ANNOUNCEMENTS – Program Vacancies
See the attached Adult Day Service/Vocational Vacancy Announcement List and Agency flyers for current program openings as well as MSC vacancies.
2011 GRADUATE’S UPDATE
The Department of Education Transition Coordinators made the following reports:
P79 – Gloria Johnson
35 graduates – all are in process of making plans for next year, the majority of students are applying for day programs and most have MSC or have started application process
P226 – Irene Kawamura
12 graduates – 11 have places with program of choice or are in the process of securing a place. Several are going to Day Hab programs and several to Access or supported employment.
Neil Coffina reported for P138 and P721 as the TCs were unable to attend today’s meeting.
P138 – Illana Abramson
7 graduates – all going well
P721 – Larisa McGee
24 graduates – A few parents have not been cooperative with the testing arrangements but there are no outstanding issues with the families and students who have been involved in the transition process.
Thank you to all the Transition Coordinators, agency reps and all others who worked so hard this year to assist the graduates in finding an appropriate program or work opportunity.
GUEST SPEAKER – Randi Rosenstein, AHRCNYC, Legal Services
Randi presented an overview of Guardianship services at AHRC. She began by pointing out the following:
• At moment there is a long wait list for families seeking assistance
• Programs, schools, etc., can schedule presentations to families
Randi emphasized that parents and advocates should be sure guardianship is appropriate for their child before beginning process—not all people with developmental disabilities require full guardianship and there are options. The Family Health Care Decisions Act of 2010 allows families of hospitalized people, including those with developmental disabilities, to make health care decisions, except end-of-life decisions, for their family member even if they do not have guardianship.
There are several forms of guardianship:
17-A Guardianship – is only for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
⎫ Must go through Surrogate’s court – court must be satisfied that guardianship is necessary
⎫ Guardian’s decision-making ability is all encompassing of person’s medical and property needs
⎫ To obtain, must have two medical forms stating person cannot make medical decisions (if person is able to make own decisions, guardianship can be a restriction of their rights)
⎫ Can have a stand-in guardian, in case guardian is unavailable
⎫ Process can be completed without an attorney. Families may find it helpful to attend a guardianship training. Several agencies provide this training – AHRC and the Brooklyn Volunteer Lawyers Service (only for Brooklyn families) are two.
⎫ Original filing fee is $200.00
Article 81 Guardianship – for anyone with a disability
⎫ May be appropriate for a person with developmental disabilities, not as restrictive as 17-A
⎫ Guardian’s authority is only to satisfy needs of an incapacitated person and only for those areas in which a person requires assistance – court will look at individual and determine needs
⎫ Initial fee is $275, but requires an attorney who’s fees can range between $5,000 and $10,000
⎫ Have to file annually
The family can begin the guardianship process three months before their child turns 18. It might be a good idea to begin the paperwork even earlier, maybe six months before the child turns 18.
If Guardianship is not appropriate, completing a Health Care Proxy is recommended.
For more information on Guardianship or to schedule a presentation you may contact Randi Rosenstein at 212-780-2586.
2012 GRADUATES
It is recommended that referrals for evaluations for next year’s graduates begin this summer when possible.
SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR UPCOMING TRANSITION MEETINGS
1. Develop a survey questionnaire to obtain more specific information about individual programs at each agency.
2. If you have any other suggestions please call Kathy Kelly or Kathy Beiser or share them with us at the next Transition Meeting.
THANK YOU
We would like to thank Veronica McCormack and UCP for being so generous and hosting our monthly meetings.
Committee Co-Chairs: Kathy Kelly – AHRC – 212-780-2724, kathy.kelly@ahrcnyc.org
Kathy Beiser – Esperanza – 212-928-5810, ext. 103, kbeiser@esperanzacenter.net
Minutes Submitted by: Kathy Beiser
NEXT MEETING
Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 9:30am
UCP – NYC, 122 East 23rd St.
Enjoy the summer. See you in September.