Loud & Clear: Family Conversations is written by our member attorneys and guests for individuals with disabilities and their families. We tackle the day-to-day and long-range issues that affect the quality of life. Readers are welcome to comment on the discussion, though we can not answer legal questions here. For answers to specific legal questions, please find an attorney in our Directory.
Transferring Guardianship Between States
By Scott Suzuki, Esq. With the increasing mobility of American families, the need to transfer guardianships between states is on the upswing. A new job (or military assignment), supports that [...]
Do Not Hospitalize Directives Often Confuse
By Elizabeth L. Gray, Esq. A recent article by Judith Graham, "The New Old Age, A Misunderstood Directive," (New York Times, 20 November, 2013) got me thinking about "Do Not [...]
Young Artist with Autism Finds Critical Acclaim
His art has been exhibited throughout the U.S., in Kiev, Galapagos, Curacao and the Cayman Islands. He can compose music on a computer, without the benefit of sound. He's won [...]
End-of-Year Tax Considerations
By H. Amos Goodall, Jr., CELA Caring for a loved one with special needs can run into millions of dollars over the course of their lifetime, so the last thing [...]
Family Members Should Consider Trust Protector Role
By Robert B. Fleming, CELA, Tucson, AZ For family members wishing to participate in the care of a loved one with special needs, the role of trustee isn't always a [...]
Reflections on Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
By Reginald H. Turnbull, CELA March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, a time to reflect on the truly dramatic advances made by the special needs community, as well as the [...]
Mental Illness Awareness Month
A Largely Unaddressed Epidemic By Laurie Hanson, Esq. October is Mental Illness Awareness Month, almost an oxymoron. Do you realize that more people in the U.S. have mental illness than [...]
Tax Planning for Families With Special Needs
By Bradley J. Frigon, CELA As tax-paying season approaches, there are a number of tax obligations and deduction opportunities that families with special needs should bear in mind. It's important [...]
Structured Settlements and SNTs
Protecting Public Benefits By John F. Kearns III, CELA, West Hartford, Connecticut When settling a personal injury case, the value that public benefits will bring to the plaintiff's quality of [...]
The Untapped Talent of Workers with Disabilities
By Jefferey Yussman, Esq. Unemployment for people with disabilities hit 16.8 percent last summer. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reports that in fiscal 2011, it received more complaints of disability-related [...]
March Is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
Advances and Setbacks By Robert B. Fleming, CELA In 1987 President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.” The deinstitutionalization movement of the seventies and early eighties had laid [...]
Microboards and Guardianship
By Ann McGee Green, Esq. This past summer, one of my client families was successful in having – for the first time in Virginia – a microboard-named guardian for their [...]
Head Over Heart Moving to a Group Home
By Brian Rubin, Esq. Deciding whether or not an adult child with disabilities should move from the family home into a supported, community-based residence can be wrenching experience. Aside from [...]
Self-Advocacy’s Growing Momentum
By Martha C. Brown, CELA Today, the expectations of individuals with special needs are radically different from those of previous generations. They plan to participate in community life to the [...]
Home Care for Alzheimer’s
By Ruth Courtney, Richard A. Courtney, CELA, & Morris Klein, CELA In the U.S., 70 percent of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's are cared for at home, creating a stressful balancing [...]
Preparation Pays at Special Ed Meetings
By Hyman Darling, Esq., Massachusetts With special ed spending down 11 percent since 2010, parents may find meetings with the local Committee on Special Education (CSE) increasingly tense. When negotiating [...]
Obtaining Disability Benefits for a Child with Special Needs
By Ram Meyyappan, Social Security Disability Help Parents of children with special needs are well aware of how costly it can be to provide the best care for their loved [...]
Unfinished Business
By Michael Morris, Executive Director, National Disability Institute The Commission on Long-Term Care was charged by Congress with developing recommendations for the design and financing of a comprehensive, coordinated and [...]
The Do’s and Don’ts When Hiring an Employee with Special Needs
By Amy Goodman, Co-Director, Autism Now The topic of hiring an employee with special needs is important because employers need to know how to be more open- minded and sensitive [...]
Not Accepting “No”: Tips on Advocating Change
By James A. Caffry, Esq., Waterbury, Vermont Government transparency - or the lack of it - is much in the news, and it's a concept to bear in mind as [...]