Message from Executive Director

Greetings!
As we are preparing a new school year in fall, CIDA is excited to announce a few exciting news, including:

• CIDA’s 4th annual Very Special Art Festival (St. John’s University)
• Transition Program @ CIDA
• New adult’s services funded by Korean American Community Fund (KACF)
• Journalist Project

CIDA’s Community Parent Resource Center (CPRC) Program will also be strengthened in order to engage more families who need early childhood and childhood special education resources. We will offer Support Group Meetings by age group, and monthly IEP webinar to increase families’ knowledge on individualized education programs and services. Please visit our website www.cidainfo.com and check our calendar for more event news and resources as well.

Enjoy the rest of the summer and we hope to see everyone at the Very Special Art Festival on September 21 at St. John’s University!

Young Seh Bae, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Policy News

House Passes Autism Act
Source: https://www.disabilityscoop.com

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support, or Autism CARES, Act through voice vote. One key change in this renewal legislation is the extra focus on the needs of individuals with autism in all age groups. Also, there would be an increase in number of self-advocates, parents, and autism group representatives on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which is a federal autism advisory panel. The bill would also ask the Department of Health and Human Services to make a report for Congress on the health and well-being of individuals with autism.

De Blasio Administration Releases 2019 AccessibleNYC Report to Improve Quality of Life for People with Disabilities
Source: https://www1.nyc.gov

Mayor de Blasio and the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) Commissioner Victor Calise released the 2019 AccessibleNYC report in conjunction with the 29th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Sapolin Accessibility Awards. The fourth annual report provides a roadmap to improving the quality of life for New York residents with disabilities in the areas of: transportation, employment, financial empowerment, housing, health, technology, access to City services and education. Mayor de Blasio says, “To be the fairest big city in America, we must ensure that New Yorkers with disabilities have equal access to all New York has to offer. AccessibleNYC highlights our accessibility efforts and offers a roadmap for the future of our city while strengthening our commitment to becoming more inclusive for all.”

What’s Up at CIDA

Catching Up with VAP – July 2019 Support Group

On July 16th, our Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP) alumni gathered at CIDA for the July 2019 Support Group. The alumni brought along other parents and professionals interested in the topic of special education and VAP. During this support group, we shared our ideas for future VAP meetings and ideas on how to go about starting our next semester of VAP next year spring. Our VAP alumni also gave other parents information on different resources along with their personal experiences. We would like to thank our VAP alumni group for a successful support group and we hope to have more successful meetings in the future!

Transition Program @ CIDA
Starting September 16, CIDA launches a transition program designed for individuals with exceptional needs to develop independent living and self-determination skills. This program is a non-credit bearing transition program for individuals with exceptional needs who have already completed their K-12 educational program. For more information, visit https://cidainfo.com/community-classes/, or call Dr. Bae, Executive Director at 718-224-8197 (ext 3).

CIDA Awarded Korean American Community Fund (KACF) Grant for Adult Services
CIDA awarded a community grant ($37,000) from KACF. The KACF grant will support the expansion of access to community-based services and supports to enhance the quality of life, inclusion and economic opportunities for adults with disabilities and their families. Starting this July, any adults with a disability or suspected of having a disability, may request applying for service or inquire resources. All program participants are asked to attend at least one workshop (free) to learn about the service systems and self-advocacy. The area of services includes:

• Developmental disability services (OPWDD) application and resources
• Guardianship
• Social Security
• Medicaid and Health Insurance
• Mental health resources
• Housing program training
• Vocational program resources
• Mediation requests
• Advocacy
• Clinical service resources including mental/behavioral health services

Journalist Project
CIDA will begin a Journalist Project with teens and young adults with disabilities. The purpose of this project is to increase social, political and community engagement of youths and young adults with disabilities through reading, writing, research and speaking activities using local media and our own newsletter and SNS. The program is volunteer-based and all activity hours will be credited and community contribution. Stay tuned for recruiting announcement.

Events

Very Special Art Festival
CIDA will be holding the annual Very Special Art Festival 2019 on Saturday, September 21.
For more information and registration, click here: https://cidainfo.com/event/2019-very-special-art-festival/

• September 10 – Parent Group – September Support Meeting
• September 17 – Understanding Your Child’s IEP – Workshop
• September 21 – 2019 Very Special Art Festival

For registration to the above events in September and for more information click here: https://cidainfo.com/events/2019-09/