Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State

12/16/2020

Sign the petition!

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/callingforhomecare/?source=CDPAANYS

“I go from rage to despair always worrying I’m going to be forced into an institution so many years after social workers fought for me to live outside in society." -Geri, home care worker employer featured in Calling for Home Care

Join our campaign to #JustPay4HomeCare: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/callingforhomecare/ created by Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network and New York Caring Majority

#CaringMajority
#NobodyIsDisposable
#JustPay4HomeCare

12/15/2020

As Hospitals Fear Being Overwhelmed By COVID-19, Do The Disabled Get The Same Access?

Disabled people have long been treated poorly and had their needs dismissed by the medical system in the United States and beyond.

This story may be difficult to read, but it is an important one. Please share, especially with people you know who are NOT disabled. It highlights the gaslighting, pressure and dismissive attitudes many people with disabilities face when trying to access life-saving healthcare - and the importance of disability visibility in making progress against these injustices.

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/14/945056176/as-hospitals-fear-being-overwhelmed-by-covid-19-do-the-disabled-get-the-same-acc?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR28MVT-bkKk--wnzrW84wSeZsojU8xCEC3pssXtIFHnSQtomE2fnEtiWcA

In an Oregon hospital, a disabled woman fought for her life as her friends and advocates pleaded for proper care. Her case raises the question: Are disabled lives equally valued during a pandemic?

12/15/2020

Have you signed up yet for your PAs to receive their Exceptional Service Award Pin & Award Certificate? It's easy and FREE!

1. Go to our website at https://cdpaanys.org/exceptional-service-award-pin-certificate-giveaway/

2. Enter your information in the form.

3. You will receive your pin & award certificate in the mail!

This giveaway is made possible by our friends at CareTime.

In recognition of the hard-working Personal Assistants who have made New York a safer place for people who use Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, CDPAANYS has partnered with CareTime to give away a custom enamel pin and certificate of recognition to everyone who signs up to receive one.

Please use the link below to sign up to receive your free pin & certificate!

https://cdpaanys.org/exceptional-service-award-pin-certificate-giveaway/

12/14/2020

Consumer Directed Choices, Inc.

Consumer Directed Choices, Inc.

"The Consumer-directed model is a reclamation of self." -Constance Laymon, CDChoices Founder.

Constance’s selfless dedication to put Consumers in charge of their care, and her “rebel with a cause” spirit still resonates throughout our organization today. Though she is no longer with us, we’re committed to pursue her mission and empower Consumers to reclaim control over their care.

Video: Constance Laymon on Consumer Directed Model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkcWT2bL4Rw&feature=youtu.be

12/10/2020

Calling for Home Care

➡️ New York's home care workers make under $12 an hour to care for seniors and people with disabilities. Sign our petition to raise home care wages: What could be more important than taking care of each other? It’s time to invest in the #CareEconomy and home care workers. We are the #CaringMajority. Sign our petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/callingforhomecare/?source=CDPAANYS

12/09/2020

CDPAANYS is excited to announce the premiere of “Calling for Home Care,” a powerful short film about the home care crisis in New York.

Follow New York Caring Majority to tune in, watch and share TOMORROW at NOON!

#CaringMajority #JustPay4HomeCare

12/04/2020

In recognition of the hard-working Personal Assistants who have made New York a safer place for people who use Consumer Directed Personal Assistance, CDPAANYS has partnered with CareTime to give away a custom enamel pin and certificate of recognition to everyone who signs up to receive one.

Please use the link below to sign up to receive your free pin & certificate!

https://cdpaanys.org/exceptional-service-award-pin-certificate-giveaway/

12/04/2020

Office of the Public Advocate

First Deputy Public Advocate Nick E. Smith accepted the Sally Johnston Award for Advocacy from Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State (CDPAANYS) on Public Advocate Williams' behalf.

This award honors the Public Advocate's work to fight cuts to Medicaid and services critical to New Yorkers with disabilities.

CDPAANYS has been committed to its mission of supporting personal assistance providers and recipients through crucial services and vocal advocacy for 25 years now, an exceptional achievement with incredible impact. We are thankful for this work.

These are values and causes for which the Office of the Public Advocate is proud to fight and advance in partnership with community organizations like CDPAANYS.

11/25/2020

CDPAANYS wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. We're thankful for all of you, who lead by example and work hard year round to keep others healthy.

Image description: A pumpkin pie with one slice cut to be served. Text reads: "CDPAANYS wishes you a safe and happy Thanksgiving. We're thankful for all of you."

11/20/2020

transrespect.org

November 20 is National Transgender Day of Remembrance. CDPAANYS pauses to remember all of the transgender individuals lost this year, in particular those who are transgender and disabled.

The disabled transgender community highlights the need for intersectionality and disability justice, something we at CDPAANYS are constantly striving to improve.

Transgender, the broader LGBTQ+ community, BIPOC, and disabled folx all individually face higher levels of violence in society. When these traits are combined, the potential for discrimination, violence, abuse, exploitation, and their murder increases tremendously.

As part of this remembrance, we recall and honor Marsha P. Johnson, the transgender, BIPOC woman with mental and physical disabilities widely credited with starting the Stonewall riots that paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights toay. Marsha Johnson was found dead in 1992, the likely victim of a homicide (initially ruled a suicide by the NYPD, the death was later reclassified as "unclassified" after substantial evidence, including evidence of a head wound and an individual bragging of killing her in a bar forced the change).

We also remember the 350 transgender and gender-diverse individuals murdered in the last year, and all those who have suffered from depression, attempted or completed suicide, and been the victims of needless violence due to discrimination.

https://transrespect.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TvT_TMM_TDoR2020_Namelist_EN.pdf

11/20/2020

New York Caring Majority

Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York State is looking for photos and short videos of real New Yorkers sharing the ways their Personal Assistants saved lives this year.

How to send your submission:
Record a 2 min video using a smartphone or digital camera.

If your photo or video file is smaller than 25 MB, you can email it to [email protected].

If your video is larger, use Dropbox or Google Drive to upload it and email a link to share [email protected].

@CDPAANYS
#homecareheroes
#SaveCDPA

11/20/2020

New York State Independent Living Council, Inc. is looking for feedback from New York registered voters with disabilities on their experience participating in this year's election.

If this describes you, we encourage you to take a moment to complete this survey!

Did you vote in the 2020 Presidential election? We’re looking for your feedback! If you’re a New Yorker with a disability, we’d like to hear from you about your voting experience.

The New York State Independent Living Council, Inc. (NYSILC) is conducting its fourth Presidential post-election poll. All registered voters who participated in the recent election are encouraged to respond. This is a confidential, non-partisan survey conducted to analyze the voting trends of New Yorkers with disabilities compared to voters without disabilities.

The survey takes roughly 5-10 minutes to complete.

Follow the link here to take our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KRZ5CTJ

Encuesta posterior a la elección 2020 de NYSILC: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KRV52NB

11/16/2020

Tuesday, November 17 at 1:00 PM, join us for a webinar on Advocacy in the Age of COVID-19!

As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered life as we once knew it. During this panel discussion, we'll be talking about the pandemic's impact on how we can lobby legislators, build and communicate to our grassroots bases, and work together toward common goals in advocacy. While there are some obvious challenges, there are also opportunities. We'll explore some of the newer, innovative approaches seen in modern advocacy.

REGISTER TODAY: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6zsrgO8ZSw2Bs24WKcZscA

Panelists:
Kendra Scalia, Chief Executive Officer, Pax Ratio
Todd Vaarwerk, Director of Advocacy, Western New York Independent Living
Jessica De La Rosa, Systems Advocate, Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled

11/10/2020

A Precedent-Setting Win for People with Disabilities in Michigan! - National Center for Law and Economic Justice

Michiganders with disabilities achieved a major victory in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in NCLEJ’s Waskul v. Washtenaw County Community Mental Health case. Plaintiffs, individuals with developmental disabilities, and the Washtenaw Association for Community Advocacy, a non-profit organization that advocates for people with developmental disabilities, challenged changes to the Medicaid budgeting methodology that provides funding for people with disabilities who receive home and community based services (HCBS) under the Medicaid Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Rehabilitation Act, and Michigan State laws. The budgeting changes hindered Plaintiffs’ ability to hire and retain workers equipped to provide them with the necessary treatment and services, placing them at risk of having to be institutionalized. As a result, many of the plaintiffs were forced to rely on aging family members to step in and provide significant services, even while those family members navigated significant challenges to their own health and wellbeing.

https://nclej.org/news/waskul-win-disabilities-michigan

The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances the cause of economic justice for low-income families, individuals and communities across the country.

11/06/2020

We're thrilled to welcome Sim Goldman of Disability Rights New York and Britney Wilson of National Center for Law and Economic Justice as presenters on a webinar - "Olmstead: What It Is, What It Isn't."

Join us on Tuesday, November 10 at 1:00 PM.

Register today on Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NjoaHNPnQECVHN-y0Cp0dg

10/29/2020

Register today for Tuesday's webinar featuring the Independent Consumer Advocacy Network (ICAN), New York's ombudsman and advocate to ensure consumers in managed care are informed of and able to exercise their rights.

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z2JKAj-eSfaHMCyPTprlOg

10/27/2020

Twitterstorm TODAY from noon to 2 PM.

Fidelis Care / Centene are releasing their earnings report today. The forecast? $$$$$$ in profits, but big pay cuts for home care workers.

DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cDSpbNfziSIR01qZT0hSaNFHbmbSV7yfsYfBFPvMUP8/edit?usp=sharing

10/27/2020

Don't miss today's webinar on Federal Policy Advocacy with the Center for Public Representation's Alison Barkoff & Erin Shea.

Join us on Zoom at 1 PM. This session is free and is relevant across state lines!

Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E0fGKk4bQQKUIvWIShTnRQ

Tomorrow at 1:00 PM! Join Alison Barkoff & Erin Shea from the Center for Public Representation and get caught up on what's happening at a federal/national level in the realm of disability advocacy.

Join on Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E0fGKk4bQQKUIvWIShTnRQ

10/26/2020

Tomorrow at 1:00 PM! Join Alison Barkoff & Erin Shea from the Center for Public Representation and get caught up on what's happening at a federal/national level in the realm of disability advocacy.

Join on Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E0fGKk4bQQKUIvWIShTnRQ

10/26/2020

#FIDELIS/#CENTENE TWITTERSTORM AGAINST PAY CUTS:
10/27 @ 12:00 Noon - 2:00 p.m.

On October 27, 2020, Centene will release their earnings report. We want to let the country know that those earnings are based on the blood of homecare heroes, and that Centene’s platitudes to the disability community are empty.

To do this, we need YOU to join our TwitterStorm calling out Centene/Fidelis’ behavior.

TOOLKIT LINK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cDSpbNfziSIR01qZT0hSaNFHbmbSV7yfsYfBFPvMUP8/edit?usp=sharing

10/22/2020

VOTE EARLY NY | New Yorkers can vote 3 ways: Vote Early, Vote-By-Mail, or Vote on Election Day!

Early #voting begins this Saturday, October 24, and goes through Sunday, November 1.

https://www.voteearlyny.org/

Find Early Voting Locations in your county or borough at New York's non-profit hub for Early Voting information.

10/13/2020

TODAY at 1:00 PM. Grassroots Leadership Training: Building Power Through Our Stories. A virtual workgroup geared toward people who have a story to tell and want to make a difference!

This session is FREE and open to the public. Register on Zoom:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w13lj1CTTwiqqB3BScKNPA

Do you have a story to tell?

On October 13 at 1:00 PM, Campaign for New York Health's Ursula Rozum & Yu-Ling Koh Hsu will lead this fun and thought-provoking virtual Grassroots Leadership Training course, focusing on Building Power Through Our Stories.

Link to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w13lj1CTTwiqqB3BScKNPA

This session is the second of our ongoing Consumer Advocacy Workshop Series, and is FREE!

Closed captioning and ASL interpretation for the entire weekly Consumer Advocacy Series has been generously sponsored by Consumer Directed Choices, Inc.

10/09/2020

Do you have a story to tell?

On October 13 at 1:00 PM, Campaign for New York Health's Ursula Rozum & Yu-Ling Koh Hsu will lead this fun and thought-provoking virtual Grassroots Leadership Training course, focusing on Building Power Through Our Stories.

Link to register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_w13lj1CTTwiqqB3BScKNPA

This session is the second of our ongoing Consumer Advocacy Workshop Series, and is FREE!

Closed captioning and ASL interpretation for the entire weekly Consumer Advocacy Series has been generously sponsored by Consumer Directed Choices, Inc.

10/06/2020

Shortage of personal aides endangering older adults and people with disabilities

"Hopkins said the problem has grown dire in the U.S. in recent years, most likely because despite how important their work is, personal care attendants are poorly compensated with little opportunity for professional advancement."

https://www.wcpo.com/news/our-community/shortage-of-personal-aides-endangering-older-adults-and-people-with-disabilities

Susan Koller has cerebral palsy, but that had never stopped the 38-year-old from living an active, independent lifestyle. “Fast forward to the pandemic, and oh, my world has changed,” Koller said.

10/06/2020

TODAY! Make sure you don't miss this learning opportunity.

This session is free. Anyone can make change happen and influence legislators.

Thank you to Consumer Directed Choices, Inc. for sponsoring captioning/ASL interpretation, and Center for Disability Rights for your support as a Self-Direction sponsor.

CDPAANYS is excited to announce the first installment of our weekly Fall Consumer Advocacy Workshop Series!

On Tuesday, October 6 at 1:00 PM, join Bryan O’Malley, CDPAANYS’ Executive Director, for a virtual crash course on The Fundamentals of Grassroots Advocacy.

This informational session is FREE (registration required) and will focus on ways that YOU can build the skills and knowledge needed to become a leader in grassroots advocacy for CDPA and beyond.

LINK TO JOIN: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hL4ObxPjTTWFj2Lvx1WtnQ

10/01/2020

CDPAANYS is excited to announce the first installment of our weekly Fall Consumer Advocacy Workshop Series!

On Tuesday, October 6 at 1:00 PM, join Bryan O’Malley, CDPAANYS’ Executive Director, for a virtual crash course on The Fundamentals of Grassroots Advocacy.

This informational session is FREE (registration required) and will focus on ways that YOU can build the skills and knowledge needed to become a leader in grassroots advocacy for CDPA and beyond.

LINK TO JOIN: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hL4ObxPjTTWFj2Lvx1WtnQ

09/23/2020

Comments Re proposed regulations: HLT-28-20-00019-P | CDPAANYS

Thank you to the hundreds of you who submitted comments to the Department of Health regarding proposed regulations HLT-28-20-00019-P to #StopLTCCuts and #SaveCDPA, which were due September 14.

CDPAANYS submitted our full comments electronically, and we would like to share them with you here. You can download them as a PDF file directly from this weblink. Please feel free to share!

https://cdpaanys.org/comments-on-cdpap-mrt-changes/

Comments Re proposed regulations: HLT-28-20-00019-P These comments are downloadable in full as a PDF file. Ms. Katherine Ceroalo Bureau of Program Counsel Regulatory Affairs Unit New York State Department of Health Room 2438, Empire State Plaza Tower Building Albany, NY 12237 Comments submitted elec...