite
care; advocacy strategies; positive behavior support;
alternatives to restraint and seclusion; ADA; and ADHD.
Calvin is a disabled Vietnam veteran.
Tricia is and always will be Jessica's Mom. Beginning
in 1975, Tricia obtained her expertise in special education,
community supports and parent advocacy through her direct
efforts for Jessica and her family. She was the Director of
Training at Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service for 6
years, and the Director of Family Services for Michigan's
Parent Training and Information Center. Tricia has worked as
a consultant for the Beach Center on Disability at the
University of Kansas and at Exceptional Parent Magazine. She
also has created and managed parent training programs for
the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan. Tricia was a core
member/consultant for MI Department of Education Positive
Behavior Support (PBS) Pilot Project, where she co-wrote
state PBS manual, conducted PBS awareness seminars for
parents and professionals and acted as a PBS coach at a
pilot inner city middle school. Tricia has presented
seminars nationally on special education, service delivery,
PBS, alternatives to restraint and seclusion and other
issues important to children and young adults who have
disabilities and the families who support them. Tricia’s
work as a legal advocate concentrates on special education
and Medicaid home and community-based waivers for children
and adults.
Calvin and Tricia are proud founders and team members
of Our Children Left Behind, created in 2003 to preserve the
protections in IDEA '97. They also have been active in
efforts in Michigan and nationally to eliminate the use of
seclusion, restraints and aversives in public and charter
schools; and have made presentations on the dangers of
restraint/seclusion/aversives nationally.
The Respect ABILITY Law Center is a vehicle Tricia
and Calvin created in 2001 to advance the civil, service and
support rights of and for people with disabilities and their
families. The Respect ABILITY Law Center is a founding
member of the Alliance to Prevent Aversive Intervention and
Seclusion [APRAISE], a national organization dedicated to
the enactment and implementation of national legislation to
eliminate the use of seclusion, restraint and aversives in
all schools. |
