No Man Is An Island!
My Dad and I have a running schtick where we
remind each other, on a far too regular basis, "No man is an island." (okay,
it's not funny to anyone but my dad and I). Truly though, no man IS an island
and many of our children have very similar counterparts all over the world.
I know in talking with many of you, that you can feel alone and frustrated and
that you and your children may never see another person who uses a communication
device. I've been thinking for a long time that it would be great to help
foster the community of AAC users and their families. There are several
options for you to start meeting people just like you (not Match.Com- but
still...). Click here for some ideas
we've come up with recently!
Foggy Rock.Com:
Foggy Rock is a parent run website that is designed for families, friends and
professionals of people with autism. Every participant has their own
webpage and the ability to post and share information with others. There
is a lot of good information on this website. I'd encourage you to check
it out if you have friends with autism!
www.foggyrock.com
(shared with us by Kellie Roberts, Chad's mom!)
Autism Awareness Cards:
Dimensions Therapy Center in Davie,
Florida, is offering beautiful cards, personalized with your child's name for
free to parents. These cards offer a brief explanation of your child's
condition and difficulty with wait times and communication. A quick way to
give people in the community a "heads up" and help out our parents in difficult
situations.
Click here for the details. submitted by Tina Bauer, Katie's
mom, from an email from Heidi Fernandez (thanks ladies!)
Medicaid Funding Information: 
Click the image to view the informational document, "Understanding the Medicaid
Waiver: A Practical Guide for Families and Individuals with Developmental
Disabilities".
OR go to the following link:
http://www.unlockthewaitinglists.com/MedicaidWaiverManual.pdf
The
United Healthcare Children's Foundation
is offering support to meet the needs of children
nationwide with assistance grants for medical services not fully covered by
health insurance.
Parents and caretakers across the country will be eligible to apply for grants
of up to $5,000.00 for health-care services that will help improve their
children's health and quality of life. Examples of the types of medical
services covered by the foundation grants include speech therapy; physical
therapy and psychotherapy sessions; medical equipment such as wheelchairs,
braces, hearing aids and eye-glasses, and orthodontic and dental treatments.
"The United Healthcare Children's Foundation has already helped more than 375
families and provided nearly $1 million in financial assistance ", said
Foundation President Matt Peterson. "We are excited about the
expansion of the program and look forward to the opportunity to help many more
children have access to healthcare services that will enhance their health and
quality of life."
To be eligible for the grants, children must be 16 years old or younger.
Families must meet economic guidelines, live in the U.S. and be covered by a
commercial health insurance plan. For more information, visit:
www.uhccf.org <http://www.uhccf.org/>
