A group of Chicago leaders will lead a pilot effort to help create more pathways for young adults with developmental disabilities. Read more here.
developmental disability
Expanded Silver Alert System Helps Those with Developmental Disabilities
The Arizona Legislature expanded the criteria for the state’s Silver Alert public notification system to include those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Municipal police departments are able to request a Silver Alert from the Arizona Department of Public Safety after they’ve exhausted all available resources.
Read the full story here.
Arizona Voices Of COVID-19: Matt Hoie On Waiting For A Vaccine
NCDJ board member Amy Silverman worked with KJZZ in Arizona to produce a segment for their program, The Show, last week. In the segment Matt Hoie, a person on the autism spectrum, shared why he is eager to get his first vaccine. Hoie described his hopes for life after the vaccine and discussed how COVID-19 has impacted his life.
Listen to the full story here.
EPA won’t ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to kids’ developmental disabilities
E.P.A. Won’t Ban Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide Tied to Children’s Health Problems
By Lisa Friedman
Originally published in the July 18, 2019 edition of the New York Times
In a New York Times article published this week, Lisa Friedman reports that the Trump administration took a major step to weaken the regulation of toxic chemicals on Thursday when the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.) announced that it will not ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to developmental delays in children. It has also been linked to lung cancer and Parkinson’s disease in adults.
The decision, which was made by E.P.A. administrator Andrew R. Wheeler, represents a win for the chemical industry and for farmers who have lobbied to continue using the toxic chemical despite its potential to cause serious harm.
Although the Obama administration announced in 2015 that it would ban chlorpyrifos after scientific studies produced by the E.P.A. showed the pesticide had the potential to damage brain development in children, the prohibition had not yet been carried out when, in 2017, then-E.P.A. administrator Scott Pruitt reversed Obama’s decision and provoked a wave of lawsuits.
Click here to read the article online.
Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council releases report on sexual abuse of Arizonans with disabilities
The Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (ADDPC) has released a special report with recommendations for the Arizona State Legislature and Arizona state agencies to prevent sexual abuse of Arizonans with developmental disabilities.
While the recent crisis at Hacienda HealthCare continues to draw attention to problems within Arizona’s current system of monitoring and reporting sexual abuse of people with disabilities, almost no formal policies designed to recognize and prevent such abuse exist. The Council’s report is called “Sexual Abuse of Arizonans with Developmental and Other Disabilities” and it contains specific actions that state agencies and care providers can take to prevent the sexual abuse of vulnerable adults.
Read the ADDPC report: Sexual Abuse of Arizonans with Developmental and Other Disabilities
Update to NCDJ award-winning story “Suffering in Secret” reports continued problems
The Chicago Tribune published a followup investigative report to its award-winning story “Suffering in Secret” and unfortunately the promised reforms of Illinois group homes have not materialized. Michael J. Berens, the reporter who co-wrote “Suffering in Secret” with Patricia Callahan, penned the update and highlights several specific problems the group homes failed to correct. The story also features a compelling video interview with Peggy Strong, the mother of a daughter with disabilities whose health improved after being moved from a group home to a large institutional facility. Click here to read the article and click here to watch the video interview.
Tampa Bay Times publishes 10yr update on Pulitzer-winning “Girl in the Window”
Danielle was almost 7 years old when detectives removed her from a filthy house in Plant City, Florida. She was so malnourished and neglected that doctors predicted she would be disabled for the rest of her life. The Tampa Bay Times’s Lane DeGregory won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for her profile of Dani and her adoptive family. Yesterday, Nov 29, DeGregoy published a fascinating update about Dani’s condition. Check out DeGregory’s latest report by clicking HERE, and to read the original award-winning story click HERE.
Mother with Disability Hopes to Regain Custody
18-year old Tyneisha Wilder spoke to Pittsburgh’s Public Source about her desire to care for her child, who was taken from her by the county Children, Youth and Families office shortly after birth. Wilder has been diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability. To remain together, she must find a family to adopt both her and her son within 3-months. Read more.
Op-Ed: Children With Disabilities Face Taunts, Cruelty
In the wake of the Chicago attack on a teenager with intellectual disabilities, a New York Times writer reflects on the cruelty her brother faced as child. She writes of the Chicago attack, “His being different may be the main reason they chose him.” Read more
New Study Finds That ‘Wandering’ Is a Problem For Children With Disabilities
A study published in the journal PLOS ONE finds children with developmental disabilities are at risk for wandering away from a safe place, with children with autism the most likely to wander. Read more