Tips for Coping with Holidays & Holiday Assistance

categories: Autism, Cognitive Disabilities, Community, Family, Home, Mental Health, Parenting

Happy Holidays with leaves and berries wreath

The winter holidays are almost here. INDEX staff updated two fact sheets that people might find helpful. Holidays can be fun. They may be stressful for many people and families.

Our Tips for Coping with the Holidays fact sheet has resources for dealing with:

Stress
Mental Health
Grief
Caregiving
Physical Disabilities
Special Needs
More

Our Holiday Assistance fact sheet has resources people in need of help with:

Food pantries, food baskets and holiday meals
Food delivery for seniors and people with disabilities
Gifts for children
Financial help including help with utilities
Other resources

Some resources are state wide. Others are listed by county, town or city.

We hope that these tips and resources may be helpful for people in need.

26
Jul
2024

Voters with Disabilities 2024 Info

categories: Accessibility, Community, Independence, Voting & Government

We put together info about voting in Massachusetts for people with disabilities. You can find:

How to register to vote
Accessible voting and how to ask for an accessible ballot
Voting rights
Voter resources
Where to vote

You can register to vote in Massachusetts if you are:

A U.S. citizen
Live in Massachusetts
18 years or older
Not in jail for a serious crime

A ballot is the way to pick the person you would like to vote for. You can vote by mail. You can vote early, or vote in person on the day of the election.

Massachusetts state primaries are on September 3. 2004.

Offices on the ballot are:

U.S. Senator
U.S. Representative
Governor’s Councillor
State Senator
State Representatives
Register of Deeds
Clerk of Courts
County Commissioner (some counties only)

The 2024 United States federal elections will be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. The next president and vice president will be elected. Nine members of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts will be elected.

Please look at our Voters with Disabilities Info 2024 fact sheet.

13
Nov
2023

Holiday Resources 2023

categories: Community, Family

The holidays can be a hard time for families and people with disabilities.

INDEX has an updated Holiday Resources 2023 fact sheet. You can find holiday help in Massachusetts. Looking for food and food pantries? Want a place to go for a Thanksgiving or holiday dinner with others? Thinking about how you can get toys and gifts for children?

Resources are for:

* Food/Meals

* Toys & Gifts

* Financial Help

* Holiday Programs

Holiday Resources 2023

07
Nov
2022

Christmas of Caring at First Congregational Church (FCC) Aims to Help Ease Medical Debt

categories: Community, Family

Rev. Josh Fitterling and FCC Worcester will be partner with the nonprofit organization RIP Medical Debt to forgive medical debts for individuals in Worcester County and across Massachusetts.

FCC Worcester is currently taking donations for RIP Medical Debt and planning the Christmas of Caring fundraiser for Dec. 11, which will include a Christmas carol singalong and a chance auction. According to Fitterling, the church will also donate collection money from its Christmas Eve service to RIP Medical Debt this year.

According to Daniel Lempert, vice president of communications at RIP Medical Debt, the organization is a New York-based nonprofit that uses donations to buy and then forgive medical debt across the United States. It was founded in 2014 by two former debt collections executives who chose to use their knowledge of the industry to forgive, rather than collect, individuals’ debts.

Read full Worcester Telegram article.

23
Aug
2022

Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Linkages Program

categories: Cognitive Disabilities, Community, Health

The Department of Public Health’s Linkages Program evaluates, refers and links persons 18 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities to preventative health care and health promotion programs in their community.

Based off participants responses to a series of surveys and questionnaires the Linkages Program zeros in on common trends and remarks in order to coordinate an individualized plan of action for each participant. The Linkages Coordinator meets with potential participants either virtually, over the phone, or in-person to see what their health needs are and then works with the participant to link them with providers or other services.

The Linkage Program looks to remove barriers and hardships to healthcare access, health promotion activities, and mental health care needs. The program encourages participants to be confident, self-reliant, and knowledgeable about their rights and resources that are available to them.

As the Linkage Coordinator, Phelicha is committed to creating an environment that is inclusive, supportive and relevant. She aims to provide immediate one on one consultations that collaboratively prioritizes participants needs and goals. Thus, ensuring that each person alongside their support systems feel seen, heard and understood.

Please contact Phelicha!

-Phelicha Berdet, Linkage Coordinator, MA DPH Health and Disability Program

Email Phelicha.D.Berdet@mass.gov

Cell Phone: 617-279-3730

24
Sep
2021

Massachusetts Personal Care Attendant (PCA) How-to Training Videos

categories: Community, Health, Home

We want to share some information about Personal Care Attendant Services in Massachusetts.

The Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council developed new training videos for Consumers, Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) and Job Seekers. These videos explain:

Directory Basics Video
Consumer Video
Worker Video

There are questions and answers for both consumers and workers.

Consumers that need PCA services during this public health emergency can call the MassOptions call center at 1-844-422-6277.

The MassOptions call center will connect these consumers to home health services in their region

Training Videos and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

14
Sep
2021

EasyCOVID-19 Project Now Recruiting!

categories: Accessibility, Cognitive Disabilities, Community, Deaf & Hard of Hearing, Health

Please help EasyCOVID-19 simplify COVID-19 info wor ld wide!

The EasyCOVID-19 project is now recruiting people to help us simplify COVID19 terms. Please help us by visiting our EasyCOVID-19 crowdsourcing app. This is the start of our project to simplify the COVID-19 information published by every country’s government websites.

Overall Plan

We will start with the Massachusetts. We will then expand to the other U.S. states. We will then move to the 18 English Speaking countries, then the 21 Spanish speaking countries, then the world! This will help many huge populations, such as people with cognitive disabilities, non-native language speakers, the Deaf, and seniors. When they understand how to be safe and healthy, the whole world will be safe and healthy.

Our project would not be successful without:

Microsoft FastTrack for Azure Team
- Srinivasa Padala, Senior FastTrack Engineer
- Taylor Ford O’Malley, Former EasyCOVID-19 Senior Project Manager
- iAsia Brown, Interim EasyCOVID-19 Project Manager
- Geralyn Miller, Senior Director, AI for Good Research Lab at Microsoft (The person who first funded us!)
Microsoft AI for Health and other funders
EasyCOVID-19 team

Please help us now!

For more info, see our EasyCOVID-19 Website!

17
Mar
2021

Advanced Leadership Fellowship Opportunity – Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental & Related Disabilities (LEND) Program

categories: Community, Education

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental & Related Disabilities (LEND) Program

Deadline for applications is June 1, 2021

September 2021 to June 2022

$12,000 stipend available

The LEND Program at the E.K. Shriver Center/UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA prepares professionals, persons with disabilities, and family members to influence policy and clinical practice on behalf of children with developmental disabilities and their families.

We are looking for applicants who:

have relevant experience in the disability field and leadership potential
have professional degrees in health and/or clinical disciplines, disability studies, or policy. Other professional qualifications may be appropriate.
are individuals with disabilities, self-advocates, or family members of people with disabilities interested in pursuing careers in disability policy/systems change
LEND coursework can be credited towards a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Suffolk University at reduced tuition.

~ The LEND program involves a minimum commitment of 1 day/week ~

For questions or more information contact:

Carol Curtin, PhD, Program Director: carol.curtin@umassmed.edu
Donna Caira, Administrative Assistant: donna.caira@umassmed.edu

For additional program information and application forms, visit our website: https://tinyurl.com/ShriverLENDApplication

28
Aug
2020

INDEX COVID-19 Emergency Information Update

categories: Community, Emergency Preparedness, Health

INDEX collects and keeps up-to-date information on programs, providers and services in Massachusetts that have something to offer to people with disabilities. We try to provide information relevant to the changing COVID-19 situation and offer updates as new information becomes available for people with disabilities in Massachusetts.

As businesses, day programs, and schools are in the process of reopening, up to date information is helpful. Practicing safe social distancing, limiting of group size, wearing of masks, and other precautions continue to be important, particularly for people with disabilities and elders who are often more vulnerable.

We are continuing to update our COVID-19 Emergency Information web page. Newly added links include Massachusetts Return to Day Program Risk/Benefit Discussion Checklist in English and Spanish and a link to Mass.gov COVID-19 Daily updates.