September announcements from Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------ September E-newsletter Dear friends, Thank you for signing up to receive Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. (MPAS) informational emails. We hope to use these monthly e-newsletters to keep you up-to-date on the work we are doing to protect the rights of people with disabilities here in Michigan. In this edition: * MPAS Highlights * Maintenance: A Vocational Rehabilitation Service You May Not Know Exists * Upcoming Events * Work at MPAS * Special Education: An Advocate’s Manual MPAS Highlights * Our Community and Institutional Rights (CAIR) team was approached by a resident at a state psychiatric institution during a routine monitoring visit. The client complained his mail was being delivered to him already opened by staff, in direct violation of the facility’s policy and the Michigan Mental Health Code. Around this same time, MPAS was approached by another resident at this facility with the same complaint. CAIR staff filed a complaint with the Office of Recipient Rights (ORR) and Human Resources. ORR investigated and found there was no documented reason for the client’s mail to be opened by staff. Even if there was a documented reason for this, staff is required to open the resident’s mail in front of them. Therefore, ORR substantiated a violation of the client’s right to unimpeded, private and uncensored communication with others by mail. Staff were retrained how to handle resident mail properly. * Our Information and Referral (I&R) team at MPAS answers a lot of education related questions on a daily basis. The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) highlighted the work our team in Michigan does in using the information from these calls for systemic advocacy. Read the piece written by our I&R Director here. (http://mpas.org/newsroom/michigan-uses-ir-systemic-education-advocacy) * MPAS’ legal team filed suit against a Roseville doctor who refused to treat a four-year-old boy for a common cold because the boy has cerebral palsy. See the press release about the case on our website. (http://mpas.org/newsroom/roseville-doctor-sued-refusing-care-child-cerebral-palsy) * After sitting down with and educating lawmakers, our governmental affairs team is happy to report House Bill 4714 (http://legislature.mi.gov/%28S%282cyn4r2khwt2y2451jghwj3y%29%29/mileg.aspx?page=getObject&objectName=2013-HB-4714) , the bill to expand Medicaid in Michigan, is on its way to the governor’s desk. Medicaid is an extremely vital program to people with disabilities which anchors itself in providing supports and services to people with disabilities in community based settings, as opposed to institutional type environments. It provides coverage for extensive medical care, including special types of treatments and can provide vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. Medicaid not only benefits people with disabilities but also hundreds of thousands of their typically-abled peers as well. We thank everyone for all of their hard work in advocating for Medicaid expansion as well as the senators and representatives that helped it succeed. Maintenance: A Vocational Rehabilitation Service You May Not Know Exists Within the Vocational Rehabilitation Process, one of the many services that can be provided is “Maintenance”. Maintenance is monetary support provided to an individual for expenses, such as food, shelter, and clothing that are in excess of the normal expenses of the individual. The expenses must also be those that are necessitated by the individual’s participation in an assessment for determining eligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs or during the individual's receipt of vocational rehabilitation services under an individualized plan for employment (IPE). Upcoming Events * Brain Injury Association of Michigan (BIAMI) Annual Conference, Sept. 26-27.Visit theBAIMI website (https://biami.worldsecuresystems.com/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=189114) for more details. * Michigan's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and CS Mott Children's Hospital, along with United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan (http://ucpmichigan.org/) are offering a Free Family Fun Fair, Oct. 6. * Michigan Supporting and Including Brothers and Sisters (MI SIBS) 2013 Statewide Conference, Oct. 25-26. Register at the MI SIBS website. (http://www.misibs.org/#!whatsnew/c1yws) * The Michigan Alliance for Families? announces a collaboration with the The Arc Michigan? to offer families across the state an opportunity to re-think guardianship. Visit the Michigan Alliance for Families events page (http://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/upcoming-events/) for a calendar of events and registration information. Work at MPAS MPAS’ legal team has an immediate opening for a legal secretary. Visit our job opportunities (http://mpas.org/about-mpas/job-opportunities) page for a full description of duties and qualifications. Special Education: An Advocate’s Manual Our most popular publication is now available online and just in time for back-to-school season.“Special Education: An Advocate’s Manual,” (http://mpas.org/resources/special-education-manual) is MPAS’ guide to the rights and laws that govern special education and other rights of children with disabilities in Michigan. As always, if we may be of assistance to you, please call our office at (517) 487-1755 or toll-free at (800) 288-5923 (Voice or TTY). Sincerely, The MPAS Team Put content here. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michigan-Protection-and-Advocacy-Service/99270177031