Aging and Disability Network Meeting Minutes July 12 2016

Aging and Disability Network Meeting Minutes 7/12/16

Present: Cindy Harrington (Shelters of Saratoga), Denise DiNoto (Consumer Directed Choices), Ardis Armer (Saratoga County Office for the Aging), Connie Weaver (Saratoga County OFA), Renee Birnbaum (Choice Connections), Mary Rickard (Saratoga County OFA), Patrick Harrington (Saratoga County OFA), Nichole Church (Healthy Capital District), Jennifer Baldwin (Saratoga Hospital), Whitney Jobmann (SAIL), Ellen Egger-Aimone (Geriatric Care Manager/Saratoga Dialysis), Katiria Romero (VSNY Choices), Caitlin St. George (Eddy VNA), Jess Flynn (Eddy Daybreak ADS),  Diana Martin (Evergreen ADS), Ben Nichols (Saratoga County OFA), JoAnn Zales (National Grid), Sharon Emerson (St. Peter’s CHOICES), Bill Hinrichs (Alzheimer’s Association), Maria Geizer (Home Instead), Donna Rudzinski (Shenendehowa Village).

Attendees introduced themselves. There will be no meeting in August, but we will resume in September. Details to follow.

Today’s Topic and Presenter: Sim Goldman, PAIR (Protection and Advocacy for Individual Rights) Senior Staff Attorney of Disability Rights New York presented an overview of Disability Rights New York programs and services.

Disability Rights New York is the Protection and Advocacy System and Client Assistance Program (P&A and CAP) for persons with disabilities in New York. DRNY advocates for the civil and legal rights of New Yorkers with Disabilities.

New York residents with disabilities can contact DRNY for help with problems directly related to their disabilities. DRNY investigates complaints and provides direct assistance to people with disability-related issues under the terms of its federal grants and its annual goals and priorities.

DRNY’s mission is to protect and advance the rights of adults and children with disabilities so that they can freely exercise their own life choices, enforce their rights and fully participate in their community life.

This assistance is provided through a number of programs:

PAIMI – Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness. PAIMI can investigate complaints of neglect and abuse and prioritizes those in facilities receiving care.

PADD – Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

PATBI – P&A for Traumatic Brain Injury. Provides services to ensure individuals with TBI have access to comprehensive, high quality health care.

PAVA - P&A for Voting Access. PAVA educates, trains, and assists individuals with participating in the electoral process and also ensures physical accessibility of polling places and informing people about the rights of voters with disabilities.

PAAT- P&A for Assistive Technology. PAAT helps people with disabilities with services related to assistive technology devises or services.

PABSS – P &A for Beneficiaries of Social Security. This helps people who receive SSI or SSDI who are trying to return to work, gain employment or receive employment related training or services.

PAIR – P & A of Individual Rights. This services people who may not qualify for any of the above services. PAIR primarily helps people with physical, neurological and sensorial disabilities.

CAP – Client Assistance Program. This assists people who have questions or have encountered problems with receiving or applying for vocational rehab services from state agencies.

For any questions about DRNY, please contact them at 518-432-7861 or go to www.drny.org