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Hello Self Advocates and Allies!

Power Your Life with our FREE 

 SAPNA Summer Event Series

JOIN US LATER THIS MORNING!

All About Jobs!

Join us to talk about:

• Planning to work
• Finding and keeping a job
• Your rights at work
• Workplace accommodations
• ODP funded services
• Your benefits and other supports 

📅 Date: Today!, Friday, July 31st

🕙 Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm

Click The Blue Link Below To Join The Call

 https://sau1.me/power

Keep Reading For More Information About All The Topics We Are Going To Present And As Always Important NEWS YOU CAN USE!

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS AND TRAININGS

We Want YOU To Join Us!

To better accommodate you, we are changing the

DAY for our ODP update call!

Join us on the new day, Tuesday, August 25th to get your questions

answered by ODP.

Power Talk with ODP is monthly chat with staff from the PA Office of Development Programs (ODP), the government office that oversees and funds those supports and services. People with ID/A can speak up with ODP while staff and others are welcome to listen and learn.

Our call starts with reviewing the questions we sent to ODP for this call.

What questions or concerns do you have about supports and services for people with intellectual disabilities and or autism (ID/A) in PA?

Please email them to christine@sau1.org by August 17th.

After the ODP staff leave, stay to talk about what we heard, and offer questions to send to ODP for next month.

Our Power Talk with ODP schedule for the rest of the year is:

Tuesday September 22nd, 10:30am-11:30am


Tuesday October 27th, 10:30am-11:30am

Tuesday November 24th, 10:30am-11:30am



Tuesday December 22nd, 10:30am-11:30am

THE LATEST NEWS FROM PA AGENCIES

Volunteer Opportunity with ASERT

Help Shape the PA Autism Needs Assessment

ASERT is beginning development of the 2027 Pennsylvania Autism Needs Assessment (PANA) and we need your help. We can’t do it without you!

First launched in 2010, the PANA is a survey designed to identify gaps in services and supports for autistic people. Tens of thousands of respondents have taken the survey to date. The autism community continues to grow and evolve. A new PANA was conducted in 2018, and it’s time to update it again. That’s where you come in.

We’re forming an ongoing, volunteer-based working group to help shape everything from the questions we ask to how we share what we learn.

Meetings are virtual, begin in August 2026, and require approximately one hour of your time every three months. There will also be opportunities to join subcommittees based on your interests.

The PANA Stakeholder Working Group is a community-centered volunteer opportunity — not a research activity. We welcome anyone in the autism community. If you’re autistic, a caregiver, a family member, we want to hear from you! 

Friends-

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) wants to hear from YOU.

We are asking people to complete a short survey about Protection and Advocacy (P&A) organizations.

Whether you have used P&A services or are simply familiar with them, your feedback is important.

Your responses will help us better understand public awareness of P&A organizations and identify ways to improve access to services, increase awareness, and strengthen the P&A network.

The survey is voluntary and takes about 15–20 minutes to complete.

Your responses will be combined with others and will not be linked to you personally. Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback by Friday, August 7, 2026.

Now Available:

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP)

Limitations on Overtime,

Paid Relative Caregiving, and Travel Recorded Webinar session

On Thursday, July 2, 2026, Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens presented a webinar session for individuals and families to review ODP policies related to overtime, paid relative caregiving, and travel.

During the session, Deputy Secretary Ahrens Deputy Secretary Ahrens provided an overview for individuals and families on limitations related to overtime, paid relative caregiving, and travel. The webinar also included a question-and-answer session that addressed frequently asked questions and provided participants with additional clarification on these important policy updates.



Click the link below to view the recorded webinar.