Your one stop shop for news and events going on in the disability community in New Jersey!
Pre-register now for our upcoming Webinar that covers understanding the DDD Budget.
To pre-register, click the link below!
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Understanding the DDD Budget
Want to better understand how an individual's DDD budget is determined as well as an overview of the different services available? Join us to learn! Click here to register:
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Camp Jaycee
SUMMER OF 2022 DATES!
We are absolutely thrilled to be emailing our support coordinators and agency representatives with our dates and rates for the summer of 2022! We know many of our campers are eager to get back to camp as we are! Please find the most recent contact information here to help get your campers ready!
Session dates below:
1 - June 26, 2022 - July 9, 2022
One week session June 26 - July 2
2 - July 10, 2022 - July 23, 2022
One week session July 10 - July 16
3 - July 24, 2022 - August 6, 2022
4 - August 7, 2022 - August 20, 2022
Stay tuned! We will be opening our registration VERY soon!
Phone - 732-737-8279
Website - campjaycee.org
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AcadeME NJ
A place to learn…for YOU
In-Person, or Virtual
Offering many different class options for our winter semester. We want to accommodate both the students that prefer in-person classes as well as those who would like to learn from the comfort of their own homes. Our new kitchen has been a joy to cook in, and our students have been creating wonderful dishes the last few weeks. Do you like art or cooking? Perhaps you want to learn how to use a camera or photo editing software. Maybe you've always wanted to write a screenplay. AcadeME NJ has classes for everyone. Check out our winter schedule below. As always, our schedule is subject to change, so please let us know what classes you might be interested in so we can assure everyone has a spot.
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Winter 2022 Schedule:
In-person Expert Film starts 01/12 and finishes 03/30 (twelve weeks) and is at 10:30am Wednesdays (90 minutes)
In-person Intro to Photography starts 01/13 and finishes 03/31 (twelve weeks) and is at 10:30am Thursdays (90 minutes)
Virtual Cooking - TV and Movies starts 01/10 and finishes 03/28 (twelve weeks) and is at 4:30pm Mondays (90 minutes)
In-person Intro to Cooking Tuesday starts 01/11 and finishes 03/29 (twelve weeks) and is at 4:30pm Tuesdays (90 Minutes)
In-person Advanced Cooking Wednesday starts 01/12 and finishes 03/30 (twelve weeks) and is at 4:30pm Wednesdays (90 minutes)
In-person Intro to Cooking Friday starts 01/14 and finishes 04/01 (twelve weeks) and is at 10:30am Fridays (90 Minutes)
In-person International Cooking Saturday starts 01/15 and finishes 04/02 (twelve weeks) and is at 10:30am Saturdays (90 minutes)
Virtual Intro to Art starts 01/11 and finishes 03/29 (eleven weeks) and is at 1:00pm Tuesdays (120 minutes) Note - There will be no class 02/22
Virtual Advanced Art 2 starts 01/11 and finishes 03/29 (eleven weeks) and is at 4:00pm Tuesdays (120 minutes) Note - There will be no class 02/22
Virtual Advanced Art 1 starts 01/12 and finishes 03/30 (ten weeks) and is at 4:00pm Wednesdays (120 minutes) Note - There will be no class 02/23
Virtual Expert Art 1 starts 01/13 and finishes 03/31 (eleven weeks) and is at 4:00pm Thursdays (120 minutes) Note - There will be no class 02/24
In-person Intro to Art Saturday starts 01/15 and finishes 04/02 (twelve weeks) and is at 10:00am Saturdays (120 minutes)
Contact Information
(201) 953-4546
Campus Location: 233 Horseneck Rd, Fairfield NJ 07004
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The Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC)
New National 988 Hotline
Implementation of the 988 Hotline: A Framework for State & Local Systems Planning
By Jordan Gulley, L.I.C.S.W., Francine Arienti, M.A.,
Kevin Martone, L.S.W., and David de Voursney, M.P.P
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The new national 988 hotline presents a unique opportunity to strengthen crisis response capacity and to provide people experiencing a mental health crisis with appropriate support. Jordan Gulley, Francine Arienti, Kevin Martone, and David de Voursney offer a framework for state and local stakeholders to use in organizing, planning, implementing, and sustaining an effective 988 system.
Courtesy of TAC
The Technical Assistance Collaborative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping our nation’s human services, health care, homelessness, and affordable housing systems implement policies and practices that empower people to live healthy, independent lives in the communities they choose.
NJ.Gov
Open Enrollment Is Here For GetCoveredNJ
Open enrollment at Get Covered New Jersey, the State’s health care exchange, started November 1st. New Jersey and the federal government are offering record levels of financial help to lower the cost of health insurance. 90 percent of enrollees qualify for savings and many can find a plan for $10/month or less. Remember to sign up for coverage by December 31st to ensure that you are covered for the new year. Open enrollment ends January 31, 2022.
Visit getcovered.nj.gov today to browse, shop, compare, and save on quality, affordable health insurance today.
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New Jersey Human Services
Applications Open Now for Excluded New Jerseyans Fund
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Applications are now open for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund (ENJF) cash assistance program at ExcludedNJFund.nj.gov.
“Eligible individuals will be able to apply for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund and start the process to get this critical assistance,” Acting Commissioner Sarah Adelman said. “If you did not receive federal stimulus checks and pandemic unemployment assistance, you may be eligible. If you were impacted by COVID and struggled to pay for basic needs including housing, you may be eligible. Visit our website, find out if you are eligible and apply today."
The $40 million ENJF program will provide a one-time, direct cash benefit to eligible households that suffered an economic hardship due to COVID-19 and were excluded from federal stimulus checks and COVID-19 related unemployment assistance.
This includes undocumented individuals, residents returning from the justice system, and any other individuals otherwise excluded from pandemic-related financial help.
Households with annual incomes of up to $55,000 with a documented hardship or lost income due to COVID-19 can apply for this assistance. Eligible applicants will receive a benefit of up to $1,000 per eligible individual and a max of $2,000 per household.
Applications will be processed in the order they are received and until funds are exhausted.
“We are glad we can extend this assistance to individuals who need it,” Deputy Commissioner Elisa Neira said. “Eligibility requirements are on the ExcludedNJFund.nj.gov website. "We continue to encourage potential applicants to check if they are eligible and apply.”
“This assistance will be available until funds run out so we urge individuals who meet the eligibility requirements for these benefits and who can provide the required documentation to apply once the application opens” said ONA Director Johanna Calle.
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Recipients can use the ConnectEBT app to check their balance, review up to 12 months of transaction history, confirm their last benefit deposit and change their PIN. The mobile app is free and available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
“This is another step to make SNAP and income assistance benefit information more accessible for NJ families. Through this app they can check their balance on the go and will have other helpful information regarding their benefits at their fingertips” Acting Commissioner Adelman said.
“Individuals can currently check some of this information online or by calling a customer service hotline and now the app provides another quick way for families enrolled in these programs to check balances, change their PIN and check receipt of new benefits at any time,” Deputy Commissioner Elisa Neira said.
“We encourage families enrolled in these programs to download the free app which is already available and get quick and easy access to their benefit details” said Human Services Assistant Commissioner Natasha Johnson, who directs the Division of Family Development, which oversees NJ SNAP and WFNJ.
This is the latest effort by the Department to extend digital services to program recipients.
Last year, the Department launched online grocery shopping for SNAP recipients. Recipients can now use their EBT cards to grocery shop online at the following retailers: Amazon, participating Walmarts, ShopRites, The Fresh Grocers, ALDIs, Stop & Shop, Food Bazaar, Super Foodtown stores in Port Monmouth, Red Bank, Ocean, Atlantic Highlands and Sea Girt, and BJ’s Wholesale Club, which is the latest company to make online grocery shopping available to SNAP recipients in the state.
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NJ Department of Health
For questions or concerns about COVID-19 and resources available to you, call: 2-1-1.
For live text assistance, text: NJCOVID to 898-211.
State of New Jersey
Pfizer Boosters Available at Vaccination Locations
Booster shots are now available for all Pfizer vaccine recipients who completed their initial two-shot course at least six months ago and who are:
- 65 or older
- A long-term care resident
- An adult with underlying medical conditions
- An adult at higher risk of COVID-19 exposure because of their job or living situation
If you are eligible for a Pfizer booster, you can find a vaccination site near you at covid19.nj.gov/finder.
The CDC is evaluating the available data to make additional recommendations for people who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, as well as for other groups of people. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.
For questions or concerns about COVID-19 and resources available to you, call: 2-1-1.
For live text assistance, text: NJCOVID to 898-211.
NJ COVID-19 Updates
Do you have questions about when and where you can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, contact tracing, traveling to or from the State of New Jersey, or even finding a new job? The State of New Jersey offers up-to-date information, resources, and guidance at our COVID-19 Information Hub.
Due to increasing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, and new data suggesting that the COVID-19 Delta variant is more transmissible among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, New Jersey is now strongly recommending that both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals wear face masks in indoor settings when:
- The space is crowded
- There is close contact with others who may not be fully vaccinated
- The vaccine status of other individuals is unknown
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Individuals that are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease are present Mask Up
NJ Department of Health
In-Home COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments
The NJ Department of Health has begun accepting requests for in-home COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
If you are unable to leave home to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, or are the healthcare provider or family caregiver of someone who is homebound, you may request an in-home vaccination appointment by completing a form at: covid19.nj.gov/homeboundvax
For assistance completing the survey by phone, please call the NJ COVID-19 Vaccine Call Center at 1-855-568-0545.
After you submit the completed form, the Department of Health will share information with a home health agency, local health department, or other vaccination providers and you will be contacted to schedule an in-home vaccination appointment.
You can read more about the program at this website:
In order to receive protection as soon as possible, if you are able to safely attend a medical appointment outside the home, we encourage you to book an appointment at an open vaccination site if an opportunity occurs before an in-home appointment is made available to you.
Peri L. Nearon, MPA
Executive Director, Division of Disability Services
Contacts: NJ Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline 1-800-962-1253 or 1-800-222-1222. Email us at NJCDD@NJCDD.org with questions or requests for additional information.
NJ.Gov
COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5+ meet the same rigorous standards as other routine vaccines that protect your child from diseases.
Vaccination is important because it can help:
- Bring back sports, playdates, and activities
- Protect family members and those who can’t get vaccinated
- Prevent serious health issues such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome
- Keep kids in school for in-person learning
- Prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools and communities
· End the pandemic and return to normal activities
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Courtesy of NJ.Gov – visit.nj.org
The Center of Attractions
If you have a love for marine animals, check out the Adventure Aquarium Kids Activities page for behind-the-scenes videos and downloadable worksheets—and don’t miss out on a moment of waddling cuteness from the Jenkinson’s Aquarium Penguin Cam.
More of a land animal lover? Mark yourself present for the Cape May County Park & Zoo Virtual Zoo School, where you can learn what a brown-nosed coati is, meet a barrel of monkeys and much more. Head over to the Bergen County Zoo Facebook Feed, where you’ll get a sneak peek at what their wild residents are up to.
Not strange enough for you? Make a virtual visit to Ripley's Outside the Odditorium for live events, educational activities and video playlists featuring wonders from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
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