IMPORTANT SPECIAL EDUCATION ALERT

Call Your State Representative Today
Support Amendment #96
Equal Access for Students with Disabilities-Charter Schools
The House of Representatives will start voting today on its education reform bill that proposes to expand the number of charter schools in the Commonwealth.
Call your representative today to support Amendment #96, which ensures that charter schools serve the full range of students with disabilities.
Amendment #96, sponsored by Rep. Sannicandro, requires charter schools to serve the same proportion of students with disabilities as the charter communities, reflecting the full range of students with disabilities based on the amount of time students are receiving special education services.
--Call now-
Student with Disabilities Must be Included in Education Reform
WHO IS YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE? Go to lower right of Action Center to find out http://capwiz.com/thearc/state/main/?state=MA&view=myofficials

Locating Area or Local Offices in Your Town
Need contact information about local disability related agencies and public services for a specific town in Massachusetts? Use the Town / Area Cross Reference, a database that can be accessed from DisabilityInfo.org. There are fourteen disability-related agencies at your fingertips for each town in Massachusetts. It is easy and quick to use! Bookmark this handy site to use for your future callers. The Town/Area Cross Reference provides, for each incorporated town in the Commonwealth, contact information for the following fourteen agencies:
Aging Service Access Points (ASAPs) are one-step entry points for all services and benefits available to seniors in Massachusetts. ASAPs offer these services: Information and referral for senior services, including home care services, housing options, public benefits, legal assistance, hospice care, ombudsman program, health insurance, senior companions and adult day care
Elder care advisors
Protective services to prevent abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of seniors by caregivers
Protect seniors to live safely and independently at home
Case management services
Care giver support
Nutrition services
Arcs, formerly Associations for Retarded Citizens "ARCs", are now known as "Arcs". These organizations provide a variety of services people with developmental disabilities and their families. Most Arcs in Massachusetts belong to ArcMass.
Autism Support Centers are funded by the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services as home agencies for children aged 3 - 18 who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The support centers are the "front door" for families. Supports include help with the eligibility process for the Autism Spectrum Division; information and referral resources; support groups; and trainings and programs.
Commissions on Disability(COD) are established by vote of Town Meeting or City Council to promote the inclusion and integration of persons with disabilities in the activities, services and employment opportunities in the community Council on Aging (COA) operates senior centers for area/town residents aged 60 or older. Most COAs offer information and referral; outreach; SHINE health insurance counseling; exercise and fitness programs; home delivered meals; transportation to medical appointments; health screenings and clinics; and senior centers. Some COAs offer recreational programs, tax assistance, friendly visitors, assistance with food shopping, supportive day care and handyman services.
Department of Developmental Services (DDS) (Formerly Department of Mental Retardation) provides services and supports to adults with intellectual disabilities and children with developmental disabilities. The types of specialized services and supports include service coordination, individual supports, residential supports, community day supports, employment supports, family supports, respite and transportation.
Department of Mental Health (DMH) provides clinical, rehabilitative and supportive services for adults with serious mental illness or serious mental disturbance. DMH offers many community-based mental health services such as residential options, case management, in-home treatment, flexible supports in the community, outpatient services, dual-diagnosis treatment, clubhouses, day treatment, skills training and supported employment. Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is the state agency responsible for administering public assistance programs (food assistance, job assistance, cash assistance and emergency shelter) for the needy citizens of the Commonwealth.
Emergency Service Program (ESP)s are available 24 hours a day, seven (7) days a week.
Call one of these providers if you are having a mental health crisis/emergency. No referral is necessary in an emergency situation.
Family Ties - Department of Public Health is a statewide information and parent-to-parent support project for families of children with special needs and chronic illness. Parent coordinators are housed in each of the regional offices of the Massachusetts Department of Public health. This program provides sharing and support among parents who share similar life situations.
Independent Living Centers (ILC) are private, non-profit, consumer-controlled, community-based organizations providing services and advocacy by and for persons with all types of disabilities. An ILC's goal is twofold: to create opportunities for independence, and to assist individuals to achieve their maximum level of independent functioning within their communities. The eleven ILCs in Massachusetts provide a range of services, which include information and referral, personal care attendants, housing, transportation, educational, vocational, equipment, communication, legal and social/recreational. Independent Living Centers for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHILS) programs are funded through state contracts administered by MCDHH. DHILS programs provide a peer consumer environment to enable deaf and hard-of-hearing persons to become more independent and achieve their life goals for independent functioning in family-, school employment-, and community-situations. Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) promotes dignity for individuals with disabilities through employment and independent living in the community. MRC is responsible for vocational rehabilitation services; community services; and eligibility determination for social security disability (SSDI) and supplemental security income (SSI) federal benefits programs.
Recovery Learning Communities (RLC) are consumer-run networks of self-help/peer support, information and referral, advocacy and provides training activities.
MNIP Database Training

There may be some people on your staff who would benefit from our MNIP training. It includes the use of the databases on-line and the use of all the resources to which you have access as MNIP members. If you or anyone at your organization would like to be trained for the first time, or would like a refresher on using MNIP resources, please contact Angie Aguirre at Angie.Aguirre@neindex.org
Joining the MNIP
If your agency is not yet a member of the MNIP and is interested in joining, or if you know of an agency that is interested, please direct it to our application page. There is no charge for membership in the MNIP. Members receive the MNIP newsletter; have access to a members’ site with electronic tools to facilitate provision of information and referral; and participate at periodic trainings and conferences. Any organization, which provides information and referral for people with disabilities at no cost to the public, is eligible for membership. If you have any questions, please contact Bob Bass at Robert.Bass@umassmed.edu
MNIP Funders
New England INDEX and the MNIP are funded by: Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
Getting in Touch with INDEX Staff Name Position Phone Number E-mail Address
Robert Bass Director (781) 642-0246 Robert.Bass@umassmed.edu
Angie Aguirre Special Projects Assistant (781) 642-0289 Angie.Aguirre@neindex.org
Vadim Droznin Network Administrator Vadim.Droznin@neindex.org
Jonathan Gottlieb Office Assistant Jonathan.Gottlieb@neindex.org
Kathryn Gregorio Database Consultant Kathryn.Gregorio@neindex.org
Audrey Huntley Information Acquisition Coordinator (781) 642-0286 Audrey.Huntley@neindex.org
Becky Olsen Information Specialist / Office Administrator (781) 642-0026 Rebecca.Olsen@neindex.org
Dave Owens Web & Database Developer Dave.Owens@neindex.org
Viet Do Web & Database Developer Viet.Do@neindex.org
John Rochford Director of Technology (781) 642-0255 John.Rochford@neindex.org
About INDEX
New England INDEX is a program of Commonwealth Medicine, the University of Massachusetts Medical School, located at the Shriver Center in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Note: Archived issues can be found at http://www.disabilityinfo.org/MNIP/news/archive Useful information about our Web sites and network members can be found within those issues.
To receive this newsletter in text-only format, please send a message to info@disabilityinfo.org

Participation in Research Studies: The Autism Consortium is currently conducting a study for families that involves providing blood samples as well as an assessment battery including IQ tests, questionnaires and observations. Parents and siblings, along with the family members diagnosed with an ASD, are invited to participate. At the conclusion of the study, a detailed report of the assessment results for the family member with an ASD will be provided.

• Boston Medical Center/Boston University School of Medicine
• Children’s Hospital Boston
• The Floating Hospital at Tufts Medical Center
• Massachusetts General Hospital/Ladders

For more information visit https://aane.ejoinme.org/MyPages/PlymouthCountyProgramsFall2009TransEduc/tabid/164108/Default.aspx http://www.autismconsortium.org
or contact research@autismconsortium.org
or call 1-866-518-0296.

Janet McTarnaghan from Community Autism Resources (CAR) will be holding an eight week session of their social skills group, Social-Lites, at The Arc of NBC's Attleboro office. I believe the group will be for children between the ages of 7-17 years-old. If you are interested please go to CAR's web site www.community-autism-resources.com and fill out an application; or call Janet McTarnaghan at 508-379-0371 extension 12. Groups are generally kept to six participants, age and gender are considered before formulating a group. If your child's age group is selected, you will be contacted to set up a brief screening to insure compatibility of participants. If you have any questions, please call Janet McTarnaghan at 508-379-0371 extension 12. We hope that this group will be helpful for some of our Family Support Families. As always feel free to contact the Family Support team at 508-226-1445 or 1-888-343-3301 extensions 3118 or 3015.