The Front Page Blog: Blogs on Community Living

As population demographics continue to shift, long term services and supports are increasingly important to improve health and quality of life for individuals of all ages and abilities. A key component of long term services and supports are home and community-based services (HCBS), which provide opportunities for individuals, including people with disabilities and chronic conditions, to receive services in their own homes or communities.

As a member of the New Editions Money Follows the Person (MFP) Technical Assistance (TA) Center, I work to support states as they focus on…

September is National Guide Dog Month and celebrates the work of guide dogs in the United States, raising awareness, appreciation, support and money for guide dog schools and organizations.

In 1929, The Seeing Eye (www.seeingeye.org) became the first organization in the U.S. to breed, raise and train guide dogs. Today blind citizens and their guide dogs form teams that are protected by the American with Disabilities Act. In July, 2007, I entered the program at Guide Dogs for the Blind in Portland, Oregon. After four weeks of training, I…

August 26th is Women’s Equality Day, a national observance started in 1971 to commemorate the 1920 ratification of the 19th amendment, giving U.S. women the right to vote. While 94 years may seem like a lifetime, and a lot of progress has certainly been made, there is still work to be done. Women’s Equality Day is great opportunity to call attention to women’s ongoing efforts toward achieving full equality. 

Strong women begin as empowered girls, and whether they are rocking the vote or rocking an instrument, everyone benefits from a sense of shared experience, friendship,…

It's August and everyone is ready to hit the road, or the air, or the rails. A summer break from the routine of life’s challenges is a right that many Americans take for granted, but it is not so simple for Americans with disabilities to exercise that right. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came into effect over twenty years ago, the United States has become a much friendlier landscape for people with disabilities. Still, for people who use crutches, walkers or wheelchairs, travelling can be quite a challenge.  

I use a wheelchair and I have travelled to more…

Most parents dream that one day their children will go to college. But such dreams may grow distant and seem unrealistic when a child is born with a developmental disability. It could have been that way for us. Our son, Pete was born with an undiagnosed genetic syndrome that affected his motor skills, feeding, heart, and almost every aspect of his development. He was labeled “failure to thrive” because he couldn’t keep enough food down to grow. He cried, fussed, and struggled through therapy and doctor visits. Because of his very complex care needs, we requested a multidisciplinary…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. During May, communities come together to promote awareness and understanding of mental illness.

Mental illness affects most families. One in four Americans will have a mental illness at some point in their lifetime. Half of all mental illnesses begin by age 14 and 75% begin by age 24. Mental illnesses include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among many others. To increase access to care and create an open dialogue about mental illness, communities must address service system issues.

In 2013,…

I appreciate the important Republican and Democratic thought leaders who are focusing on the need to provide long-term services and supports (LTSS) for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions and older Americans. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) recently announced plans to draft policy and legislative solutions that will address public and private financing options, as well as how and where the services and supports are delivered. 

LTSS encompasses assistance with personal care, activities of daily living, housekeeping, health care routines that may be…

As a child with Spina Bifida growing up in Northern California I had some amazing opportunities. I went to the best public schools, had friends both with and without disabilities, and even participated in children’s theater. I also had many of the complications that people with Spina Bifida have—eleven surgeries, occupational and physical therapy appointments and countless sick days.

Through all of the opportunities and challenges of childhood, I always expected to graduate high school, go to college and get a good job that would keep me self-sufficient.  By high school, I…

Over 12 million Americans receive long-term services and supports (LTSS) to meet their daily needs in a variety of settings, provided by family and/or paid workers. In late September, the bi-partisan Commission on Long Term Care issued its Report to Congress.

The Commission’s Report issued a “call to action,” declaring that:

• New approaches are needed to bring LTSS care integration, technology, and innovative workforce strategies together to reduce costs and improve outcomes.
• Creative financing efforts are needed to affordably insure the risk of needing LTSS and…