Author: Tim McCue

Winter weather has hit Washington State!

January 16, 2020

Snow is falling across Washington. People with developmental disabilities and their families and providers should be prepared for extreme weather and other emergencies. Below are resources that can help people prepare for harsh conditions and stay safe. Checking the weather https://www.accuweather.com/ Emergency planning resources from DSHS: https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/residential-care-services/resources-long-term-care-facilities-emergency-planning Winter weather resources for Washington state: https://takewinterbystorm.org/ Emergency/

2020 Legislative Notebook for Developmental Disabilities Supports and Services is now online

December 11, 2019

The 2020 Legislative Notebook for Developmental Disabilities Supports and Services that is provided by The Arc of Washington State is now available at https://arcwa.org/advocacy/public-policy/. The legislative notebook comes out yearly, and it is a collection of information about Washington State intellectual and developmental disability services, data, reports, and legislative one pagers from advocacy groups across

“Real Work for Real Wages”: New Resources Explain Employment First

November 22, 2019

For National Disability Employment Awareness Month the Administration for Community Living (ACL) released information to help people understand Employment First policies. Employment First is the belief that every person with a disability has a right to work in the community if that is something they want to do. ACL has shared resources created to educate

DD Ombuds Advisory Committee met in Spokane

November 15, 2019

October was an exciting month for the DD Ombuds Office! To cap off the second full year of meetings, the DD Ombuds Advisory Committee met in Spokane, where almost all of the members were able to attend. At the meeting, they started work on the second DD Ombuds Report Card and were visited by local

Contact the DD Ombuds for Advocacy Trainings

October 29, 2019

The DD Ombuds offers a number of fully accessible presentations for communities and groups of individuals with disabilities. A few examples include: Information about the DD Ombuds Office. Speaking up and self-advocacy. Safety on the internet. Communicating with your legislator. Even games to make learning about advocacy a fun and engaging experience! If you would

Improving Services for Youth with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities in Foster Care

October 16, 2019

The DD Ombuds released our newest report titled “Improving Services for Youth with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities in Foster Care”. The report identifies gaps that youth with developmental disabilities experience in the foster care system. The report explores ideas for further exploration on how to improve the foster care system for people with developmental disabilities. The report

Advocacy through video

September 26, 2019

Video advocacy is a way to tell your story and spread awareness about issues that face the developmental disability community. We partnered with the DO-IT Program and Rooted in Rights to teach high school students how to produce videos to talk about problems that people with disabilities experience. Below are three videos that the participants

Assistive Technology access through DDA services

September 10, 2019

In Washington people who receive services through Community First Choice (CFC) and other waiver services can access up to $500.00 per year to access assistive technology. People can request assistive technology that helps the person perform an activity of daily living. People can purchase equipment or programs that can help them in their life. There

Thank you for naming me an Ally.

September 3, 2019

On August 20, 2019, Allies in Advocacy named Betty Schwieterman, State Developmental Disabilities Ombuds, their “Ally of the Year.” Betty accepted the award and addressed the audience. “Thank you for naming me an ally – it means the world to me. I am so grateful to be recognized by such a powerful group of advocates.

Reminder: You can file a complaint by phone or online!

August 5, 2019

The DD Ombuds staff can help resolve complaints about services. It is the goal of the DD Ombuds to work with people with developmental disabilities to resolve their complaints at the lowest possible level. All communications about complaints are confidential. You can make complaints to the DD Ombuds over the phone or online. More information