SibsNY goes STRAIGHT to the White House

SibsNY has been very concerned about the deals being made in Washington. We are all concerned about how this affects our disabled loved ones and have become determined to advocate feverishly so that drastic cuts WILL not be made. We took our question regarding Medicaid STRAIGHT to the White House and received a *slightly* relieving answer. Check out SibsNY on the White House blog. Although Medicaid will not initially be cut, we've already had some cuts and could potentially have more. We all need to continue to advocate and get our concerns heard! Check us out in the link below!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/02/office-hours-8211-or-american-people-won-compromise-jason-furman-answers-your-questi?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Possible Medicaid Cuts: What can you do?? A LOT!! Read below.

A big thanks to The Arc Blog for putting together a "What you can do" when dealing with possible Medicaid Cuts.

SibsNY has attended some information sessions and this is SCARY stuff!!! We can all deal with cuts here and there and we can tighten the belt, but we've already had loads of cuts and these new cuts are going to SEVERELY, SEVERELY alter the quality of life for our family members and friends.

Check out their blog: http://blog.thearc.org/2011/07/20/possible-medicaid-cuts-and-what-you-can-do/ and ACT NOW!

Letters and phone calls from family members are soooo affective (advice from a previous Congressman).

Medicaid in Jeopardy! Calling all SIBS! Better Late than Never!

The Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Council
Due to significant proposed cuts to Medicaid the services that people
with developmental disabilities and their families receive are in
jeopardy!
"The Future for People with Special Needs is Happening Now"
"Join our efforts to preserve New York State's service model"

Your influence is important and your help is crucial!
"People First Grassroots Effort" Information Session
July 26,2011
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
College of Staten lsland/Center for the Arts (1P)
2800 Victory Blvd. SI, NY
Make informed decisions ... Come to learn:
How Medicaid provides essential services enabling your child,
sibling, friend and neighbor enjoy a full and rewarding life
How the proposed 1115 Medicaid Waiver will dramatically change this
service system
How recent and proposed budget cuts are unraveling forty years of
progress
How you can have a voice. No Voice! No Choice!
For more information, or to RSVP, please contact the Council office at (718) 983-5276,
contactsiddc@siddc.org

Here are the final details for the book group!

Book discussion on “The Way Things Look to Me” by Roopa Farooki
Wednesday, September 21 from 7-8:30pm
Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library location

Central Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238
t. 718-230-2100

For those who prefer to borrow than buy their books, you can find a copy of the book at your local library - http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/651912965

And if you're buying the book from Amazon, you can support the Sibling Support Project via their store - http://astore.amazon.com/thesibsuppro-20

Looking forward to seeing you in September! Enjoy reading!

The Way Things Look To Me

Looking for new literature to read (and a fun a meetup) that is Sibling related? One of our Siblings has recommended "The Way Things Look to Me" by Roopa Farooki.

Someone else who enjoyed reading it is Carrie Banks, a librarian at Brooklyn Public Library, that organized one of our two-day sibshop training recently.

She thought it would be a good idea to have a book discussion on it!! And to create a fun evening with Siblings!!

Save the date: Wednesday, September 21 at 7pm. More details to come so STAY TUNED and get reading! ;-)

Summer Event: Trivia Night!

Hello New York Sibs!

Fancy meeting new siblings living in New York? We're getting together August 22nd for Trivia Night and would love to see you there! Get ready for Stump Trivia on 8/22! We will gather as a team for a trivia showdown against the Massachusetts Sibling Support Network (the MA version of sibsNY). They will be meeting in Massachusetts for their own Trivia night. We will meet at 8 p.m. at Whiskey Town, 29 East 3rd St. (b/t 2nd & Bowery) http://whiskeytownbar.com/. Trivia starts promptly at 8:30. Please let us know if you will attend, as head count is important! Please contact Emily Holl who is making the reservations. Emily.Holl@yai.org

Hope to see you there!!

Register Now: Sibling Conference, Aug. 7 & 8 in Greenwich, CT!

proudly present the

International Sibling Conference: Exploring the Rewards and Challenges of Having Family Members with Disabilities

Saturday, Aug. 7
& Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010

The Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1800 East Putnam Ave.
Old Greenwich, Connecticut

Featuring keynote speakers:

Don Meyer

Director of the Sibling Support Project

Chris Burke

best known for his role as Charles "Corky" Thatcher

on the hit ABC-TV show "Life Goes On”

Cheryl & Clarence Wills

Cheryl, anchor and reporter, NY1 News and her brother

Clarence, a talented artist who has autism

Dr. Tamar Heller

Professor and Director,

Institute on Disability and Human Development,

and of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center

on Aging with Developmental Disabilities at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC);

and

Tia Nelis

Vice President of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered

and Self-Advocacy Specialist, UIC.

The International Sibling Conference will provide the siblings of people with disabilities, individuals with disabilities, parents, spouses/partners and professionals in the disability field opportunities to share stories and information, gain insight on sibling experiences, and to learn more about current research and best practices in the disability field.

To register for the International Sibling Conference or for more information, please visit http://www.siblingconference.org/ or contact Dr. Robert J. DiDomenico, Conference Coordinator, at 203-324-9258 ext. 3014, or didomenicor@arict.org.