Loud & Clear: Family Conversations is written by our member attorneys and guests for individuals with disabilities and their families. We tackle the day-to-day and long-range issues that affect the quality of life. Readers are welcome to comment on the discussion, though we can not answer legal questions here. For answers to specific legal questions, please find an attorney in our Directory.
Understanding VA Disability Benefits
By Cindy S. Alvear, Esq. and Julian E. Gray, CELA Most people are aware, to some extent, that the Veterans Administration (VA) offers benefits for service-related disabilities. Many don't realize, [...]
The Arc Launches New Center for Criminal Justice and Disability
By Leigh Ann Davis, M.S.S.W., M.P.A., Program Manager, Justice Initiatives The Arc, the nation's leading organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), has been awarded a two-year grant [...]
Tough Choices: People with Disabilities Face Housing Crisis
By Mary O’Byrne, Esq., and Stephen W. Dale, Esq. This is the first in a series of articles addressing scarce housing for people with disabilities. The shortage in housing for [...]
Working With the Social Security Administration: Some Thoughts for the Perplexed
By Michael J. Astrue, Former Commissioner, Social Security Administration I moved back to the Boston area last year after my six-year term as Commissioner ended. It has mostly been a [...]
The Arc Reacts to Startling New Bureau of Justice Statistics on Crimes against People with Cognitive and Other Disabilities
The Special Needs Alliance and The Arc collaborate on issues of mutual interest. The Arc promotes and protects the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively [...]
Getting Out the Vote: Improving Access for Voters with Disabilities
By Sally L. Schoffstall, CELA During this mid-term election year, there are urgent issues at stake that directly affect the lives of people with disabilities. Budget battles at every level [...]
Choosing the Right Nursing Home
By Martha C. Brown, CELA When a loved one of any age requires the round-the-clock care of a nursing home, it’s important to select one that fulfills both their medical [...]
Care Managers Can Reduce Family Pressures
By Franchelle C. Millender, CELA Working with a care manager can significantly lower family stress, providing reassurance that the right steps are being taken to ensure a loved one's quality [...]
Transferring Guardianship Between States
By Scott Suzuki, Esq. With the increasing mobility of American families, the need to transfer guardianships between states is on the upswing. A new job (or military assignment), supports that [...]
Do Not Hospitalize Directives Often Confuse
By Elizabeth L. Gray, Esq. A recent article by Judith Graham, "The New Old Age, A Misunderstood Directive," (New York Times, 20 November, 2013) got me thinking about "Do Not [...]
Young Artist with Autism Finds Critical Acclaim
His art has been exhibited throughout the U.S., in Kiev, Galapagos, Curacao and the Cayman Islands. He can compose music on a computer, without the benefit of sound. He's won [...]
End-of-Year Tax Considerations
By H. Amos Goodall, Jr., CELA Caring for a loved one with special needs can run into millions of dollars over the course of their lifetime, so the last thing [...]
Family Members Should Consider Trust Protector Role
By Robert B. Fleming, CELA, Tucson, AZ For family members wishing to participate in the care of a loved one with special needs, the role of trustee isn't always a [...]
Reflections on Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
By Reginald H. Turnbull, CELA March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the truly dramatic advances made by the special needs community, as well as the [...]
Mental Illness Awareness Month
A Largely Unaddressed Epidemic By Laurie Hanson, Esq. October is Mental Illness Awareness Month, almost an oxymoron. Do you realize that more people in the U.S. have mental illness than [...]
Tax Planning for Families With Special Needs
By Bradley J. Frigon, CELA As tax-paying season approaches, there are a number of tax obligations and deduction opportunities that families with special needs should bear in mind. It's important [...]
Structured Settlements and SNTs
Protecting Public Benefits By John F. Kearns III, CELA, West Hartford, Connecticut When settling a personal injury case, the value that public benefits will bring to the plaintiff's quality of [...]
The Untapped Talent of Workers with Disabilities
By Jefferey Yussman, Esq. Unemployment for people with disabilities hit 16.8 percent last summer. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that in fiscal 2011, it received more complaints of disability-related [...]
March Is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Advances and Setbacks By Robert B. Fleming, CELA In 1987 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.” The deinstitutionalization movement of the seventies and early eighties had laid [...]
Microboards and Guardianship
By Ann McGee Green, Esq. This past summer, one of my client families was successful in having – for the first time in Virginia – a microboard-named guardian for their [...]