Alliance Center for Independence
Michelle Ford from LifeLong Retirement Corp presented a workshop on Financial Literacy to participants in ACI's Career Track program. Michelle discussed the importance of budgeting, appropriate use of credit cards, tips on selecting banks, and check writing skill.
Thank you Michelle and LifeLong Retirement Corp for the very informative workshop!
On Thursday, July 18th, ACI Executive Director, Carole Tonks and Deputy Director, Luke Koppisch, met with Carolyn Fefferman, Esq, Senior Adviser to US Senator Robert Menendez. They discussed the services ACI offers as well as the role the CILs have in providing assistance people with disabilities to live independently. Carolyn was especially interested in ACI's work in emergency preparedness.
Linda Brown, Health Educator from Edison Township, Department of Health and Human Services, conducted a very interactive workshop on hygiene and home safety. Participants learned about how to avoid falls in your home, reducing colds and spreading of germs and the importance of practicing basic hygienic skills at home and the workplace.
Students from JP Stevens High School participated in a two-part travel training conducted by Louis Hoffman of the New Jersey Travel Independence Program (NJTIP). This program teaches individuals about traveling independently on NJ Transit buses. The students boarded NJ Transit Bus no. 813 bound for downtown Metuchen outside ACI's offices.
ACI is proud to work with NJTIP and JP Stevens High School in providing the opportunity for students to learn this valuable skill.
Tara Gunthner from St. Peter's Hospital Community Mobile Health Services and intern Matt, conducted a Sun Damage Screening using a DermaScan machine to detect skin damage due to exposure to the sun. Participants also received information on how to avoid skin damage from the sun. Thank you Tara and Matt for the very informative workshop!
A message from The Arc's Capital Insider newsletter
On July 2, The White House announced that they will be delaying the employer shared responsibility provisions, a key part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Before this announcement, businesses with more than 50 workers were required to provide affordable health insurance beginning in 2014, or face a financial penalty per employee. Now, employers will not face penalties if they do not provide health insurance in 2014.
The decision is intended give employers more time to comply with the new rules and to set up the communication infrastructure needed to comply with the law and properly assess penalties. At the same time, the Administration indicates that the new health insurance exchanges, or marketplaces, will still begin enrollment on time. For more information, see Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement Valerie Jarrett’s blog post.
Partners in Policymaking (PIP) is a leadership training program expressly for family members of people with developmental disabilities and individuals with developmental disabilities. Participants [Partners] acquire knowledge about issues related to developmental disabilities, helping build their competency as advocates who can effectively influence public policy. The overall goal is to achieve an effective partnership between people needing and using services and those in a position to effect policy and law.
PIP is designed to provide information, training and skill-building so that participants can influence the services they need and how those services should be delivered. Partners learn about the most up-to-date issues and best practices in the field. They become familiar with the policymaking and legislative processes at the local, state and federal levels.
Each monthly session is devoted to specific topics with nationally known experts as presenters. Partners participants must complete assignments between sessions and commit to one major project, such as serving an internship, organizing a letter writing campaign, organizing special receptions or town meetings for public officials.
In general, session topics may include:
A series of monthly training sessions begin in the fall and conclude with graduation in the spring. The monthly sessions begin on Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory. The exact dates for this year will be made available with your application.
Interested persons are urged to complete and submit an application as
soon as possible (deadline is Monday, August 12, 2013). An interview is part of the selection process. You
will be notified if you are selected for an interview. Space is limited!
Click here to fill out an application and be sure to tell them that ACI sent you!
For more information, please contact Dennie Todd, PIP Advocacy Training Coordinator, by calling 609-984-4516 or email dennie.todd@njcdd.org.
