Applications for the third annual Heumann-Armstrong Awards are now open. Equal Opportunities for Students will be awarding $1000 prizes to six students, in the 6th grade or higher, who demonstrate their commitment to fighting against ableism in education. Students in middle school, high school and higher education (community college, college, university, and graduate and professional degree programs) are eligible for this award. For more information please check out the Heumann-Armstrong Awards informational video or email equalstudentopportunties@gmail.com or CoelhoCenter@lls.edu.

Have you made plans to attend The Arc’s 2023 NCE Summer Leadership Institute? This year’s event, taking place from July 24 – 26, promises a diverse lineup of sessions and speakers to inspire and reinvigorate your work.

Topics include:

• Retaining and developing direct support professionals
• Preventing the school-to-prison pipeline
• Guardianship alternatives
• Organizational leadership development and succession planning

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule, Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services (Access Rule) to improve access to — and quality of — Medicaid services and promote health equity across the Medicaid program.

The proposed rule applies to all Medicaid services, including the home and community-based services (HCBS) that are vital to people with disabilities and older adults. This means that input from ACL’s network is critical. Comments must be received by July 3, 2023.

TCDD and Texas Advocates are seeking four youth ambassadors to join their Texas team! The youth ambassadors will work closely with partners to help teach people about supported decision-making and alternatives to guardianship. To be eligible, candidates must: 

• be between the ages of 14 to 26 years old;
• identify as a person with an intellectual or developmental disability;
• want to learn more about alternatives to guardianship; and
• live in Texas.

The youth ambassadors will receive comprehensive training on various topics, including leadership, self-advocacy, and guardianship alternatives. They will make action plans to share what they have learned with their community and create a report to document their experiences. Youth ambassadors will complete a 13-week virtual training and receive a stipend of $750 for their participation. For more information, please contact Koren Vogel at koren.vogel@tcdd.texas.gov or 512-948-2035. Applications will be accepted until June 20, 2023.

Health and Human Services (HHS) is meeting with stakeholders in-person across the state to hear from them about ways to improve access to long-term services and supports. Your feedback will help identify ways HHS can strengthen the No Wrong Door system, a streamlined and coordinated system to help Texans access long-term services and supports (LTSS) in the community. LTSS includes, but is not limited to, day activity health services, home health aide services, personal care services, home-delivered meals, transportation, and family caregiver support services.

The President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) held a virtual meeting on May 1, 2023, to discuss issues related to home and community-based services (HCBS). The discussion helped develop a general framework for the preparation of the Committee’s Report to the President. Key emerging issues identified related to HCBS include direct support professionals, competitive integrated employment, community living, and federal support programs. All meeting materials can now be accessed on the PCPID webpage in the meeting materials section.