ArcNC.org

Hurricane Florence has affected most of North Carolina. We are collecting a number of closings and resources you need to be aware of.

Hurricane Florence is expected to make landfall and possibly affect most of North Carolina. We are collecting a number of closings and evacuations you need to be aware of.

With Hurricane Florence expected to make landfall and possibly affecting most of North Carolina, the message is clear. The time to prepare is now. And we want you to be ready. As of this post, Florence is now a category 4 storm. It has the potential to bring devastating storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, high winds, rain and possible tornadoes. Many people are new to North Carolina and have never been through a hurricane and we want everyone to be prepared.

Written by: Bryan Dooley 

Last month marked the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I’m sure there was a celebration going on wherever you are reading this. I hope you attended one of those events because the passage of the ADA is worth celebrating. The story of how the law passed is still inspiring to me because it exemplifies what a country is supposed to do when we try and solve problems as a society. There was a vigorous debate about what the bill would entail, and of course, both parties had their partisan ideas. Due to work that was done by people inside and outside of the government, it became a bipartisan effort. It was supported by ideologically diverse politicians such as Tom Harkin, Ted Kennedy, Bob Dole and many more. The ADA was ultimately signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush.

Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) has just introduced the Healthcare Extension and Accessibility for Developmentally Disabled and Underserved Population Act, or the HEADs UP Act of 2018. This piece of legislation would designate people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) as a Medically Underserved Population (MUP). This designation is direly needed as people with I/DD experience poorer health outcomes, shortened life expectancies, and lack access to even the most basic forms of care when compared to the non-disabled population. The I/DD population meets every criteria to be designated as a MUP, and doing so would open access to over 25 federal programs that would expand access to primary care and specialist services, incentivize new research, and authorize more favorable reimbursement rates for providers who treat this population, among other programs.

Congratulations to the 2018 Project SEARCH graduating class – pictured above:

(Back row, left to right) Joy Drummond, Ben Milling, Celeste Gardner, Ryan Smith.
(Front row, left to right) Johnny Engelbrecht, Annie Hetherington, Zoe Silvey, Jesse Trimbach, Zach Voigt.