As Mad Man Don Draper once said, "If you don't like what's being said, change the conversation."

Two influential organizations in the Rochester, NY community are doing just that. And it's commendable. They've embarked on an education-based mission to make sure people with disabilities are seen, heard, and understood -  and they're prompting important conversations that are in many cases, overdue. 

Our public broadcasting station WXXI and the Al Sigl Community of Agencies have partnered on weeklong programming for a “Dialogue on Disability” initiative.

The talk radio and television shows are designed to encourage conversations about the abilities of people with physical and intellectual disabilities. The programming will run from Jan. 10 through 17. Some offerings I'm most looking forward to include:

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I just attended a webinar on respectful language, presented by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals. 

There was a lot of great discussion, but no clear answers on many of the topics addressed. 

One discussion that really stood out to me was the question of what to call the people you're providing supports to - particularly in documentation. 

We make the fields in MediSked Connect customizable - so that you can use the language your agency prefers. The most common designations we see are: 

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In case you missed it (I did - because, well - holidays...) the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released new data showing that direct-care jobs represent three of the top six occupations that will create the most jobs in the decade spanning 2014 to 2024.

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New York’s move to Managed Care is happening. And it’s happening fast.

To help agencies accelerate their own transition processes, the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) has created a one-time $10 million Non-Profit Behavioral Health / Developmental Disability Providers Health Information Technology (BH-DD HIT) Investment Program.

What does that mean exactly?

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