Planning for Adult Life activities, events, and materials are conducted and developed in partnership with The Arc of New Jersey with funding from the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities
The Alicia's Law legislation was passed in 2008 and allows students in high school special education program to participate with his/her class in the graduation ceremony and to receive a certificate of attendance even though their school requires instruction beyond four years.

Our presenter, S. Paul Prior, Esq., has spent his entire legal career representing people with disabilities. As the younger brother of a man with autism, he has a life-long commitment to disability law. His legal work has focused on special education, guardianship, financial entitlements, and access to appropriate services. A substantial part of his practice is devoted to assisting families in estate and trust matters. He has successfully argued leading cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court, Third Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as other state and federal courts. He served as a federal monitor overseeing conditions at state-operated institutions. He holds a JD from Seton Hall University School of Law and serves on the Board of Trustees of The Arc of New Jersey as well as Eden Autism. He is a member of the ASPEN Professional Advisory Board. Previously, he served on the Boards of Special Olympics New Jersey, Autism New Jersey, and the Eden Autism Foundation Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Elder Law Section of the New Jersey Bar Association. He has testified before the New Jersey Assembly by invitation and has assisted in the development of several pieces of legislation concerning individuals with disabilities. He writes and lectures frequently on topics concerning the law and disability as well as issues affecting siblings.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 24, 2021

TIME: 6:00-7:30 pm
 The Arc of New Jersey distributed the information below in the summer of 2020. We have received very positive feedback from families who had a phone conversation with local Social Security employees using the Office Locator. But we recognize that some families are not aware of an easy way to speak to a local Social Security employee during the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, we are redistributing the information below. Please share it with others who may also be interested.

Please see the Social Security Office Locator information below, which explains three ways to obtain information from Social Security during the COVID-19 pandemic: 

1. You can enter your personal zip code into the Zipcode lookup box, and click "locate". The address of the local Social Security office will appear along with the phone number for that office. This is the link to use to access the look-up feature. https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp
 
2. You can click on the "What you can do online" link  https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp  to access Social Security information online.  

3. You can call the national 800 number: 1.800.772.1213. Please note that there may be a very long wait to speak to a representative at the national Social Security call center phone number. I have heard from families who used the look-up feature explained in #1 above, and they were able to speak with a Social Security representative without a very long wait.

This is one of many emails that The Arc of New Jersey is distributing in an effort to help individuals with I/DD, their families, and staff to be safe and healthy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Click here to see The Arc of NJ's COVID-19 information and resource page. 

Share with the Spanish-speaking families in your network!

Six free resources are now available for download in Spanish to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families plan for the future.

These resources cover a variety of topics related to decision-making and financial planning, including:

  • Supports available to help people with IDD make decisions
  • Preparing for unexpected changes in a person’s ability to make decisions
  • Common myths about guardianship and people with IDD
  • Tips on how to save money for the future
  • Resources to consider when creating a financial plan
  • When to use a Special Needs Trust or ABLE Account

Download these resources now and share them widely with the Spanish-speaking families in your network!
Transition Coordinators, Teachers, and Parent Groups!

The Planning For Adult Life Program (PFAL) provides FREE Hands-on Workshops (HOW) presentations with hands-on activities, resources for school classrooms, parent groups, community or civic groups, and professional organizations via the web! Our standard presentation is approximately 45 minutes long and includes a brief introduction to the PFAL program.
GOT PLANS? ONLINE LESSONS
Planning For Adult Life created a free "Got Plans?" guide and matching online curriculum for students. The guide and fun instructional videos will help students navigate decisions on the road to adulthood.

The curriculum focuses on 7 core areas:
Transition Planning
Health/Behavioral Health
Housing
Legal/Financial
Social
Self-Direction
Post-Secondary Education/Employment
Have you missed any of our webinars? Don't worry. We have recorded and archived them on our website! Click Here to View Our Videos
Do you have news or an update to share? It could appear in the next newsletter. Please get in touch!
Karen Smith, Program Assistant