Pictured left to right: Peg Kinsell, SPAN; Micauri Vargas, Esq., NJISJ; Aya Elamroussi, CAIR; Alysia Colon, NJCIC; Amy Torres, NJAIJ; Danielle Iwata, AAPI

SPAN Co-Hosts The State of Language Access in New Jersey Progress Report Release Event

On June 23, SPAN co-hosted the public release of The State of Language Access in New Jersey Progress Report, which was written and researched by AAPI New Jersey, in partnership with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. The release event took place in SPAN's office in Newark, NJ.

The Report provides language access report cards on state agencies, vital documents, and services. It also provides recommendations as to how the measures provided can be improved.

SPAN is proud to be a community partner of both AAPI New Jersey and New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.

To access the Report, click here.

SPAN Celebrates the Launch of Yo Soy Así Family Resource Center, Paterson, NJ 

SPAN Parent Advocacy Network was honored to attend the ribbon cutting of Yo Soy Así, a celebration of vision, resilience, and inclusive community leadership.

We proudly recognize Guerlina De la Hoz, whose journey from founding a parent support group to launching a Family Resource Center is a powerful testament to the belief that inclusion is not a privilege—it’s a right.

SPAN remains committed to partnering with leaders like Guerlina to ensure all families—especially those facing the greatest challenges—have access to the tools, resources, and support they need to thrive.

Congratulations, Guerlina! We’re proud to walk alongside you on this journey!

A Study of Disability Discrimination Among Children with Special Health Care Needs

Last week, The American Academy of Pediatrics published a study tracking exposure to disability-based discrimination by children with special health care needs (CSHCN) in health care settings using National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) data from 2021 and 2022.

The study commentary reveals, "More than 11% of families that include children with special health care needs (CSHCN) reported having experienced disability-based discrimination in health care settings, defined as a parental report of “being treated or judged unfairly because of the child’s health condition or disability.”

The study further finds, "Such disability discrimination is surely less prevalent than one would have found 40 or 50 years ago. These experiences remain harmful, affecting an estimated 1.54 million CSHCN, according to the NSCH data analyzed by Ames and colleagues.

Reported experiences of discrimination appear notably more common among children aged 13–17 years than among younger children and among children whose daily activities are moderately or consistently affected by their condition." 

To read more in the study commentary, click here.