A New Jersey town’s apartment project for adults with autism, fed aims to ease the shortage of special ed teachers, why sex ed is crucial and more developmental disability news for the week ending Oct. 14, 2023.

New York

City Moving Slow on Requirement for Sidewalk Ramps at Every Corner One deadline has already been blown and officials are still figuring out a new timeline. (thecity.nyc)

DIY jobs:  When they couldn’t get hired, these disabled New Yorkers launched their own businesses (newsday.com)

Outside of New York

Apartment project in N.J. town designed specifically for adults with autism A mother creates a neuro-diverse housing project in Red Bank through her nonprofit, Parents with a Plan. (nj.com)

N.J. wrongly forces people with developmental disabilities into nursing homes At least 2,000 people with developmental disabilities reportedly are housed in nursing homes “contrary to their wishes” and in violation of their constitutional rights. (nj.com)

Should Philly Have an Office for People with Disabilities? It’s now up to voters. (Philadelphia Citizen)

Battle Over Nation’s 1st Religious Charter School Heads to Oklahoma Courts The plaintiffs say the virtual Catholic charter school would violate Oklahoma law and potentially discriminate against LGBTQ students and those with disabilities. (the74million.org)

Disability advocates argue against school vouchers in Texas Senate hearing Advocates and parents raised concerns that recipients of Education Savings Accounts who choose private schools would no longer be protected by federal law. (Texas Tribune)

Education savings accounts allow parents to withdraw their children from public district or charter schools and receive a deposit of public funds into government-authorized savings accounts with restricted, but multiple, uses.

Education

Feds Aim To Ease Shortage Of Special Educators Over $35 million will be used to bolster the workforce. (Disability Scoop)

How Accessible Sex Ed Helps Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities Form Healthy Relationships Less than half of students getting disability services receive any reproductive health instruction, and rates are even lower for low-income, autistic, Black, and Hispanic students who use disability services. (Mother Jones)

Autism

Study suggests some children lose their autism diagnosis: One researcher unpacks the findings A researcher looks at a paper making headlines this week and suggests it presents possible outcomes for relatively privileged children, as well as relatively high cognitive and adaptive functioning at the time of diagnosis. (spectrumnews.org)

Autism silenced this L.A. teenager. It couldn’t stop him from creating a 70-minute symphony Jacob Rock lives with profound non-oral autism. His condition makes him all but unable to speak, with other debilitating physical effects inhibiting communication and socializing. (Los Angeles Times)

The World

Women with a disability are more likely to experience child marriage than women without a disability Progress toward reducing child marriage has been uneven and stagnant, particularly in fragile states. (publichealth.gmu.edu)

Halloween

Autism- and budget-friendly costume ideas  An advocate and mother of an autistic son offers up some tips. (Autism Speaks)

Great Outdoors

Using technology to open up wilderness trails to people with disabilities Groups countrywide working to ensure all hikers and bikers have access to outdoor spaces regardless of their disabilities. (NPR)