June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month
June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, a global movement dedicated to highlighting the impact of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, while advocating for research and preventative brain health. It's an opportunity to raise awareness and promote the importance of brain health, supported through regular exercise, quality sleep, a healthy diet, and managing one's physical, mental, and emotional health.
Be Involved & Take Action
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Go Purple: Wear purple—the official color of the Alzheimer's movement—to show your support.
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Share Your Story: Use the hashtag #ENDALZ on social media to reduce stigma and raise awareness.
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Educate Yourself: Join webinars and educational talks to learn about the warning signs, early detection, and the latest breakthroughs in treatment.
More Information & Resources:
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Did you miss our recent webinars? Watch the recordings! | |
Register for the Final Spring webinar!
Sexuality and IDD: An Introduction
June 18, 2026
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (ET)
Consuelo Senior, Director of YAI Knowledge and a mental health clinician, will discuss how sexual rights are human rights and, especially for people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), it is important to learn and be supported to exercise those rights.
This session will explore topics such as "What really is sexuality for people with IDD?" There will be poignant and relative information for medical staff, clinicians, direct support professionals, families, people with IDD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, everyone!
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Meet the Speaker
Consuelo Senior, LMSW, CSE, MACM is a Mental Health Clinician, International Consultant, Sexuality and Disability Expert, Transformational Speaker, Adjunct Professor, Director of YAI-Knowledge, and CEO of Inspyr Consulting LLC
Ms. Senior has over 28 years of experience working in the field of neurodevelopmental disabilities and mental health. Ms. Senior
brings vast experience from the following areas within the field; psychotherapist, staff trainer, curriculum and program developer, case manager, administrator, educator (35 years), and dynamic keynote and conference speaker. Ms. Senior has trained and developed curricula for a wide range of topics of importance to the disability field and is certified in areas of Sexuality, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Schema Therapy, Grief and Loss. In addition, she has trained extensively on Professional Development, Leadership, Effective Teaching, Supporting People with Profound Disabilities and Complex Needs, Aging, Dual Diagnosis (IDD & MH), Dementia/Alzheimer, Diversity and Inclusion, Emotional Intelligence, Growth Mindset, Mental Health and the Church, and Mental Wellness as a Continuum.
Ms. Senior practices both group and individual psychotherapy (20 years). Ms. Senior is an Adjunct Professor (11 years) - teaching disability and social work courses, and she is a Life Coach. Ms. Senior has presented at numerous conferences and workshops, and consulted nationally and internationally, most recently in South Korea and Saudi Arabia, and with the Office of Population Affairs. Ms. Senior has presented at symposiums, webinars, radio programs/podcasts and panel discussions as an expert Mental Health Clinician, sexuality expert, and a disability expert. Ms. Senior is an agency (YAI) representative to the United Nations' Economic and Social Council and has presented at UN side events in the U.S. and South Korea. Ms. Senior is published in The Autism Spectrum News and STATNews. Ms. Senior is a contributor to the UNFPA-published International Technical and Programmatic Guidance on Out of School Comprehensive Sexuality Education. Ms. Senior has contributed to/cited/been featured in training materials for the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities -Workforce Transformation, the New York University Review of Law & Social Change, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, Broadly VICE Magazine, The Atlantic Magazine and other publications.
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Hurricane Season
June 1st – November 30th is hurricane season and the best way to stay safe is to stay informed. Below are several resources to help you and your loved stay ready.
NJ Register Ready helps people with disabilities to register their special needs with their county office of emergency management. NJ residents with special needs are encouraged to complete the online registration annually. This information is used by emergency planners for their disaster preparedness planning. This way when a disaster occurs, the county has properly prepared to meet the needs. If they don't know in advance the needs of their residents with disabilities, they will not be able to adequately prepare.
Watch the NJ Register Ready video in (ASL)
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Practical Tools to Improve Dental Care for People with IDD
A visit to the dentist can be stressful for a lot of people, especially people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Communication can be challenging, and people with IDD want to be heard, respected, and cared for.
The Institute for Exceptional Care (IEC) partnered with Delta Dental New Jersey and Delta Dental Foundation to create the IEC Dental Toolkit. This toolkit was made to help people with IDD, their support teams, and dental providers have more successful dental visits. Each tool is free to download and use.
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Gaps in Reproductive Healthcare Resources for People with Disabilities
Researchers at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy and the Oregon Health & Science University wanted to know what sexual healthcare resources are available for people with disabilities.
This plain-language summary talks about:
- What reproductive healthcare is,
- What the researchers did,
- The different resources the researchers found, and
- Takeaways and next steps on this issue.
An extra section at the end lists many reproductive and sexual healthcare resources for people with disabilities.
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Tell Your NJ Legislators to Support a 3% COLA Increase for People with IDD
People with IDD need your support in the FY27 Budget! A 3% COLA increase for home and community-based services (HCBS) would protect supports for people with IDD, provide safe and reliable care, and address rising operational costs for providers. This funding would also help to increase wages for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to outpace minimum wage and reflect their value to people with IDD and their families.
Senator Zwicker and Assemblywoman Murphy have sponsored resolutions to include this funding in the FY27 Budget. Contact your legislators and tell them to support Senate Resolution #261 and Assembly Resolution #131. Please take action here!
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CMS Releases Interim Final Rule Regarding Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements
On June 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its interim final rule (IFC) on implementing community engagement requirements (commonly known as “work requirements”) as provided under H.R.1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." More information on the IFC can be found in their press release.
Beginning January 1, 2027:
- Certain adults aged 19 to 64 will have to work, volunteer, or go to school to keep their coverage or qualify for NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid). This is called “community engagement.” These members must also renew their coverage every 6 months (instead of every 12 months).
- Other adults aged 19 to 64 may be exempt from the requirement to work, volunteer, or go to school, but they may still have to renew their coverage every 6 months.
NJ FamilyCare will contact you by Fall 2026 with more information, if these changes apply to you. Visit the NJ FamilyCare website to learn more.
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Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment Rule to Take Effect this Summer
New requirements for accessible medical diagnostic equipment that take effect this summer impact health care professionals who participate in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare and other government funding programs. The requirements also apply to public hospitals, health care clinics and college and university health care systems. The changes include new standards regarding accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) such as exam tables, exam chairs, weight scales and X-ray machines. Practices must comply by July 8, 2026; the compliance deadline for government entities is Aug. 9, 2026.
Medical facilities must have 10% of exam tables and 10% of weight scales, or a minimum of one per facility, that are disability accessible. 20% of MDE must be disability accessible at facilities that specialize in treating people with mobility disorders. Every room does not need an accessible table and every scale does not need to be wheelchair accessible, as long as minimum requirements are met. Depending on the patient population, offices may identify that having a higher proportion of accessible MDE better meets their needs. Any new exam tables or scales purchased, rented or leased must be accessible MDE until requirements are met.
Read the full article.
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NY ABC-DS Research Study
Adults with Down syndrome are far more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease in middle age compared with most other people.
This research study aims to understand why some adults with Down syndrome are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than others and why some adults with Down syndrome age far more successfully.
Adults with Down syndrome who are 25 years or older are highly encouraged to join the Alzheimer Biomarker Consortium - Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) study.
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Free Tech Training for People with Disabilities
People with disabilities are three times more likely to not go online compared to people without disabilities. To help close that gap, AT&T, The Arc, and The Arc San Francisco have partnered to offer free digital skills training designed specifically for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Explore the resources yourself or share them with someone you know to build confidence using technology. Learn skills such as:
- Getting started with computers, mobile devices, and video conferencing
- Navigating websites and search engines
- Protecting against online fraud and scams
- Creating healthy relationships online
- How to find credible news and be a responsible creator
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Catching Up with Connor
The Catching Up with Connor Facebook Live series is in full swing for 2026!
Join us every other Thursday at 2:30pm for these livestream videos, featuring 10-15 minute educational talks on health care issues, news, and other key topics for individuals with IDD and their families.
No registration is required, but please leave a like and comment what topics you would like to see in the future!
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Virtual Office Hours
The Health Care Advocacy Program provides virtual office hours on Mondays from 1:00pm - 3:00pm.
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Meet with Connor Griffin, The Director of Health Care Advocacy, to discuss any healthcare questions, for example, regarding Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, that affect your family member or person with IDD that you support.
The Director meets with you on a first-come, first-served basis and time is limited to 20 minutes, as needed. You may need to queue in the Zoom waiting room if the Director is already meeting with someone. Your patience is appreciated!
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