HELLO 2006

WELL HELLO 2006 AND TO ALL THOSE WHO READ!!!!

WELL 5 DAYS INTO THE NEW YEAR AND I JUST FEEL IT IN MY BONES IT HAS TO BE BETTER THAN 2005!                                                          OTHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL HAPPENINGS  AROUND THIS TIME OF THE YEAR I GOT THE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND A HEARING ON MY PARENTAL VOUCHERED RESPITE TODAY-- I WILL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE BUT I WANT TO  SAY SOMETHING ABOUT  NEW YEARS----

JUST WONDERED HOW MANY OF YOU HAD "ISSUES" WITH YOUR KIDS WHEN  IT CAME TO THE HOLIDAYS??  ITS PRETTY WELL KNOWN THAT THE HOLIDAYS ARE JUST A FIASCO FOR OUR KIDS   CHAOTIC, UNPREDICTABLE AND ANXIETY RIDDEN. INTERRUPTED ROUTINES, FACES THEY ONLY SEE ONCE A YEAR, LIGHTS  AND DECORATIONS THAT ONLY APPEAR  AROUND THE HOLIDAYS --   WELL WHAT ABOUT THE NEW YEAR??? ANY OF YOU HAVE KIDS THAT  LIVE BY THE CALENDAR??? WHAT ABOUT NEW YEARS FALLING ON A SUNDAY BUT BEING CELEBRATED ON A MONDAY ?? YEP THATS RIGHT  IT CAN TURN THEIR WHOLE LIFE UPSIDE DOWN. WHEN SOMETHING AS SECURE AS A CALENDAR SAYS ONE THING BUT US HUMANS SCREW WITH  IT??  NO  MAIL  NO SCHOOL   NO BANKS OPEN BUT ITS THE 2ND-- "MOM ITS NOT THE 1ST---WHY??"  WELL HOW BOUT THAT ROSE PARADE???  WE WENT OVER THE EXPLANANTION THAT LONG AGO THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT MADE THEY WOULD NEVER HAVE THE PARADE ON A SUNDAY AND ALL THE REASONS THAT GO WITH  IT  BUT THANK GOD FOR KTLA CHANNEL5   THEY PLAYED THE ROSE PARADE ON A CONTINOUS LOOP FROM 8 AM  TILL 10 PM -- DAKOTA WAS IN HOG HEAVEN-- TALK ABOUT "FEEDING THE MONSTER"   THAT  CONTINOUS AIRING WAS  THE ANSWER TO PRESEVERATION  PRAYERS!!!!!! I NEVER SAW DAKOTA SO CALM  IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A DRUG   ----- NEEDLESS TO SAY HE HAS THE WHOLE PARADE MEMORIZED I HAD TO MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO GIVE HIM REASONS TO BE PEELED AWAY FROM THE PARADE THROUGHOUT THE DAY OR HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A PERMENENT FIGURE IN FRONT OF THE TUBE!!!  OH AND THE RAIN JUST ADDED TO THE INTEREST IN HIS MIND>

NOW ON TO THE HEARING-- BRIEFLY I HAVEBEEN APPEALING TO INLAND REGIONAL CENTER {IRC} TO CONTINUE  PARENTAL VOUCHERED RESPITE  {PVR} FOR THE BETTER PART OF 2005.

IRC HAS EFFECTIVELY TAKEN 4300 CASES OF VOUCHERED RESPITE AND CONVERTED THE MAJORITY TO AGENCY RESPITE --WHICH  IN  MY EYES IS  NOT RIGHT.  AGENCY RESPITE HAS ITS PLACE AND USE BUT I STILL BELIEVE THAT PVR  SHOULD BE AN OPTION FOR THOSE OF US WHO WISH TO USE IT. IRC HAD APPROX.100 CHALLENGES TO THE BLANKET DECISION OF CONVERTING THE RESPITE AND ALSO 600+ CLIENTS OR THEIR SUPPORT  SYSTEM JUST GAVE UP AND ABDONDED RESPITE ALL TOGETHER--- RESPITE  IS A FORM  OF  PAID RELIEF FOR THE CARE GIVERS OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN AND ADULTS.   I HAVE GREAT ISSUES WITH THE CONVERSION FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS BUT PRIMARILY THAT IT WASNT PRACITCAL FOR OUR FAMILY DYNAMIC AND THE FACT THAT IT  VIOLATED THE LANTERNMAN  ACT  WHICH SPEAKS TO THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF A CLIENT AND THEIR FAMILY OR SUPPORT SYSTEM..

AFTER GOING BACK AND FORTH FOR SEVERAL MONTHS  WITH  IRC - - - WE FINALLY MET FOR A HEARING TODAY-- ALTHOUGH I FEEL GOOD ABOUT THE HEARING I DONT HOLD MUCH HOPE THAT THE RULING WIL BE IN MY FAVOR. FROM INFORMATION  I HAVE RECIEVED FROM  OTHERS IT  IS NOT GOOD WHEN  IT COMES TO  FINDING ON THE SIDE OF THE PARENTS  -- BUT HERES WHAT I KNOW AND WHAT HAPPENED TODAY

I DID GET LUCKY AND DREW A JUDGE OTHER THAN THE ONE THAT MANY PARENTS HAD A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE WITH-- AND I DO FEEL THAT THIS JUDGE ASKED MANY QUESTIONS THAT SEEMED TO LEAN TOWARD MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT-- THIS IS  AN ADMINSTRATIVE LAW JUDGE AND HE HAS TO RULE ON THE POINTS OF LAW HOWEVER THE MANTRA OF THE OFFICE OF ADMINSTRATIVE HEARINGS DOES STATE THAT THEY HAVE A COMMITTMENT TO  BE CREATIVE IN THEIR RESOLUTIONS --SO  WHO KNOWS??  IRC HAS ISSUES WITH COMPLIANCE  ON RECORDS FROM YEARS PASSED -- I  MADE SEVERAL POINTS ABOUT  TRAINING THE PARENTS TO PRODUCE THE KIND OF RECORDS THAY EXPECTED US TO KEEP SINCE THEY PROVIDED  NONE--  THE FACT THAT THE FORMS THAT HAVE ALL THE LEGAL DISCLAIMERS ABOUT MAINTAINING THESE RECORDS HAS GONE THROUGH 3 PERHAPS 4 REVISIONS  INCLUDING THE OMMISSION OF THIS DISCLAMIER  FOR PERHAPS UPWARDS OF 2 YEARS   AND THE SIMPLE FACT THAT IF THE FORMS WERE NOT FILLED OUT TO THE IRC REQUIREMENTS IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU SIMPLY DID NOT RECIEVE THE REIMBURSEMENT FOR  RESPITE  SO HOW CAN THEY DETERMINE YOU OUT OF COMPLIANCE WHEN  THEY ARE THE ONES CHECKING YOUR WORK BEFORE ISSUING THE CHECK???

THERE WERE OTHER POINTS COVERED ANDIT WAS A VERY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE-- I LEARNED A FEW THINGS AND FELT EMPOWERED THAT I HAD THE ABILITY TO STAND UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE AND PERHAPS MAKE A FEW POINTS THAT OTHERS HAVE MISSED.

I  FEEL  I  MADE A GREAT CASE AND I DID MY HOMEWORK . I ACTUALLY HAVE TO GIVE CWA SOME CREDIT CUZ I BELIEVE MY TRAINING AS A UNION  REP  PAID OFF -- IT REALLY HELPED ME ORGANIZE MY THOUGHTS AND AGRUMENTS.             THANKS CWA 

WELL  ITS ONLY 330 IN THE MORNING SO I GUESS I BETTER PUT THIS EXERPT TO BED AND WILL WRITE AGAIN SOON                        HAPPY NEW YEAR