Informing Families, a resource provided by the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council, offers trusted news and information to empower individuals and families to be active participants in planning and building a network of support and opportunities. The Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds recently did a livestream interview with Informing Families to tell people about our
The 2019 Community Summit in Washington State took place this past June. This year the Summit had a focus on art and entertainment. People discussed how to advocate through video, music, social media and other avenues. The keynote speaker Caelynn Lea kicked off the Summit by talking about being a musician with a disability and
2019 marks the DD Ombuds Office’s second year attending and participating in the Community Summit! This year, the Community Summit hosted a number of incredible tech demos that showed off the interesting and at times unexpected assistive uses for technology. Some devices included mechanical limbs, custom switches for use with computers and games, phones with
Nebraskans with disabilities offer the following advice to support staff and service providers: Don’t be scared of me. Remember this is my home, not yours. Give me space when I ask for it. I have the right to say “No”. Teach me, don’t do it for me. Explain things in a way I can understand.
The DD Ombuds recognizes Allyship is critical to our work, and a cornerstone of the disability rights movement. What is allyship? This website offers insightful guidance. https://theantioppressionnetwork.com/allyship/?fbclid=IwAR19c-qIjv57SRI-Lir2zi9DuGdi2t_j16aIMzUu4nOPWHEOMlTD8HbpaWs
Mental Health Month is a time to discuss, examine, raise awareness, and advocate about mental health and wellness. Nearly one in five adults in the United States live with a mental health condition. Mental Health Month was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in people’s lives. People
The Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds began investigating complaints about individuals with disabilities who were stuck in a hospital without a medical need, and late last year we wrote a report on the issue, that you can read here. DD Ombuds Hospital Report Now, the issue has been covered by King5’s own Susannah Frame, who
Do you have trouble understanding Social Security benefits? Do you understand your money situation? Is something going wrong with your representative payee? Disability Rights Washington as a program to help individuals with disabilities keep their rights to make personal and financial decisions, and to make sure people who are assisting them are doing so in
The Region 2 DD Ombuds, Andrea and Beth, had information tables at 2 School-to-Work Transition Fairs in King County in March 2019. The fairs were for students with developmental disabilities, their families, caregivers, teachers, agencies, and employers. There were representatives from over 40 organizations at the fairs to provide information to the students, their families,
The DD Ombuds have been tracking legislation that will impact the developmental disabilities community. The DD Ombuds is following our mission by informing the Legislature’s work to ensure safe, quality developmental disabilities services. Some bills we are tracking: SB 5338 and HB 1422 which would modify RCW 74.34 to clarify definitions, give authority to Adult
