{"id":232,"date":"2025-11-12T00:42:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T00:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/?page_id=232"},"modified":"2025-11-12T01:51:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T01:51:21","slug":"families-caregivers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/?page_id=232","title":{"rendered":"Families & Caregivers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Families & Caregivers<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Dadvocating: Family Centric Advocacy<\/span><\/strong>
\nJust as autistic voices are often left out of conversations about their own lives, so are the voices of their families. Dadvocating lifts those voices through a father\u2011centric lens so they are truly heard.
\nRabbi Simcha Weinstein, founder of the Jewish Autism Network, is a late\u2011diagnosed ADHD dad of an autistic adult. Once a dad in denial, he is now a passionate dadvocate who champions families navigating complex systems of care. He serves on state systems committees in Albany, is Brooklyn Lead for NYADD (New York Alliance for Developmental Disabilities), and works as Community Engagement and Inclusion Coordinator at Families Together in NYS, where he leads trainings on system navigation and advocacy.
\nSimcha regularly testifies, writes, and pushes for systemic change, especially for neurodivergent individuals with mental health needs. He is also working toward his master\u2019s in mental health counseling, committed to building person\u2011centered supports that see the whole person.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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NYS Jewish Family Association<\/span><\/strong>
\nFamilies like ours are not our loved one\u2019s voice, but we are often their amplifier and sometimes their translator. In certified settings across New York State, such as group homes, our loved ones may rely entirely on providers. Families step in to make sure supports are in place and each person is seen as more than a file. Every voice matters, spoken or unspoken.
\nThe NYS Jewish Family Association works to ensure families, caregiver sand our loved ones have a real seat at the table. We partner with providers, hold systems accountable, and advocate for accessibility, cultural sensitivity, and respect for religious and cultural needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Peer Workforce<\/span><\/strong>
\nFinding support can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to do it alone. Becoming a Family Peer Advocate or Youth Peer Advocate is a meaningful way to use your lived experience to help others. Simcha started by taking the Family Peer Advocate training and now helps train others across New York State.
\nIf you are ready to get started, you can begin here: [link]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Families & Caregivers Dadvocating: Family Centric Advocacy Just as autistic voices are often left out of conversations about their own lives, so are the voices of their families. Dadvocating lifts those voices through a father\u2011centric lens so they are truly heard. Rabbi Simcha Weinstein, founder of the Jewish Autism Network, is a late\u2011diagnosed ADHD […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":269,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jnews_page_loop":{"first_title":"Latest Post","header_type":"heading_6","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","module":"3","main_custom_image_size":"default","second_custom_image_size":"default","excerpt_length":"20","content_date":"default","date_custom":"Y\/m\/d","content_pagination":"nav_1","pagination_align":"center","post_sticky":"0","post_offset":"0","posts_per_page":"5","sort_by":"latest"},"jnews_single_page":{"layout":"no-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","show_post_title":"1","show_post_breadcrumbs":"1","show_post_featured":"1","share_position":"top","share_color":"share-monocrhome"},"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-232","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":233,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/232\/revisions\/233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}