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The Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council will meet on Tuesday, December 13th from 10 am to 12 noon. There will be three in person meeting locations (Albany, NYC, and Buffalo) and interested persons can also register to attend via WebEx. More information, including a registration link, can be found here. An agenda has not yet been posted. https://opwdd.ny.gov/event/ddac-quarterly-meeting-1 Additionally, the Statewide…
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On December 21, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul signed New York State (NYS) Senate Bill S.6294A into law tasking the NYS Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (DDAC) to evaluate the prior administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic for people with IDD, specifically: review the state’s response to the pandemic as it relates to the IDD community during the timeframe of March 1,…
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If you were not able to listen in on the session “How Guardianship and Supported Decision Making Can Co-Exist” at the NYSARC’s virtual  guardianship conference, we have you covered! At Parent to Parent of NYS, we are excited about the recent legislation that will legally recognize facilitated Supported Decision Making Agreements (SDMA) for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities, but we…
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NYSARC’s virtual conference “Autonomy, Decision-Making Supports & the Changing World of Guardianship” will take place next Wednesday and Thursday, November 2nd and 3rd. It is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Devon Juda, son of Parent to Parent of NYS’ Executive Director Michele Juda, will be sharing his journey to Supported Decision Making and his plans for…
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OPWDD’s Commissioner Neifeld will be hosting a discussion with the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (DDAC) on September 29, 2022 at 10 am. The public is invited to attend and can find the necessary link here: https://opwdd.ny.gov/event/507-plan-discussion-ddac The DDAC submitted written feedback on OPWDD’s draft 5.07 plan, which is a statutorily required five year strategic plan for the agency. The final…
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We are happy to have you here! Please take a look around and let us know what you think and how we can best support you. For those of you who are familiar with Parent to Parent of NYS, you will certainly notice some changes to the faces and names featured on the site. We have had many changes throughout…
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On March 24, 2020, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities’ (OPWDD) issued “COVID19: Suspension of Community Outings and Home Visitation”. That guidance document is hereby rescinded and replaced with the following guidance related to community outings. Effective July 15, 2020 for regions of the State that have entered into Phase Four in accordance the New York Forward Reopening Plan,…
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Janice Fitzgerald, former Executive Director of Parent to Parent of NYS, shares her family’s recent experience when her son, John, received a very unexpected eviction notice. The COVID emergency presents very real challenges for us all, but as is often the case, our loved ones with disabilities are at higher risk. Do you have a story to share? Please forward…
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NEW PROGRAM CLOSURE GUIDANCE: Last evening, OPWDD issued guidance regarding the suspension and reduction of services in red and orange cluster zones, which are designated as COVID hot spots by the State of New York. OPWDD will be notifying affected providers who will in turn be responsible for notifying affected individuals, families, and Care Managers/CCOs. These mandated suspensions and reductions…
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