Corzine losing ground fast
April 22, 2009 • 10:59 am
By Bob Ingle



Looks like Corzine and his administration’s “Let Them Drink Beer” attitude is catching up to them. Corzine’s value in the eyes of the public continues to dwindle. A Quinnipiac University Poll out today shows 54 percent disapprove of the governor’s job performance, the worst in 13 years of NJ polling. Only 37 percent approved, which is probably the hacks he keeps on the state payroll. Fifty five percent say Corzine doesn’t deserve re-election. On his handling of the economy, 60 percent disapprove. So much for being a Wall Street wizard, but then recent events show the value of the Wall Street crowd to the economy. Corzine trails Republican Chris Christie 45-38. He ties Steve Lonegan at 41 percent. (Christie tops Lonegan 46-37 among likely Republican voters, but Lonegan is gaining.) Looks like Corzine’s deputy chief of staff needs to hold another campaign meeting on state time in the governor’s office so Corzine’s attorney general can ignore it again. They all think voters are fools to be looked down on. Corzine agrees with his treasurer that New Jerseyans aren’t over-taxed. If Corzine is defeated at the polls, his treasurer goes too. To hear Treasurer Dave Rousseau say that, click here: Rousseau: Not overtaxed

Interviews being conducted concerning Autism Services in NJ

As a parent of a child on the spectrum, I'm interviewing other families for Autism NJ. I'm setting up interviews one on one in the central NJ area at hospitals, libraries, and if you're near a Whole Foods they'll give us free coffee! The interview takes about an hour, you don't have to answer any question you're not comfortable with, and your name won't be attached to your answers. The project overview is below. Please contact me OFF LIST if interested. Also, there are 150 interviewers statewide so if you're not in the central part of the state there are other folks available. We're doing the interviews in English and Spanish. Lauren Agoratus familyvoicesnj@aol.com

Project Overview and Purpose of this Interview: Autism New Jersey (formerly known as the Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community--COSAC) is a nonprofit agency providing information and advocacy, services, family and professional education and consultation. ANJ encourages responsible basic and applied research that may lessen the effects of, and potentially prevent, autism. ANJ is dedicated to ensuring that all people with autism receive appropriate, effective services to maximize their growth potential and to enhancing the general public's overall awareness of autism. We are grounded in science, strengthened by knowledge and devoted to creating a society of
compassion and inclusion for all those touched by autism spectrum disorders. As a result of Autism NJ’s most recent strategic planning effort, a very exciting initiative was identified: development of a “Blueprint for Lifetime Support Services for Families and Persons with Autism.” This Blueprint for Lifetime Support Services will be used as the foundation for ANJ’s advocacy work on behalf of the autism community. We are inviting you to play an important role in shaping the “Blueprint for Lifetime Support Services for Families and Persons with Autism.”

We need to hear directly from YOU -- families and persons with autism spectrum disorders and individuals with connections to the autism community (service providers, professionals, community organizations, advocates, etc.).

Our goal is conduct at least 1,000 face-to-face interviews with individuals who are most impacted by, or can most impact, autism services in New Jersey. We are interested in engaging the voices of all people within the autism community, especially those who typically have not been heard, who feel they are underserved or not served at all.

Posted on Sun, Feb. 22, 2009


N.J. autism aid getting a boost from state
Early diagnosis and a registry are two goals. Another is meeting the need for care when children become adults.

By Cynthia Henry



Inquirer Staff Writer
Betsy Smetona of Haddon Heights quit her job last summer to stay home with her children.

Her 23-year-old twins, Megan and Michael, have graduated from the Bancroft School in Haddonfield and can't be left alone. Both have autism, although in different degrees.

"It's a big shock to the system when they graduate," Smetona said. "Their schooling was everything to them. It met their social and extracurricular needs. It's hard to find something in the community for Michael and Megan to do."

For the Smetonas and other New Jersey families in a similar situation, help could be on the way.

Gov. Corzine signed laws in 2007 and 2008 that are now taking effect to enable early diagnosis of autism, develop screening guidelines for physicians, create a statewide patient registry, and educate emergency responders to recognize developmental disabilities.

Among the most eagerly awaited components is enhancement to adult care. A task force meeting since June will wrap up its research with public forums next month, including one in Burlington County. It will make housing, employment, and transportation recommendations to the governor by June.

"Families and advocates were doing what government should have been doing," said Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D., Camden), who championed the legislation.

Autism is a brain disorder that hinders social and communication skills and is often characterized by repetitive behaviors. It's usually diagnosed by age 3 and is more prevalent in boys than in girls. There is no cure.

New Jersey had the highest autism rate among 14 states in a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. Researchers found one in 94 New Jersey children on a spectrum of "barely noticeable to nearly debilitating," compared with one in 150 in the other states, including Pennsylvania.

To speed diagnosis and increase services, the Governor's Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism, funded by a $1 surcharge on motor-vehicle fines, has created six clinical enhancement centers, including the Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health in Voorhees.

Using novel technology such as Internet observation of patients in their classrooms and homes, the center, run by pediatric neurologist Mark Mintz, hopes to better use the state's scarce professional resources to treat toddlers through adults.

"People with autism have many talents that go overlooked because of what they can't do," said Daniel Keating, vice president for family services and government relations of Bancroft NeuroHealth in Haddonfield. "People with autism are very diverse. Primarily, we need to give people more choices."

Smetona said the difference in her children amazed her. Megan speaks clearly, enjoys reading, works part time cleaning a CVS store, and volunteers at the Markeim Art Center in Haddonfield. The more easygoing Michael talks "as little as he can get away with," his mother said. He continues vocational training at Bancroft's Jacob Schaefer Center in Cherry Hill, where he's learning to answer the phone.

"Jobs are hard to find, let alone jobs for kids like ours," Smetona said.

"We've done pretty well educating people" about autism over the last decade, said Holly Berlin, founder of the Voorhees Special Needs Association of Parents, whose son Jonah, 13, is autistic. "But there's been almost no attention paid to kids once they move past the youngster age."

Concerned parents frequently call the 40-year-old Autism New Jersey, formerly the Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community, seeking advice on job training, housing, and health care for their adult children.

"Kids have been getting $60,000 a year minimum worth of school services. Then it's gone," said Leslie Long, policy director for the nonprofit agency and an adult task force member. "A percentage will go on to college. Others can't be home alone."

Victoria Sweeney, senior program director for adult community services for Bancroft NeuroHealth, said providers were struggling to meet a rising need in New Jersey for day programs, out-of-home residential placements, and in-home support services.

"These issues are very common throughout the developmental-disabilities community, of which autism is one part," said Deborah Cohen, state task force chair.

Better diagnosis and treatment allow disabled children to live longer and healthier than in the past, said Cohen, who represents the state Department of Human Services. She expects the task force - which includes 13 public members and representatives of the state labor, health and education departments - to generate ideas to help families dealing with many conditions.

About 80 percent of adults with autism live with their families, Keating said, in part because of a shortage independent living options.

"We're looking at possible supervised living for Megan" and a group home someday for Michael, Smetona said, but the wait could be long.

"In New Jersey, we have not prepared for the long-term care component on this," said Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D., Camden), citing 8,000 people on waiting lists for institutionalized adult care.

He has sponsored bills to shift money from New Jersey's seven institutions to group and home settings, but they'll be a hard sell in this economy, he said.

Chrissy Duman of Moorestown dreads her 13-year-old son's returning to waiting lists.

It took multiple doctor visits and much perseverance 10 years ago to get him a diagnosis of "pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified," on the autism spectrum.

"At 18 months, we knew something was wrong," Duman said. "His pediatrician checked his hearing and suggested we wait six months and check again."

The state endowed the clinical enhancement centers this year, in part, to shorten waits for initial diagnosis, which average seven months nationally. At Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the wait can be longer. Physicians agree that the earlier the treatment, the better the outcome.

The diagnosis of Duman's son came around age 3 from Mintz, then at Bancroft NeuroHealth, with help from the Mount Laurel School District, she said.

"For me, it felt like someone had turned on a light and showed me where to go," Duman said.

Her son has made "tremendous strides" through treatment for attention and sensory issues at Orchard Friends School in Riverton and Mintz's center in Voorhees.

Duman now worries about her son's transition to high school - and beyond, when his special-education funding ends.

"It's a lot scary," she said.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
NJ parents try to figure out best options for their adult son with autism, CP
From the Scarlett Scuttlebutt in N.J.:


WOODBRIDGE — John Zalenko (pictured with his mom) comes home from school around 3 p.m. each day. His mom, Cookie Zalenko, greets him at the door.



"Do I get a kiss?" she asks, and her son complies, leaning in and kissing her left cheek before quickly pulling back.

"I want bologna" he says.

Cookie Zalenko asks him to say hello to a guest.

"I want bologna!" he says louder. "Cheese!"

Minutes later, the 23-year-old township man is sitting at the dining room table, happily munching on rolled-up slices of bologna and cheese.

Zalenko has autism, cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, scoliosis and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Under a federal law originally enacted in 1975, states are required to educate children with disabilities. But that law, now called the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, only applies until the child reaches age 22.

At that point, responsibility for the grown child shifts entirely to the parents.

John Zalenko lived in his parents' Woodbridge home until 2000, when he moved to a group home in Howell for individuals with mental disabilities. It was a difficult decision for the Zalenkos to send their then-13-year-old son to live away from home, they said, but taking care of him alone became implausible as he grew up.

"We didn't want to send him. But everybody was telling us it's going to be better, it's going to be better," said Gary Zalenko, who runs his own carpentry business and often works odd hours. "If I could stay with John, I would stay with him constantly. But I just can't do it."

The state Division of Developmental Disabilities provides public funding to assist adults over age 21. While the federal education law specifically mandates the state's responsibility for children with disabilities, the DDD's role is not required by law. Money to educate children with developmental disabilities comes directly from the taxpayers in the child's home school district.

But taxpayers don't have the same responsibility for disabled adults in their neighborhoods.

That means adults with severe developmental disabilities often do not receive the care they need. There's not enough money for it.

The DDD's $1.35 billion budget accounts for about 4.1 percent of the total state budget passed for fiscal year 2009. Within the DDD budget, $509 million goes toward 950 residential programs statewide serving an average of two to five residents apiece.

But at the end of 2008, the DDD's waiting list was 7,834 names long. Of those, 4,178 were on the list's "priority" section, which means that both parents are older then 55 or there are special circumstances. The individuals on the waiting list receive some state services but either need additional services or residential placements.

"Some people are on waiting lists for a very long time," said Pam Ronan, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services, which runs the
Division of Developmental Disabilities.

Middlesex County is home to 64 residential programs — many of which focus on specific disabilities.

For years, John Zalenko lived comfortably in Devereux Intensive Group Home with three others. But in late 2008 his seizure disorder became worse and he became too much for the staff there to handle. He began suffering from atonic seizures — more commonly known as "drop seizures" — in which his muscles suddenly lose strength and he drops to the ground.

On her weekly visits, Cookie Zalenko often noticed new bruises along her son's arms and legs. In June he fractured his arm, and then on Oct. 1 he fell down a flight of stairs.

After the Oct. 1 incident, the Devereux staff determined that the residence was not equipped to care for Zalenko. He spent some time in the hospital and returned to his parents' home Oct. 8.

He continues to attend a day program for adults with autism. The extended-year program, through Neptune-based New Horizons in Autism, teaches basic living skills such as cooking, computers and counting. But at the end of the day, the bus drops him off in Woodbridge rather than the group home.

Medicaid pays for the day program and transportation, and also pays for a home health aide to help Zalenko's parents weekday mornings and four hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The DDD pays for a health aide to visit each afternoon.

The state is looking for an appropriate residential placement for Zalenko, but vacancies are rare. And in the meantime, Cookie Zalenko watches her son closely every moment he is home. He takes time to warm up to new people, so the health aides have trouble working with him. And although his muscles are weak, he isn't confined to a wheelchair, so he often stumbles abruptly across the hardwood floors in the two-story house.

He needs help performing basic tasks such as showering, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, eating, taking medicine and getting into bed.

"I'm waiting, I'm waiting," said Cookie Zalenko, who quickly becomes emotional when she starts to think about her son falling down the stairs.

She shook her head and cried. Then she became angry.

"In the meantime, he's going to crack his head. How much longer can I wait?"

Cookie and Gary Zalenko already lost one son. Their oldest son, Gary, died of an accidental overdose two years ago, at age 28. He was in his bedroom when it happened.

So John Zalenko sleeps sandwiched between his parents in their king-size bed each night because Cookie doesn't want him to fall to the floor, or worse, get up in the middle of the night and try to walk downstairs by himself. The main stairs have a wall on one side and no rail on the other.

"I feel like they're leaving him to die," she said.

The state offered an emergency placement in Ocean County in November, but Cookie Zalenko declined, saying the environment wasn't safe for her son's condition and it was too far from his family and his doctors, who are in New Brunswick.

"If the division offers a particular placement and the family doesn't want it, the family doesn't have to take it," Ronan said. "We look for different options to support the person while they're still in the home and while we seek an appropriate placement for him."

In the meantime, John Zalenko loves being home. He's spending more time than ever with his parents and his 22-year-old brother, Joseph, who helps him out of the bus each afternoon. His mom prepares his favorite snack of rolled-up bologna and cheese, and he flips through magazines or watches TV until dinner. On a recent Friday he sat on the couch next to Joseph, smiling and watching TV.

"He's a handful," Gary Zalenko said, looking over at his sons. "But he's a good kid. He's got a lot of affection."

Sunday, March 22, 2009
Funding for accessible transportation in NJ in danger
From the Asbury Park Press in N.J.:


The county-run buses and vans that transport senior citizens and disabled residents are heading toward a red light, unless additional funding is found to keep them rolling at 2007 service levels, warned officials who operate those paratransit systems.

Known locally as Ocean Ride in Ocean County and SCAT in Monmouth County, paratransit systems depend on revenues from Atlantic City casinos, in addition to county funds. Counties lost $4 million in 2008 because of an 11 percent funding decrease from casinos as their revenues declined.

With casino revenues predicted to drop again, officials warned that could affect rides for senior citizens and disabled residents, who depend on them most.

"We lost $4 million between 2008 and 2009; counties started taking this loss on Jan. 1," said Michael Vieira, New Jersey Council on Special Transportation president. "This fiscal year, we're looking at a $2.8 million loss. We're talking $7 million lost in two years."

One solution is a bill in the state Legislature to increase casino funding to paratransit by 1 percent, which would keep service at 2007 levels.

"We're facing a severe paratransit problem. We're experiencing a financial crisis because we rely on casino funds," said Henry Nicholson, Monmouth County director of transportation. "It's the first time we ever faced a decrease in casino revenues."

Ocean and Bergen counties were the biggest losers statewide, with a decrease of $296,022 each in paratransit funding between 2008 and 2009, followed by Essex and Middlesex Counties. Monmouth County's funding was cut by $232,516.

Senior citizens rely on paratransit for transportation to doctor appointments, nonemergency medical treatment and grocery and prescription shopping. It's one of the services that elder advocates said helps keep seniors living independently in their own homes, instead of being institutionalized. Disabled residents depend on paratransit for rides to and from workplaces.

County transportation departments have made adjustments to handle lost funding, including cuts in the back office to spare service cuts to riders, delaying vehicle replacement, charging higher fares or in the worst case, laying off drivers, Vieira said.

"Camden County cut six drivers out. Most counties have done some cutting. A lot have taken capital equipment funding and put it in operations, meaning they're Band-Aiding vehicles to hold them together," Vieira said. "Some (systems) without fares are looking at the fare box."

One of those is Cape May County Fare Free Transportation, which Vieira said is considering charging fares for the first time.

Ocean County officials put off replacing vehicles for a year to spare service cuts to the 448,000 people transported annually, said Kathleen Edmund, director of Ocean Ride.

"Look at Ocean County and you'll find far less transit services in our county. NJ Transit has a limited number of routes," Edmund said. "Look at the options (to paratransit) and they are few and far between."

Ocean County runs a fleet of 75 buses and has 75 drivers providing service on 17 regular routes; reserve-a-ride transport to doctors appointments and medical treatments; veteran transportation; and rides for disabled residents to workplaces.

Monmouth County provides 315,000 rides annually with a fleet of 54 vehicles and 46 drivers. The county dealt with its $232,516 cut by increasing fares for the first time in seven years from $2 to $3, and laying off three drivers and a clerical worker, Nicholson said.

Monmouth County was able to reinstate the drivers after the freeholders obtained a transportation contract, allowing the drivers to be rehired, Nicholson said.

If further cuts happen, Nicholson said Monmouth County plans to scale back service from areas served by NJ Transit Access Link service.

"We'd target areas with Access Link services and suggest customers use that, to allow our service to operate in areas where Access Link doesn't run," he said.

Ocean County officials would look at consolidating its 17 routes to where the most demand is, Edmund said.

Two bills pending in the state Senate and Assembly would increase paratransit funding from casino revenues by 1 percent, allowing county paratransit systems to maintain 2007 service levels, Vieira said. Both bills have cleared committees and are waiting to be posted for a vote in the full Senate and Assembly.

One concern was whether other programs now funded by casino revenues would be cut. Vieira said that won't happen, noting that the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled prescription program, which funded by casino revenues, is being reimbursed with federal funds.

"The PAAD program largely became federally reimbursed . . . $180 million a year,'' Vieira said. "New Jersey could put that money back into the casino revenue fund (for paratransit)."

Last September, the council started its "Save My Ride" campaign with a goal of getting 20,000 signatures on petitions to be presented to the governor and legislators. Freeholders in Monmouth and Ocean have backed the legislation, local officials said.

"In three weeks we got 15,000 signed copies," Vieira said, adding they have met their 20,000 goal. "We're waiting for the bill to be posted for the full vote."

Vieira said he and other paratransit officials are scheduled to meet with transportation Commissioner Stephen Dilts next month.Vieira said funding cuts would have a ripple effect from state agencies to the average driver.

"If it is reduced, it not only affects counties," he said. "If you deny them rides, people will try the Red Cross or local municipalities. After three calls, a person who's not getting anywhere will start driving again."

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Inclusion classrooms in NJ benefit all students
From the Courier-Post in N.J. in the picture, second-graders Evan Gershon and Peter Mikes take part in a building exercise during a class at the A. Russell Knight School in Cherry Hill, N.J.


A program being piloted at A. Russell Knight School this year could be the future blueprint for learning in the district's inclusion classrooms -- where special needs children learn alongside typically developing youngsters.

"Universal Design for Learning" is a technology-supported curriculum that had its beginnings in architecture and product development, where items are universally designed to accommodate a wide variety of users. Though the program is not brand new, Knight facilitator Waleska Batista knows of no other South Jersey district that is using it.

At Knight, it began in September for the math portion of a second-grade inclusion class with great results, Batista said.

"The title itself lends itself to all learners. This is the perfect inclusivity jumping-off point," Principal George Guy said.

Knight is expected to become one of five inclusion elementary schools in the district -- along with Woodcrest, Stockton, Cooper and Kingston -- that in 2011-12 will have an inclusion class at each grade level.

The inclusion classes, led by co-teachers -- one a regular classroom teacher, the other a special education teacher -- are thought to be beneficial for both special needs students and typically developing ones.

The curriculum is geared to small groups that are reshuffled as they move through four math-related activity centers. The result is a daily, hourlong round-robin.

"We mix up the students by ability, depending on what the activity is, but the children don't know who is special ed and who is not," Batista said.

The program, which costs $7,500 for a Web subscription, downloads and other technology, is being partially funded by the Cherry Hill Education Foundation, The foundation donated $5,000 for curriculum materials this year, including computers and software. The district is picking up the cost of staff training.

A first-grade inclusion class at the school is starting to learn language arts this term through the program. The school wants to extend Universal Design to third grade, as well.

Batista, who also teaches Spanish, is so impressed with the program that she is writing her doctoral thesis in teacher leadership on utilizing Universal Design with foreign languages. For the math program, she created an online learning portal accessible by students -- and parents -- at school or at home for reinforcement. She also developed animated PowerPoint presentations that can be viewed on iPods. Using an iPod and earbuds, each student can communicate with a teacher individually.

"We can restate a question to a child without the teacher hovering over him. I want special needs students to think they are like everybody else," she said.

Every worksheet and test has been modified to become more colorful and less intimidating. Tests use fewer words and have one question per page.

Regardless of ability, all students get the same test.

"The integrity of the test is not compromised. What we added helps everyone," Batista said. Rising test scores throughout the year among both typically developing and special needs children bear that out.

"As with architecture, I don't need to be in a wheelchair to use a ramp. This curriculum helps everyone, not just those for whom it was intended," she said.

Batista often uses a light blue background because research indicates it is easiest on the eyes. She uses yellow to highlight important terms because it is the first color the eye goes to, she said. The curriculum allows daily assessments, making it easy to tell when someone hasn't mastered a concept.

Second-grade teacher Kimberly Redfearn and her special education co-teacher, Renee Johnson, said their 16 students -- nine who are typically developing, five with special needs, one at-risk, and one whose second language is English -- look forward to math every day now.

"I've seen a tremendous difference. You wouldn't be able to pick out who's classified," Johnson said.

"The small-group arrangement and the technology pieces allow for acceleration as well as remediation. Kids who came in at a gifted level can grow, too," she said.

Charlie Hess, 7, used words such as "awesome" and "spectacular" to describe the program. "I like it, especially the laptops. They help me understand certain things better. Every time we finish a group of problems, it says "You mastered it!' And we get a medal," he said.

While one group learned about tens using tactile, three-dimensional colored squares, another was reinforcing the concept by playing the "Go Fish" card game.

"This program is good because you get to learn and you get challenged by different games. You really work your brain, and it makes math fun," card player Mollie Ward, 8, said.

Added Caylin Payne, 7, "You learn more, and it helps you on tests. I feel more comfortable with math now."

Said Redfearn, "Every child is learning in a different way. Some need to touch and visualize what they are learning. We keep regrouping so no one feels singled out. We try to get them to self-assess -- and to understand that it's not a bad thing if they don't understand everything."

Friday, April 3, 2009
N.J. establishes transition center for young disabled adults
From The Gloucester County Times in NJ:

After high school, students with disabilities in Gloucester County have been left to carve out a path on their own. But the county freeholders are trying to change that with the Gloucester County Adult Transition Center, a new college-like program that officially opened on April 2.

Dozens of students from the Bankbridge High School stood outside the Gloucester County Office of Educational and Disability Services on April 2 as the freeholders held a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the new program. The building is located behind the Gloucester County Institute of Technology on Tanyard Road in Deptford Township.

Freeholder Director Stephen Sweeney, whose own daughter, Lauren, was born with Down Syndrome, said the program will be able to help students at the most critical time of their adulthood.

Sweeney recalled a conversation with his daughter when she said to him "Dad, I want to go to college" one day. But he noted that once students with disabilities leave high school, their entitlement to continued education and related services ends there.

The Adult Center for Transition, or ACT, will bridge that gap.

"This is the most critical time to help our young people be productive citizens," Sweeney said, calling the program an "unofficial college for the disabled."

The program aims to provide post secondary education, skill training and life skills to up to 200 young disabled adults ages 16 to 24 every year. The program will help the students develop personal and career goals, provide educational, vocational and job training programs, as well as mentoring programs, support groups and legal guidance.

It's something that Ashlee Farr, 20, of Williamstown has been needing since she graduated from Bankbridge two years ago. Farr, who addressed the crowd at Thursday's event, said she aspires to become a teacher at Bankbridge and earn a college education at Gloucester County College. The ACT program will help her and students like her achieve that goal, she said.

Fred Keating, who serves as the head of the department of educational and disability services for the county, applauded the freeholders' support for such a program.

"There was a vacuum in society for young persons with special needs," Keating said. "The concept of adult transition ... I think was greatly needed."

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
State cuts delaying many SSI disability benefits
From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — The nation’s top Social Security official says benefits for tens of thousands of people with severe disabilities are being delayed by furloughs and layoffs of state employees around the country.

The official, Michael J. Astrue, the commissioner of Social Security, said Sunday that “governors are hurting their own states, their own citizens, and increasing the backlog of claims” by furloughing workers who make disability decisions.

“The states’ response is completely illogical,” Mr. Astrue said.

State officials have announced furloughs, layoffs and hiring freezes to help balance budgets battered by the recession.

Claims are evaluated by state employees, but the federal government reimburses states for the salaries of those employees and pays the full cost of benefits for people found to be disabled.

“We pay the full freight,” Mr. Astrue said. “States do not save any money when they furlough or lay off these employees. They only delay payments to disabled citizens who rely on the monthly benefits.”

The cutbacks come as disability claims are rising because of high unemployment, the weak economy and the aging of the baby boom generation.

The Social Security Administration expects nearly 3 million new disability claims this year, up from 2.6 million in 2008. Each month the agency pays $12 billion in disability benefits to more than 13 million people.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, a Republican, cited “an unprecedented fiscal crisis” in ordering state employees to take off two days a month without pay
through June 2010.

Dr. C. Richard Dann, a California state employee who reviews claims for benefits, said, “Claimants are not getting the service they are supposed to get.”

Dr. Dann said he had to take off every other Friday. “I can review about 20 disability cases a day, and I am off two days a month,” he said. “So I do 40 fewer cases a month.”

Aaron B. McLear, a spokesman for Mr. Schwarzenegger, said: “The governor has not made exemptions to the furlough order because he believes that the state government needs to cut back, just as every California family and business is doing. We hope the furloughs have a minimal effect on state services, but understand that services very well may suffer.”

Mr. Astrue has expressed “grave concern” over such personnel actions in letters to governors, including Jon Corzine of New Jersey and David A. Paterson of New York, both Democrats, and Mr. Schwarzenegger.

In a letter to New York employees last week, Mr. Paterson said he intended to lay off 8,700 state workers by July 1.

Peter E. Kauffmann, a spokesman for Mr. Paterson, said, “The governor is aware of the concerns raised by the Social Security Administration and will act carefully.”

The Social Security system is so clogged with disputed disability claims that some people wait years for hearings. The stimulus bill signed by President Obama in February provided $500 million to “reduce the backlog of disability claims.”

But the impact of such spending could be offset by state cutbacks. In a report last month, Patrick P. O’Carroll Jr., the inspector general of the Social Security Administration, said that at least five states accounting for 15 percent of all disability cases — California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Oregon — had decided to furlough some disability workers, freeze hiring or impose other restrictions. Social Security officials said about 10 other states were taking or considering similar actions.

The agency said it was looking for ways to avoid the delays. The federal government could, for example, take over work performed by the states, but such a change could probably not be made without action by Congress.

( it would be nice if we had one, if not several, of these in northern nj)

Friday, December 19, 2008
NJ playground adapted for disabled children
From the Cherry Hill Courier-Post in N.J.:

MEDFORD, N.J. — Eowyn West always hoped she'd be able to take her daughters -- Abigail, 7, and Meghan, 9 -- to the playground together one day.

It's something the 40-year-old mother said she's avoided for the last several years because it became "heartbreaking" to watch Abigail sit by, unable to join in the fun, because she has cerebral palsy.

"(Regular playgrounds) weren't accommodating," West said. "It wasn't fair for one to go to the playground and one not to. It got disheartening."

So when the township decided a few months ago to build what will be Burlington County's first handicap-accessible playground, West eagerly joined the effort.

The planned play area is actually an addition to Fort Medford playground, which was was closed from February to October for repairs and safety upgrades.

But as officials were preparing to reopen the playground -- designed and built in 1995 by a group of area residents -- they realized they needed to make the park at least 50 percent handicap-accessible to comply with state regulations, said Beth Portocalis, Medford's recreation director.

Rather than tear down the existing facility or close it again for further upgrades, Portocalis said, the township decided to expand the playground and make the addition 100 percent compliant.

"The state agreed it was a great idea, so we took it to the council, who knew how important Fort Medford is to us," Portocalis said.

West said she joined the committee to provide some insight from a special-needs parent. There are only a handful of accessible playgrounds in the tri-county area, she said, including two in Camden County. There are none in Burlington County, and between prep and commuting time, a half-day could be lost traveling to the out-of-county playgrounds, West said.

"It wasn't somewhere we could go," West said.

The Medford Park Committee hopes to change that by opening the new playground this spring. Council agreed to give the recreation department $175,000 to order new equipment for the playground, each piece of which was selected to help special-needs children work around their disabilities, West said.

For example, metal slides were installed so hearing-impaired children can feel the vibrations, and there are activity panels located around the area geared toward autistic children, she said. Now the Medford Playground Committee needs to raise an additional $100,000 to cover equipment installation, fencing, guardrails and handicapped parking spots.

Donations are being accepted on the township's Web site, West said, and there are opportunities to sponsor pieces of equipment or to buy personalized pavers to benefit the project.

When completed, the playground will double the size of the current facility, and its double-wide design and rubberized surfacing will make it easier for wheelchair- or walker-bound children or caregivers to maneuver around the equipment.

West said the playground will be a dream come true for families like hers.

"I would love for typical and nontypical children to learn from each other," she said. "(Abigail) really enjoys being friends with other children who are not disabled. As a friend of mine put it, just because my daughter has cerebral palsy, that doesn't mean she's only going to be friends with people with cerebral palsy."

She added that it will also benefit parents or grandparents with special needs who would be otherwise unable to play with their youngsters.

And parents like herself will have a place to network and, she said, "commiserate."

"I think it's perceived that special-needs parents spend a lot of time together," she said. "But guess what? We don't, and it's very difficult to network. It's not like there's a special-needs child book that's given to you when you bring your child home."

Portocalis said the money raised will be used to install recycled-rubber surfacing, in keeping with another of the playground's objectives, to be as "green" as possible. The rubber surfacing is also best for wheelchairs and walkers, she said.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Herald News Letters

DCF schools critical to New Jersey children

During Governor Corzine’s budget address, he spoke passionately about nurturing our children and protecting the most vulnerable among us. His budget priorities would make it clear that "kids count!" Just two weeks later it was announced that all 18 Department of Children and Families Regional Schools would be closed, half slated for closure by June 30.

As a teacher at the DCF Regional School-Wanaque, I’m writing for those students who are the most vulnerable and do not have a voice. My students reside in a hospital setting because of the severity of their disabilities. Most are ventilator-dependent, fed via a gastrostomy feeding tube and require 24-hour medical care. Our students require a program that has taken years of experience to develop. Do not confuse the expertise needed to best help these students achieve success with the governor’s unsubstantiated plan to transition them into another program.

Corzine stated that "every child has a right to be inspired and challenged every day in schools that are among the world’s best."

The governor should take the time to visit the DCF schools. He would see that our educational program is the best ... or is it now his belief that our "kids don’t count"?

Virginia Leines

Totowa

SOURCE
By JOSEPH P. SMITH • Staff Writer • April 22, 2009

VINELAND -- This may be the last year 12-year-old Jose Joel Peralta takes a school bus here from Bridgeton.




Peralta is one of 560 children attending a New Jersey Department of Children and Families regional school. The department intends to close the school system in phases.

By June 2010, the goal is to have all students back in their home school districts. The Cumberland Campus has not been assigned a closing date.

Cumberland Campus students either will be taken care of in their home districts or be placed in special schools somewhere in the state.

"We're working very closely with the Department of Education and whatever district is taking the lead for that county," department spokeswoman Kate Bernyk said.

Cumberland has between 25 and 30 students, and it is one of 18 such campuses in the state.

Peralta, who has impaired vision and suffers from seizures, was enrolled 6 years ago at the West Sherman Avenue school. His conditions require special attention, and that keeps him out of regular classrooms, his mother Grissel Ayala said.

"They sent him here and he never left," Ayala said. "I am happy here. The staff, they love these kids like they were their own."

Ayala is co-president of the Cumberland Campus Parent Teacher Association and, with unionized school staff, is trying to keep the system open.

"I wouldn't be comfortable at home knowing my son is somewhere else," Ayala said.

On Thursday afternoon, Vineland Mayor Robert Romano toured the school.

It was a first look at the school for the first-term mayor, and he emerged after about an hour and said he'd do what he could to change Trenton's mind.

"I don't really know what the governor's thinking," Romano said. "It's a great school and the kids seem like they're content."

The mayor said he'd be writing Gov. Jon S. Corzine about the closings and talk to state legislators, as well as U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo.

Later this month, Sen. Jeff Van Drew and Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam are going to visit the school.

Bernyk stressed that the closing is not "budget driven," something employees dispute.

"Our enrollment has been steadily declining and that's really because of the local school districts and counties building their ability to serve these students," she said. "We actually had closed schools in the past. A year ago, we had a school in Somerset County that, because of the low enrollment and the needs of the students, we closed."




The regional school system has four categories of students: The severely cognitively and physically disabled; those with behavioral and mental health problems; those "at risk" for failing in school; and pregnant teens or teens with children.

Bernyk said that each student sent back will come with his or her individual education plan, or IEP. An IEP specifies what special conditions must be followed in teaching a student.

Peralta, who got letters March 30 notifying her of the planned closing, said she wants the governor to tour the school.

"We have tried sending e-mails, but we haven't gotten any response," she said.

Lyshiron McClendon, president of Communication Workers of America Local 1034, works at the campus. She is among 24 full-time workers and 10 part-timers.

McClendon said the closing is a cost-cutting move, not a response to lower enrollment.

"He's making it seem like they are bottom of the barrel," McClendon said. "But they still deserve what everyone else gets."

Childrens emergency medical fund

" Mission Statement "

The primary mission of the Children's Emergency Medical Fund of New Jersey of New Jersey is to make funds and services available within 24 hours of a request.

Our secondary mission is to make available educational outreach and advocacy services throughout the state of New Jersey and the nation.

NJPS/CEMF Community Outreach Programs, including video and computer based presentations have been nationally recognized. This past year we have joined with Disabilities TV to produce a series focusing on a broad array of children with disabilities and the everyday issues they must face.

We custom build state of the art computers equipped with video conferencing to monitor many of our seriously ill, homebound, "Truste Kids.". We are now able to monitor children from our homes and offices. This is a first in the state and probably in the country. The system we have constructed can be found in many of the finest New York hospitals. There are no other systems like this in patient's homes. "Truste" volunteers take turns monitoring and examining online. All computers are donated by the Children's Emergency Medical Fund of New Jersey. Because it is impossible for us to get to some of our "Truste Kids" in a crisis, this system allows us to act at the spur of the moment. If we see a child is in respiratory distress or in need of immediate assistance, we are able to call an ambulance or make adjustments as needed white online. We are using a number of systems that will limit any interference with internet privacy and extended connections.

We even have a small scholarship fund and offer a work study program to high school and college students.

found other ways to fight and keep your child from moving from where he is... or to move him "elsewhere" becuase the new district changes they would make... would be detrimental..

Mediation

Request for Emergent Relief

......

If your child is close to 18, your going to need these too..

Transfer or Rights (Parent)

Transfer of Rights (Student)

just in case..

English

Spanish

NJ PRIVATE SCHOOLS FOR THE DISABLED..



in case your looking for a school.. or your district is clueless...

ATTENTION:

All CWA Members

The Appellate Court has issued a ruling in our application for a Stay of the Furlough Rule.

The Court said that it is likely that the Temporary Rule violates workers' layoff and seniority rights under the law. The Court will only allow furloughs where an entire department shuts down on the same day. The State cannot stagger furloughs.

We do not know exactly how the State will respond but this once again points out that the Corzine Administration should be addressing these issues in talks with the Union and not by acting unilaterally.

We should still plan on attending the public hearing on April 23. The State is likely to appeal the court's decision and the permanent rule is still being reviewed. We must be there.
All out April 23 - Public Hearing
Lawrenceville Armory @ 6 P.M.

See your Shop Steward for information about getting to the Public Hearing.



WHERE WE STAND

As you are already well aware, the State of New Jersey is dealing with one of the greatest fiscal dilemmas it has yet to experience. As your Union, we are constantly working around the clock to address all of your concerns as best we can, and at the same time fighting for what is right and what needs to be accomplished in this time of uncertainty. In response to Governor Corzine’s plan to fix the State’s budget by attempting to implement on our members 12 furlough days, CWA fought back by participating in Lobby Day held last Monday at the State House.

To reiterate to our membership as to where we stand: 1) We are not opening the Contract 2) We are not agreeing on 12 furlough days 3) No wage freezes & 4) No layoffs! On Lobby Day, Local 1039 and the other CWA Locals throughout the State held meetings and talks with Legislators voicing our concerns regarding Governor Corzine’s plan and how detrimental the effects will be for State workers as well as the State’s economy. From these efforts we have gained and sustained much support amongst several Senators and Assembly members for CWA’s membership and State workers.

Amidst all the media coverage and rumors circulating with what Governor Corzine is attempting to do with the budget, please know that at this point NO negotiations have been made with CWA and the State. Currently we are at an impasse. Governor Corzine has delayed the talks by canceling scheduled meetings with CWA last week. This critical matter is being addressed by CWA as we speak. Since last week, the Presidents of each Local have held daily meetings with CWA National and CWA’s attorney Steve Weissman on what tactics will be utilized to handle this dilemma.

We have also been recently informed that on numerous accounts, management, in specific departments, is informing our members of what furlough days will be taken in the coming months. Due to the Union not giving into Governor Corzine’s requests, these dates have been initiated as a scare tactic and a means to create division and discord amongst our membership. Please keep in mind that there are still no definite arrangements regarding these “dates.” We are doing all we can to fight back regarding everyone’s concerns.

We acknowledge that the talks with the State have become difficult process, and there will most likely be some form of shared sacrifice due to the financial condition of the State’s budget. However, to attempt to balance the budget on the backs of State workers is WRONG and we will not stand for it. We also acknowledge that there are many different feelings and opinions shared amongst our membership on what should or shouldn’t be done in this time of crisis. Please be informed that when talks are completed and a potential agreement has been made amongst both parties, full-dues members of CWA will be sent a ballot to vote on the decision. It will be your voice that will settle on what decision should be made on your behalf.

Although the road to a just resolution to this crisis has become a great challenge for all of us, CWA will not back down on our commitment to our members and we will continue to fight for what is right until the end. Thank you for your continued support, participation, and activism. We will continue to keep you informed of new information as it is received.

In Unity,
Tom Palermo, President
CWA Local 1039