ABOUT

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.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Miracle League

I came across this story accidentally and it brought tears to my eyes. The crazy thing is that the project is happening less than a mile from my home, and I had no idea that it existed until now.

The Kiwanis Club of Bethesda is trying to build a baseball field for disabled children and young adults. They believe that every child deserves a chance to play baseball. The project is called the MIRACLE LEAGUE.

They are are "building a specially equipped baseball field that will give mentally or physically challenged children the recreational opportunity they deserve. Construction of the field requires special design, specifications, and details to be accessible to disabled children." They "are in the process of raising the funds to build this field; hopefully by the spring of 2010." (As of this date, the project is progressing but is not completed yet)

The Miracle League will give these children the opportunity to get out in the sunshine, and enjoy playing the game of baseball in its purest form. It is the first of its kind in Maryland and will serve children in Montgomery County, the surrounding counties, DC, and Virginia.

The Miracle League Field will be located in the South Germantown Recreational Park off
Schaeffer Road, directly across from the soccer complex."

"During each Miracle League game, each child will have a chance at bat and to score a run. Miracle League team members will be assigned buddies who will assist them in hitting the ball and “running” the bases. Fellow schoolmates, members of Kiwanis Key Clubs, college students, business leaders or anyone who wishes to volunteer their time, will be enlisted as buddies to give each child the gift of baseball."

To read more about the project, copy and paste this URL:
http://miracleleaguemontcomd.com
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