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Defining Choice

Federal Law Requires Residential Choice!
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Find a Doctor or Dentist

Doctors and dentists that are experienced in helping people with mental retardation or developmental disabilities:

Special Olympics / Healthy Athletes: Provider Directory
Special Olympics / Healthy Athletes have compiled a Health Care (Doctors and Dentists) Provider Directory for local health practitioners who have experience in the needs and care of people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

To access this directory, visit: http://info.specialolympics.org/ProviderDirectoryHA/search.asp?lang=eng

Community Health Centers
Spread across 50 states and all U.S. territories; there are 1,200 Community Health Centers that provide vital primary care to 18 million Americans with limited financial resources. To find a community health center near you, click on http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov

VOR Resource: Future Life and Estate Planning for Persons with MR/DD

New Jersey Survey on Residential Choice

VOR President Robin Sims held a press conference in her state capitol to announce the results of a residential survey that she helped spearhead. The survey was simple. It was sent to family members and guardians of New Jersey State Developmental Center residents. The survey asked recipients if they were happy with the current placement of their loved ones, or would prefer community-based care instead. The results were overwhelmingly (96%) in support of continued ICFs/MR placement. The press conference at the state capitol was an effort to reach lawmakers and the press with these statistics, and point out the serious flaws of earlier state surveys and studies that have been used to justify downsizing and closure proposals. In coalition with many families, Robin fought fire with fire, developing a survey for families and guardians that asked just one simple, unbiased question.

A Press Release was issued and The Star Ledger featured the event and survey.

Videos from the press conference are also available: http://vimeo.com/8177809 (Sims, intro), http://vimeo.com/8057837 (Sims, extended), http://vimeo.com/8059191 (Rocco Mazza, sibling), http://vimeo.com/8177135 (Assemblywoman Huttle on Choice), and http://vimeo.com/8177251 (NJ State Senator Bucco on Choice).

ICFs/MR as Permanent Homes

Individuals with developmental disabilities who qualify for Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Mental Retardation (ICFs/MR) have a legal right to access and to stay at those facilities as long as they remain eligible and choose to do so, and thus they have a right to consider ICFs/MR their permanent home.

For full letter click here.

VOR Grassroots Advocacy Manual

VOR’s “Grassroots Organization and Advocacy Manual” help choice advocates harness their collective grassroots advocacy strengths. The Manual aims to provide advocates with easy-to-understand resources for your state advocacy on behalf of people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Developed for organizations or individuals, advocates are encouraged to use this resource, in whole or part, to maximize grassroots participation.

      Section 1: Grassroot Organization Leadership
      Section 2: Legislative Advocacy
      Section 3: Public Relations
      Section 4: Legal Advocacy