The Face of Homelessness
WRAL News a local station in the Triangle Area ran a story on the mobile homless earlier this week. The Venable’s were interviewed, having been without jobs, evicted from their apartment and now living in their vehicle. Due to the story many reached out to help, please watch the story and consider donating to your local organizations that can help those who are without a home.
http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/family/story/10757849/
North Carolina Housing Coalition
United Way NC
Raleigh Rescue Mission (Raleigh, NC)
Women’s Center of Wake County
Passage Home - Fighting Poverty and Homeless in Wake County
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Durham Rescue Mission - Durham, NC
College Entrance Exams Run Afoul Of ADA Requirements, Report Finds
College Entrance Exams Run Afoul Of ADA Requirements, Report Finds
Too little is being done to ensure that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations on the SAT, ACT and other standardized tests, according to a new government report.
Despite requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act that students with disabilities receive accommodations like extra time or altered test formats, the report from the Government Accountability Office found that those with disabilities often face significant barriers.
Students complained that testing companies asked for too much documentation to prove their special needs and many were frustrated because they were denied supports that they were used to receiving at school.
For their part, testing companies told GAO investigators that they struggle to ensure that tests remain fair for all students while providing appropriate accommodations for those with legitimate needs.
About 2 percent of test takers received accommodations based on diagnoses ranging from autism to learning disabilities, GAO found. Meanwhile, a much larger proportion of Americans — about 12 percent — are estimated to have disabilities.
Currently, the U.S. Department of Justice — which is responsible for enforcing ADA compliance in testing situations — considers complaints on an individual basis, an approach that the government report found to be inadequate.
“Without a systematic approach to reviewing complaints that it receives, Justice cannot assure that all complaints are consistently considered and that it is effectively targeting its limited resources to the highest priority enforcement activities,” the report indicated.
The GAO report, which was commissioned by U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., was released publicly in late December. Now, the lawmakers are calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to take action.
“The current system of applying for and obtaining testing accommodations — and seemingly haphazard enforcement — are barriers to students with disabilities,” wrote Miller and Stark in a letter to Holder. “These barriers cause unnecessary delays to their careers and impose additional financial burdens on students who have already struggled and overcome challenges to reach this point.”
Guest blog by Karen Stallings
Autism Daddy
The Autism Paradox 
1. It’s easy to recite an entire book but difficult to make up a story 2. It’s easy to line up toys but difficult to stay in line 3. It makes perfect sense to climb on the sofa but little sense to sit on it 4. Memorizing the Presidents in order – 10 minutes. Packing a school bag – 10 hours 5…. Family pictures on the wall are boring but that speck of dust next to it, now that’s fascinating! 6. Talking about weather patterns – piece of cake. Talking about my day… impossible! 7. Ability to focus on spinning objects – timeless, ability to focus on homework – 3 seconds 8. Being called by name, can’t hear it. Some owl hooting in the distance – clear as a bell 9. How to operate the remote control – zero instruction. How to button up pants – intensive instruction 10. Navigating social rules – poorly skilled, Navigating from the back seat of the car – highly skilled By Jene? Aviram This article is property of and copyright © 2003-2007 Jene Aviram of Natural Learning Concepts. Reference of this article may only be included in your documentation provided that reference is made to the owner – Jene Aviram and a reference to this site http://www.nlconcepts.com/
1. It’s easy to recite an entire book but difficult to make up a story 2. It’s easy to line up toys but difficult to stay in line 3. It makes perfect sense to climb on the sofa but little sense to sit on it 4. Memorizing the Presidents in order – 10 minutes. Packing a school bag – 10 hours 5…. Family pictures on the wall are boring but that speck of dust next to it, now that’s fascinating! 6. Talking about weather patterns – piece of cake. Talking about my day… impossible! 7. Ability to focus on spinning objects – timeless, ability to focus on homework – 3 seconds 8. Being called by name, can’t hear it. Some owl hooting in the distance – clear as a bell 9. How to operate the remote control – zero instruction. How to button up pants – intensive instruction 10. Navigating social rules – poorly skilled, Navigating from the back seat of the car – highly skilled By Jene? Aviram This article is property of and copyright © 2003-2007 Jene Aviram of Natural Learning Concepts. Reference of this article may only be included in your documentation provided that reference is made to the owner – Jene Aviram and a reference to this site http://www.nlconcepts.com/American Veteran Aid for soldier or spouse
One of the speakers at our last Council meeting brought information regarding a benefit that many are not aware of. I have been able to share it with two people in just the last week. American War Veteran’s Aid & Attendance Benefit Receive up to $1944 per month 888-260-5299
Veteran must have:
- 90 days continuous active duty service
- at least one day of service during a war
- be age 65 or over or Fully disabled if under 65
Your consultation will include the following:
- Income and asset qualification review
- Review of medical expense
- Consultation on how to qualify for those who are over-qualified
- Consultation for pre-need planning
- Application assistance
Some fun to keep you busy
We are busy packing! Our office is moving tomorrow just two buildings down. So here is something to keep you busy while we are busy!
Our new address is 505 Oberlin Rd., Suite 206, Raleigh, NC 27605. Our phone numbers and emails will remain the same. Come see us!
