News You Can Use

April 15, 2020 The Social Security Administration announced today that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive automatic Economic Impact Payments directly from the Treasury Department.  Treasury anticipates these automatic payments no later than early May.

April 15, 2020 The Disability and Health Program is committed to providing resources and information to stakeholders supporting people with disabilities, their families, and professionals who support them.

We shared a curated list of resources and websites that contain information specific to people with disabilities and COVID-19 last week. For your convenience we are sharing an additional list of resources that you may find helpful.

What should be included in your emergency food? What to stock up on?

  We are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program! This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Smith-Fess Act of 1920, also known as the Industrial Rehabilitation Act and referred to as “The National Civilian Vocational Rehabilitation Act,” into law June 2, 1920. The […]

1.2020 Listen to this moving and thought provoking clip as John Robinson, the keynote speaker at Westchester County’s Annual Human Rights Day Breakfast, recounts the discrimination he faced during his job search after graduating from college. Further, he powerfully discusses the hurdles he faced while being employed including being denied the top prize in a […]

10.1.2019 Affordable/Accessible Rental Units Hillcrest Commons Phase 2, Carmel WILC/PILS is in a contractual agreement with Hillcrest Commons Phase 2 in Carmel, an affordable housing development for seniors and frail disabled (their description) 55+.  We have 12 set aside units and are given priority for referrals for these units. The deadline for applications is October […]

9.16.2019 September is National Service Dog Month Information, Guidance and Training on how to implement the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to support the ADA mission to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.” ADA specialists in each of the ten Regional ADA Centers provide  […]

April 29, 2019 – Westchester County’s Department of Community Mental Health’s (DCMH) Awareness Month Calendar of Events includes a month long calendar with interesting and thought provoking events and activities. Click here for a listing of WCHR workshops and presentations throughout the county.    

1.22.2019 As a longstanding supporter of equality, diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace, I recently wrote to a number of major corporations that our state pension fund invests in regarding disability inclusion. Companies that embrace an inclusive workplace have access to a bigger pool of talent. In addition, a recent study “Getting to Equal: The Disability […]

1.22.2019 On Thursday, the Senate passed the Medicaid Extenders Act of 2019 (H.R. 259). Now the bill has passed both the House and Senate, and is awaiting the President’s signature. It provides three-month extensions of both Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS) spousal impoverishment protections and the Money Follows the Person Program. Although these […]

11.8.2018 – This November, Putnam Independent Living Services Recognizes National Diabetes Awareness Month and the Role of Inclusion in Prevention This month-long campaign highlights a critical need for disability inclusion in diabetes prevention. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the rate of diabetes cases in the United States has nearly tripled […]

10.18.2018 Understanding new service and support systems for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in housing and services and understanding the relevance of Intentional Communities: Support systems for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities need to be healthy, safe, person centered and of high quality, and they need to be sustainable for the long term. […]

10.18.2018 Understanding new service and support systems for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in housing and services and understanding the relevance of Intentional Communities: Support systems for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities need to be healthy, safe, person centered and of high quality, and they need to be sustainable for the long term. […]

9.6.2018 – On Wednesday, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee will consider the EMPOWER Care Act, bipartisan legislation to re-authorize the Money Follows the Person program, which helps people with disabilities move from institutions into the community. Lindsay Miller, Executive Director, New York Association on Independent Living. MFP is little known outside of the disability community, […]

8.9.18 – The recent refusal and later, accommodation, received by an incoming freshman student, with a disability, at SUNY Purchase highlights the issue on campus of accessibility and ADA access. Read more about the class action lawsuit against the State University of New York at Purchase College, located in Westchester County, alleging that it violates […]

The Housing Resource Guide, for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Westchester County NY, was written to assist people with ASD-I/DD, their families and the people who provide support including professionals, providers and oversight agencies. Westchester Institute for Human Development Click here for the Housing Resource Guide for People […]

Westchester County has published this flyer listing local organizations offering events and Flyer for May is Mental Health Month 2018 Westchester Events

April 2018 – The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) today released the ONC Guide to Getting and Using your Health Records,  a new online resource for individuals, patients, and caregivers. This new resource supports both the 21st Century Cures Act goal of empowering patients […]

Public Comment open for draft NYS Transition Plan to better integrate services based on person-centered planning for people with developmental disabilities. Individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) 1115 Waiver Transition Plan The New York State Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), is […]