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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, June 6, 2011

Kids Enjoy Exercise Now- KEEN

What is Keen?


KEEN is a national, nonprofit volunteer-led organization that provides one-to-one recreational opportunities for children and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities at no cost to their families and caregivers. KEEN's mission is to foster the self-esteem, confidence, skills and talents of its athletes through non-competitive activities, allowing young people facing even the most significant challenges to meet their individual goals.

Copy and paste this URL to visit the home page for KEEN's website.

http://www.keenusa.org/

Under Programs, KEEN has this to say:

Programs

At the beginning of each KEEN session, all athletes and their coaches warm up as a large group and then pursue individual activities that are tailored solely to the needs of the athlete. Our core program, “KEEN Sports” takes place in a gym with a variety of sports equipment available. Athletes and coaches may throw a basketball or kick a soccer ball, or they may take a walk around an outdoor track. Many athletes love to bounce on our large therapy balls, and others enjoy speeding across the floor on our 4-wheeled scooter boards.

In addition to KEEN Sports, affiliates may offer other programs including KEEN Swim, which brings the KEEN formula to the pool, KEEN Tennis, KEEN Bowling, KEEN Fit, and even KEEN Music. Such diverse activities as Tai-Kwan-Do and Yoga have been adapted to fit KEEN’s approach. Check with your local affiliate to see what programs are offered in your area.

Each session ends with “Prouds.” Everyone comes together in a circle and shares with the group what they did that day that made them very Proud. Participants literally go out dancing to such great tunes as the Hokey-Pokey or the Macarena. Athletes burn energy, meet and interact with new volunteers, see old friends, and then rejoin their parents, who have had some precious respite time. At the end of the session, it’s hard to tell who has had more fun – the athletes or their coaches.

KEEN now has programs in the following 8 cities:
KEEN Greater DC
KEEN Chicago
KEEN Kansas City
KEEN St. Louis
KEEN Los Angeles
KEEN San Francisco
KEEN New York
KEEN Phoenix
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