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Maryland offers "The New Directions Waiver" as a means of self-directing state and federal Medicaid dollars for individuals who qualify for supports due to their disability.

This offers the disabled individual the opportunity to use those dollars to best meet their own unique needs. However, it comes with the responsibility to create a plan, a budget, and find your own resources to make the plan a reality.

No centralized source of resources exists. The purpose of this blog is to direct others to resources in our communities and to provide one example of a self-directed plan. (*Caution: The self-directed plan described at the beginning of this blog is for an individual with a 5/5 needs rating, the highest possible rating in Maryland, and therefore the highest budget possible. Most will have a lower rating and a lower budget to work with.) It is also to share firsthand knowledge of experiences that may assist others who self-direct services.

Comments are welcome. Please share your knowledge with others.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Emergency Preparedness

Dennis Debbaudt is a name that appears frequently in information regarding training about Autism to first responders in emergencies.

There is a document that contains some suggestions about how to prepare for an emergency ahead a time. To read about these suggestions, go to this link. I found that it contained some information that I was unaware of. For example, did you know that some communities have a 911 special needs database? I didn't. You can provide information about the person in your home with special needs in advance of an emergency in case you are unable to communicate the information yourself. Did you know that there are decals for your car and home that let first responders know that someone with autism may be present? I didn't.

Copy and paste this URL to read more:


http://www.autismriskmanagement.com/documents/autism_emergency.pdf

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