This has always been a case centered not only on freedom of choice, but also ensuring the services and supports are there so people’s choices could be realized. When we provide individuals with community service options and alternatives to institutional care we ensure true community integration.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (PRWEB)
January 06, 2022

More than five years after the class action lawsuit Ball v. DeWine, 2:16-cv-28, was filed in federal court, the Honorable Judge Edmund A. Sargus, Jr. of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has issued an order ending the case as part of the parties’ settlement agreement. Disability Rights Ohio (DRO) and its partners, the Center for Public Representation and Sidley Austin LLP, brought the class action lawsuit in March 2016 on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, and The Ability Center of Greater Toledo. The parties, including the Governor of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD), the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), and the Ohio Association of County Boards of Developmental Disabilities (OACBDD), reached a comprehensive settlement agreement that was approved by the court in April 2020, agreeing to continue and expand programs that would allow more people with developmental disabilities the option to live and work in their communities with the supports they need instead of in segregated facilities. To date, over 1,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have transitioned from institutional settings to their own homes and communities.

The state must continue its implementation of the settlement agreement until January 2023 explained Kevin Truitt, DRO’s Legal Advocacy Director. “Prior to our taking legal action, the median wait time for people with developmental disabilities to transition from a facility into their own home in the community was over 13 years. This lawsuit has changed that for many people across the state, and we are very proud of this accomplishment.”

The lawsuit was based on allegations of systemic, statewide violations of the Americans with Disabilities and the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, which requires states to operate programs and services for people with disabilities in the most integrated, least restrictive settings appropriate to their individual needs. As part of the settlement, options counseling programs were expanded by the state to inform people about waiver programs and opportunities to live in the community. In addition, the state also substantially increased the capacity of the system to serve people in community settings instead of facilities.

“This has always been a case centered not only on freedom of choice, but also ensuring the services and supports are there so people’s choices could be realized” said Kerstin Sjoberg, DRO’s Executive Director. “When we provide individuals with community service options and alternatives to institutional care we ensure true community integration.”

Disability Rights Ohio is the federally and state designated Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program for the State of Ohio. The mission of Disability Rights Ohio is to advocate for the human, civil and legal rights of people with disabilities in Ohio. Disability Rights Ohio provides legal advocacy and rights protection to a wide range of people with disabilities. http://www.disabilityrightsohio.org

The Center for Public Representation is a non-profit, public interest law firm that seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities – especially those who are institutionalized and discriminated against – and to enforce their legal rights to exercise choice and self-determination in all aspects of their lives. http://www.centerforpublicrep.org

About The Ability Center: The northwest Ohio agency strives to make our community the most disability friendly in the country through advocating, educating, partnering, and providing services supporting people with disabilities. The Ability Center has served the seven counties of Lucas, Ottawa, Wood, Fulton, Henry, Defiance, and Williams since 1920. https://www.abilitycenter.org

About Sidley Austin LLP: With 2000 lawyers in 20 offices around the globe, Sidley is a premier legal adviser for clients across the spectrum of industries. Since our founding in 1866, Sidley has cultivated a tradition of, and commitment to, pro bono service. Sidley’s lawyers and staff devote more than 100,000 hours annually to serving those most in need. http://www.sidley.com

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Chemico Group and CEO Leon C. Richardson receive high diversity distinctions, having been named MMSDC’s 2021 Supplier of the Year Class IV and an Automotive News Notable Champion of Diversity

Chemico CEO Leon C. Richardson adds: “I’ve worked half of my career on nurturing MBEs and entrepreneurs. It’s imperative that we set up businesses in our communities that look like us, hire people that look like us, put people who look like us on management teams — wash, rinse and repeat.”

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (PRWEB)
January 04, 2022

The Chemico Group, the nation’s largest minority-owned and veteran-owned chemical management supplier, was named the 2021 Supplier of the Year Class IV during the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council’s (MMSDC) 44th Annual Ambassadors Championing Excellence (ACE) Awards and Chairman’s Scholarship Gala in December. The ACE Awards honors minority business enterprises (MBEs) and individuals that are role models for their commitment to supplier diversity, excellence in service, value and quality.

Chemico CEO Leon C. Richardson has been named a 2021 Automotive News Notable Champion of Diversity and is featured in a special section of the publication’s December 27th Yearbook Edition issue. The Notable Champions of Diversity program recognizes leaders who have demonstrated their commitment to improving diversity, equity and inclusion in various corners of the automotive industry and whose personal experiences fuels their passionate approach. The 2021 class was chosen by a panel of Automotive News editors and reporters from scores of nominees.

“We celebrate and honor those who have been strong champions of supplier diversity and supportive of MMSDC’s mission. You all are leaders and champions of supplier diversity, are creating opportunities, diverse spend growth and value through(out) the supply chain. Your work is having a positive impact on our march to parity,” said MMSDC vice-chairman and GVP, Toyota NA Purchasing Supplier Development Robert Young.

For some years, The Chemico Group has maintained an average of 75 percent employees of color. 60 percent of the Group’s leadership team are women and multicultural. Since 2014, Chemico has increased its spend with minority-owned companies to nearly $36 million, growing from 4 percent of sales to six percent. The company seeks to double this spend over the next several years.

“We are incredibly proud that the MMSDC has recognized our performance and our persistence in advancing diversity,” said Leon C. Richardson, president and CEO, Chemico. “We have remained true to our mission for more than 32 years — to add value to our customers’ supply chain, add value to the lives of our employees and to add value to the communities in which we operate. Diversity and inclusion are the cornerstones that shape how we run our business and are critical for driving innovation and growth.”

In addition to his diversity efforts at Chemico, Richardson served as an MMSDC Board Member for 15 years and chaired its Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC), helping to grow more than 1,200 MBEs in the state. In December 2020, MMSDC named Richardson MBE Luminary of the Year.

Richardson added: “A more successful organization is a diverse organization. I’ve worked half of my career on my passion — to develop and nurture other MBEs and mentor future leaders and entrepreneurs. It’s absolutely imperative that we strengthen our communities, set up businesses in communities that look like us, hire people that look like us, put people who look like us on our management team, grow those individuals — wash, rinse and repeat.”

In 2021, Chemico was named a General Motors Supplier of the Year for an eighth year. The supplier earned the Excellent Performance Award for Distributors from Toyota Motor North America, its fourth award from the automaker. For the first time, Chemico received the 2021 Honda Indirect Supplier Award for Challenging Spirit, going “above-and-beyond” expectations to ensure fulfillment of a service, product or project. Chemico was named MBE of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council in 2018.

About Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council

The Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization committed to driving economic growth within minority communities. The MMSDC advances this mission by facilitating over $36 billion annually in economic output between corporations and certified minority business enterprises (MBEs). Founded in 1977, the MMSDC certifies minority businesses, develops their capacity and facilitates inclusive procurement opportunities. The MMSDC is one of 23 affiliates of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a nonprofit corporate membership organization that advances business opportunities for its certified Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native American business enterprises and connects them to its corporate members. One of the country’s leading corporate membership organizations, NMSDC was founded in 1972 to provide increased procurement and business opportunities for minority business enterprises.

About Automotive News

Since 1925, Automotive News has been the primary source for news happening among automotive retailers, suppliers and manufacturers. Distinct from other publications in the field, Automotive News remains a fully subscriber-paid publication, a testament to the value it delivers to the reader. The award-winning weekly print edition, robust website, email newsletters and video broadcasts are backed by a global team of more than 55 editors and reporters.

About Chemico Group

Founded in 1989, the Chemico Group is the largest veteran-owned, minority-owned chemical management firms in the nation. The Group is comprised of two distinct business entities — Chemico LLC (chemical management) and Chemico Systems (chemical products and distribution). Chemico LLC specializes in integrated solutions for the entire chemical lifecycle — from procurement to on-site inventory management to environmentally conscious disposal. A leader in specialty products and distribution, Chemico Systems’ vast network of suppliers provide customers a wide variety of chemical solutions. The company’s portfolio is used in customer facilities across the automotive, aerospace, electronics and healthcare industries as well as the defense sector. With over 50 locations and more than 450 employees across the U.S. and Mexico, the company is poised for significant growth. For more information, visit http://www.thechemicogroup.com.

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www.NAELA.org

We are looking forward to working with Grace Whiting as she guides NAELA in new and exciting directions while keeping what has made NAELA successful.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
January 03, 2022

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) Board of Directors have selected C. Grace (Grace) Whiting, J.D., as NAELA’s next Executive Director. Ms. Whiting will helm the nonprofit organization, which trains legal professionals on how to support older adults and people with disabilities. With a growing number of aging adults in the U.S. and anticipated challenges facing people with disabilities, including potential long-haul COVID19 patients, NAELA aims to continue to build a network of attorneys prepared for trends in aging.

“We are looking forward to working with Grace Whiting as she guides NAELA in new and exciting directions while keeping what has made NAELA successful,” said NAELA President Letha Sgritta McDowell, CELA, CAP. “Grace is joining an incredible team who are passionate and dedicated to our work, and who go above and beyond in helping our members.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining NAELA,” said Ms. Whiting. “With more than thirty years of history, the association has the right expertise to help the lawyers who serve older adults, people with disabilities, and their families. If there’s one thing the COVID19 pandemic has taught us, it’s the importance of planning for emergencies and being prepared to care for those we love.”

Ms. Whiting joins NAELA from the National Alliance for Caregiving, where she most recently served as President and CEO. She has also worked with the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation and Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease, in the Washington D.C. area. Prior to that, Ms. Whiting received her Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, where she helped launch an Alternative Spring Break program and received the Memphis Bar Association’s Irvin Bogatin Public Service Award in 2010. With a bachelor’s degree in communications from Louisiana State University, Ms. Whiting started her career with the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, supporting hurricane recovery efforts after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She has dedicated her career to helping others and has extensive experience with advocacy groups in the aging, disability, and healthcare communities.

Ms. Whiting follows Peter G. Wacht, M.A., CAE, NAELA’s outgoing Executive Director. With more than a decade at NAELA, Mr. Wacht is largely credited with stabilizing the organization’s financials and modernizing its operations. Under Mr. Wacht’s leadership, NAELA’s membership grew to include over 4,000 members and expanded to include new state chapters. After a successful tenure, Mr. Wacht anticipates earning is PhD in 2022 in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing Studies. An Amazon best-selling fantasy author, Mr. Wacht also plans to continue his work as a novelist, adding to more than ten published novels.

About NAELA

Members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities. Upon joining, NAELA member attorneys agree to adhere to the NAELA Aspirational Standards. Established in 1987, NAELA is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations, and others. The mission of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is to educate, inspire, serve, and provide community to attorneys with practices in elder and special needs law. NAELA currently has members across the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit NAELA.org, or to locate a NAELA member attorney in your area, visit NAELA.org/FindLawyer.

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National Coalition for Access To Autism Services

“Military families already experience far greater challenges in accessing benefits for ASD than their civilian counterparts,” said NCAAS Chair Mike Moran. “The involvement of the NAS in evaluating TRICARE’s Autism Demonstration is a positive step toward… accessing treatment…”

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)
December 30, 2021

The National Coalition for Access to Autism Services (NCAAS), the voice of the nation’s premier autism treatment providers, today welcomed language in the National Defense Authorization Act that seeks to improve the analysis of data collected from active duty and retired military families whose children participate in the Department of Defense’s Autism Care Demonstration (ACD), which provides access to medically necessary services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law by President Biden on Monday, December 27, 2021.

“Military families already experience far greater challenges in accessing benefits for ASD than their civilian counterparts,” said NCAAS Chair Mike Moran. “We applaud everyone for their support and advocacy of our military families with children who have autism. The involvement of the National Academies of Sciences in evaluating TRICARE’s Autism Demonstration is a positive step toward ensuring families are accessing top-quality treatment and that data collected from their child’s treatment is used appropriately.”

Since 2019, NCAAS has raised concerns directly with the Department of Defense and with the House and Senate Armed Services Committees about the improper use of data collected from DoD patients utilizing the PDD Behavior Inventory (PDDBI), an internationally recognized and utilized behavior assessment tool, but which the DoD has improperly assessed and thus asserted unsupportable conclusions about the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis (ABA) used to treat ASD. Moreover, the DoD’s improper analysis has been the foundation of troubling assertions in quarterly and annual supports submitted by the DoD to Congress. In February 2020, Ira Cohen, Ph.D., the co-creator of the PDDBI met with the DoD to convey his concerns about the DoD’s improper use of the PDDBI data and the inaccurate conclusions asserted by DoD based on its flawed use of that data. Despite Dr. Cohen’s efforts, subsequent DoD reports to Congress continued to misuse the data and asserted conclusions that Dr. Cohen had clearly asserted were unsupportable.

“I met with the Department of Defense to point out the errors in their application of the PDDBI, and the resulting errors in their conclusions based on the PDDBI. I found it extremely frustrating to see that the Department simply continued to send an additional three quarterly reports and an annual report to Congress with the same erroneous information,” said Dr. Cohen. “The conclusions that the Department has made in its reports to Congress about the effectiveness of its Autism Care Demonstration based on its application and analysis of the PDDBI are simply unsupportable,” Dr. Cohen concluded.

With the Autism Care Demonstration expiring at the end of 2023, thousands of military families are relying on an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of a treatment of ABA, the gold standard in the treatment of developmental delays and interfering behaviors commonly present in children who are diagnosed with ASD. ABA is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree and to demonstrate the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior.

In light of numerous reports to Congress making erroneous conclusions about ABA’s effectiveness, legislators included language in the NDAA that requires DoD to contract with the National Academies of Sciences to conduct an independent analysis to determine whether data from the PDDBI are being interpreted properly and to complete other analyses to measure the effectiveness of the program.

“Frankly, I am relieved to know that the National Academies of Sciences will ensure qualified experts are scrutinizing the data that comes from the PDDBI,” said Dr. Cohen.

NCAAS members serve tens of thousands of families throughout the United States and more than 16,000 military families affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD). NCAAS and its members are committed to serving military families and remain committed to working with the DoD and the National Academies of Sciences in its evaluation of the ACD.

NCAAS recognizes and applauds Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Representatives Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Mike Gallagher (R-WI) who championed the issue in the Senate and House Armed Services Committees for supporting the language in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2022.

Now that President Biden has signed NDAA into law, the DoD will have the help of experts from the National Academies of Sciences to ensure greater accuracy in the analysis of treatment outcomes, as well as future reports to Congress.

TRICARE is the only major insurer in the United States which does not include ABA as part of its regular benefit. All 50 states require commercial insurance to cover ABA, and Medicaid, the federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries in all 50 states have access to ABA. Military families deserve access to the same evidence-based, medically necessary services for ASD as their civilian counterparts. Numerous studies show children who have access to ABA are less likely to need additional support and services and are more likely to become independent, thriving contributors to society.

ABA is an evidence-based ASD treatment recognized by experts:

• The U.S. Surgeon General considers ABA to be an evidence-based best practice treatment.
• The CDC has called ABA a “notable treatment approach” that is widely accepted among professionals in many treatment settings.
• The American Psychological Association has found ABA is “well-grounded in psychological science and evidence-based practice.”
• The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted: “most evidence-based treatment models are based on the principles of ABA.”

According to the Defense Health Agency (DHA), more than 16,000 children of military families receive Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, the primary treatment of ASD, through the ACD.

About National Coalition for Access to Autism Services (NCAAS)

The NCAAS is a nonprofit organization representing autism treatment providers and the hundreds of thousands of children and families they serve in every state who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. NCAAS providers contract with TRICARE, public schools, Medicaid, CHIP, and commercial insurers to provide essential medically necessary treatment to patients of all ages.

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https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/spotlight/nn/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101584932X120-doc

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/treatment.html.

https://www.apa.org/about/policy/applied-behavior-analysis

https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/1/e20193447/36917/Identification-Evaluation-and-Management-of

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