Dear friends,<\/p>\n
I was grateful to be a panelist on last week\u2019s NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Provider Network Webinar, \u201cIdentifying and Addressing Disparities in Disability Supports and Services,\u201d hosted with Georgetown University\u2019s National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC). Huge thanks to Tawara Goode and her amazing team!
\nOver 160 provider agencies from across New York came together for some real talk about inequities and what it will take to fix them.
\nI was also part of a second, cross-systems session that brought together state agency officials from multiple systems over 320 people logged in! It was an honor to share a parent\u2019s perspective alongside self-advocates and system leaders.
\nThese sessions are being integrated into statewide cross-systems and provider trainings, which is exciting. As always, I tried to be strength-based, salty, and hold nothing back.<\/p>\n
Stay warm,
\nSimcha<\/p>\n
NEW DADVOCATING PODCAST EPISODE
\n\u201cThe Art of Advocacy: Inclusive Casting in the Entertainment Industry\u201d<\/p>\n
As we wrap up #NDEAM (National Disability Employment Awareness Month), I\u2019ve been thinking about what true inclusion really means, not just in workplaces, but in representation. Who gets to be seen, heard, and hired?
\nIn this new episode, I talk with legendary casting director Robin Carus about how lived experience changes everything in casting and why authentic representation of disabled and neurodivergent artists matters.<\/p>\n
Listen on Spotify – Listen on Apple Podcasts<\/p>\n
Robin also shares insights on the new NYC Accessibility Fund, her advocacy for inclusion, and a hilarious Sacha Baron Cohen\/Borat story you don\u2019t want to miss.<\/p>\n
Upcoming Statewide Peer Support Training (FTNYS \/ OMH-Certified)<\/p>\n
Our next statewide session will be held on Monday November 24, exploring the dangers of passive screen time and how peers and parents can help youth build healthier digital habits.
\nOur last session had an incredible turnout and energy, thank you to everyone who joined! This one\u2019s open to parents, caregivers, and peer professionals, and will offer practical, evidence-based strategies you can use right away.<\/p>\n
REGISTER HERE<\/p>\n
Autistic Jewish Discussion Circle (with Matti)<\/p>\n
Topic: Nervous System Responses to Tradition, Practice, and Mitzvot<\/p>\n
Sunday, Nov 16
\n12:30 PM Pacific | 3:30 PM Eastern | 8:30 PM London
\nA relaxed, peer-led Zoom space to reflect, connect, and share lived experiences in community.<\/p>\n
REGISTER HERE<\/p>\n
Superheroes and mental health<\/p>\n
And if anyone\u2019s in Albany this Thursday, I\u2019ll be at the Colonie Town Library talking about two of my favorite topics, superheroes and mental health. Say hi!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear friends, I was grateful to be a panelist on last week\u2019s NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Provider Network Webinar, \u201cIdentifying and Addressing Disparities in Disability Supports and Services,\u201d hosted with Georgetown University\u2019s National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC). Huge thanks to Tawara Goode and her amazing team! Over 160 provider agencies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"","format":"standard","override":[{"template":"4","parallax":"1","layout":"no-sidebar-narrow","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"hide","share_float_style":"share-normal","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"jnews_podcast_option":[],"jnews_podcast_series":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"jnews-series":[],"class_list":["post-344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"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=344"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":568,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/344\/revisions\/568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=344"},{"taxonomy":"jnews-series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.simchaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fjnews-series&post=344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}