2019 June News

Policy News

Two NYC districts embarked on middle school integration plans. Early results show they may be making a difference.
Source: https://www.chalkbeat.org

Most of the schools in Brooklyn’s District 15 and Manhattan’s District 3 has offered admission to a more diverse range of students for the upcoming school year. This year’s admissions offers display potential dramatic changes at both popular schools and those under the radar of more affluent, white families. Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said in an emailed statement, “Our schools are stronger when they reflect the diversity of our city. Today, we’re seeing the first impact of community-driven efforts to integrate our schools.” These early results are important because these districts have been seen as pioneers for integration models that could be spread to other parts of the city. Families in both districts apply to middle schools rather than being assigned a neighborhood school based on where they live.

Corporate America Urged To Increase Disability Hiring
Source: https://www.disabilityscoop.com

A group of investors with over $1 trillion in assets are looking into companies into hiring more people with disabilities. A group led by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read is urging businesses they’re invested in to better include those with disabilities. Specifically, the investors want to see companies adopting several practices which include creating a disability hiring goal and measuring progress toward that goal. The Oregon treasurer states, “companies that embrace disability inclusion in the workplace benefit from increased innovation as well as profitability”.

What’s Up at CIDA

Catching Up with VAP (Volunteer Advocacy Project)

On March 20th, CIDA began the Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP). Our VAP participants have completed the entire 12-week long course and have graduated from the project on June 5th. With every week being another new week of learning about a new special education topic, we are glad to see that our participants have been following very well. Every Wednesday, the dedication and enthusiasm we see from our participants show great potential as advocates. With the end of the final class, we hope to see our participants out in the field applying what they learned through VAP!

Sibling Net hosts – Community Legislative Dinner on May 31st.
CIDA held a Community Forum and Legislative Dinner on Friday, May 31. The community forum was definitely a success with more than 180 who attended. The event featured support remarks from Lisa M. Severino, board director of SANYS; Edward Braunstein, NYS Assemblyman; John C. Liu, NYS Senator; and Barry Grodenchik, NYC Councilman. We discussed the gaps in disability policies and implementation. CIDA will continue to work with advocacy groups across the state and family members to generate policy recommendations to the legislatures. Thank you to all stakeholders, representatives, parents, and volunteers who came out to attend this wonderful night!

Events

• June 18 – CIDA Transition Day (Open House)
• June & July – Self-determination Academy (6/27, 6/28, 7/1, 7/2, 7/3)

Check our events in May: https://cidainfo.com/events/