The Front Page Blog: Blogs on Community Living

By: Clare Rauch, Assistant Project Manager - Communications 

 

By: Anne Leopold, Senior Project Manager

During this month’s National Volunteer Month, we recognize the important contributions of volunteers by providing key highlights from a study, funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and conducted by New Editions Consulting, that assessed the role and economic value of volunteers in home- and community-based and long-term…

By: Robert Bartolotta

February is National Senior Independence Month. According to the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living  -

By Jane Rath, New Editions Vice President 

 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Program provides funding and support for 44 state grantees to design and develop services and supports to assist individuals move from institutional to home and community-based settings. Additionally, MFP provides the foundation and framework for…

In June, New Editions facilitated the seventh annual meeting between the US Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Agriculture (USDA) at HUD headquarters. The theme of this year’s meeting was Housing as a Platform for Health.

In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March is designated as National Reading Month. The primary audience for Dr. Seuss’ books is young children, but his writings have insight for adults, too.  As he said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

October 8th marks the 30th anniversary of Public Law 99-457 that expanded the special education law to cover infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities. The law recognizes families as pivotal to the success of babies and young children with developmental disabilities. Early intervention and special education services definitely made a difference for my son, Pete – who is now 28…

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities holds an annual National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference. The conference is for staff of Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as partners, providers and advocates providing services to people with long term services and supports (LTSS) needs in the community. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) inaugurated April 24-30 as National Reentry Week.

Community bakeries and cafes are popular places to gather with friends and neighbors, celebrate a team victory or cheer up when you are feeling a little low. Running these cafes can be difficult but rewarding work, especially when staff members see and hear the positive feedback from their customers.  There are two establishments in the Washington, DC suburbs that offer more than something for…

Winter weather evokes mixed emotions in adults. Children love this time of year when school can be cancelled on a Wednesday and snowmen dot the landscape, while adults wrestle between the guiltless joy of having an excuse to stay indoors with a book, hot chocolate and Netflix—and the inevitable loathing of de-icing, shoveling and the worsening of already terrible traffic. Among the black and…

Community integration for seniors and individuals with disabilities hasn’t always been the standard, but it is on the rise – thanks in part to programs like the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Program. As a nation we are now at a tipping point with Medicaid dollars for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) approximating the…

Since my days as a rehabilitation counselor three decades ago, I have worked toward a goal of including people with disabilities into our society—no matter the job that I held.  When I became an employer twelve years ago, I sought and hired people with disabilities.

Attend any awards ceremony and right after the person being honored thanks his or her parents, that person then thanks the people who have provided support, guidance, opportunities—that person’s mentors.  Imagine for just a minute that the person in the audience being thanked is you.  Mentoring can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career.  Helping others is rejuvenating and for…

The white cane is universally recognized as a representative marker for blindness and low vision. But many people may not realize that for individuals who are blind or have low vision, the white cane is so much more than a navigational tool. It is a symbol of independence, integration, and triumph. This is why people across the country observe October 15th, White Cane Safety Day, as a day to…

Do you know where you will live when you are 80 years old? Will your home accommodate your health and physical needs? How will you manage if you cannot drive? Will you be able to sell your house and move into affordable, accessible housing with accessible public transportation? 

As a student at Loyola University, I was l lucky enough to call New Orleans home from 2001 to 2005. During that time, I became well acquainted with the vibrancy of the city, the kindness of its residents, and the cultural, political, socioeconomic and geographic traits that make it unlike any other place in the world. Two months after I moved to Northern Virginia, Hurricane Katrina hit the…

I was optimistic about the direction the field of disability was taking when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed. I had spent a year arguing with my brother-in-law who belonged to an organization that was actively lobbying against the ADA. He was convinced that the ADA would be the death of the small business that employed him. Our arguments were heated and often led to me saying…

By Betsy Tewey, Vice President

July 2015 is bookended by two celebrations of independence in America – the Fourth of July holiday and the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At New Editions we consult on disability research and policy, we actively recruit and hire individuals with disabilities, and we promote diversity, so issues of civil rights,…

New Editions has been recognized with three awards for our diversity and inclusion. As a government contractor specializing in health, disability and historically marginalized populations, we work side-by-side with our government partners to create a more inclusive environment – through information technology and systems that are accessible, programs that are inclusive, training managers and…

Because my son has a disability and works, he also must file a tax return. Last year I helped him file his returns for the first time. We began by using the IRS Free File option for people earning less than $60,000. By selecting the “Help me find Free File software” I was able to find a “name-brand” software that we used to auto-file his Federal return and his state return.