Finance Committee Agenda and Packet 2013 12 16

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July 1St, 2013: 121 Family /Caregiver Advocacy Target Population- familieslcaregivers of people with UDD The 2011 Report on Family and Individual Needs for Disability Supports (FINDS) shows that families /caregivers of people with I /DD of whom 58% spend more than 40 hours per week providing support for their loved one, with 40% spending up to 80 hours per week. Aging parents are among this group of people and 46% of parents /caregivers report that they have more care giving responsibilities than they can cope with. A major concern for families is what will happen to their son or daughter when they can no longer care for them. With our aging population, dwindling public dollars, and growing waitlists for public services this presents a serious crisis for individuals, families and whole communities. The ACL Caregiver Program provides assistance to maintain the family model of care through education, advocacy and support for as long as possible while also assisting caregivers to plan for their future and that of their loved one. It is typically a personal preference for self- advocates to remain living in their family home, family caregivers prefer this also due to concerns about the quality of services provided through the long -term care system. It is efficient and cost effective to support caregivers to maintain their role as long as possible however, the long-term care system does not provide any support to assist with this. In the future as the population continues to age, caregiver support will be crucial in offsetting the drastic shortfall in publicly funded services to people with developmental disabilities, the ACL developed this program in recognition of these factors. The caregiver program was started in 2011. 100% the caregivers supported in the program in 2012 continue to be fully involved in the support of their loved one. As of July 1sr 2013 there are 26 caregivers participating in this program. Child/Special Education Advocacy Target Population - parents of children and young adults age 0.21/Youth age 14 and older The ACL provides advocacy, parent coaching and education to parents and students in the special education system. The goal of this program is to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the same high quality education as all other students and that educators maintain high expectations for students with disabilities. Key to achieving a quality education is ensuring that students with disabilities are fully included in the general education curriculum and educated alongside peers to the maximum extent possible, and accorded their due process rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The 2011 FINDS report shows that two thirds of students with I /DD are not fully included in general education classrooms in our public schools and 52% leave school without a high school diploma. As adults, only 8% have any college experience, 85% are unemployed, and of the 15% who do work only 57% eam at least minimum wage. Therefore the focus of our special education advocacy is to promote academic achievement and inclusion in general education classrooms and to prepare teenage students and their families for the transition to adulthood with better access to employment, post - secondary education and full community participation. In 2012 the ACL provided advocacy to 149 students and their parents /guardians. Caminando Juntos (Walking Together) Target population- Latino families with child and adult family members with IIDD In 2012 ACL launched Caminando Juntos, a program specially designed around the culture and values of Latino families. This was in response to the absence of culturally competent advocacy, support and training which was compounding the barriers faced by the Latino families with sons and daughters who have I /DD. 10