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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.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Smartphone and Tablet Applications

Have you heard of Ablelink Technologies, Inc? Before yesterday, I had not. They have several applications designed to be used directly by people with autism, learning or other developmental disabilities.

The 3 smartphone/ipad apps that are available now are "Living Safely", "Every Day Skills", and "Community Sidekick".

Detailed information about each app, with screen shots, is available in the Apple App Store, but I know that these apps are also available Nokia and, I believe, Android systems. I personally use Apple products, so have access to better information about Apple apps and products.

I am checking with my daughter's specialists to see if they are familiar with these apps, as they are so new that there are not any user reviews to go by yet, that I have found.

While Community Sidekick is aimed at someone who can go out into community on their own, it is the most reasonably priced of the three apps today, at $9.99.

Every Day Skills ($24.99 today)and Living Safely ($19.99 today)are self-paced lessons. If a person can use and benefit from these lessons, they are not prohibitively priced. I would certainly love the opportunity to try out one of these lessons with my daughter and see if it appeals to her before purchasing the app. Without reviews from other users, it is a shot in the dark.

I think that the Ablelink Technologies, Inc website and the app store descriptions are worth looking at. http://www.ablelinktech.com/
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