Clark County Disability Coalition

Inclusive Support Services NW
Empowering Inclusivity & Changing Lives
[email protected]
Call or Text: 360-784-3991
Portland Zoo Adventure

When: April 23rd, 2024
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Where: Portland Zoo
Cost: $24 for zoo entry. DDA pays applicable
Community Respite Hourly Rate
of $21.80
**Please pack a small lunch and a snack for a small picknick at the zoo!
**transportation will be provided. Depending on need C-Van and LIFT can
be scheduled and support will be provided by staff.
If you happen to miss this opportunity, don't worry there are many more
trips to be arranged!!!

Thanks to a generous grant from the Dan Thompson Memorial Fund and contracted through the Developmental Disabilities Administration, Partners 4 Housing is giving out their $500 review for free to Washington State residents for a limited time!
Intended for individuals with IDD 16 and older.

Activity listings are now available for online viewing to help you plan your summer schedule before registration opens. Open registration for summer recreation programs, camps and activities will begin at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, April 17 for people who live within Vancouver city limits and at 7 a.m. on Thursday, April 18 for everyone else.

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services - Creating and championing essential spaces Parks, trails, events and recreation improve quality of life and contribute to a vibrant and connected

The Clark County Youth Commission, an official youth advisory board to the Clark County Council, is seeking youth from all walks of life to join its group for the next school year.

I am emailing you because the Youth Commission wants to be even more intentional about reaching out to youth who are currently underrepresented or unrepresented in the group and extend an invitation for those youth to apply to join the board.

It is our hope you will look closely at the extraordinary young people you know, whether they’re a part of Parents Empowered and Communities Enhanced or in other parts of your community, and ask: Who hasn’t yet had an opportunity to have a leadership role in their community? Who has experienced things their peers haven’t and/or has a unique point of view? Who needs to know their voice is valued? Who are the deep thinkers? Who has a lot to offer? Please consider sharing this opportunity with these young people. The group continuously strives to be more representative of the diversity of youth living in Clark County.

Between now and April 30, we are actively recruiting for Youth Commission members to fill at least 10 vacancies throughout Clark County:

· All open positions are available for youth who live in Clark County.
· New Leader positions are available for youth with no previous leadership experience.
· We have some positions open to students living in the geographical boundaries of specific school districts as the Youth Commission uses school district boundaries to ensure broad representation of youth from all areas of the county.

More information about the Youth Commission and applications to apply can be found at https://www.clark.wa.gov/community-services/youth-commission. The application is available in Word, PDF, and Google Forms.

Please feel free to use the enclosed materials and information to spread the word about the Youth Commission to youth in your school or community.

We appreciate your interest and want to let you know we are here to help. Please contact Elizabeth Houston-Hill at 564.397.5133 or [email protected] if you have any questions or need additional materials.

Thank you for your help and time,

Clark County Youth Commission

Youth Commission | Clark County Youth Commission seeking diverse youth for unique opportunity. Between now and April 30, we are actively recruiting for Youth Commission members. We continuously strive to be more representative of the diversity of youth living in our county.Currently, we are accepting applications to fill at least....

Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council Town Hall Meeting April 24, 2024 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Heathman Lodge – General Howard Ballroom 7801 NE Greenwood Dr. Vancouver, WA 98662 The Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC) will host a Town Hall event during our Quarterly Council Meeting in Vancouver. The Council wants to connect with the greater Vancouver community to share information about our work and learn about the challenges and opportunities in your area. We are especially interested in meeting and hearing from people with developmental disabilities their families, service providers and other interested stake-holders. Join us and share your thoughts and experiences. The DDC will use this information to develop policies and programs on statewide issues facing our developmental disabilities community. Coffee/tea and light refreshments will be served. Please use the link below to RSVP and request accommodations. Seating is limited. All accommodation requests need to be made by April 13, 2024: https://forms.office.com/g/4PFdVSpwFk For more information contact Council staff at [email protected] or (360)586-3560.

Special Celebrations Egg Hunt

Date: Saturday, March 30th, 2024
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
***The egg hunt begins PROMPTLY at 11:30 AM***

Location: 15815 NE 18th St., Vancouver, WA 98684

Register here: https://bit.ly/3OozEXv

Questions? Want to volunteer or make a donation? Please contact us to learn more!

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Phone: 360-823-2247
Website: [www.PEACENW.org]www.PEACENW.org

2024 Theme: A World of Opportunities
“A World of Opportunities” – we’re celebrating people and working together to remove obstacles. Our goal is to build a community that’s committed to creating a world where everyone can do well and succeed. Join us in making a world where all kinds of people have the chance to thrive.

Coming this April! So you want to date? A series designed to support and cultivate relationships.
Spots are limited, registration details are included below and can be accessed here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/7yg98k5

https://informingfamilies.org/applying-for-social-security-over-18/

Applying for Social Security (Over 18) | Informing Families Informing Families - Today and Tomorrow

PEACE NW is celebrating National Down Syndrome day and rocking our socks. 🎉

DSHS Developmental Disabilities Administration is proud to announce Community Summit 2024. The Community Summit continues a long tradition of conferences that have focused on expanding access to supported employment, supported living and assistive technology. The Summit is an annual three-day conference that brings together individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, self-advocates, families, friends, partners and allies to work together toward building more inclusive communities. Join us in person or virtually on May 7-9, 2024!



Registration launching soon!



Planning is underway! To stay up to date, please visit us at the Community Summit page. If you have questions about Community Summit 2024 or want to know how you can be involved, please contact the Community Summit steering committee coordinator Ron Bryan at [email protected].

March 14 marks Pi Day, an annual celebration of the mathematical sign pi. Founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, March 14 was selected because the numerical date (3.14) represents the first three digits of pi, and it also happens to be Albert Einstein’s birthday.

Family Training Series 2023-24: Guardianship & the ABLE Act
Are you a parent or educator who would like to learn more about guardianships and trusts? Have you ever wanted to gain a better understanding of waivers like what they are, how they work, how are they affected by your income, and who is eligible? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this session is for you!

Many families find that there are so many different things to think about along the pathway from school to adult life along with so much paperwork they are overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Suddenly before you know it, your student is approaching age 18 and it's time to scramble to decide what to do about guardianship.

This session is designed to help give families and educators the most current information available about guardianship, trusts and new information about ABLE Accounts. Attend this session to get information about important considerations to make when thinking about and planning for a safe and happy future for the whole family.

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/r3w2x69/lp/080fe0e9-f170-48ce-9fc1-a2478f6fcf22?mode=preview&source_id=9e717783-c1b3-45c1-8f17-5e4b86fed776&source_type=em&c=

Family Training Series 2023-24: Guardianship & the ABLE Act
Are you a parent or educator who would like to learn more about guardianships and trusts? Have you ever wanted to gain a better understanding of waivers like what they are, how they work, how are they affected by your income, and who is eligible? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this session is for you!

Many families find that there are so many different things to think about along the pathway from school to adult life along with so much paperwork they are overwhelmed and don't know where to begin. Suddenly before you know it, your student is approaching age 18 and it's time to scramble to decide what to do about guardianship.

This session is designed to help give families and educators the most current information available about guardianship, trusts and new information about ABLE Accounts. Attend this session to get information about important considerations to make when thinking about and planning for a safe and happy future for the whole family.

Family Training Series 2023-24: Guardianship & the ABLE Act This training series is for families and educators who live in Clark County. Each session will provide important information to help prepare students with disabilities for transition from school to adult life.

Department of Health Discovery Survey



Discovery Survey - Maternal and Child Health in Washington State (surveymonkey.com) English



Click below to access this survey in alternative languages: Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Punjabi, Khmer, Somali, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, or Tagolog



Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective on the needs of families in your community and around Washington State!



Survey submissions are anonymous. Names are not collected during the survey process and there will be no attempt to associate an individual’s responses with their identity or use responses to identify individuals.

An Exciting Opportunity for the Washington State Developmental Disability
Employment Community!
The 2023-2024 Dan Thompson Employment Rallies are coming to Washington State!
Please join us to celebrate, share the history of our movement, and work together to
define a vision and create a plan to move Employment forward through 2030. Come
Rally with us! There will be six regional rallies culminating in a statewide gathering. All of the events will be led by people with developmental disabilities and include an online and in person option for attendees. All event materials will be translated into Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese.
Region 1: Spokane
October 17, 2023: 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Spokane Community College, The Lair
Student Center
Region 2: Des Moines
February 22, 2024: 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Highline College, Olympic Room
Region 1: Tri-Cities
October 19, 2023: 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Uptown Theater, Richland, WA
Region 3: Vancouver
March 19, 2024: 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Clark College, Gaiser Hall
Region 2: Bellingham
February 20, 2024: 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Bellingham Technical College, Settlemyer
Hall
Region 3: Tacoma
March 21, 2024: 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
UW/YMCA, Room 303/304
Statewide: Ellensburg
April 18, 2024: 9:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
April 19, 2024: 9:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Central Washington University, Student Union Building

Holland
Spring 2024 | Thursdays
February 29th – May 2nd
9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
On Zoom
Week Date Theme
1 February 29 Welcome to Holland
2 March 7 The Old County… Our Past Experiences
3 March 14 “But I wanted to Go to Italy!” … Grieving and Adjusting in a New Land
4 March 21 Families and Community… Taking the Trip Together
5 March 28 Tour Guides and Finding Our Way in the New Land
6 April 11 Taking Care of Ourselves
7 April 18 Celebrating Holland and Finding Beauty
8 April 25 Graduation, Celebration, and Passports
9 May 2 Field Trip to Holland America Bulb Farm
Holland is an 8-week support and learning program for parents raising children
with special needs. Holland provides structured classes and activities that
promote the sharing and processing of emotions while learning about such topics
as self-care, grief and loss, and community resources.
Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/5mp9rx3
Contact Theresa Van Pelt for more information.
Cell: (360) 513-6682 | Email: [email protected]

INFORMING FAMILIES WELCOMES NEW COORDINATORS!
Informing Families is excited to announce our new coordinators joining our team. We are looking forward to community members getting to connect with these coordinators to continue our journey of supporting individuals and families across the state. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our new coordinators:

Ysabel Fuentes and Angie Witt join us from the Walla Walla Valley Disabilities Network and provide support in Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, and Asotin counties.

Shannon Watkins joins us from the King County and Pierce County areas with a focus on the Black community.

Ashley Martino joins us to provide support in Thurston County and Mason County with a focus on military families as well as homeschooling families.

Theresa Van Pelt joins us from PEACE NW and provides support in Clark, Klickitat, Skamania, Cowlitz, and Wahkiakum counties.

Please stay tuned for more information to come from each of these coordinators in our upcoming e-newsletters!

If you would like to learn more about the Informing Families coordinator team or find a coordinator in your county please visit

Informing Families Coordinators | Informing Families Informing Families - Today and Tomorrow

Betsy's story is familiar to many families with a Loved One with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Her family worked hard to figure out what their daughter would need to live outside of their family home with the help of a Benefits and Housing Review and the team at Partners4Housing.

Watch her share what she learned in her own words!

A Parent's Story: Betsy G. Betsy and her family's story is unique yet familiar to many families with a Loved One with intellectual or developmental disabilities. They worked hard to fi...

Thank you for helping us gather donations for our
Special Celebrations Egg Hunt
for ALL ages and abilities!

Contact Theresa Van Pelt at [email protected] if you would like to learn more about
Special Celebrations events or visit our website at www.PEACENW.org.

People Empowered and Communities Enhanced
Enhancing Communities for Individuals of All Abilities
PO Box 820681 – Vancouver, WA 98682 Office (360)823-2247 Email: [email protected]