Independent Living
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Description: This Northern Virginia Family Resource Directory is provided as a free service to families and professionals by Formed Families Forward with financial support of SCAN of Northern Virginia. The Directory provides information and contact information for organizations, agencies and private practices offering programs, services and other resources for children, youth and families. There is a special focus on providers who serve families formed by adoption, foster care and kinship care who are...
Description: Project Success offers research-based, targeted professional development and coaching for teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals who support students with disabilities. By focusing on the expansion of inclusive practices and the integration of academic standards and functional skills, educators receive the support they need to be successful in improving student outcomes. Whether they are new to supporting students with disabilities or have decades of experience, Project Success meets...
Description: Virginia Commonwealth University-Autism Center for Education, VCU-ACE, is continuing to provide resources for families. VCU-ACE provides an opportunity for parents to join us for Lunch and Learn. An interactive and secure Zoom meeting that will address different topics each week. There will be a short presentation with a time for Q&A.
Description: If you receive a call, text, email, letter, or message on social media that: Threatens to suspend your Social Security number, even if they have part or all of your Social Security number Warns of arrest or legal action Demands or requests immediate payment Requires payment by gift card, prepaid debit card, Internet currency, or by mailing cash Pressures you for personal information Requests secrecy Threatens to seize your bank account Promises to increase your Social Security benefit Tries to...
Description: This section of the Social Security website includes Audio, PDF and Other Language versions of the following information: What You Need to Know About Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) When You Turn 18 Disability Benefits How We Decide if You Still Have a Qualifying Disability Your Right To Question The Decision Made On Your Claim Benefits For Children With Disabilities Disability Benefits For Wounded Warriors If You Are Blind Or Have Low Vision - How We Can Help Your Ticket To Work: What...
Description: This guide is offered as a free resource for attorneys who may work with people with developmental disabilities in the justice system. Our aim is to assist attorneys in understanding the possible presence of a disability in a client, how to fully identify that disability, and offer some ideas on appropriate ways to defend that person in a criminal prosecution. Cases are so individualized that this guide could never hope to be fully comprehensive, but it is meant to offer a solid foundation. The...
Description: disAbilityNavigator is a unique web resource created by and for people with disabilities and their families. Topics covered include: Family Caregiving Family Support Health Fitness & Recreation Health Care Settings & Providers Health Conditions & Disabilities Community Community Resources Community Best Practices & State Plans Individual Supports Advocacy Federal, State & Local Laws Protection & Advocacy Transitions Planning Insurance & Benefits Life Skills My Money...
Description: Medicaid at a Glance, Virginia Medicaid - The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) plays an essential role in the Commonwealth’s health care system by offering lifesaving coverage to one in five Virginians, including more than 500,000 newly eligible adults who gained access to care when the program expanded in 2019.
Description: The Profile of a Virginia Graduate describes the knowledge, skills, experiences and attributes that students must attain to be successful in college and/or the work force and to be “life ready.” In developing the profile, the Board of Education determined that a life-ready Virginia graduate must: Achieve and apply appropriate academic and technical knowledge (content knowledge); Demonstrate productive workplace skills, qualities, and behaviors (workplace skills); Build...
Description: Google Maps has launched a new feature that shows the wheelchair accessible routes around public transit in major cities around the world. To access the “wheelchair accessible” routes, type your desired destination into Google Maps. Tap “Directions” then select the public transportation icon. Then tap “Options” and under the Routes section, you’ll find “wheelchair accessible” as a route type. When you select this option, Google Maps will show...
Description: The education of children with disabilities is a top national priority. Our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), sets high standards for their achievement and guides how special help and services are made available in schools to address their individual needs.
Description: A Life 4 Me is a an online resource to help people with disabilities establish community connections, including social, employment, and volunteer opportunities. It was developed by youth with disabilities, in partnership with the Partnership for People with Disabilities and Virginia Department of Education. Video Tours Include: Go To College Get Services in the Community Live in the Community Work in the Community Friendship Support Entrepreneurship Economic/Personal Finance Mental Health...
Description: AAIDD, is the publisher, copyright holder, and sole owner of the SIS, SIS-A. SIS-C, SIS-A Annual Review Protocol, and Person-Centered Planning With the Supports Intensity Scale-Adult Version™: A Guide for Planning Teams (2017). The suite of SIS tools also includes all associated interview scoring forms, user’s guides, training manuals and materials, and associated electronic software platforms, most notably SISOnline and SISVenture. The SIS-A is a standardized assessment tool...
Description: The road to adulthood for youth with disabilities is filled with opportunity, and parents play a key role. PACER’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment is ready with the information families want, presented in a way families can use. Founded in 2014, PACER’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment builds on PACER’s decades of experience providing high quality assistance and support to parents, youth, and professionals on transition topics. This...
Description: Community-based Skills Assessment Tool Kit - The transition out of school-based services for students with autism can be difficult. There is no "one size fits all" plan for the path to adulthood. The most important factor in creating a plan is to focus on the individual. His or her strengths, needs, challenges and preferences will be vital to a successful transition process. The CSA helps parents and professionals assess the current skill levels and abilities of students with...
Description: This web app provides online resources to help famililies raising children and youth in foster care and kinship care, where children and youth are brought up by non-birth parent relatives. The following topics are covered: Trying to Enroll a Child in School? Concerned about Learning or School? Concerned about Mental Health or Behaviors? Need Public Benefits? Concerned about Transitions Through School and After? Concerned about Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs? Involved in the Court...
Description: Student-directed IEPs are quickly gaining momentum in schools across the country—the proven benefits include higher academic achievement, enhanced student motivation, and increased communication and self-advocacy skills for students with disabilities. Now for the first time, there's a book that gives elementary and high school educators in-depth how-to guidance on making student-directed IEPs work for students with a range of special needs. Packed with practical advice, helpful examples,...
Description: As you get older, you’re able to start making your own decisions about a lot of things that matter most to you. You may choose your own clothes, music, and friends. You also may be ready to make decisions about your body and health. Making healthy decisions about what you eat and drink, how active you are, and how much sleep you get is a great place to start. Here you’ll learn how your body works—how your body uses the food and drinks you consume and how being active may help...
Description: The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) plays a critical role in improving the health and well-being of Virginians through access to high-quality health care coverage. This year, Medicaid expanded eligibility for health coverage to close to 400,000 Virginia adults. This year also marks the one-year anniversary of Virginia’s nationally-renowned Substance Use Disorder benefit, the Addiction and Recovery Treatment Services program. DMAS also achieved major milestones in...
Description: Great Expectations is a nationally recognized program that helps Virginia’s foster youth earn the postsecondary credentials they need to achieve an independent and successful life. Great Expectations is currently available at 21 of Virginia’s Community Colleges. Great Expectations was created in 2008 as a partnership between Virginia’s Community Colleges and philanthropists supporting the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education. The program launched at five Virginia...
Description: LIFE stands for Living Independently, Focusing on Empowerment. Project LIFE is a UMFS program, funded by the Virginia Department of Social Services. Their mission is to enhance the successful transition of older youth in foster care to adulthood by: increasing the capacity of professionals working with youth to engage in sound, evidence-based practices, and promoting permanent connections, effective preparation for transition to adulthood, and meaningful youth input into state and local...
Description: The mission of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) is to eliminate housing discrimination, promote economic opportunity, and achieve diverse, inclusive communities by leading the nation in the enforcement, administration, development, and public understanding of federal fair housing policies and laws. The laws implemented and enforced by FHEO include: The Fair Housing Act Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Section 109 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974...
Description: The Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ) is designed to rank your executive skills. Executive function skills are mental processes that allow us to plan, focus our attention, recall instructions, juggle multiple tasks successfully, and self-regulate.
Description: Helping your child through the process of choosing a college, applying and then getting ready to go can seem like a daunting task. Like everything, it’s easier if you break it down. Here’s information to help you get your freshman-to-be all set for his four-year adventure. You will find: 9 Steps for Easing the Transition to College Typs of College Accommodations and Services Checklist: What to Ask Colleges About Assistive Technology Video: College Students on the Best Things Their...
Description: This web-based guide to rental housing and housing resources is produced by the Virginia Housing and Supportive Services' Northern Virginia Regional Implementation Team. The Northern Virginia RIT educates individuals, families and service providers about integrated, independent housing and new housing resources available to people in the Settlement Agreement population. We also prepare individuals with developmental disabilities to qualify for housing resources and help them navigate...
Description: EZPic2Txt is a texting app that provides a simple picture-based format for individuals with disabilities, who are non-readers or who are not able to text using a standard touch screen keyboard. The user can send important preset messages (created by a family member, caregiver, educator or employment specialist) to necessary preset contacts as e-mail messages or text messages with one swipe. Texts sent or received by the user can be read out loud using text-to-speech technology. Messages may be...
Description: The POWER (Parent Organizer With Educational Resources) web app provides parents and families with online resources to answer questions about child development, disabilities, community services, Special Education, diploma options in Virginia and transition to life after high school. The questions and potential resources are separated into age levels: Early Childhood, Elementary School, Middle School and High School. This project is a collaborative effort between the Parent Resource...
Description: The Applied Studies Diploma is a diploma option available to students identified as having a disability who complete the requirements of their individualized education programs (IEPs) and meet certain requirements prescribed by the Board of Education pursuant to regulations, but do not meet the requirements for any named diploma. This includes a Webinar Series on the Applied Studies Diploma: Applied Studies Diploma Overview Applied Studies Diploma Part 2: The Curriculum Map Applied Studies...
Description: This online Applied Studies Curriculum Progress Report generator enables teachers to document progress on the domains and competencies contained in the Applied Studies Curriculum Map. Domains: Employment English History and Social Science Independent Living Mathematics Science Competencies: Employment Career Awareness Employability Job-Seeking Skills Problem Solving Self-Advocacy Social/Communication English Community Literacy Composition Comprehension Documents and Forms Self-Selected...
Description: Virginia’s Medicaid Waiver System: Could you or your child benefit from services such as respite care, personal care, assistive technology, employment services, residential services, nursing care, and/or behavior supports? If so, you may want to check into Virginia’s Medicaid Waiver program. In Virginia, Medicaid Waivers pay for a variety of services and supports for children and adults with developmental disabilities. They provide these supports so that the person can live...
Description: The mission of HKNC is to give people who are deaf-blind the tools to live, work and thrive in the communities of their choice. Authorized by an Act of Congress in 1967, HKNC is the only organization of its kind—providing training and resources exclusively to people age 16 and over who have combined vision and hearing loss. Students travel from across the country to our headquarters in Sands Point, New York, for on-campus training in assistive technology, vocational services, orientation...
Description: Age of majority is the age when children legally become adults. At this time, they gain the rights of adults, which include the right to vote, marry, apply for a credit card, make medical and financial decisions for themselves, sign contracts, live independently, and much more. In most states the age of majority is age 18. We invite you to read this tip sheet for parents to learn more about: Who decides the age of majority The age of majority in your state What the transfer of parental...
Description: DMV has taken numerous measures to ensure our customer service centers (CSC) comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and that our customers with disabilities have access to the programs and services they need. Assistance for Customers with Disabilities Customers with disabilities can easily request special assistance or accommodations by making their needs known when they arrive at the information counter in any CSC. A customer service representative will assist the customer with...
Description: ABLEnow accounts help individuals with disabilities save money to pay for qualified expenses, without being taxed on the earnings – and in most cases, without losing eligibility for certain means-tested benefit programs.
Description: The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C) is a Technical Assistance Center co-funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). Their purpose is to provide information, tools, and supports to assist multiple stakeholders in delivering effective services and instruction for secondary students and out of school youth with disabilities. Transition topic areas...
Description: Service Dogs of Virginia is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that raises, trains, and places dogs to assist people with disabilities. Highly trained dogs perform a multitude of tasks that allow greater personal freedom and independence. We serve clients residing in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and are based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Physical Assistance Dogs Autism Service Medical Alert Dogs PTSD Service Dogs Facility Dogs
Description: BridgeLine servies include: Case Management Vocational Day Program "Clubhouse" Residential Program Assisted Independen Living Program
Description: What do Teachers Need to Know?Providing opportunities for students with ASD to be as independent as possible will help to pave the way towards independence as they transition to adulthood. Consider the personal skills needed for independence: physical health, social health and community participation. Students with ASD often lag behind their peers in these areas. Providing strategies and practicing these skills while still in high school will help the student after graduation while at home, in...
Description: Inclusion and participation in the community are not always easy for individuals with ASD. At times, members of the community may not be accepting or supportive. However, community participation can lead to a better quality of life for everyone and make all the difference in an individual’s life. What do Teachers Need to Know?One of the best ways to engage students and promote independence is to give opportunities for choice making and problem solving. This helps increase motivation and...
Description: Advisory: This Fast Fact contains adult content and may not be suitable for all readers In today’s technological world, the Internet has become an important and growing source of information and connectedness. The Internet is useful for many reasons, whether it is being used to chat with old friends, find directions to a restaurant, or read a movie review. However, individuals with ASD and their families may face unique challenges when attempting to safely navigate the web. It is possible...
Description: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center - Promoting the availability and accessibility of transportation options for older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and communities.
Description: Deciding what to do after high school can be a difficult process. This guide will help you and your family explore the various options available to you. The guide provides a closer look at four-year universities, community colleges, vocational/technical school, life skills programs and more. The information will help you find the program that is right for you. The Postsecondary Educational Opportunities Guide is broken up into the following sections: Introduction Preparing for Postsecondary...
Description: The PERT Program is a highly effective school-to-work transition initiative supported by the Virginia Department of Education and administered through the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) at Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center (WWRC). PERT Program services are provided on the WWRC Campus where students reside in a dormitory. The PERT Program assists students in their transition from high school to post secondary options by helping them answer these...
Description: Wellness is a rapidly growing area of focus for people across the U.S. The popularity of health advice segments on TV news and talk shows, of high tech fitness tracking devices and apparel, and of stress management and meditation workshops are a few of the indicators of a growing interest in whole-person well-being. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the benefits of attending to wellness are at least as great as those experienced by the rest of the population. But...
Description: ATN/AIR-P Puberty and Adolescent Resource - Puberty can be a time of mixed feelings for parents and pre-teens. All parents eventually face the challenge of teaching their children about the natural changes of puberty. However, parents of pre-teens with autism may need the help of additional strategies to ease the transition. Our aim in developing this tool is to provide guidance on puberty that can be directly applied to pre-teens with autism. In doing so, we hope to increase families'...
Description: Social Security Office Locator allows you to find the Social Security office located within your zip code. Social Security Online Services - Social Security is constantly expanding their online services to give you freedom and control when conducting business with Social Security. Today, you can apply for retirement, disability, and Medicare benefits online, check the status of an application or appeal, request a replacement Social Security card (in most areas), print a benefit verification...
Description: This website sponsored by The Arc includes: Learn About Future Planning Planning ahead can help guide a person with an intellectual or developmental disability (I/DD) to lead a good life as independently as possible. A plan is important throughout all stages of life and especially in the future after the parent or caregiver is no longer able to provide support. Build Your Future Plan To better serve families and individuals with I/DD in future planning, “Build Your Plan”™ is a...
Description: The VCU-ACE Statewide Goal Committee on Transition recognized that there are distinct domains that comprise this complex concept. Appropriately named, “The Three T’s of Transition”, these areas are as follows: Transition from grade-to-grade, level-to-level, teacher-to-teacher, transition to and from out-of division placement, and the transition that takes place when students leave from secondary education and embark into adulthood. This webcast will...
Description: The Faces and Facts of Disability - Social Security is with you throughout life’s journey, touching the lives of nearly every American, often during times of personal hardship, transition, and uncertainty. Our programs serve as vital financial protection for working men and women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. For over 60 years, our disability program has remained true to its original purpose of delivering economic security against the risk of a severe disability that prevents...
Description: Local community agencies charged with providing case management, and distribution of local, state, and federal funds for services to individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health disabilities. Many CSBs and BHAs also provide direct services in employment and housing for invidividuals with behavioral and developmental disabilities. Some individuals with ASD are eligible for services based on their additional diagnoses and needs.