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February 2024
CRAAG Newsletter
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Next CRAAG ZOOM Meeting
Wednesday, March 20th
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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CRAAG's New
Housing Report
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In this newsletter we publish a link to the second publication in our multi-year initiative to focus on the housing needs of adults with autism and DD in our region, The Housing Needs of People with Autism: Six Case Examples. We are thrilled to share this in-depth presentation of the needs of a diverse group of young adults with autism. CRAAG parents, who all serve as primary caregivers and advocates for their adult-aged children, provided all content of the current report and reviewed and approved final drafts.
CRAAG couldn't have prepared this report without the support from the University of Virginia's Supporting Transformative Autism Research Initiative (STAR), led by faculty in the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. The STAR Initiative helped prepare this educational document by designing the questionnaire, collecting data, and compiling content into this report. The views and opinions expressed in this report do not reflect the views or positions of the University of Virginia.
STAR aims to improve the lives of people on the autism spectrum and their families through conducting ground-breaking, interdisciplinary research and developing innovative models for care, support, and education. Click for more information about UVA STAR.
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Accomplishments of CRAAG's
Multi-Year Housing Initiative
In 2021 at the completion of CRAAG's survey on housing support needs in our region, we turned to UVA STAR to analyze the data and prepare a final report. The report, Housing, Supports, and Service Needs of Adults with Developmental Disabilities: State of Need in Central Virginia, was eye opening. Read the Executive Summary here.
Three findings motivated CRAAG to establish three work groups targeted to the needs of different populations of adults with autism: 24/7 Supports, Maximizing Independence, and Preparing for Life After High School (now called Piedmont Virginia Transition Council).
- Adults have multiple support needs warranting comprehensive support, yet many families indicated having inadequate external supports.
- Adults were reported to rely primarily on their families for housing, funding for housing, and supports.
- 84% of families disagree that the available housing options for adults with DD in their area were adequate. Families lack confidence in the housing and support options available to adults outside of the family home.
Accomplishments So Far
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The Chairperson of the 24/7 Supports Work Group is the father of an adult son who lives 70 miles away from Charlottesville because no provider could be found in our area. The Chairperson and other advocates encouraged DBHDS to hold an in-person Supported Living Overview Informational Meeting on June 30, 2023. Supported Living is a residential waiver service that takes place in an apartment or house setting. It provides 24/7 availability of staff who have the ability to respond to support needs in a timely manner. It is available to recipients of both the Family and Individual Support (FIS) and Community Living (CL) waivers. Interest was high for this event and a number of potential service providers attended. Although none have yet expanded into the Charlottesville area, CRAAG will continue to work with DBHDS to address waiver service shortfalls, especially residential options. The invitation to this Overview meeting is posted immediately below.
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The Chairperson of the CRAAG's Planning for the Life After High School (PLAHS) Work Group is also the PREP Parent Resource Center Coordinator. She is the mother of a 22-year-old son on the spectrum. Under her leadership, Planning for Life After High School is now operating as the Piedmont Virginia Transition Council (PVTC). It meets monthly during the school year and is actively recruiting parents, professionals, and community members to join in learning about and improving transition opportunities for youth in special education. This degree of coordination is unprecedented and has already proven helpful for planning and outreach. The annual Life After High School Transition Conference & Resource Fair on March 16th will showcase many PVTC agencies and include PVTC volunteers. Interested in the Council or the Transition Conference and Resource Fair? Call Stephanie Hicks at 434-975-9400, #1 or Email Stephanie here.
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The Chairperson of the Maximizing Independence (MI) Work Group is a retired educator and former provider of extracurricular enrichment activities for K-12 students. Her son is a college student with autism. This group tackles issues from the lack of organized socialization opportunities for neurodivergent adults to major service gaps experienced by Waiver recipients. The Work Group established a collaboration with the UVA student group, Autism Allies, who host twice monthly Sunday meetups at various venues around Charlottesville. The Work Group collaborated with a well-known vocational coach who now hosts an ongoing bowling group (2 years duration) and in January launched a monthly (to start) game night meetup group. In 2024, the Work Group plans to hold an open brainstorming meeting to share tips for finding providers and to generate creative solutions to address gaps in service options such as companions, community engagement and more.
- As reported above, in 2023 CRAAG finished a second housing report with six case examples of the diverse housing needs of adults on the autism spectrum. CRAAG is sharing this report for the first time in this newsletter. Read the report here.
More information? Email CRAAG!
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The free, annual PRC Transition Conference and Resource Fair will be held at PVCC on March 16th from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Open this flyer for more information on this event.
Conference Highlights:
- Free lunch for the first 200 people who register
- More than 25 agencies and professionals will be represented
- Informative presentations, youth panels, and exhibits
- Information to prepare families for Life After High School
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Autism Allies and CRAAG Are Working
Together to Make Social Connections
Sunday Socials, a neurodiverse gathering of adults 18 and older, returns on Feb 11th and will continue every 2nd and 4th Sunday through the second semester.
These events are organized by UVA students through Autism Allies.
Help Autism Allies plan upcoming events by taking the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/14v2OJwiLfyovxIevi8HGXWmnQhapKGLbFlxg3ii16bg/edit
This coming Sunday, February 11th from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. Autism Allies is meeting for lunch at the Dairy Market at 946 Grady Avenue in Charlottesville. Three to four students wearing UVA shirts will be waiting outside the to greet you! Cost: purchase of lunch. If you're interest in attending or have questions, RSVP by Friday February 9th, to let Autism Allies know you're going to attend!!
These are the future Sunday dates:
Sunday, February 25th
Sunday, March 10th - No Sunday Social - UVA Spring Break
Sunday, March 24th
Sunday, April 14th
Sunday, April 28th
Sunday, May 12th - Last Sunday Social of the school year
More information on each event will be posted on the Outside the Box Meetup Group or by email at [email protected].
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UVA STAR is Seeking Autistic Adults
for No-Cost Therapy Program!
Are you:
- Autistic and experiencing depression and/or anxiety?
- At least 18 years of age?
- Currently living in Virginia?
If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study that compares two telehealth therapy programs, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Therapy.
If you are interested, please email or leave a voicemail at (919) 843-7850. IRB #23-0871.
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Articles about UVA STAR were featured across news outlets throughout 2023. The current Fall issue gathers these stories to showcase what's been going on throughout the year. They've been busy!!
Read the STAR Fall newsletter here.
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Virginia Board for People with Disabilities 2023 Report on
Accessibility of Dental Care
"Dental access for Virginians with developmental disabilities (DD) ranks last among 27 states for which data is available and is far below what is needed to comply with a U.S. Department of Justice settlement agreement. People with DD have difficulty getting dental care because many dental professionals are not able or willing to treat them. A continuum of provider education methods, higher Medicaid reimbursement rates, and improved oversight are needed."
Read the report here!
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About CRAAG
CRAAG began in 2010 in collaboration with Commonwealth Autism (CA). CRAAG’s mission is to raise awareness and enhance the quality of life for people with autism, developmental disabilities, and their families in Charlottesville City, Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Louisa and Nelson counties. We are a volunteer action group for families, self-advocates, and professionals who are interested in all age groups and levels of need. The daily concerns of CRAAG's active volunteers inform our focus on the needs of students transitioning out of high school, adults throughout the lifespan, and their families. Our advocacy is person-centered aimed at maximizing independent living with supports; meaningful employment; social connectivity; and community engagement. CRAAG's 2021 Housing survey initiated a years-long initiative in our region to expand the number of housing options, supports and services available to meet the needs of adults with developmental disabilities.
Email CRAAG | CRAAG Webpage |
Join the CRAAG Mailing List or a Work Group
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