We meet the lifetime legal needs of children and adults with disabilities, the elderly, and their families.
The institutional reform movements of the 1970’s led to a significant downsizing of large facilities housing people with developmental and other disabilities. Advocates began a concerted effort to establish community-based homes, but faced numerous obstacles, most often from local communities which used zoning and building laws as a barrier to allowing development of smaller group homes. Getting a group home…
The Children and Young Adult Services department at The Independence Sight Center recognizes the difference between accommodations and modifications when teaching students who have low vision using the general education curriculum alongside their peers. Sylvia Snyder, the Director, has generously shared some helpful resources: Accommodations and Modifications at a Glance The Michigan Vision Services Severity Rating Scale Expanded Core Curriculum…
For most families with a loved one with disabilities, much of the assets which will be used for the loved one’s long-term needs are found in pre-tax accounts, such as IRAs. SECURE Act Means Drastic Changes to Retirement Account Inheritance Rules Congress recently passed, and the President signed into law, the “SECURE Act” (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Act…
We recently welcomed Rachel Avner Torrance of Accessing Abilities Behavioral and Educational Consulting to our Independence office to discuss Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with a small group of parents. She spoke to us about the importance of a proper and thorough functional behavioral assessment in developing a positive behavior plan. Here are some of our key takeaways: ABA is a…
If you’re in the disability-world, you’ve probably heard rumblings about waivers or the new waiver waiting list. But what exactly is a waiver and how could a waiver help your family? Here’s a quick overview. Waivers are administered through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) and county Boards of Developmental Disabilities. In order to be eligible, you must have…
Caring for a family member from a distance is a daunting and complicated task. Practically, how does one ensure that a loved one receives adequate supervision? How does one ensure that Mom or Dad is eating, bathing, or maintaining the home? Emotionally, how can one remain connected in a caring, loving relationship when separated by hundreds or thousands of miles? …
Recently, I was out of the office for an early morning meeting with a client. While waiting in the lobby, I ran into a different client who happened to work in the building. I’d done some significant estate planning for her and her husband, and she told me that she’d been meaning to call me because they had follow-up questions…
Our Special Education Advocate, Mary Jo O’Neill, recently spoke to a great group of parents from Lev Miriam Bikur Cholim of Independence to answer some of their questions about the special education process. There were a lot of questions about how the EdChoice scholarship works with special education, so I thought it was a topic worth writing about. Can you…
Parent-teacher conferences are approaching. What if you just had an IEP team meeting, and you’ve said all you had to say? You should STILL go to the conferences! Don’t miss this opportunity to be face-to-face with your child’s teachers. It’s a much different environment than an IEP team meeting. At parent-teacher conferences, it’s just that teacher and you. You’re typically…
There’s a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to change into beautiful bold fall colors. It’s a great time to put on those sweaters, relax by the fire, and maybe sit down to a nice warm bowl of soup. Today Hickman & Lowder is happy to serve you some Alphabet Soup! The Special Education world is chock…