West Virginia Advocates

WVA has created an electronic West Virginia Special Education Forum. This is a place where people can ask questions and get information on special education issues in West Virginia. You can get to the forum here: http://www.wvadvocates.org/seforum/

Are you the parent or guardian of a school-aged child with a disability who has or may need an IEP (Individual Education Plan)?

Does your work require you to advocate for special education services within the school system?

If you answered 'yes' to either of these questions, you should attend this training. The training will be provided by West Virginia Advocates, the federally mandated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities in West Virginia.

To register call Brittany Given at 1-800-950-5250.

If you need Policy 2419 in alternate format, please let Brittany know by July 10, 2009.

WVA has several vacancies on our Board of Directors that it needs to fill. We need at least one person who is the legal guardian (court-appointed) of an individual with mental illness to serve on the Board to meet the requirements of our PAIMI grant. If you are interested in serving on WVA's Board, the application can be found on this website, or you may call us at (800) 950-5250.

Being a Protection and Advocacy System is always an interesting and challenging experience. Some days it feels like we are Dorothy, traveling the yellow brick road on our way to find the Wizard. Those days contain possibility and promise. Keep at it, do it right, collaborate with honesty and integrity and there will be workable resolutions to the barriers that limit the quality of life for West Virginia's citizens with disabilities. There will be collaboration to prevent unnecessary deaths. There will be a mutual commitment to assure only people who really require it will be committed against their will for psychiatric treatment. The precious resources of the taxpayers will be spent in ways that maximize the benefit to the citizens and eliminate waste and excessive expense. After all, the Wizard is funded, trained and responsible to do these things. It cares about people's lives, and has the skills and desire to solve the complex problems confronting the behavioral health system in West Virginia. West Virginia Code requires the Wizard to do this; the Wizard is responsible to the WV Legislature and the Governor to perform these functions. Certainly they are just as eager as we are to safeguard and improve the lives of people with disabilities. Certainly, if we can just reach the Wizard the problems can be solved....

West Virginia Advocates is starting to accept editorials and letters to the editor for our newsletter, The Advocare. We will sort through any submissions and will choose one to print in our next edition of the Advocare. The subject should be disability related and professional....

West Virginia Advocates sponsored a Wrightslaw Boot Camp Special Education training on November 19th & 20th. Pete Wright, nationally known expert in special education law, presented to an audience of 130 individuals at the Ramada Inn in South Charleston....

West Virginia Advocates have joined with other advocacy organizations to advocate for improved community-based mental health services....

On February 6, 2009 the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued an order that is of major importance to citizens of West Virginia with Mental Illness and Traumatic Brain Injury. This order denied a writ of Prohibition to West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to block evidentiary hearing regarding the overcrowded conditions at Mildred Mitchell Bateman Psychiatric Hospital in Huntington, WV and the failure of WVDHHR to develop TBI services as required by the Hartley decree....

West Virginia Advocates has received repeat public input that one area in which there is a lack of trained attorneys willing to represent individuals with disabilities is the area of disability employment law. This seems to be especially true in cases where the discrimination is against individuals with mental illness. In an attempt to improve this situation West Virginia Advocates, sponsored a training on this area of the law....

The WV ADA Coalition will be presenting a seminar, "Employment Issues for People With Psychiatric Disabilities," on July 17, 2009 at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport West Virginia. For further information contact: David Stewart, Coordinator, WV ADA Coalition, 304-925-8622

On March 26, 2008, West Virginia Advocates, Inc. joined with Mountain State Justice, Inc., the National Health Law Program and WV EMS Technical Support Network, Inc. to file a Motion for Enforcement in federal court on behalf of a class of individual Plaintiffs who are placed on the West Virginia Medicaid MR/DD waiver wait list after being determined to be eligible for waiver program services....

West Virginia Advocates recently received this e-mail from someone who visited our web site. It is encouraging to know that the effort and resources West Virginia Advocates puts into teaching parents to be self-advocates for their children is of enormous value for many years to come and can even transcend geography. What a wonderful way of paying it forward!....

WVA's Board of Directors News includes awards presented to Board members and the officers of the Board.

Community corner is a place in our newsletter for you to read information on disability related organizations, events, activities, etc. in our community. If you know of something disability related from your community and want to see it published in our newsletter, please contact us at (800) 950-5250; wvainfo@wvadvocates.org; or 1207 Quarrier St Ste 400, Charleston, WV 25301....

WVA is seeking public comment on our Fiscal Year 2010 Priorities and Objectives. Our Priorities and Objectives guide our attention and resources towards issues that confront people with disabilities. This is your chance to provide input on the direction WVA takes in providing advocacy services to you.

You are invited to a public forum to get your input on our Priorities and Objectives.

• When: May 19, 2009 from 11 AM to 3 PM
• Where: Hampton Inn, Bridgeport, WV (exit 121 off of I-79, Meadowbrook Rd.) (304) 842-9300

You may also provide your comments via:

• Mail: 1207 Quarrier St Fl 4, Charleston, WV 25301
• E-Mail: wvainfo@wvadvocates.org
• Phone: (800) 950-5250
• Fax: (304) 346-0867

The public comment period is May 10 to June 30, 2009.

The WV Developmental Disabilities Council (WVDDC) Fiscal Year 2009 training schedule is available here in PDF format.

For further information on any of the trainigs, you may contact the WV Developmental Disabilities Council at (304) 558-0416.

The West Virginia Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC) is conducting a series of public forums. The SILC wants to hear from people with disabilities, family members, advocates, service providers, and others about what is and is not working. The schedule of meetings can be found here. The SILC's phone number is (800) 642-8207.

NPR published an article regarding a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that outlines abuse and deaths resulting from the use of seclusion and restraint in schools. The article can be found here.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the Chairman of its Subcommittee on Children and Families, joined members of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) to announce a new national report on the inappropriate use of seclusion and restraint on students in American schools. Dodd, a longtime supporter of measures to limit the practices of seclusion and restraint, was joined by the NDRNs Executive Director Curt Decker, members of NDRN, and three Connecticut residents whose loved ones were physically restrained or placed in seclusion while attending school.

A video of the press conference can be found at YouTube.com

The National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) has released a report on seclusion and restraint in schools.

The report is a compilation of cases outlined by NDRN's 57-member network of protection and advocacy (P&As) systems nationwide. The report details deaths and physical and emotional injuries inflicted on students ranging from kindergarten to high school from schools across the country. It also outlines inconsistent state laws, lack of training for teachers and virtually no government oversight or investigation of the issue.

The TB/SCI Rehabilitation Fund Board is soliciting applications for its "Funds for YOU" program. "Funds for YOU" are available for individuals with traumatic brain injury. For more information, please download the "Funds for YOU" brochure in .pdf, or call (877) 724-8244.