LEND Boston

Congratulations, Maura!!!

: The Arc of Massachusetts Announces Appointment of Maura Sullivan as New Chief Executive Officer

Maura will become CEO on November 2, and will be the first parent of children with IDD and autism to lead the organization since its first Director, Pearl Hurwitz, in 1954.

Learn more: thearcofmass.org/maura

Honored to recognize Leo Sarkissian’s retirement and impressive record of advocacy for persons with disabilities at the Arc of Mass on July 19. Among the esteemed guests were Leo’s wife, children and grandchildren, our longtime friends and colleagues Charlie Fiske and Maura Sullivan, Arc of Mass Past President Scott Borchardt and our very own Director, Dr Jason Fogler and recent graduates, mother and son duo Lisa Sims and Jevon Okundaye!

A well deserved recognition and induction for former LEND fellow, Cynthia Laine into the Commonwealth Heroines! Congratulations!

Fitchburg mother, Black Autism Coalition founder joins Commonwealth Heroines The coalition gathers materials, researches available resources, offers translation services and helps families understand the autism diagnosis

Congratulations to Dr. Kerim Munir for being promoted to Full Professor at Harvard Medical School! Picture highlighted is from the award ceremony at the AUCD conference in 2023, where he was recognized for his extensive and impactful international work in support of individuals with disabilities.

another great webinar taking place! Have you heard about the Caregiver to Caregiver Respite Network?

INFO: https://fcsn.org/c2c/

WEBINAR: https://archrespite.org/lc-meetings/july-18-2024-caregiver-to-caregiver-c2c-respite-network/

July 18, 2024 – Caregiver to Caregiver (C2C) Respite Network, | ARCH National Respite Network & Resource Center Caregiver to Caregiver (C2C) Respite Network, A community of caregiving rooted in shared experience The Caregiver to Caregiver (C2C) Respite Network was developed by a parent of a child with a disability. C2C is funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds though a special state respite initiative, and....

Interesting series to share with you!

https://mailchi.mp/aee4a723bcd5/coiin-cafe-3-policy?e=f264c0f996

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Sharing:

"Disability ReFramed: In Media" considers the opportunities, strategies, and challenges facing journalists and filmmakers on both sides of the camera, and imagines what the future could be.
In this inaugural event, Producer, Director and cinematographer Dan Habib, creator of award-winning, nationally broadcast documentary films Including "Samuel," "Who Cares About Kelsey?," "Mr. Connolly Has ALS," and "Intelligent Lives," will join panelists Cara Reedy, Founder and Director of the Disabled Journalists Association; Liz Pritchard, creator and CEO of PaperBag Comic, flash mentor for Lights! Camera! Access! and Post-Production Supervisor for ADA Lead On Productions; and Meghan Smith, Senior Producer at GBH News.
They will discuss how disability is covered in film and in newsrooms, and speak candidly about how "Nothing About Us Without Us" applies to work behind the camera, on film sets and in newsrooms, and organizations more broadly.
Disability ReFramed is a new annual event at GBH designed to consider the opportunities, strategies, and challenges we face as a community and to imagine what the future could be.
Event registration is required for the in-person and virtual experience. In-person seating is general admission.
Tickets and accommodations available for “Disability ReFramed: In Media” here:

Disability ReFramed: In Media Disability ReFramed: In Media considers the opportunities, strategies, and challenges facing journalists and filmmakers on both sides of the camera, and imagines what the future could be.In this inaugural event, Producer, Director and cinematographer

Great news! The Autism CARES Act of 2024 Passes House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee! A huge thanks for our 2023-2024 LEND fellows who advocated so strongly in support of this act while in DC this past Spring.

Former Fellow, Dr Elaine Smyth just did a podcast for B*H on dental care! We love sharing what former fellows are up to!

https://www.childrenshospital.org/podcasts/answers?utm_campaign=FY24BrandNatl&utm_medium=email&utm_source=feature&utm_content=pa617

Great work, Sophie and Cynthia! We are so proud of you both!

At our June Council meeting, the MDDC was joined by this year's Crocker & Gopen Fellows to hear about the work they have completed during their fellowships. Since 2023, these Fellows have been working with staff from the Institute for Community Inclusion on projects of their own choosing.

Sophie Korpics, this year's Gopen Fellow shared updates on her project "Understanding Assistive Technology: Barriers to Access and How to Improve." Informed by her own personal experiences, this project outlines the need for further education on the available assistive technology, and how this technology will benefit students with disabilities.

Cynthia Laine, this year's Crocker Fellow shared updates on her project "Creating a Culture of Inclusion at Church." Informed by her own experiences growing up attending church services and her experience as a mother of two sons with Autism, this project outlines ways to make worship more accessible and welcoming of those with disabilities.

Thank you to Sophie and Cynthia for joining us, and congratulations on the amazing work you have done!

sharing: Nicky's Law Advocates: Your action is needed today.

Contact your Representative to ask for their support of House Bill 4393, "An Act updating terminology and investigative practices related to the protection of persons with disabilities."

Act now: https://p2a.co/ZWfwzW9

Sharing this info! The Institute for Community Inclusion, in partnership with Work Without Limits, is hosting two trainings on disability benefits and transition age youth. Work Without Limits is a great resource for accurate information about benefits.

The session on June 4 will be in English only. The session on June 13 will have a Spanish interpreter and materials will be provided in Spanish.

June 4: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/disability-benefits-and-transition-age-youth-registration-852928270417

June 13: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/prestaciones-por-incapacidad-y-jovenes-en-edad-de-transicion-registration-852939794887

Please share these flyers with your networks!

Wanted to share that on May 28th, there will be an Advocacy Event and Briefing at the MA State House on Hospital Training to Enhance Healthcare for People with Autism and IDD (H172), hosted by The Arc of Massachusetts, Boston Children's Hospital, and Boston Medical Center. See flyer for more details!

Have you seen this?

This School for Autistic Youth Can Cost $573,200 a Year. It Operates With Little Oversight, and Students Have Suffered. No state agency has authority over Shrub Oak, one of the country's most expensive therapeutic boarding schools. As a result, parents and staff have nowhere to report bruised students and medication mix-ups.

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day!

Congratulations to our 2023-2024 LEND fellows!

As our training year starts to come to a close, we welcomed Cindy Thomas, Director of the ICI at UMass Boston to share her perspectives on leadership. The day was rounded out by our fellows sharing their experiences with CBOs and observing clinics; and Dr. Szarkowski presenting on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Hard to believe it’s our second to last week of class before graduation!

Congratulations to Gyasi Burks-Abbott for this article he wrote called "A Sense of Place & Cyberspace: The Hybrid Way I Live, Work, & Play" for an anthology titled Placing Disability: Personal Essays of Embodied Geography.

Here's a link to the abstract from the publisher: https://link.springer.com/cha.../10.1007/978-3-031-41219-6_6
The article is part of an anthology titled "Placing Disability: Personal Essays of Embodied Geography" which is available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Placing-Disability.../dp/3031412184

Placing Disability: Personal Essays of Embodied Geography (Literary Disability Studies) Placing Disability: Personal Essays of Embodied Geography (Literary Disability Studies)

Words Matter Act passed!

SUCCESS! The Senate has passed the Words Matter Act, which strikes the offensive and outdated “R” word from all laws in Washington, D.C. Huge thanks to (D-DC) and (R-NY) for introducing this important bill!

“Words indisputably matter, and I am pleased that today’s Senate committee passage means we’re one step closer to bringing the D.C. Code into the 21st Century,” Senator Norton said in a press release. “My own daughter, Katherine, has Down syndrome. I’m appalled at the thought of someone using the ‘R-word’ slur toward her, and it is unacceptable that the derogatory term is still a part of the D.C. Code.”

Check out the GLOBAL Advocacy Center to learn about how YOU can use your voice to advocate for laws that benefit the Down syndrome community: https://bit.ly/3TSqi9D

Check out Leo's letter!

Leo's Letter: The Arc In Action at the Disability Policy Seminar and on Capitol Hill - The Arc of Massachusetts Through advocacy, programs that promote inclusion, and engaging the community, The Arc creates tangible changes in the community and in the lives of people with disabilities.

Two more great pictures from today in DC!

Great day on the hill!

Thanks to Cong. Pressley for her compassion and championship of people with disabilities.

“Advocacy in Action!” said Terri Farrell of Shriver LEND as Jean Frazier (https://shriver.umassmed.edu/about/leadership-team/) & Dr. Fogler discuss near and future plans at .

Also....great quote said during the closing session of

"I think of voting as a chess move, not a valentine." -- Rebecca Solnit.

Fighting for the rights of people with IDD will work up an appetite. Pizza to the rescue!

What a group! Preparing for their Hill visits...