Join Us on Tuesday, October 1st
Join OPWDD for New York State's 3rd Annual DREAM (Disability Rights & Employment Awareness Month) Symposium on Tuesday, October 1, hosted by Governor Hochul's Chief Disability Officer Kimberly Hill Ridley. The event will be held at the Empire State Plaza's Concourse from 8 am until 5 pm.
OPWDD is proud to be one of the state agencies sponsoring this symposium which celebrates the value people with disabilities bring to the workforce and provides an opportunity to match prospective qualified candidates with employers.
This year the Keynote Speaker will be Mindy Scheier, Founder and CEO of Runway of Dreams.
There will be an in-person job fair and workshops on a range of topics pertaining to employment.
Accessing Life Podcast Episode 2
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During National Disability Voting Rights Week, Accessing Life co-hosts Chester Finn and BJ Stasio sat down with Helen Hellmuth from Disability Rights New York to discuss voting rights and the power of your vote.
They also talked with two self-advocates about ballot marking devices and other ways available for you to vote.
Don't miss this timely episode! You can listen to the episode here.
Be sure to folllow OPWDD on social media to be among the first to know when new episodes are added.
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Accessible Voting: It's Every Voter's Right
Self-Advocacy Association of NY Hosts Events to Raise Voter Awareness
 People had the chance to learn about voting rights at two events sponsored by the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS).
At The Great Sandwich Debate in Buffalo jointly sponsored by SANYS and the ARC of Western New York, audience members experienced a mock political debate that demonstrated the voting process and encouraged them to get thinking about the issues that matter to them.
At a voting demonstration held during the Western/Finger Lakes Regional Self Advocacy Conference in Rochester, attendees had the chance to view and interact with accessible voting machines.
Both events served as important reminders to attendees with and without disabilities that ALL people have the right to request an accessible ballot when voting.
Voting Is Everyone's Right
OPWDD’s goal this year, and every year, is to make sure that every New Yorker with developmental disabilities has the support and resources they need to make their voice heard at the ballot box. Our updated Voting Rights Flyer contains information about upcoming elections and how to get ready to vote. Visit our Know Your Rights page for more information.
To make sure your vote counts, make a plan for how you will vote. Check out the SANYS My Plan to Vote worksheet. And, if you or someone you know with a developmental disability needs help to vote, talk with your Care Manager or support staff. They are ready to help you exercise your right to vote.
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Dates to Remember
Election Day is November 5, 2024
Accessible voting equipment is available at all polling places.
The deadline for registering to vote is October 26, 2024.
Voting Resources
- Register to Vote, Find Early Voting Information, Absentee Ballot Information and Identify Your Polling Place at your County Board of Elections
Managed Care Assessment Completed
Over the past year and a half, outside consultant Guidehouse independently examined OPWDD’s developmental disabilities service system and evaluated whether using managed care to pay for OPWDD services could benefit the system and improve outcomes for people. As part of this study, Guidehouse talked extensively with stakeholders – both within New York and beyond – to understand current supports for people with developmental disabilities, their concerns, and what they, their family members, and service providers think about moving to a managed care payment model for services. Earlier this month, OPWDD released the Final Report and Recommendations that resulted from the Guidehouse assessment.
Based on its findings, Guidehouse does not recommend that OPWDD make a full transition to managed care. The Final Report does, however, offer several suggestions and considerations that OPWDD will evaluate, including the potential for using value-based payment structures to better integrate the physical and behavioral health care for people with developmental disabilities and improve access to specialized care.
Read the full Guidehouse Final report, along with the plain language report summary now on our managed care assessment webpage. You can send any feedback on the report to ARPA.Inquiry@opwdd.ny.gov
National Preparedness Month - Start a Conversation
 September is National Preparedness Month, and OPWDD has been reminding our employees and New York’s developmental disabilities service providers that it’s a perfect time to refresh their preparations for emergencies of all kinds. Check out our preparedness flyers and the 2024 FEMA National Preparedness Month Ready Campaign. Use these resources to “start a conversation” that will help you and your loved ones be ready should disaster strike.
Find all our resources here.
Recognizing Direct Support Professionals
Direct Support Professional Recognition Week
 September 8-14 marked National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week, a special week set aside to honor and celebrate the professionals who work in the direct support field and provide the supports and services so many people with developmental disabilities rely on.
OPWDD recently inducted 24 direct care professionals into its Direct Support Hall of Fame. Many were able to join us at a special celebration at the Albany Capital Center, where Acting Commissioner Willow Baer presented each employee with a congratulatory certificate and a recognition pin. Thanks to all these dedicated professionals who received this award.
Thank you also to all the direct care and support professionals reading this. Whether you work for OPWDD or a nonprofit service provider, you are the reason people with developmental disabilities have the support they need to achieve the goals that matter to them.
Acting Commissioner Baer Visits the NYS Fair
 Acting Commissioner Willow Baer, far left, interacts with fairgoers who visited OPWDD's booth at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse.
Once again, we focused our effort at the Great New York State Fair on highlighting open direct support positions at both OPWDD and our service provider agencies and how following your passion can mean the beginning of a rewarding and long-term career. At this year's Fair, we asked the question: "What Do You think makes a great DSP?" and the answers came flowing in. Some were compassion, kindness, respectfulness, a positive attitude, responsibility, a willingness to go the extra mile and the ability to listen. We loved meeting so many people we work with at the Fair and hearing about how Direct Support Professionals have made positive differences in their quality of life.
The biggest challenge we continue to face is our workforce shortage, which affects the entire direct care field across the nation. We are urgently hiring and need to find those special people who have a passion for serving others and want a fulfilling career in the human services field. While our recruitment effort at the Fair may be over, it continues in full force through our "More Than Work," recruitment campaign. You can learn more about the campaign and search for open positions at directsupportcareers.com
If you are interested in a direct care position with OPWDD in particular, take the next step and apply below.
School Is Back in Session
For Some, It's The Last Year
How to Plan for Life After High School
School is officially back in session and that can mean many different things to students and their families. For students in high school, this new school year can mean spending some time thinking about their future. The transition from school life to adulthood is a turning point in a young person's life and this is no different for a teenager with developmental disabilities.
Choices for the student moving from school to adult life can include continuing education, getting a job or taking part in other meaningful activities, such as volunteering and job or life-skills development.
Accessing these activities takes advance planning. OPWDD works with the New York State Education Department, local school districts, school special education staff, the student’s family and Care Coordination Organization (CCO) staff to help students to plan for their transition from school and to identify the supports that they will need in adult life.
It's never too early to start thinking about what comes next. Find more information about how to get started on our School Transition for Students with Developmental Disabilities webpage.
OPWDD Preparing for New Ombudsman Program
OPWDD has selected a new community partner, Community Service Society of New York, to establish a new, independent ombudsman program. Community Service Society was selected through a competitive process and has a demonstrated history of working with people with developmental disabilities and experience in implementing a statewide ombudsman program. The new program it will establish will help educate people about their rights, provide a grievance process that allows for timely and independent resolution of concerns related to access to or delivery of services within OPWDD’s system and provide data-driven feedback to OPWDD about how to improve the service system.
Community Service Society of New York is preparing to implement the Ombudsman program and to provide everyone who receives OPWDD supports and services with additional access to advocacy support. Watch for more information on this important new program in the coming months.
Upcoming Public Meetings
OPWDD holds quarterly public meetings to share new information about services and supports, and to provide the people we support, their family members and the people who support them the opportunity to provide feedback.
Check the OPWDD website for the most up-to-date information about upcoming meetings. Registration links and agendas are added as soon as they become available.
Coming soon this Fall and Winter:
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