The Community Summit was virtual this year. A social-sexual ecologist named Shanya Luther gave an online presentation about healthy relationships and healthy sexual development. She has 20 years of experience writing and speaking about this topic. Shanya supports everyone’s need to have meaningful relationships. Everybody has a right to safe, healthy, and fulfilling relationships. It
On a recent segment of Transmission, a show hosted on western Washington radio station KNKX, Ivanova Smith is interviewed about the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the DD population. Ivanova is a strong self-advocate from the Pierce County area who advocates for the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Click here
Informing Families in collaboration with The Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds has created a My Covid-19 Plan booklet in plain language. The booklet informs people about changes we are all facing because of Covid-19. The booklet can be used to understand what is happening around us, and what to do if you are sick or
The Covid-19 virus has changed the daily life of every resident in Washington State and around our world. People have been told to stay home and stay healthy. This has affected the economy and how people make and spend money. The United States Congress Passed a law called the CARES Act. This bill was passed
Check out this video by the Office of Developmental Disability Services in Oregon for helpful tips and information about COVID-19, and how to protect yourself and others from the virus.
On February 25th 2020, the Washington State House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions honoring the 30th anniversary of the passing of the ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA was the first major piece of legislation that would ensure the rights of individuals with disabilities to have equal opportunities and access to participate
At the start of February, the DD Ombuds kicked things off with a table at the Kitsap County Developmental Disabilities Resource Fair on Saturday, February 1st. This yearly resource fair sees over 50 vendors and 150 attendees, it is a great resource for the DD community in Kitsap. Even though the resource fair was canceled
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/
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
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
