SPAN The Bridge Newsletter pictorial graphic.  Your weekly access to SPAN news, resources and events.

January 25, 2023 | Issue 63 (View newsletter as webpage) Para leer este boletín en Español, haga clic aquí

Important News

NJFamilyCare logo

Expanded Eligibility for NJ FamilyCare Coverage


Beginning January 1, 2023, all income-eligible children under the age of 19 – regardless of immigration status – are eligible to enroll in NJ FamilyCare health insurance program.


NJ FamilyCare is a publicly funded health insurance program that includes Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). It is managed by the NJ Department of Human Services. Undocumented children are eligible if the family earns no more than 355% of the federal poverty level, which equates to $8,210 a month for a family of four.


This expanded eligibility is expected to apply to 16,000 children in NJ. It will allow children to:

  • get health care insurance for the first time, and
  • see a pediatrician or
  • visit an emergency room without their families wondering how to pay the bill.


Listen to a short NPR podcast here


Learn more and apply here

or call

1-800-701-0710 (TTY: 711)


Individuals ineligible for NJ FamilyCare can find information on other insurance affordability programs at www.getcovered.nj.gov


Resources


Tar Heel Reader logo

Free, Easy-to-Read, Accessible Books

Tar Heel Reader is a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics, both fiction and non-fiction. Books include engaging photos and drawings.


Tar Heel Reader books can be used to provide access to the general curriculum in a variety of subject areas. Titles include adaptations of classics like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Little Women, as well as decodable books, books about math and science, biographies and more.


You can search books by:

  • Topic
  • Rating - Everybody or Caution
  • Language - books are available in 20 different languages


Books can be:

  • Speech-enabled (read by the computer/device)
  • Accessed in many ways:
  • mouse, pointing device or touch screens
  • Intellikeys with custom overlays - a large, alternative keyboard used for writing on the computer
  • 1,2 or 3 switches


Users can write their own books using pictures from an online collection or using pictures they upload.


Check out Tar Heel Reader here


What Students with Disabilities Need to Succeed in College

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While there are no IEPs or 504 plans in college, there are protections against discrimination. All colleges must have a disability services office but some colleges offer additional supports.


Accommodations can be provided in college but students must "self-disclose" and request the accommodations that they need.


There are many resources to help families and youth/young adults prepare for and succeed at college.


Read this article from Exceptional Parent magazine to learn more about available resources


The article is authored by Lauren Agoratus of SPAN.


Check out SPAN's work with the New Jersey Inclusive Higher Education Collaborative to learn more about preparing for college

Upcoming Events


SPAN offers a variety of learning opportunities for families and the professionals who work with them.


Highlighted Event This Week

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Assistive Technology Workshops


In collaboration with Adam Krass of Adam Krass Consulting, SPAN is offering a series of workshops about various aspects of Assistive Technology


Click on the title below to register for the workshops - more topics to come!


Transition Planning with Assistive Technology


January 31, 2023 12 - 1 PM


Assistive Technology for Math: Pre-K to 8th Grade


February 16, 2023 12 - 1 PM


Using Assistive Technology to Support Early Learning


April 6, 2023 12 - 1 PM



See all of SPAN's upcoming events with details and registration links here 

Para recibir la edición en Español de este boletín semanalmente en su correo electrónico 

haga clic aquí para suscribirse

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023


This past Monday, we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. Read more about the legacy of the Civil Rights leader and the continued struggle for racial equality in the newest blog post, "Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023."


Click here to read the blog

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