When you have a problem with the services you are receiving from DDA, often the first person to call or email is your DDA Case Manager. They may not respond immediately, but you can expect them to call or email you back within a day or two. Keep speaking up about your problem until it
People with developmental disabilities enjoy going out into the community and participating in activities just like everybody else. With the summer coming to an end we are going to highlight a few stories we heard from community members about how they used Community Guide and Engagement along with other DDA services to enjoy summer fun!
“After I was admitted to the hospital, my service provider said they would no longer serve me. Now I have no place to live!” DD Ombuds receives complaints from hospitals around the state for situations such as this. It is a big problem, not just in Washington, but around the country. For more info, check
In 2014, the US Congress and President Barack Obama signed the Achieving Better Life Experience or ABLE act into law. The goal of the ABLE act is to allow individuals with disabilities, including developmental disabilities, to be more financially independent and have a more secure future. It does this by allowing them to set up
The DD Ombuds is not the only Ombuds program in Washington State. There is also the Long Term Care Ombuds; Education Ombuds; Behavioral Health Ombuds; Family and Children Ombuds; and Department of Corrections Ombuds. Sometimes, a person may benefit from working with multiple Ombuds programs in order to get an issue they are experiencing solved.
Last year in February, more than 20 self advocates from around the United States proposed projects to SARTAC (Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center, a program of SABE), and of those, 6 were chosen to receive 5,000 dollars to create their advocacy projects. Each fellow is collaborating with a host organization, such as a
SABE, known as Self Advocates Being Empowered, is a national disability rights organization with members in all 50 states. Every other year, SABE hosts an annual convention for all of its members to attend. This year’s convention was in June, at the Sheraton Hotel convention center in Birmingham, Alabama. Tim McCue, Noah Seidel and Sorretie
The Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds created a presentation to help people better understand issues of abuse and neglect in the disability community. The presentation covers why this is an important issue facing the disability community, shares information about the prevalence of abuse, neglect and sexual violence, why it happens in our community, and what
DD Ombuds staff presented to Open Doors for Multicultural Families and collected information about the issues families are seeing among Washington’s most diverse communities. The DD Ombuds will continue to work with Open Doors to make sure Ombuds services are accessible and relevant to people with I/DD and their families. Do you have ideas about
Betty Schwieterman, Tim McCue, Lisa Robbe, and SARTAC Fellow Sorretie Jaro attended the Community Summit in Wenatchee June 12-14, 2018 along with 1000 registered participants. Highlights included sessions from Lydia Brown https://autistichoya.net/bio/ , Dave Hingsburger http://davehingsburger.blogspot.com/ , and Ari Ne’eman https://arineeman.com/about/ DD Ombuds staff also presented a workshop to 40 participants on how the Office
