I’ve heard stories over the years about students with disabilities being assigned to do laundry for the football team at school or to clean the teacher’s lounge, and well-meaning teachers often assign these tasks to teach work skills. Now these activities might be helpful for some students if they are genuinely interested in janitorial work…
Read More… on Passing the Bumps in the Road: Avoiding AssumptionsThis past week, Andy Meredith and his mom were invited to share how he got his first job as a high school student as part of an employment presentation at the Club 21 Tools for the Journey Conference. Club 21 is a Down syndrome advocacy group in Pasadena. Getting your first job is a big milestone for anyone, but it…
Read More… on Milestones: How I got my first job in high schoolI consider myself incredibly lucky to be working among the best disability policy experts in Kentucky while also helping my son transition to adult services. Just as Andy turned 18, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to sit down with my transition expert colleague Carolyn Wheeler, and ask her all my questions about…
Read More… on Figuring the Trip Budget: Conversations with an Expert about SSI and EmploymentFrom the very beginning, we need to share our vision of the future with the professionals working with our sons and daughters with intellectual disabilities. In pre-school and Kindergarten, we can talk to teachers and therapists about how we plan for our children to work in the community and build inclusive lives. And in middle and…
Read More… on Seeing the Destination: Share Your Vision with ProfessionalsThis week was a milestone where Andy signed into the doctor himself for the first time, signed his own medical forms to get some blood work done, and he produced his own insurance card and Medicaid card for payment. We’ve been working hard since he was 14 to gradually prepare him for this transition to…
Read More… on Asking for Directions: Transition to Adult Medical CareAndy finished his shift at the grocery store last week and headed over to the Mexican restaurant in the same strip mall. He was hungry after working about 15 hours that week and decided to treat himself to a meal. Dad was planning on picking him up, so Andy texted him and invited him for…
Read More… on Seeing the Destination: IndependenceBack when Andy was little, it was drilled into us that we should never have assets in name … never, ever, never. Because if we did, he wouldn’t be able to receive necessary supports, such as healthcare benefits through Medicaid—which are often vital to people with disabilities. This put families and individuals with disabilities in…
Read More… on Figuring the Trip Budget: ABLE Accounts (A Piece of Cake to Set Up)One of the key important ways to prepare early on for employment is to give chores to our children, including our children with disabilities. When kids learn to do work in the home, they are better prepared for work in the real world. They learn to understand the value of work, as well as the…
Read More… on Preparing for the Trip: ChoresSupplemental Security Income for adults provides financial assistance for daily living to people with disabilities who are 18 and older and who have limited financial resources. These are some of the basic things I’ve learned about SSI: Even though you apply through the social security office, SSI is not Social Security. It’s a financial assistance…
Read More… on Figuring the Trip Budget: First SSI Meeting as an AdultWhen Andy was little, I was so revved up for him to be included all day every day. I had gone to conferences to learn that inclusion was the best model, and everyone loved him. I mean, who wouldn’t want this adorable kid in their class? When we moved from New York to Georgia, we…
Read More… on Preparing for the Trip: First IEP and Inclusion
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