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Gmail - News and Calendar for February 2015
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Jill Escher <[email protected]>
News and Calendar for February 2015
Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area
Fri, Jan 30, 2015 at
<[email protected]>
11:53 PM
Reply-To: Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
February 2015 Calendar Highlight
New Adult Program Collaborative:
Thinking Beyond Waitlists
PHP Conference: Raising an
Adult Child with Developmental
President's Message
Disabilities
I'm a big fan of self-determination, the
new law that will increase options for
individualized programs and services
for developmentally disabled adults.
With more than 250,000 Developmental Services
clients in California, including at least 75,000 with
autism (up from just 3,000 25 years ago), there is no
doubt a vast and ever-growing spectrum of needs.
But while we embrace opportunities for
customization, we must also recognize how deeply
parents desire firmly rooted programs, secure homes
not subject to the whims of the market, and
dependable organizations to provide ongoing support
and care for our kids who are incapable for providing
it for themselves.
As the adult autism boom continues, indefinitely, we
are facing a dearth of autism-serving adult programs
and housing, and the few organizations that exist
struggle to keep afloat, held hostage by budgetary
constraints amid incredibly high costs of doing
business in the Bay Area. Not to mention the
pressing need for stable, trained caregivers who can
receive a decent wage.
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Saturday, February 21, 9am-5pm,
San Jose: The Long and Winding
Road II
Gain perspective on planning for the
future throughout this day of learning. Session
examples:
Getting A Person-Centered Life Using A
One Page Profile
Working with the Regional Center: What
Should I Expect?
Preserving Your Estate: Medi-Cal Planning
for Self
What is Self-Determination?
Housing and Living Options
Relationships and Risk Reduction
The Special Needs Trust-Instrument for
Financial Security
Registration: http://www.brownpapertickets.
com/event/933060
See February Autism Community Calendar at right
column, and details at sfautismsociety.org/events
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Gmail - News and Calendar for February 2015
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=fc02bcbc62&view=p...
None of us will live forever, and as we age, we will
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increasingly need to rely on competent and caring
Adult Autism Around the Bay
entities to manage the complexities of our grown
children's daily lives. Self-Determination adds a
necessary component of flexibility to our system, but Half Moon Bay: Big Wave Project
we must also cultivate a new breed of "backbone"
Moving Closer to Reality
adult autism organizations we can depend upon to
protect and guide our children through their lifespans.
With the County of San
Mateo Planning
In an effort to strengthen adult autism infrastructure
Commission approval of
throughout the Bay Area, we have launched a
the Big Wave Project on
collaborative of autism-serving adult programs to find
January 14, 2015, Big
solutions. Years-long waitlists are unconscionable,
Wave is one step closer
but that is our future unless we work together for
to being able to build affordable housing and to
change. (See Joanne and Anne's commentaries in
provide employment, social and educational
the right-hand column, as illustrations.)
opportunity for adults with developmental
disabilities. Big Wave is an innovative partnership
One small thing we can do today to boost the
between the for-profit and non-profit worlds which
sustainability of our faltering system is to take a
provides a clear model to privately fund benefits for
minute to support the "10" campaign, see below. We adults with developmental disabilities in perpetuity.
have mountains of work ahead, but it's a start.
Big Wave has gone through a 15-year regulatory
Thanks for your help.
process to reach this point. It still expects to
receive opposition from opponents who do not
Jill Escher
want Big Wave to be built. Learn more:
President
BigWaveProject.org
[email protected]
PS: Thanks to everyone who has been contributing to
our blog. If you would like to submit a post, please
email us.
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Take Three Minutes: Support the
"10 Campaign"
The Lanterman Coalition and is engaged in a
campaign to get an a 10% increase for community
developmental services, known as the “10
Campaign.”
Our adult service providers are under seige,
operating on threadbare rates, with many shutting
their doors under the stress. The petition below asks
legislators to support the 10%. Read more and sign
here. Thank you!
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Autism Community Calendar
Full Calendar • Support Groups
Tues., 2/3: "Lanterman Act 101," with Pat
Napoliello, 6:15pm San Francisco (more) FREE
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Santa Cruz: Farm/Housing
Project Seeking Family Partners
Costanoa Commons, a newly
forming urban farm
community in Santa Cruz, is
actively seeking potential
partner families. Inspired by
the L'Arche and Camphill communities, Costanoa
Commons will become home to 15-18 young adults
with developmental disabilities. The community will
include a farm-based day program, as well as job
training and employment, on site. Costanoa
Commons will feature an aquaponics greenhouse
as well as bio-intensive farming, small animals, and
sustainable practices.
Located less than a mile from downtown Santa
Cruz, Costanoa Commons offers the best of both
urban amenities and a rural lifestyle. It is suitable
for people with multiple disabilities, including those
in wheelchairs. To learn more about Costanoa
Commons, or to sign up on the mailing list, please
visit www.costanoacommons.org or contact Heidi
Cartan, M.S.W., at
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Gmail - News and Calendar for February 2015
Wed., 2/4: New Research Developments in
Autism, with Dr. Ruth O'Hara, 7pm at PHP in San
Jose (more)
Wed., 2/4: Intro to Self-Determination, with David
Grady, 6:45pm Los Altos (more) FREE
Wed., 2/4: Regional Center Fair Hearings:
Improving Chances for Success, with Katie
Hornberger, Esq, 6pm San Francisco (more) FREE
Fri., 2/6: Autism Family Jazz Jam, Azure Event,
6pm, San Francisco (more) FREE
Sat., 2/7: Special Needs Wellness Fair, Wings in
Redwood City (more) FREE
Wed., 2/11: How to Obtain Autism Services from
Medi-cal, with Karen Fessel, 5pm San Francisco
(more) FREE
Sat., 2/14: Sensory-Friendly Films, Spongebob
Squarepants (more)
Thurs., 2/19: Private Investment in Autism/DD
Housing, with Jill Escher, Silicon Valley Housing
Interest Group, Palo Alto 7pm (more) FREE
Saturday. 2/21: All-Day Conference on Raising
Adult Child with Developmental Disabilities, San
Jose PHP (more)
Saturday, 2/28: Azure Concerts Presents the
Panhandlers, Azure Event, 2.30pm Stanford (more)
FREE
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New in the Archives:
Planting the Seeds for a Secure Future for Your
Child, with Kris McCann, Bay Area Housing
Corporation, and the Golden State Pooled Trust.
Archives here
Starting an ASD Community Home, with Liz Kane,
Shire House. Archives here
VIP Think Tank on Adult Day Programs. Archives
here
A Place for Us: 2014 Housing Conference, with 27
speakers. Archives here
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[email protected]
San Francisco: New Group Aims
to Boost Autism/DD Housing
Options in the City
PANDH SF, or Parent
Advocates for
Neurodevelopmental
Disability Housing in San
Francisco, is a new group
working to create inclusive
community housing and programs to support the
growing population of San Franciscans with autism
and other neurodevelopmental differences.
Next meeting: Tuesday, Feb 3 6:15pm at Support
for Families, 1663 Mission Street, 7th floor,
including a presentation on the Lanterman Act.
Join the PANDH SF mailing list: email Linda
Tung at [email protected].
East Bay: Adult Day Program
Capacity Subject of Report
Findings show impact of systemic challenges.
A Day Program Capacity Task Force Report was
issued in December 2014 looking into the capacity
of adult day programs within Contra Costa and
Alameda Counties. Some of the Report findings
include:
• A very high percentage of day programs reported
they are full or very close to full. The longest
waitlists seemed to be associated with program
specialization and level of community engagement.
• A need for increased capacity for “high
functioning” individuals who are capable
academically and vocationally but need support
with social skills and/or have mental health needs.
• A need for more individualized, flexible
programs.... Continue reading
[Editor's note: Join the East Bay Parent Housing
Networking group by emailing [email protected]
Santa Clara County: My Futile
Search for a Day Program for
1/31/15 7:17 AM
Gmail - News and Calendar for February 2015
Join Our Email List!
Let's get the whole Bay Area autism community
connected! Join our newsletter and email list today at
http://www.sfautismsociety.org/news.html. Tell your
friends! It's free!
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Quotable:
"Once school ends, the young adult seemingly falls
off a cliff – families are left to sculpt something
together from the 'warehousing' programs that pass
for a day’s activities." Read blog
"The ones who need help most are the ones with
the softest voice." Read blog
"To get anywhere in this system, with the
fragmented web of IHSS, Regional Center,
Medi-cal, SSI, and housing authorities, caregivers
must have Mensa IQ’s and the sheer will of
Samson." Read blog
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=fc02bcbc62&view=p...
Our Son
Commentary by
Joanne Wickersham
I'm the mother of a 21
year-old man with
autism who is soon
transitioning out of his
post-secondary program. Last year, I visited more
then 15 different adult day programs in Santa Clara
County through the Santa Clara County Office of
Education.
The vast majority of day programs I found
depressing and archaic both in terms of philosophy
and implementation. All speak of "opportunities"
such as life skills, "vocational/community service,"
physical fitness/recreational and the like, but were
in fact more institutional, generic, One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's Nest-style, reminiscent of
containment and macaroni art.... Continue reading
Field Note: Behaviors Make
Transition to Adult Living Even
More Challenging
by Anne Blenman Hare
John Hare, 28, is a
young adult well
along on the autism
spectrum. He is
pictured here
alongside his 3
neuro-typical siblings. Despite a life that presented
challenges to every member of his family, and a
very rough stage in John’s early 20s, when he was
prone to aggressive “outbursts” that could include
self-injurious behavior, he remains extremely close
to his family and siblings, and they to him. “Young
adult autism” is how we refer to that stage,
because it seems to be a part of all too many lives
on the spectrum. These kinds of behaviors can be
a lifelong issue for many. Perhaps it’s simply the
adult-sized individual that makes these so
profoundly difficult, but these behaviors make the
burden of transition to an adult living situation all
the more challenging.
John and his family are searching for that living
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Gmail - News and Calendar for February 2015
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situation for him now. A meaningful life – one that
allows him the opportunity to make a contribution to
his community, and provides a place where he can
live safely and with the benefit of community -- has
not yet been found in the Bay Area. Although we
feel extremely fortunate that these behaviors are
now rare, they remain a possibility when the
sensory overload provides no other outlet than
physical, and they limit his options all the more....
Continue reading
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Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area
PO Box 249
San Mateo, CA 94401
[email protected]
1.650-637-7772
Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area is an
all-volunteer, grass-roots organization of parents,
family members, friends and professionals
concerned about the well-being of local autism
families, with an emphasis on expanding the limited
lifespan care options for the dramatically increasing
numbers of adults with autism.
Email Us • Website • Facebook
Donate • Volunteer
2014-15 Board of Directors
President: Jill Escher
Vice President: Connie Boyar Frenzel
Secretary: Jennifer Sullivan
Treasurer: Irma Velasquez
All Board Members
Copyright 2015 Autism Society San Francisco Bay
Area
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Gmail - News and Calendar for February 2015
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Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area
P.O. Box 249
San Mateo, California 94401
US
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