***Action Alert!***
Email the Governor & Legislators and Say NO to Waiting Lists!
We wanted to share this important information from The Arc Connecticut.
Please read below and email the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and your elected officials to urge them to properly fund Connecticut’s nonprofit human service providers!
We need your help standing up for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (“IDD”) and let our elected officials know what the impact will be on individuals with IDD if Connecticut’s nonprofit human services provider community is not properly funded: service interruptions, waiting lists, and program closures.
The $470 million funding outlined in the Appropriations Committee’s budget proposal, repairs the damage caused by well over a decade of neglect and underfunding to Connecticut’s nonprofit human service providers- providers that support over 90% of the individuals with IDD that receive services from Connecticut’s Department of Developmental Services.
Prior to COVID-19, Connecticut’s wage and contract policies stifled innovation, capped wages and capacity, and forced direct support staff to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. The pandemic brought tremendous isolation and health and safety challenges for everyone and resulted in an acute direct support staffing shortage that threatens to indefinitely delay individuals with IDD starting or returning to their programs to pursue their hopes and dreams. Adoption of the Appropriations Committee’s budget plan will enable higher wages, innovation, and enhanced service delivery in every city and town in Connecticut.
Please use the link below to send a QUICK email to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and your elected officials to urge them to properly fund Connecticut’s nonprofit human service providers!
Click the link below to log in and send your message
Click here to email your support!
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Let us help you with your specific needs.
The Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities is sponsoring a survey about the needs of individuals who live with disabilities in their towns. The information gathered in this survey will be compiled by the Council and summarized in reports to state and local officials to help identify unmet needs in our communities.
If you a person who lives with a disability,
- or a family member of a person who lives with a disability,
- or a caregiver to a person who lives with a disability,
- or a provider of services to people who live with disabilities,
then would you please complete this brief survey to help us to identify ways in which your town can better serve the people who live with disabilities?
Click the link to access survey
Click Here to Access Survey
Thank you.
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Medical Issue & Healthcare Advocacy for People with I/DD
We'd like to share with you this recent presentation from the Arc of Connecticut on Medical Issues & Healthcare Advocacy for People with I/DD.
Dr. Lisa Weisinger, is the mother of a 25 year old son with Down syndrome and an internist with a special interest in the healthcare needs of adults with disabilities discusses preventative healthcare for people with I/DD, a sampling of medical and mental health issues that are common to people with I/DD and how to communicate with healthcare providers and what questions to ask to improve communication and positive outcomes.
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***Action Alert!***
Email the Governor & Legislators
Please act now to reverse the new state policy that makes nonprofits ineligible for federal Coronavirus Relief Funds if they received Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
A recent article by the CTNewsJunkie outlines The Alliance's opposition to a policy that community nonprofits will not receive Coronavirus Relief Fund disbursements if they received a PPP loan from the federal government. https://tinyurl.com/y4pc9k37
***CLICK THE LINK BELOW*** We need your help to ask Governor Lamont and your legislators to reverse this harmful new policy.
http://ctnonprofitalliance.org/contact-your-legislator/
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Understanding COVID-19 Government Benefits For People With I/DD
The Arc held a presentation May 13, 2020 given by Michael Beloff who shared important information for parents and caregivers of teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who are currently receiving or will be seeking services through the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).
Here is a link to that presentation in its entirety, for those who missed it or for those who would like to revisit certain details:
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COVID-19 2020
As we navigate through these unprecedented times, we will share every possible resource we can to help our families and staff. Stay safe and be well.
Below is a great age-appropriate resource to share with kids.
Coronavirus A Book For Children
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Election Day is this Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Election Day Resources
- Find Your Polling Place — Help direct voters to where they can cast their ballot with polling place locators from Premier Partners Rock the Vote, Vote.Org and TurboVote. You could also find state-specific tools at your local election offices.
- Candidate Guides — There are literally hundreds of elected officials looking for votes on Tuesday and people need help sorting through what they all stand for. Point them to robust guides at Ballot Ready and Vote411.
- Election Day Hotlines – 866-OUR-VOTE isn’t just a handy phone number, it’s a robust resource for every citizen’s voting needs if they experience problems at the polls. It’s available in Spanish at 866-VE-Y-VOTA. There’s a similar hotline at 888-API-VOTE with operators fluent in several Asian languages. The Arab American Institute has a number for Arabic speakers, too at 844-YALLA-US.
- Voter ID Services -- You may work in a state where ID is necessary for voting and your constituents may need help getting them. Make sure they are aware of VoteRiders so they can make their voice heard at the ballot box.
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National Voter Registration Day “By the Numbers”
On September 24th the National Voter Registration team had 473,725 new or updated registrations, and we were a huge part of that!
REGISTRATIONS:
155,420 from field partners
318,305 from digital media partners
1,000,000 face-to-face engagements
PARTICIPATION:
4,083 community partners
19,816 volunteers
54 premier partners
MEDIA IMPACT:
#1 Twitter trending topic
260,000,000 Facebook impressions
27 national stories
1348 local stories
2536 TV hits
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