DelAWARE DisABILITY HUB

www.deldhub.com

 DOVER, DE- The Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens (GACEC), a small state agency, in the Anniversary month of the ADA or Americans With Disabilities Act, launched the Delaware Disability Hub transition website www.deldhub.com. This transition website for people with disabilities in the state and across the nation, helps youth, young adults, parents, caregivers, counselors, school administrators, caseworkers, educators and health care providers to assist students with disabilities going through the transition process.

The teen years can be difficult for the average youth, add a disability to the mix and life scenarios change. Special consideration must be given to education, employment, housing, transportation, healthcare, legal issues, community involvement and so much more. The website does just that by offering many resources to help aging youth.

Delaware Disability Hub incorporates enlarged text, a text to voice reader option with a built-in instruction guide and an internal search engine to make the website easier to navigate. 

This transition website includes a section for parents. “Parents often worry or stress over their child turning into an adult, especially if they are going to live independently. For example, many parents rule out college; however, the Center for Disabilities Studies at the University of Delaware has made it possible for many students with disabilities to have the college experience,” said Wendy Strauss, the Executive Director of the GACEC.   “All colleges across the state and the nation are supposed to have an American Disability Act (ADA) Coordinator to assist college students to obtain the accommodations they need. We want parents to have the resources they need to help plan their child’s life changes.” 

The planning categories covered on DelDhub are education, employment, housing, transportation health, legal issues, It’s My Life and Understanding My Disability. Under those topics, are toolkits filled with resources linking users to federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, vendors that assist people with disabilities and a lot of helpful information.  Each category also has videos on related topics. 

Parents, teachers and students will appreciate the transition timeline, which provides information on age-specific targets and suggested goals.

Special education teachers and transition coordinators will find lesson plans, videos and a lot of useful information in their toolkit to help parents and students.

 How did this website happen? 

In 2012, the State Transition Task Force for Emerging Adults with Disabilities and Special Healthcare Needs was charged with studying the transition process for youth and young adults ages fourteen to thirty by the State Legislature. The Task Force and workgroups comprised over one hundred participants with interests in the disability community, including state agency leaders, educators, medical service providers, parents, self-advocates, nonprofit organizations and community members. They highlighted the strengths of the current system identifying over-arching gaps in services to individuals with disabilities in the transition phase of life on housing, transportation, health, education, and employment. They concurred that the State needed a transition website.

With the support of the Council, and Secretaries of Education, Housing Transportation, Health and Social Services, Division of Services for Children, Youth and their Families and Department of Labor, and the State Legislature funding was provided and Delaware Disability Hub originally launched in 2014. The website was successful and helped many people going through transition. However, as a State website it did not have the common look and feel of other State websites. So in 2019 work began to update the site with more accessible features, add new resources and give it a new look.

Mary Ann Mieczkowski, Director, Exceptional Children Resources and Dale Matusevich, Education Associate for Secondary and Transition agreed, “Delaware Department of Education Exceptional Children Resources is proud to partner with GACEC to establish a new and improved Delaware Disability Hub (Deldhub) website for Delawareans with disabilities of all ages and their families.”

Wendy Strauss, the Executive Director of the GACEC, the small state agency responsible for bringing the website to fruition, wanted to close the gaps in Delaware and was delighted when the Task Force unanimously agreed on a transition website. “We saw a need in the state for gathering information to make it easier for the disability community to find the resources they needed quickly. This website touches on a variety of topics that will help young adults with disabilities and their families link to resources that will assist them in their journey through life,” said Strauss.

The DelAWARE DisABILITY HUB website will serve Delaware’s roughly 26,000 school-age children with disabilities. It took a great deal of planning and a lot of research to choose sections of the website and the resources to make life easier for site users. Main categories address the areas of life emerging adults will need assistance: 

Education — Realize options and potential for higher education

Employment — Guidelines for entering the workforce

Health — Take control of their health

Housing — Planning future living arrangements

It’s My Life — Exercising independent living skills and advocacy

Legal — Know their rights

Transportation — Become independently mobile

Understanding My Disability — Learn about various disabilities

In each subsection of the site, users will find valuable resources such as personal stories, frequently asked questions, toolkits filled with information and videos. 

Under Education, you will find a Higher Ed section to assist students seeking out post-secondary options and Delaware’s most comprehensive area for the Gifted and Talented students to find resources they need.

Educators will appreciate the teacher’s section on the main menu. It’s a quick access point taking them to lesson plans, videos, toolbox filled with resources and all the articles on the site.

The GACEC collaborated with hundreds of organizations across the country and Delaware to bring federal, state and nonprofit resources together to assist families. Strauss said, “We had an outpouring of kindness from across the nation as we gathered amazing amounts of information. There was no use in reinventing the wheel. Experts have done the work and now Delaware brings it all into focus. This site will make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people.”

American Disability Act (ADA) Celebrates 30^th Anniversary

The ADA is celebrating it’s 30^th Anniversary on July 26, 2020.   The ADA is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individual with disabilities. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in state and local government services, public accommodations, transportation, employment and telecommunications.

 

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Senate Bill 143, signed today by Governor Carney, will increase savings plans education

 

Treasurer Colleen C. Davis, bill sponsors Sen. Trey Paradee and Rep. Krista Griffith, and children from Brilliant Little Minds Learning Academy celebrated today as Governor John Carney signed Senate Bill 143 into law. This legislation allows the Plans Management Board and the Office of the State Treasurer to increase awareness of the benefits of saving through the 529 Education Savings Plan and through ABLE Plans for those with disabilities.

Also joining the event were Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro, Secretary of Finance Rick Geisenberger, Rep. Mike Smith, Rep. Bryan Shupe, and members of the Delaware Department of Education and the Plans Management Board. The Governor and legislators talked about their own experiences with the savings plans and discussed the importance of the bill. Treasurer Davis asked the kids from Brilliant Little Minds Learning Academy what they want to be when they grow up. “Whatever you want to be when you grow up, you have to work hard in school and save your money to make it happen. I’m so glad that we could have young people here with us as we take this step towards expanding economic opportunity and educational attainment.”

Senate Bill 143 allows the Board to pursue methods of increasing savings plan enrollments outside of the high-income earning households that traditionally participate by allowing for incentive-based marketing. Possible avenues of promotion include a scholarship program or a match plan, as seen in other states. These options will be explored by the Board at future meetings. Additionally, new promotions aimed at increasing awareness of using 529s for adult educational attainment and for non-college costs, such as apprenticeship programs, will be integrated into future marketing efforts.

“The costs of education are skyrocketing, but national enrollments in 529 plans have gone down,” Treasurer Davis said. “In Delaware, we have worked hard to share the benefits of these plans with our residents and are continuing to see new enrollments. Our nearly 22,000 accounts represent growth of 4% over the last three years, and this bill will allow us to continue to expand. Like these savings plans, Senate Bill 143 is an investment in our future.”

“America is facing a crisis when it comes to saving money for the future,” said Sen. Trey Paradee, D-Dover, who works as a financial advisor. “Right now, 40 percent of U.S. adults don’t have enough savings to cover even a $400 emergency – a brutal fact, which is leaving too many families one missed paycheck from a financial nightmare. We need to be doing all we can to encourage people to take advantage of savings plans, particularly the favorable products offered by our state. This bill is aimed at raising awareness of those products and examining how we can better position them to help working families in need.”

“Given the daunting cost of college education, the state of Delaware needs to do everything it can to promote college savings. Delaware has made great strides in creating accounts for those for disabilities, which will allow them to save money without sacrificing services they depend on,” said Rep. Krista Griffith, D-Fairfax. “This bill will allow Treasurer Davis to increase outreach about Delaware’s 529 plan and make more Delawareans aware of the benefits so they can invest and plan for their futures. I’m always looking to help improve accessibility to these accounts and I look forward to continued efforts in the General Assembly.”

Both tax-advantaged savings plans are available to the public, easy to open, and offer investment options so that savings can grow over time until they are used for associated costs. Learn more about our savings plans at 529.Delaware.Gov and ABLE.Delaware.Gov.

NEW CASTLE (Oct. 16, 2017) – More than 90 students with disabilities are expected to participate in career-building experiences during Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day on Oct. 18 at locations in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties. Disability Mentoring Day is held each October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

This year, several New Castle County school districts are joining together to host a Career Development Day at the Siegel Jewish Community Center in Fairfax, with sessions planned on dressing for success, how to be self-advocates under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and tips on developing employability skills. A morning panel will feature employers from manufacturing, culinary arts and outdoor recreation. The morning’s keynote speaker will be George Tilson, a career and workforce development consultant from Maryland who operates Tilson & Diaz Solutions, Inc. Tilson has spent his career helping communities build or enhance programs that support children, youth and adults with disabilities in achieving their personal goals for employment, education, and full inclusion in the community. About 60 students from Appoquinimink, Brandywine, Christina, Colonial, Red Clay and New Castle County Vo-Tech school districts are expected.

Elsewhere, students will be gathering at host sites and then transitioning to work sites for job-shadowing experiences. At the Courtyard Marriott-University of Delaware in Newark, 13 students from UD’s Career & Life Studies Certificate (CLSC) program will participate in job-shadowing experiences in the Newark area. At Smyrna High School, eight students will gather and then move to job sites at the school and at Willey Farms. And at Woodbridge High School, 14 students are expected to learn job skills at different locations at the school, including the office, cafeteria and maintenance department.
“For students with disabilities, Disability Mentoring Day is another invaluable experience as they make the transition from school to the world of work or higher education,” Gov. John Carney said. “Students get to experience what is expected of them in a workplace and how to advocate for themselves and their needs. Employers get the opportunity to meet young people with incredible talents and enthusiasm and a passion to embrace their dreams.”
Disability Mentoring Day is a national program, and in Delaware, the collaboration involves several agencies, educational institutions, business groups, and organizations, including the University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies, which started the first Disability Mentoring Day in Delaware eight years ago. Joining the collaboration are the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Education, Christina School District, and Smyrna and Woodbridge high schools, the Better Business Bureau of Delaware, the Delaware Business Leadership Network and Easterseals of Delaware & Maryland Eastern Shore. The group is co-chaired by two young people with disabilities – Alyssa Cowin, an operations support specialist with DHSS, and Julia Hensley, who is working through Easterseals at Victory Fellowship Church.
“Because employment is a social determinant of health, the experience that students with disabilities receive during Disability Mentoring Day is an important one,” Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker said. “Increasing the number of workplace experiences that any student has, gives that young person a greater chance of being hired by an employer who will harness their talents and skills. But that experience is especially crucial to students with disabilities because employment is the pathway to financial security, independence and inclusion in society.”

“We are encouraged and delighted by the increased support throughout Delaware for Disability Mentoring Day,” said Brian Freedman, associate director of the University of Delaware Center for Disabilities Studies. “We are hopeful that we will continue to see more employers each year giving opportunities to these incredibly talented and motivated students. Delaware businesses are realizing how people of all abilities can enhance their workplaces.”

The on-the-job experience that the students will receive illustrates why the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is such a strong supporter of Disability Mentoring Day.

“DVR is pleased to again support Disability Mentoring Day, which provides students with role models and experiences ensuring their future success in the workplace,” said Andrea Guest, director of the Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Employers participating in Disability Mentoring Day are:

New Castle County (23): Eagle Group, The Hospitality School, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Brandywine Creek Park, Community Integrated Services, Junior Achievement of Delaware, Olive Garden, Grub Burger, Season’s Pizza, Siegel Jewish Community Center, Independent Resources, Inc., Victory Fellowship Church, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Newark Senior Center, VCA Newark Animal Hospital, PetKare, and at the University of Delaware, Student Financial Services, Carpenter Sports Building, University of Delaware Transportation, UD Messenger, WMPH Radio, Office of Student Conduct and Student Health Services.

Kent County (3): Willey Farms, and the Smyrna School District’s Maintenance Department and Early Childhood Program.
Sussex County (7): Woodbridge High School’s Custodial Crew, Buildings and Grounds Department, Nursing and Wellness Staff, Early Childhood Care, Cafeteria Crew, Criminal Justice and Secretarial Staff.

Follow Disability Mentoring Day year-round on Facebook at Facebook.com/DelDMD or on Twitter @DelawareDMD. To view a video that explains Disability Mentoring Day and features a 2016 Disability Mentoring Day participant who now attends Delaware Technical Community College:

NOTE TO MEDIA: To download photos from Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day 2016, go to:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deldhss/albums/72157674343260311

To view video highlights of U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and UD President Dennis Assanis giving keynote speeches at Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day 2016, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEOJwi9feRw&feature=youtu.be

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Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

Task Force Is Seeking Three Parents to Complete Membership

WILMINGTON, Del.– Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn, chair of the state’s newly-formed IEP Improvement Task Force, announced today that the task force membership was near completion and that the state is seeking three more parents to serve on the task force.

The task force was created by the General Assembly (Senate Concurrent Resolution 63) at the end of June to make recommendations to improve the process by which the state creates Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students with disabilities. Lieutenant Governor Denn, who has authored legislation in prior years to address deficiencies in the IEP process, was appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Patricia Blevins to chair the task force.

The task force already has three parents with students on IEPs as members, all of whom were appointed by the Governor’s Advisory Council on Exceptional Citizens (the state council that represents the interests of children with disabilities in schools). However, the resolution creating the task force allows for three additional parents to be appointed to the task force. Those parents will be appointed by the four state legislators who are task force members.

Parents of students who are currently on IEPs – or parents of individuals who were on IEPs in the past – who are interested in serving on this task force can contact Michele Rush at the Department of Education at 302-735-4210 or michele.rush@doe.k12.de.us by Friday, August 1, 2014. The Department of Education will communicate the names of interested parents to the four legislators, who will in turn pick the three parent members.

The task force will meet once or twice a month beginning in August for a report that is due to Governor Markell and the General Assembly by January 1, 2015. Meetings will alternate between Dover and Wilmington with videoconferencing available at both sites. All meetings will be open to the public; audio and materials from all meetings will be posted on the Lt. Governor’s website.