COMING SOON: 

In the Articles section, a must-read for Mother's Day

The Autism Project is once again partnering with the Newport Yachting Center to provide ushers for the upcoming Sunset Music Festival. Please see Volunteer Opportunities section for more information.

SECOND REQUEST FOR PARENT TESTIMONY
Legislative panel studying autism seeks input from Parents, teachers or doctors of children with autism; students with autism, or anyone else who wants to add their stories are invited to comment during the final stages of a study by a legislative commission.

The House Commission to Study the Education of Children with Autism in RI convened in December. It has since gathered what Rep. Peter Palumbo, D-Cranston, called "formal" and "policy-type" information on educating children with autism.

"What we would really like to add to the mix, before we move toward making any formal, legislative recommendations, is the personal side of the issue," he said in a statement.

The commission is inviting testimony at its next meeting, at 12:30 on Wed, May 28 in the State House, room 313.

Please consider attending. Personal testimony can have an impact. Let's all make our voices heard!


Please see Upcoming Events for important information for families in transition from school to adult supports.

     Calling all autism advocates: Your help is needed. Please see Articles section for more details.

RI Department of Human Services has expanded Rewarding Work (http://www.rewardingwork.org)

The link http://www.rewardingwork.org/ri will link families and available PASS workers, PersonalChoice, and Respite. By registering on the website, workers can be involved in more than one agency at any given time. Each worker fills out a comprehensive questionnaire which hopefully will allow a family to identify areas of interest. Families can search online profiles of workers to screen before contacting, interviewing, and checking references.

Rewarding Work makes the search process for support staff much easier than traditional methods by letting consumers choose from hundreds of people with the skills to assist them in living independently. By clicking a mouse, users can find the personal assistant (PCA) or support worker who best meets their needs. Rewarding Work gives people with disabilities choice and control.

The program is free of charge for RI residents who participate in PersonalChoice, Respite and PASS. Consumers who do not participate in state funded programs may purchase a subscription for $10 for 1-month; $25 for 3-months; $50 for 6-months and $90 for 12-months.

Please refer to the Articles section for the full news release

Visit the Family Voices Legislative Action Center: http://capwiz.com/familyvoices/home/ to let your voice count about the new Medicaid Regulations and their impact on children and youth with special health care needs.  If you have any additional questions, please contact Julie Beckett (waivermom@earthlink.net; 319-365-0227) or Janis Connallon (jlambconn@comcast.net; 510-232-7765). Please see the What's New section for more information.

      Sue Constable, Director of the ASD Support Center at the Rhode Island Technical Assistance Project (RITAP), is running a three part training called "Autism" for family members and providers involved in HBTS, KIDS CONNECT, PASS, Respite, Early Intervention, PPEP and CEDARR programs. Please see Upcoming Events for details and to register. The first session will be held on April 11.  

New parent workshops at the Sargent Rehabilitation Center are listed on the Bulletin Board page.

A RED ALERT to all who receive Medicaid in any form. RI Medicaid is now required to document that all Medicaid recipients are U.S. citizens (requirement of federal law). DHS has been sending letters to families of Medicaid recipients -- at the time of recertification -- requesting that you produce the following documents:

For those 16 years old or older:

- US Passport or Certification of Naturalization OR
- Birth Certificate AND driver's license (or state ID card or school photo ID)

For children under 16-

- US Passport or Certificate of Naturalization OR
- Birth Certificate AND parent's signature on the application

You will only receive ONE notice requesting this information.

If you do not produce this documentation within the timelines outlined in your recertification letter from DHS, you WILL be removed from the Medicaid roles and will have to begin the application process all over to get back on Medicaid. If you experience difficulty locating documents, you can return the recertification application with the documents you do have and you will have 90 days to produce the remaining documentation.

THE IMPORTANT THING IS -- Gather these documents now to avoid delay when you get your recertification letter. ACT PROMPTLY when you do receive a recertification letter.

2008 VSA Arts Schedule of classes for RI adults with a developmental disability is posted in the Bulletin Board section

For a complete updated listing of workshops offered by the RI Parent Information Network (RIPIN), please refer to the Bulletin Board section.

For parents with questions about PASS, or Personal Assistance Services and Supports, please see the fact sheet on the menu to the left.

*A link (with instructions) to the new state-wide calendar of autism-related events is at the top of the Upcoming Events section. Please email me at thenews@riautism.org to list your upcoming event, free of charge.

Riautism.org is a website by parents and for parents. I started this two years ago to provide parents with current information about the myriad of resources related to autism that we have in this region. My goal is to keep this information useful, usable, and free. Your feedback and additional information is welcomed. Please email any comments you may have to inquiries@riautism.org. Any news contributions can be directed to thenews@riautism.org.

Thank you.

Glynis Forcht