Get Ready for DD Awareness Month

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD),  Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and  National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)  have partnered to launch a social media campaign to highlight the many ways in which people with and without developmental disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities.

The campaign seeks to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all facets of community life, as well as awareness to the barriers that people with disabilities still sometimes face in connecting to the communities in which they live.

Throughout the month of March, they will be posting many resources across social media including videos, blogs, toolkits, and other shareable content. We want to use this campaign to showcase the excellent work DD Councils, organizations and individuals are doing.

Source:  ACL Update 1/30/17

Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (Title VII-A3)

Authorizing Legislation: Section 721 of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended

• The Purpose of the Program and How it Works
• Data Highlight Extensive Services Provided to Seniors
• Funding History
• Resources and Useful Links

The Purpose of the Program and How it Works

In 1987 AoA established the Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation program. Through the program, AoA provides federal leadership in strengthening elder justice strategic planning and direction for programs, activities, and research related to elder abuse awareness and prevention. This program trains law enforcement officers, health care providers, and other professionals on how to recognize and respond to elder abuse; supports outreach and education campaigns to increase public awareness of elder abuse and how to prevent it; and supports the efforts of state and local elder abuse prevention coalitions and multidisciplinary teams.

AoA allocates grants under this program by formula to states and territories based on their share of the population aged 60 and over. States and territories have the discretion to allocate funding among the various activities authorized under the program. They also may choose to distribute the funds to area agencies on aging and local service providers.

To support this important program, AoA provides funding for the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA). The NCEA serves as a national resource center dedicated to the prevention of elder mistreatment, and provides relevant information, materials, and support to enhance state and local efforts to prevent and address elder mistreatment. For an overview of this program, please visit the National Center on Elder Abuse section of the website, or you may go directly to the NCEA website.  (Click to Continue)

Full Article & Source:
Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (Title VII-A3)

A message from Kathy Greenlee to our colleagues in the aging and disability networks

Dear colleagues,

Earlier today, I shared the news with my staff that I will be leaving ACL at the end of July. Edwin Walker, who currently serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, will assume the roles of Acting Administrator of ACL and Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging.

This kind of announcement is really hard. On one hand, it’s no surprise to anyone. It’s an election year, and new administrations mean new administrators. This is how the system works—and it’s good that it does. It’s good to get a fresh perspective and new energy.

But it is still really hard to leave. This has been a wonderful experience and an extremely rewarding seven years. And as I told the ACL team, I am proud of what we have done together. We have brought our communities together in a way that gives us a larger voice and more influence, and ultimately makes us more successful as advocates.

Consolidating aging and disability work in one place raised some eyebrows. These seemed like very different groups of people. And they are. But there are a lot of similarities in the services and supports people need in order to live independently. So it made sense to bring the federal efforts to support community living together under one umbrella.

But it worked because you made the leap of faith with us. You worked with us to build the agency the right way from the beginning, and you’ve continued to work with us as the agency has grown. I want you to know how much I appreciate your advice, support, and even your tough assessments. We’re better because of it.

It has been my great honor and privilege to work with you. I am grateful to Edwin Walker for stepping into these roles. And I am looking forward to seeing ACL continue to build upon the foundation we’ve created together.

Kathy

Full Article & Source:
A message from Kathy Greenlee to our colleagues in the aging and disability networks