Governor Andrew M. Cuomo   Sheila M.

Carey, Executive Director   James Traylor, Council Chairperson

April, 2019: Welcome to another edition of DDPC Connects. This month we

will introduce you to Council Member, Dr. Rhoda Wong.  We will also be
looking at a pair of projects awarded to Niagara University that revolve around
safety for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the
community. Lastly, we encourage you to check out some resources as we
celebrate Autism Awareness Month.

In this month's newsletter:

Meet the Members: Dr. Rhoda Wong

Grant Updates: Niagara University
First Responder's Disability Awareness Training
Emergency Preparedness
Autism Awareness Month
Center for Autism and Related Disabilities
 Meet the Members:
Rhoda Wong, PhD, LCSW-R

"Being present in the DDPC meetings creates a platform for me. That makes
the Chinese families and their challenges visible to the mainstream I/DD
community and gives opportunities for their voices to be heard."

Rhoda is a recent addition to our council. A former social worker, she currently,
volunteers as a full-time program coordinator for Alliance for Families with
Developmental Needs (AFDN), a self- and mutual-support organization
dedicated to Chinese parents or caregivers of children with special needs. Their
goal is to empower families and educate the public on issues related to
developmental needs. Rhoda says in the last three years, AFDN has grown
from a small parent group into a unique community organization that plays
significant roles in advocacy for parents and caregivers in the Chinese I/DD
community. And it was through this organization that Rhoda came to know the
DDPC.

"Through AFDN family members, I learned about the DDPC Cultural

Competence Workgroup and then the NYS DDPC. Due to lack or limited
English proficiency, many Chinese immigrant parents and caregivers are not
able to get involved in the mainstream I/DD resource network. AFDN cores
suggested and supported me to become a DDPC member. They hope that I will
bring their voices and challenges regarding cultural competence practice to
public awareness."
Rhoda knows first-hand how much impact these barriers to support can have.
Rhoda has an adult brother with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As
she grew up she saw how stigma hurt her own family,  "My mother struggled
her whole life to raise and care for him without any family and social support.
My father was ashamed of having a son with developmental disabilities."
Rhoda hopes that the AFDN and the DDPC can provide a platform for her to
prevent future families and caregivers from struggling in this same way. 

Already Rhoda has served as a bridge between the NYC immigrant families
and the service delivery system. When OPWDD officials learned Chinese
parents could not participate in CCO transition forums due to language barriers
and late schedules, former Deputy Director JoAnn Lamphere came down two
times to Chinatown in the early morning to meet the Chinese parents. And this
work brought more attention to the concerns and challenges of Chinese parents
within the current OPWDD service delivery system. After some follow up
dialogues, AFDN and OPWDD Regional Officials agreed on having quarterly
workgroup meetings to address the cultural competence challenges in the
service delivery system.

According to Rhoda, Chinese parents and caregivers are more than just the

service recipients. They are empowered community partners.
Through DDPC meetings, Rhoda has been
exposed to resources and innovative programs
serving the mainstream community. She works
to bring back what she learns to the Chinese I/DD
community. That information stimulates AFDN
parents with new ideas in serving other parents
and caregivers in the Chinese community. And
these ideas are shared with Rhoda, who brings
them back to us on the Council. Rhoda says this is
a great system and she encourages other communities to get involved. 
"I encourage more Chinese caregivers as well as people from other ethnic and
cultural groups including Korean, South Asian and Latinos communities to join
the DDPC. In our diverse society, particularly in NYS, I hope that all cultural
groups would be able to share and have access to the publicly funded
resources for their well-beings."

Grant Updates: Niagara University

First Responders Disability Awareness Training

The DDPC funded the Nation's first comprehensive program intended to train
police, firefighters, EMT's and 911 dispatchers on the proper and appropriate
response to calls involving individuals with developmental disabilities.

Developed by Niagara University under a DDPC grant, the First Responders

Disability Awareness Training Program (FRDAT) has gained a great deal of
attention from both New York State law first responders and first responders in
other states.

The FRDAT Program has demonstrated significant impact, and has been
adopted by several law enforcement and emergency-response agencies across
the State.

Emergency Preparedness
Emergency Preparedness is an active DDPC grant that provides trainings to
anyone involved in emergency planning, preparedness, response or recovery.
These trainings teach emergency personnel how to properly interact with
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) in the event
of a natural or manufactured disaster.
The grantee, Niagara University, also trains individuals with ID/DD to become
active participants in local and state emergency management planning efforts.
Visit the website to register for emergency preparedness training, or to simply
learn more about emergency preparedness trainings.

Hear from people who took the Emergency Management Disability

Awareness Training:

"Your teaching kept me engaged from the beginning to the end. I learned so
much, not just about emergency planning, but also how to address people
properly, how to assist them properly and most importantly, how not to address
them. 
I was thinking about how I'm going to integrate your teachings into our
emergency planning. Wondering how am I going to set up an advocacy
committee, who am I going to ask to be in it. My mind was racing because this
NEEDS to be done.
Needless to say, your training has inspired me to make sure that everyone in
my community is included, even more, to be a better person overall. I haven't
been this excited about work in a long time and I have you to thank for it."
- Long Beach, NY Fire Department

“As a Red Cross leader in disaster disability integration, I found the Niagara
University two-day emergency training invaluable. Instructor Dave Whalen’s
expertise in disability inclusion for emergency management is outstanding.
From ADA to New York State specific regulations, Dave covers the issues and
provides a wealth of resources to participating trainees.
I highly recommend this training.”
 -Location, Red Cross

Learn More about Disability Awareness Training!

Autism Awareness Month

In 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo

proclaimed April as Autism
Awareness Month in New York State.
New York has joined a number of
states across the country in
promoting autism awareness and
inclusion. The Autism Society, a
leading grassroots autism
organization, originally observed the
month as an opportunity to spread
awareness. To learn more about the
Autism Society and how to get
involved, visit their website.

 Image courtesy of the Autism Society

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities

The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany
(CARD Albany) is a university - affiliated resource center that brings research
and practice together in community settings. CARD Albany provides evidence-
based training and support to families and professionals, and through ongoing
research, contributes knowledge to the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Upcoming and Ongoing programs through CARD:

Spring Family Training Series
CARD hosts a spring family training series created specifically for families of
individuals with ASD. This spring, our Spring Family Training Series will include
three different speakers, topics and dates all at The Albany Marriot. The topics
include Sexual Health Education (S.H.E.), Verbal Behavior, and Caregiver Self-
Care.
Autism Graduate Certificate Program
UAlbany now offers a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Autism. This certificate
is comprised of a three course (9 credits) sequence, which focuses on the
characteristics of autism spectrum disorders and the science of applied
behavior analysis.

The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills

(PEERS®):
The PEERS intervention is an evidence-based social skills group for
adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The PEERS intervention is offered
at no cost through CARD Albany and includes small-group instruction, role-
playing demonstrations, social coaching, and socialization assignments to help
teens learn real-world social skills to make and keep friends.

Special LOVE for the Special YOU

[特別的愛給特別的你]

The Alliance for Families with Developmental Needs (AFDN) is organizing a

month of programming to raise public awareness in the Chinese-American
community regarding developmental disabilities and family caregiving. They
hope to increase community understanding of people with developmental
disabilities and work together with special needs families to create an
integrated community. The DDPC is happy to support this event.

For more information contact: speciallove4specialu@gmail.com

About the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council

The DDPC receives federal funding to create innovative projects and initiatives that
build New York State's capacity to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. The DDPC addresses these needs by conducting advocacy,
systems change, and capacity building efforts that promote independence and inclusion.

The work of the DDPC is led by it's Council Membership. Council Members represent
people with developmental disabilities; parents and guardians of people with
developmental disabilities; and representatives from state agencies, non-profit
organizations and agencies providing services to people with developmental disabilities. 

To learn more about the DDPC and Council Membership, visit our Website or Social Media
pages by following the links below.