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Tired of hassles with wheelchairs? Have you considered a wheelchair
clinic? Wheelchair clinics were created to provide one location where
wheelchair repairs, adaptations, or new wheelchairs could be ordered.
The clinics provide an occupational therapist (OT), or a physical
therapist (PT), for an evaluation and recommendation. They often provide a
choice between several wheelchair vendors, otherwise known as durable
medical equipment (DME) providers. They also help to obtain insurance
authorization through Medicare, Medical Assistance, and/or private
insurance.
Listed below are SOME of the wheelchair clinics in the Philadelphia area.
Call them for an appointment, and they will tell you what prescriptions are
needed and what insurance they accept.
Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital (610) 640- 3943, (outpatient intake) (610) 640-
7895
Chestnut Hill Hospital (215) 233- 6240
Hospital of the University of PA (215) 349- 5585
Magee Hospital (215) 587- 3032
Moss Rehab Hospital (215) 456- 9475
Pennsylvania Hospital (215) 829- 7923
When you visit the clinic for an evaluation, be prepared to provide complete
medical information, insurance information, and past wheelchair information.
Remember to:
1) Get documentation of the clinic visit.
2) Make sure any loaner wheelchairs are equivalent to the individuals
present wheelchair.
3) Remember to ask how long the process of repairs,
adaptations, or the new wheelchair order will take to complete.
4) Be prepared to be a persistent advocate. (Source: Health Care Alert,
Issue #13, PCHC Newsletter)
Are You
Up-to-Date on Extended School Year Programs?
By Janet Stotland, Education Law Center - PA
Last year, under pressure from the Education Law Center and the
federal Office of Special Education Programs, the State's Extended
School Year (ESY) regulations were substantially amended. Some of the
most important changes/clarifications were that: ESY is not limited to
children with "severe" disabilities (although these children are most
likely to qualify).
A child can qualify because of a "regression/recoupment" problem, or
because of "other factors" that make it unlikely that the student "will
attain or maintain skills and behavior relevant to established IEP goals
and objectives." "Retrospective data" (that is, documented past history)
on regression and recoupment are not required for a child to qualify.
Other evidence that can be relied upon in making ESY determinations
includes reports by parents of negative changes, or observations and
opinions by educators, parents and others.
Last summer, we received a number of complaints – late ESY
eligibility determinations, districts that failed to develop
individualized ESY, IEPs, and others. For the past several months, we
have been working with the PA Department of Education to develop a Basic
Education Circular (BEC) that would prevent some of these problems, and
eliminate some widely held misconceptions about ESY programs. That BEC
has just been issued, and ELC will send copies on request. ELC also has
a new "Fact Sheet" on ESY programming.
Some of the "highlights" of the BEC are: All children with
disabilities must be considered for ESY eligibility at their annual IEP
meetings, not just children with severe disabilities; IEP team reviews
for ESY eligibility for children with severe emotional disturbances,
autism, moderate and severe levels of retardation or multiple
disabilities must be completed by February 28 of each school year, and
the Notice of Recommended Assignment (NORA) issued to parents (with
program specifics if eligible) no later than March 31. Since this BEC is
just being issued in early February, some districts may legitimately
have difficulty convening these IEP meeting by the end of the month.
This BEC should, at least, give families substantial leverage in getting
the meetings scheduled ASAP.
Whenever a family asks that a child be considered for ESY
eligibility, an IEP team meeting must be convened, and the decision
conveyed to the parents via a NORA. Negative decisions can be challenged
through the procedural safeguard system. ESY programs are not limited to
self- help and basic skills. Academic and vocational goals can also be
part of an ESY program. Although most ESY programs are designed to make
up for the long summer break, ESY programs can include weekends or even
continuous programming. A child's ESY program cannot be changed over the
parents' objection and request for a hearing until all due process
procedures have been completed. If fully understood and implemented,
these new regulations, and the new BEC, will be a big help to families
trying to get ESY services for their children.
For more information, or for the fact sheet, contact the Education
Law Center-PA at 215-238-6970 or email
elc@elc-pa.org
Did You Know?
Dental Care – Special Smiles, LTD, is a state of the art dental
facility specializing in the treatment of patients with emotional,
behavioral, cognitive, and developmental disabilities. Located in
Episcopal Hospital at Front Street and Lehigh Avenue, their goal is to
provide dental care solutions for persons with special needs. Special
needs patients are those individuals with disabilities whose routine
dental care services may not be provided by a general dentist due to
resistance to treatment in a traditional dental office setting. Patients
must be at least 14 years old and currently enrolled in one of the
following HealthChoices programs: AmeriChoice, HealthPartners, or
Keystone Mercy Health Plan. Contact the Member Services Department to
obtain a referral for dental treatment, or call Special Smiles directly
at 215-427-7495.
Social Security – People who get benefits can earn more in 2002.
There's good news in 2002 if you're younger than 65 and you work while
getting Social Security survivors or retirement benefits. You'll be able
to earn more money this year and keep all of your benefits. You can earn
up to $11,280 (up from $10,680 in 2001). After you earn $11,280, $1 is
withheld from your benefits for every $2 you earn. If you will reach age
65 during 2002, $1 will be withheld for every $3 of earnings above
$30,000 until your birthday month. After your 65th birthday, you can
receive your full benefit amount no matter how much you earn. There are
a variety of ways to contact Social Security. Call 800-772-1213. You can
use the automated phone services 24/7, or call between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
on business days to speak with a representative. If you're deaf or hard
of hearing, call the TTY number, 800-325-0778, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Or you
can use the FAX Catalog. Call toll-free, 888-475-7000, for an index and
to order specific items. You can write or visit your local Social
Security office. And, of course, there's the website – http://www.ssa.gov/reach.htm.
Legal Help for Seniors – The Judicare Project provides free legal
services and advocacy to low-income seniors, aged 60 or older, who are
homebound or disabled. They encourage contact from Asian, Latino, and
other seniors with limited English. Call 215-238-6390 or
www.scjudicare.org.
Vehicle Modification Contacts – Here are some telephone numbers
for vehicle modification – Chrysler, 800-255-9877; General Motors,
800-323-9935; Ford, 800-952-2248; Saturn, 800-553-6000 (press 3).
Compensation for new vehicles’ modifications are sometimes available
from individual manufacturers based on certain restrictions. It’s worth
a call if you’re buying a new van.
Right to Education Guide – The 2002 edition of "The Right to
Special Education in Pennsylvania – A Guide for Parents" is available
from the Education Law Center. Single copies for parents and advocates
are free. Others may purchase copies at $7.50 each or arrange for bulk
order discounts. Call 215-238-6970 or email
elc@elc-pa.org
PACENET Eligibility Expanded
Pennsylvanias seniors PACENET drug prescription eligibility has been
expanded by $1,000. If you lost your PACENET eligibility due to the
cost-of-living Social Security increase, contact your County Assistance
Office. You will be enrolled retroactively, and no one will be removed
this year due to a COLA. If your income was just a bit too high
previously, you also should contact the Assistance Office. Due to the
income increase, you could be eligible.
Technology help
If you are a person with a disability who currently uses technology
to be more independent (electronic organizers, palm pilots, personal
digital assistants), Temples Institute on Disabilities wants to hear
from you for their research project. For more information, call
215-204-2247, TTY-215-204-1356, or email
friedman@voicenet.com
Visit
www.temple.edu/inst_disabilities
The Nurturing Parenting Program
Helping to handle stress and anger – for parents and adolescents,
12-19 years of age
The Nurturing Parenting Program -- for parents and adolescents 12 to
19 years old – is a free ten-week program for families to take together.
Parents meet separately from children with two trained facilitators
while youth participate in self-esteem building activities with their
own facilitator. The program is for any family that wants to get along
better, communicate more, and feel closer to each other.
A new class begins on March 30th and will run through to June 1, 2002,
at Parkside Recovery, 5000 Parkside Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131.
Sessions are held on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A free catered
lunch is provided. Van transportation is provided to families who live
in West Philadelphia and around Center City. Tokens are distributed to
those who live elsewhere. For registration or information call
Dr. Nancy Lydick, 215-879-6116, ext. 227
The program works for all kinds of families: two-parent,
single-parent, foster, adoptive and blended families. In addition to the
program for parents of adolescents, there are programs designed for
parents and their infants/toddlers and parents and their school-aged
children. These groups will meet at a later date.
This program is designed to help adults and children learn how to
handle their feelings, communicate their needs and feelings of others,
and take charge of their own behavior; replace hitting and yelling as
disciplinary techniques with other, more effective techniques such as
redirection, time-out, choices and consequences, praise, family rule,
problem solving, etc.
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