TRENTON Eight bills aimed at easing access to transportation for people with special needs such as autism advanced Monday in the Assembly.
With little dissension, the Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee passed eight bills directing steps to be taken by NJ Transit and the state Department of Transportation and Department of Human Services. The Senate companions for the bills haven’t yet been taken up.
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“These are really important initiatives to increase the freedom and the ability to travel for individuals with disabilities,” said Jacob Caplan, advocacy manager for Easterseals New Jersey.
“For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, accessible transportation is one of the most important components to a successful and integrated life in the community,” said Sharon Levine, director of governmental affairs and communications for The Arc of New Jersey.
NJ looks at ways to help disabled with transportation needs nj1015.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nj1015.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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People with disabilities needed to be at the top of the list as CVS began to vaccinate state residents against COVID-19 this week. They were not, and once again they were forgotten, advocates said.
“Historically people with disabilities are always left out of emergency planning. We have been saying this for years. We have been fighting for the past how many months, step by step of the way, to get ourselves included,” said Carole Tonks, with the Alliance Center for Independence, which promotes independent living for people with disabilities in Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties.
As the state opens vaccination centers to an estimated 3 million to 3.5 million residents in high-risk categories, its disabled residents are vying to be heard, saying the conditions that put them at high risk are being ignored.
Overview: 2022 Fiscal Year Budget for Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
Gov. Brian Kemp’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget proposal increases funding for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities by $22 million compared to FY 2021. Most of this funding will be used to make up for the loss of federal Medicaid matching funds due to the annual adjustment in the matching rate and the expected loss of the enhanced match states are receiving throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency. These new funds do not restore the $91 million that was cut from the department budget in the FY 2021, leaving the agency with $70 million in cuts to operate with this year despite the growing demand for mental health and substance use disorder services during the pandemic.
Two ProPublica Local Reporting Network Projects Named Finalists for Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics ProPublica 2/8/2021
The Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Monday that “Unheard” by the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica, as well as “State of Denial” by the Arizona Daily Star and ProPublica, are two of five finalists for the Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics. The series both projects of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network have been recognized for applying high ethical standards, as well as innovative approaches, to working with sources.
“Unheard” is a centerpiece of the ongoing investigation into sexual violence Alaska by the Daily News and ProPublica. Alaska has the highest rate of sexual assault and child sex abuse in the U.S. Yet for generations it has been an unspoken epidemic. Predators assume, often correctly, that victims will keep their secrets. Unheard a powerful digital and print series fea