Thanks to everyone across the state who participated in last week’s Have a Heart for The Arc by contacting your state legislators! It was fun to see your creative (and impactful!) Valentine’s messages advocating for Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)! We had a great time delivering cookies and our policy priorities (also available via video) to lawmakers’ offices at the Capitol, and enjoyed the chance to chat with staffers. Mark your calendar for next year’s Have a Heart for The Arc – which is always on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14! And remember, you can always find your representatives and spread the word about issues impacting people with IDD with our 60-second video.

Valentine’s Day may have come and gone, but love is always worth celebrating! The Arc of The U.S. recently featured our board member extraordinaire, Veronica Ayala, in a video about how she met her husband, Jeff. However, as they put it, “too often, people with disabilities must choose between keeping critical benefits and marrying the person they love.” Use this quick form linked above to tell Congress to end marriage penalties. 

We’ve compiled our most requested resources for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Find information about how to plan for your child’s education, learn about alternatives to guardianship, get help navigating employment opportunities, find out about Medicaid Waivers, and get the resources you need if you’re planning to move to Texas. 

This presentation, in English, provides a brief overview of the Spanish version of The Arc@School Special Education Advocacy Curriculum. The Spanish curriculum provides basic information that parents, educators, and non-attorney special education advocates need to support students and families in navigating the special education system.

The National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices is hosting an informative webinar series about aging, dementia, and intellectual disability, which will explore issues of interest for families and caregivers of adults with an intellectual disability. The five-part series will run between Feb. 27 and Apr. 23. For more information, contact familysupport@the-ntg.org.

Learn about the intersections of poverty, rurality, gender, caregiving, and disability and how these overlapping experiences are unique and can lead to increase risk and vulnerability.

The Arc of the U.S. received a $2.5 million grant from the United Health Foundation to adapt, provide, and promote training to build a system in which providers and caregivers are better equipped to support individuals with co-occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Submit a request for proposal (RFP) by Mar. 4 for a sub-grant to train your staff and community providers.

Students who receive special education services, who are currently enrolled in a Texas public school, and are identified as "medically fragile" now qualify for the new Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) grant. This grant provides online accounts to purchase goods or services to help students access public school and/or health related services at home or where care is provided.

This training program provides self-advocates and family members of people with developmental disabilities information and skills necessary to partner with policymakers and advocate for important disability issues at the local, state, and federal levels.

Students receiving special education may be affected by losses in School Health and Related Services (SHARS) funding. This will impact nursing services, occupational or speech therapy, personal care, and more. Watch this video and check out the resource from Disability Rights Texas above to find out what you can do to protect your student’s services.

There's still time to register for the Disability Policy Seminar, the premier opportunity to cultivate support on Capitol Hill and amplify the concerns of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) before Congress.