Pilot Parents of Southern Arizona
Providing Information and Resources to
Families & Professionals in Southern Arizona
2600 N. Wyatt Drive, Tucson AZ 85712
(520) 324-3150 Toll Free: 1-877-365-7220
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Arizona Ranks #1 Again!
The Case for Inclusion 2016 ranks Arizona #1! Every year since 2006, United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) has released
The Case for Inclusion, the preeminent annual ranking of how well state Medicaid programs serve Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) and their families.
Arizona has been ranked as the best performing state in the United States:
For the past five years! For eight out of the past 10 years! Arizona has ranked either #1 or #2 for the past 10 years! |
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Pima Community on Transition
Collaborating to Transition Youth with Disabilities
Through effective community collaboration and action-driven outcomes, Pima Community on Transition (PCT) will increase the well-being of youth and young adults with diverse disabilities by reducing barriers, providing opportunities, and engaging community partners.
Members include: Educators; Service Providers; Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities; Parents; Community Members; and Local and Corporate Business Owners.
The Goals include:
- Outreach and community education about effective transition of youth with disabilities from high school to higher education, work, and/or living independently
- Addressing unmet transition needs
- Evaluation the transition process and recommending program, system and policy improvement
In the coming months, PCT will form advisory committees of youth and young adults with disabilities, parents, etc. to guide their work.
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Getting To Know Pilot Parents
Have you ever wondered how Pilot Parents of Southern Arizona got its name?
In the early 1970's a mother in Omaha, Nebraska realized how helpful her connections with other parents of children with disabilities was and wanted to connect with and share her knowledge with parents who were starting out. She yearned to find a way to help parents connect with other parents so that information and emotional support could be easily shared. This parent along with a social worker and leading psychologist Wolf Wolfensberger formed an alliance around this vision and spent a year developing the Pilot Parents model and planning the first formal Parent to Parent program.
The heart of the Pilot Parents model is a one-to-one match between an experienced, trained mentor parent, called the
pilot parent, and a parent seeking individualized support from another parent who has
been there.
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Your Vote Counts!
Voting is a fundamental right for all Americans, and there are numerous federal laws that protect the rights of persons with disabilities in the voting process. The U.S. Supreme Court has stated, "No right is more precious in a free economy than that of having a voice in the election of those who make laws under which, as good citizens, we must live. Other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if the right to vote is undermined." (Westbury v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1, 17 (1964)). Yet, historically, for a person with a disability, voting has been a difficult and cumbersome process, resulting in persons with disabilities being dissuaded from participating in the electoral process.
On Election Day, the Arizona Center for Disability Law staffs a hotline from 6am to 7pm to address election concerns for individuals with disabilities related to the right to vote independently, accessibility, and voting machines.
Call 602-274-6287 or 1-800-927-2260
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Congratulations to the
2016 AZ Partners in Leadership Graduates
Maricopa County Pima County Pinal County Dawn Bailey Pauline Alshuk Crystal Benzing Najwa Ghatttas Jillian Benfield Shauna Marconato Jeanine Legler Adrienne Crawford Heather Joy Magdelano Mandy Feld Yavapai County Sarah McTighe Gabrielle Ficchi Cindy Schulze Chris Meachum Catherine Galyon Kristi Wolford Mark Tolman Lori Hayes Jill Jorden Spitz Ciara Martinez Laura Petersen Nykole Recinos Andrea Taube |
Supported Decision Making
EVERYONE has the Right to Make Choices
Supported Decision-Making is a way people can make their own decisions and stay in charge of their lives, while receiving any help they need to do so.
Supported Decision-Making is just a fancy way of describing how we all make choices. We
all
need help making decisions, every single day. Think about it: when the doctor says you have a "somatic injury" or a "brachial obstruction," or something else that sounds like a foreign language, what do you do? When you don't know the difference between "itemized" and "standard" deductions, how can you file your tax return? When the mechanic says your car has a "blown head gasket," how do you know whether to pay for repairs?
You probably ask a friend or family member what to do or if they know someone who can help you cut through the jargon so you can understand what's going on and what you need to do. It's just common sense, right? When you don't know enough to make a good decision, you find people who can help you. It could be going to your brother the accountant with tax questions or talking to your friend the nurse when you need medical information.
When you do that, you're using Supported Decision-Making. You're getting the help you need and want so you can make the decisions you have to make.
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AZ Partners in Leadership Now Accepting Applications
A FREE Leadership training for young-adult self-advocates and parents of children with disabilities The AZ Partners in Leadership program is designed to provide information, training, resources and skill building so that individuals can become better advocates for themselves or their children. Participants have the opportunity to meet and unite with others who have similar concerns to create a powerful voice on important issues. Participants learn how the legislative process works at the local, state and national levels. The goal of the training is to develop productive partnerships between people who need and use services and those in a position to make policy and law. |
LEAP Scholarship Funding Extended
The LEAP program will continue to review and make scholarship awards for events taking place through December 31, 2016 until all program funds have been used. Please note that funds for out-of-state events are limited to individuals that have not previously been supported with LEAP funds to attend national events. Visit the Pilot Parents website to review eligibility and applications requirements.
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