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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Head Over Heart Moving to a Group Home
By Brian Rubin, Esq. Deciding whether or not an adult child with disabilities should move from the family home into a supported, community-based residence can be wrenching experience. Aside from [...]
Home Care for Alzheimer’s
By Ruth Courtney, Richard A. Courtney, CELA, & Morris Klein, CELA In the U.S., 70 percent of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's are cared for at home, creating a stressful balancing [...]
Preparation Pays at Special Ed Meetings
By Hyman Darling, Esq., Massachusetts With special ed spending down 11 percent since 2010, parents may find meetings with the local Committee on Special Education (CSE) increasingly tense. When negotiating [...]
The Do’s and Don’ts When Hiring an Employee with Special Needs
By Amy Goodman, Co-Director, Autism Now The topic of hiring an employee with special needs is important because employers need to know how to be more open- minded and sensitive [...]
Not Accepting “No”: Tips on Advocating Change
By James A. Caffry, Esq., Waterbury, Vermont Government transparency - or the lack of it - is much in the news, and it's a concept to bear in mind as [...]
Keeping Seniors with Developmental Disabilities in the Community
By Pamela Merkle, Executive Director, Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities Thanks to medical advances, people with developmental disabilities are living longer and that longevity is bringing some very difficult [...]
Graduating from Special Ed, Anticipating College
Brian L., 19, recently graduated from high school, having been in special education programs since kindergarten. He has a number of learning differences, including autism spectrum disorder. In August, he [...]
Remember, Transitional Planning Works at the Other End of the Life Spectrum, Too!
By Catherine Goebel, MA, MS Ed., NCG-CGC, ILLP There is much discussion regarding transitional planning for younger individuals with special needs moving from high school to employment, day programming, or [...]
Caregiving in a Digital World
By Professor Naomi Cahn, Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School, & Rev. Amy Ziettlow, Affiliate Scholar with the Institute for American Values You've heard all [...]
Making School Sports Accessible
By Scott Suzuki, Esq., Honolulu, Hawaii The U.S. Department of Education recently published guidelines clarifying the responsibility of public schools to make sports more accessible to students with disabilities. Although [...]
Thinking It Through
What to Consider When Creating a Special Needs Trust By Katherine N. Barr, Esq. Many parents put off the process of setting up a special needs trust (SNT) for a [...]