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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

The purpose of this guide is to offer resources in one central location for those who support or care for someone who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind and receives supports from the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP). The guide provides some of the most frequently accessed resources to assist in addressing the unique needs of these populations, such as information about American Sign Language (ASL) courses, apps, home modifications, assistive technology, a foundational organizations directory, and so much more!

Development of this guide included input from individuals within the Deaf, DeafBlind, hard of hearing, and hearing communities and will be revised annually by ODP’s Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Advisory Committee.

This guide can be found here. For questions, email ODP Deaf Services.

ODP Announcement 22-085 announces clarification for Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) on resuming Waiver and Targeted Support Management (TSM) Supports Coordination (SC) in-person monitoring. Many adjustments have been made to the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) policy and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appendix K allowed for SC services to be provided remotely during the pandemic. ODP planned to replace the Appendix K guidance with new requirements detailed in the Intellectual Disability and Autism (ID/A) Waiver renewals and the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) amendment effective July 1, 2022, to allow for some SC individual monitoring to continue to be completed remotely.

Both the ID/A Waiver renewals and the AAW amendment are pending approval with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). Therefore, ODP is issuing guidance to clarify the expected requirements of individual monitorings performed by SCs. This announcement outlines the updated requirements for SC in-person and remote monitoring and obsoletes that section of Appendix K.

ODP expects SCOs that were unable to meet the June 30 deadline for completing the in-person monitoring for at-risk individuals to continue to follow their plan and communicate with the ODP regional office to ensure that all the priority individuals are seen in-person.

This announcement outlines requirements for SCOs to implement no later than October 1. For additional questions, please contact your appropriate ODP regional office.

Tablet on a desk - Newsletter

Welcome to the first edition of Technology Today! The aim of this quarterly newsletter is to share the work being done by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) Technology Taskforce, as well as resources, events, and success stories.

ODP hopes you enjoy the inaugural edition of this newsletter and look for future editions! The Technology Today newsletter is also available on MyODP.

RCPA staff and the Conference Committee are gearing up for our long-awaited in-person conference to be held in Hershey, PA, October 11 – 14, 2022! Registration is now open; details on workshops, networking, and more are all available here.

We would also like to thank some of our early sponsors. Thank you for showing your support of our 2022 Conference!

We have additional sponsorship opportunities available and invite you to contact Carol Ferenz or Sarah Eyster for more information. We look forward to seeing you all Together this October!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Miranda Brazinski
570-709-4655

July 26, 2022 (PITTSBURGH, PA) — Mainstay Life Services, a nonprofit organization that provides life-long, high-quality support services for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, hosted its 15th Annual Charlie Ross Memorial Charity Golf Outing on June 27, 2022, at the Club at Nevillewood in Presto, Pennsylvania.

The event, which raises funds to help the people supported by Mainstay to live their best life, featured a field of 138 golfers and raised a record-breaking $172,395. Numerous sponsors contributed to this year’s success, including Hefren-Tillotson: The ERA Group / Baird, enkompas Technology Solutions, UPMC Health Plan, BBL Fleet, Microsoft, and Neishloss & Fleming, LLC.

View the 2022 Golf Outing Digital Program Book and photo gallery.

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About Mainstay Life Services

Mainstay Life Services is a nonprofit organization providing residential services, community services, and other supports to people with intellectual disabilities and autism and their families throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. We are committed to assisting the people we support to reach their fullest potential within their community.