The state of North Carolina (NC DHHS) announced they have entered into a settlement agreement with Disability Rights North Carolina and the Center for Public Representation to ensure that over 1,000 individuals with disabilities currently working in segregated employment settings have the opportunity to seek out community-based integrated competitive employment.Ā Segregated employment settings, often called…
Clinic-Based ABA Programming for Early Learners in Wilmington
The Autism Society of North Carolina is now offering clinic-based services for young learners diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through the LifeLong Interventions program in Wilmington. The goals of our program are to encourage engagement and learning through play in a motivating and enriching environment and to support emotional regulation development and skill building….
Public Policy Update: āiā Services in 1115 Waiver May Help Those Waiting
North Carolina is in the process of seeking approval by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services to add āiā home and community-based services (HCBS) under our stateās new 1115 Medicaid plan. These āiā HCBS services would offer additional supports to people with disabilities who are eligible for Medicaid. NC DHHS has requested that most…
Camp Royall: The Training that Creates the Best Counselors
So many people work hard to make summer at Camp Royall a reality, including facility staff, lifeguards, activity directors, and counselors. Just as we enjoy seeing campers grow over the years, we also enjoy seeing the professional development of our staff as they return summer after summer. For many people, working as a counselor at…
New Yearās Resolutions and Autism – A Promise to You
Happy New Year! Many people approach the new year as a time to focus on bettering themselves. In fact, making New Year’s resolutions has history in both Western and Eastern cultures and dates back many centuries – a fun tidbit I learned in preparing for this blog. Our friends at Wikipedia define resolutions as a…
North Carolina Public Policy Update: State Budget Passes, Tailored Plans Delayed
Medicaid Transformation Delay While the news below about the budget is very good, delays in passing a state budget coupled with the realignment of county MH/DD/SAS management among LME MCOs mean that the long-awaited Medicaid Tailored Plan rollout will be moved from July 1, 2022, to December 1, 2022. Tailored Plans are an integrated health…
Community Inclusion and the āOlmsteadā Plan
North Carolina recently went through an 18-month planning process to develop a new document outlining the steps that the state should take to ensure that people with disabilities are able to live, work, learn, and enjoy their lives alongside everyone else in their communities. Plans like this set meaningful goals to address the barriers people…