We meet the lifetime legal needs of children and adults with disabilities, the elderly, and their families.
The Special Education Team of Hickman & Lowder welcomes Special Education Advocate Mary Jo O’Neill, M.Ed., as its newest member. Mary Jo will be working with the team to develop more cost effective and efficient service packages to help parents navigate the complexities of IDEA. Mary Jo has a long history of working on behalf of parents; she combines her…
We have all heard of “Amber” alerts. They are messages regarding missing orabducted children and are intended to alert us in the event we have any information regarding the missing child’s whereabouts. Perhaps we’ve received them as texts, emails, or voice mails. Maybe we’ve seen them on billboards as we’re driving. The intent is to use the public’s help to…
For many families, placing a loved one in a nursing home is a traumatic and unwelcomed event. In so many cases, the adult children of elderly parents are signing admission agreements to nursing homes that have a personal guarantee of payment – that if the nursing home doesn’t get paid, the adult child will be personally responsible. But these individuals…
It’s been all over the news lately – world famous hero and astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, actually had to sue two of his children and a former business manager to remove them from handling his finances. This is a sad crash-and-burn landing for an American hero. And the wreckage to his family continues – the dispute is ongoing in Florida courts.…
Laws protecting seniors and adults with disabilities in the state of Ohio will get a boost in September, when new rules that strengthen existing adult protective services statutes take effect. The new provisions cover a wide range of situations, and are expected to help an increasing number of vulnerable adults. Some highlights of note: The addition of 16 new professions…
The Securities and Exchange Commission has just enhanced the protection for seniors and adults with disabilities who may be subject to financial abuse. Earlier this month, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), an independent regulator that protects investors and regulates financial brokers and dealers, released new rules intended to block unauthorized withdrawals and other disbursements from the accounts of vulnerable…
Many of our clients who are unhappy with their school district ask us to recommend a “good” school district. This is a really tough question to answer because it really comes down to the type of disability the child has (some districts are better with Autism, others with anxiety) and the people–from administration to the child’s intervention specialist or aide. As…
This is the first in a three-part series on how to identify and respond to potential abuse by school employees. PART 1: HOW DO I FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED? Abuse of a student by school staff is very rare, but when there is a suspicion, a host of questions arise, especially if your child has difficulty communicating. The first part…
Exceptional Mom’s Day was amazing—we learned, we shared, we laughed, we cried, we ate, and we walked around in our amazingly comfortably fuzzy pink socks while sipping hot cocoa! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have met new people and reconnect with familiar faces, all of us going on a similar journey. But there is only SO MUCH you…
One of the first questions new clients ask me is how to pick a guardian who can raise their child with special needs or make decisions for her when they are unable to do so. What should they look for? Should they ask a sibling or someone else from their family? Is it better to identify someone who is not…