NJ state legislators and experts will explain how to navigate changes in systems designed to help those with developmental disabilities at the Kaplen JCC on Feb. 15. The three-hour conclave was organized to let members of the general community learn how to address the critical needs of family members with special needs. These issues include housing, Medicaid/entitlements, advocacy, employment, and life care planning and support.
State Senator Loretta Weinberg, who will open the conference, told JLNJ, “I am going to speak briefly about the importance of the inclusion of folks with disabilities in all parts of our community, whether school, recreation, transportation or access to health care—and how services should always be supplied with respect for religious and cultural backgrounds.”
The keynote speaker will be Elizabeth M. Shea, Assistant Commissioner of Division of Developmental Disabilities, who will be followed by a panel conversation about housing options in New Jersey with Gail Levinson, Executive Director SHA, and Tom Toronto, President United Way of Bergen County. Additional speakers are Leizer Gewirtzman, Holly Martins, Jennifer Joyce, and Teresa Herrero-Taylor.
The conference is being organized by J-ADD, OHEL & JCCOTP, with many local community organizations participating—including JFS Clifton-Passaic, Bergen County Y/JCC, JFS Bergen in Wayne, and Sinai. If any other organizations still wish to participate, please contact [email protected] for more information on getting involved.
The conference will be held Sunday morning, Feb 15th, at the Kaplan JCC on the Palisades, 411 E. Clinton Avenue, Tenafly. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the program runs from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register for the conference, please contact the OHEL NJ Mental Health Center at [email protected] or 201-692-3972.
