Advocacy Far Northern Regional Center encourages individuals through
self-empowerment to develop the tools and skills needed by those with
disabilities to advance their education, seek and obtain employment, and become
active participants in their communities. Through all this, our main goal is
achieved: to help create contributing members of society who view life without
any thought of limitations. We hope the supports and services listed here will
benefit those we serve.
Disability Benefits 101 Disability Benefits 101 (DB101) is designed to help workers, job seekers,
and service providers understand the connections between work and benefits.
Special calculators are available on the site to determine how going to work
will affect benefits.
DB101 brings together rules for health coverage,
benefit, and employment programs that people with disabilities use. These
programs may be administered by the state, the federal government, or private
organizations; here, they discuss them under one roof, in plain language.
Their purpose is to take a broad, customer-centered
view, focusing on the linkages among programs. They do not attempt to replace
existing web resources on these topics.
The DB101 attitude is that the disability experience
is different for each individual, and that each program affects that experience
in a different way. With planning, people with disabilities can take control of
finding the programs and jobs that meet their needs. For service providers and
program managers, information sharing helps everyone understand how programs
interact with each other.
DB101 is designing calculator tools for people with
disabilities, their families, as well as service providers and the employers who
work with them. The design team received input from benefits planners and
beneficiaries using public and private benefits in developing the tools.
To visit Disability Benefits 101, go to
www.db101.org.
Adventures In Business The "reinvention" of our day services is part of the "New Day" movement
across California to transform services to provide more meaning to daytime
activities, prepare our system for self-directed services, and provide a variety
of opportunities for young adults leaving the school system.
Micro-business opportunities are developing within
and outside of traditional day programs for persons with disabilities. There are
opportunities to start your own business as an artist, a store proprietor, a
flower arranger, even a dog walker. The possibilities are really endless. To see
some examples of those who have already entered the world of micro-businesses,
just click here:
Adventures In Business.
Additional Advocacy Resources Advocates are trained individuals who help consumers, families, and
professionals understand the rights of individuals with developmental
disabilities. They provide education and training, and advisory services.
State Council on Developmental Disabilities
The State Council on Developmental Disabilities is established by state and
federal law as an independent state agency to plan for and ensure that
individuals with developmental disabilities and their families receive the
services and supports they need.
AAPD is the largest national nonprofit cross-disability member
organization in the United States, dedicated to ensuring economic
self-sufficiency and political empowerment for the more than 56 million
Americans with disabilities.
Since 1991, your local Disability and Business Technical
Assistance Centers (DBTACs) have been providing information, materials,
technical assistance and training on the ADA. In 2001, their responsibilities
expanded to include providing those same services in the area of accessible
information technology.
Since 2003, Project TEAMS (Transition, Employment, Advocacy,
Mentoring and Self-Determination) has been working to promote self-determination
among transition age youth with developmental disabilities. using the Take
Charge for the Future model, developed by Oregon Health Sciences University, and
modified by Project TEAMS, their staff works side-by-side with Special Education
teachers and other school staff, parents, and supports to encourage students
with developmental disabilities to explore their futures. The students develop
skills such as self-advocacy, problem solving, dreaming about the future,
setting short and long-term goals, asking for support, and most importantly,
believing in themselves as they prepare to TAKE CHARGE of their futures.
