In this Issue: 

President's Message
2021 Parent University™ 3rd Class: Recordkeeping 101: Finances, Taxes, and Special Needs
    Trust on 3/18/2021!
Fayetteville Friendship House Pairs Young Professionals with Special Needs Adults 
Integrative Touch for Kids... New Podcast Featuring Mary Anne Ehlert
Zoom Commits To Improving Accessibility
This is Where We Will Be...

President's Message:
                                              
Dear Clients and Friends,

This morning, as I woke up to a new time (Daylight Savings Time) and a day of gorgeous weather (finally), I felt HOPE once again.  I wrote about Hope a few months ago,  when things seemed to be getting better.

I paid particular attention this morning to the birds chirping.  It is only early March, yet I could sit quietly and just reflect on those wonderful sounds.  It is a time when we can appreciate every little "normal positive " in our lives.

It helps us remember the resiliency of humankind.  And the kindness of so many around us,  no matter what is going on.  The media tries so hard to get us to focus on the negatives;  I choose to focus on the wonderful people I meet every single day.  I thank you all for being in my life, as you have made it better.
 
This month's newsletter has many wonderful articles about the creativity that exists in the space that we live in.  It is good to see but we have so much work to do.  I am encouraged that inclusion has started, though slowly.

I invite you to share any other stories you hear about the positives; we'd love to include your own successes.
 
I wish you all the feeling of hope that Spring will bring. 

Warmest regards,

Mary Anne Ehlert,
Founder & President



We are excited to announce our third 2021 Parent University webinar class, "Recordkeeping 101: Finances, Taxes, and Special Needs Trust", to be held on Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 7:00pm - 8:00pm CST.    

Registration is required.   Please click here to register.



Class description: The key to financial success is keeping good financial records.  With insurance, government benefits, investments, and taxes, this can become quite overwhelming.  We will work together to identify ways for you to keep your records current, accurate, and complete.  

PLEASE NOTE: If you are not able to attend this class live but you would like to watch the recorded video at a later time, please make sure to register for this class.  All registrants will receive the information needed to watch the recorded video. 

by Mark Williams | The Columbus Dispatch/TNS

An information technology consulting company is betting that the push to diversify the workplace extends to an applicant's brain.

Auticon, a Berlin, Germany-based company that exclusively employs adults on the autism spectrum as IT consultants, has begun hiring workers in Columbus as part of its move to set up its regional headquarters here.

"There's a skills shortage in this area," said David Aspinall, Auticon's CEO in the U.S. "We can bring to bear talent that does have a performance advantage and, at the same time, help people."


Auticon received approval for state tax incentives in 2019 to hire 50 people. The company's launch in Columbus has been slowed by the coronavirus.

The company has 15 offices around the world, including in Europe, Canada and the United States, employing more than 220 IT consultants on the autism spectrum.  Click here to read more.

Fayetteville Friendship House Pairs Young Professionals with Special Needs Adults 
by Rachael Riley | The Fayetteville Observer

Inside the home of Master Sgt. Ignacio Jimenez, David Poole, Danny Delgado and Wesley Branch are the photos of Margaret "Clair" Clark riding a bicycle. 

The roommates didn't know Clark, who died in 2012, but the space is dedicated in her memory by her brother, Dr. Franklin Clark. 

It is part of the Fayetteville Friendship House community, which is approaching its second year and pairs students or young professionals with special needs adults like Clair Clark. 


And in December, Dr. Clark made another contribution - $20,000 per year during the next three years - to help subsidize the $450 monthly rent of young professionals or college students in healthcare, allied healthcare or human services fields who are willing to be housemates, mentors and friends of adults with special needs.  Click here to read more.

Integrative Touch for Kids... New Podcast Featuring Mary Anne Ehlert

Integrative Touch for Kids Founder & CEO, Shay Beider, welcomes Mary Anne to talk about how she brings security and peace of mind to thousands of individuals with special needs and their families, and how her career was inspired from being a caregiver at a very young age for her sister who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Mary Anne shares the top "need-to-knows" for a family who has a child with special needs, and some of the changes she hopes to see within the system to recognize the value in hiring and educating people of all abilities.

Click this link to listen in: https://bit.ly/2MKJFla

Zoom Commits To Improving Accessibility
by Shaun Heasley | Disability Scoop

Zoom says it is enhancing its service in order to be more accessible to users with disabilities.

The video conferencing platform that's become ubiquitous as the COVID-19 pandemic has kept people from meeting in person said it will add automatic closed captioning to its free accounts.

The functionality, which will be called "Live Transcription," is expected to be available to all users this fall, according to Jen Hill, product marketing manager at Zoom.

In the interim, Zoom will offer automatic closed captioning to meeting hosts upon request, Hill said in a blog post about the new feature.

The move is part of an effort to "provide a platform that is accessible to all of the diverse communities we serve," Hill indicated.

Zoom already provides manual closed captioning, screen reader support and a host of other accessibility features, Hill said.

This is Where We Will Be...





 

                  Sponsored by: Next Steps Plainfield                  
                  Online Zoom Webinar

                  and Special Needs Trust
                  Online Zoon Class

                  Guardianship
                  Online Zoom Class

                 Sponsored by: NAPFA
                 Online Zoom Webinar

                  Estate and Financial Plans
                  Online Zoom Class

                   Sponsored by: NBIA
                   Online Zoom Webinar

                  Online Zoom Class

                  Special Needs Families
                  Online Zoom Class

                  Schools - What Is The Right Choice?
                  Online Zoom Class

                  Online Zoom Class

For more information on these click here!
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