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For Youth

Do you have a special health care need or disability and are between 14 and 22 years old? Are you an advocate or interested in civil rights? Do you want to learn valuable advocacy skills? Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of Maine children and youth?

If YES, please consider joining Maine’s Children with Special Health Care Needs/Disabilities Youth Advisory Council!

• Become a YAC member!
• Check out the YAC Blog
• See past meeting transcripts, summaries, & documents on the Other Resources page

Upcoming Events in Maine, with the Maine Youth Action Network:
http://www.myan.org/events/event_list.asp

Resources

To see the different resources, just click on the title and those resources will drop down. To close a section, click on the title again.

• Have a Job! (Employment)

• Going To Work: A Guide to Social Security Benefits and Employment for Young People with Disabilities
  http://www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?article_id=211

  This booklet provides basic information about Social Security disability and health benefit programs, discusses what happens to Social Security disability and health benefits when a young person goes to work, and explains how to maximize a young person's options when he or she goes to work.
  

  Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) http://www.benefitsandworkinme.org

  The website has general information about free WIPA services and eligibility, the statewide listing of Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs), referral forms that can be printed and mailed to get an appointment, an online request for services form, information and materials for referring agencies and online resources for individuals with disabilities returning to work.
  

  Institute for Educational Leadership- Center for Workforce Development: http://iel.org/programs/cwd.html

  Established in 1991, IEL's Center for Workforce Development's (CWD) mission is to strengthen ties among workers, learning institutions and the workplace. CWD focuses on helping leaders in both the public and private sectors build bridges that connect individuals with both learning institutions and the workplace. The focus is on the ties that link the worker, the school or training institutions, and the workplace -- ties that promote the types of learning organizations needed to increase the overall productivity of the nation's workforce. Over time, CWD's work has concentrated on:

  • improving the involvement and connection of employers to learning enterprises and the workforce system;
  • assisting educators, employers and policymakers to improve the connection between school and workplace;
  • putting standards and assessments in place that will improve connections and quality; and
  • improving the quality of and the connections among the various pieces of the workforce development system through evidence based research leading to examples of what works.
    
  KASA - Work Resources
  http://fvkasa.org/resources/work.html
  

  This page has reports [real life stories told by youth and young adults with disabilities] and links to other organizations and agencies that can give you information about work.
  

  National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/

  NCWD/Youth is your source for information about employment and youth with disabilities. Our partners — experts in disability, education, employment, and workforce development — strive to ensure you will be provided with the highest quality, most relevant information available.

  HRTW Work Resources
  http://www.hrtw.org/tools/hrtw_go_tools_work.php

  Tools on how to stay healthy so you can succeed in a job!

• Go to School! (Education)

• "Disability-Friendly Colleges: A Guide for Students with Physical Disabilities" is an online college guide for students with physical disabilities containing interactive charts of the most disability friendly colleges and profiles of the colleges that provide services necessary for students with physical disabilities to live on campus.
  
  The website contains up-to-date information such as:
  • Detailed descriptions and photos of four colleges providing all of the services necessary for seriously physically disabled students to live on campus
  • Interactive charts of 75 colleges that go beyond ADA including: accessibility, personal care, transportation, adaptive sports, academic rank, contact information and how the Ivy League stacks up
  • High school vs. college comparison
  • Tips on commuting to college
  • 10 things students with physical disabilities should look for on a college visit
  • An interactive disability-friendly college blog to help create a database
  • Of college experiences and begin a conversation on college accessibility
    
    The Guide can be found at http://www.disabilityfriendlycolleges.com/
    
    
  KASA- Education Resources: http://fvkasa.org/resources/education.html

  This page has reports [real life stories told by youth and young adults with disabilities] and links to other organizations and agencies that can give you information about education.

  GEAR UP for Students
  http://www.gearupme.org/students/

  Maine’s GEAR UP Program is helping to create a sustainable culture in schools that supports students who are economically disadvantaged in preparing for, accessing, and succeeding in postsecondary education.
  

  HRTW Tools for Education
  http://www.hrtw.org/tools/hrtw_go_tools_edu.php
  

  Valuable tools and resources for staying healthy, and being involved in your education.
  

• Get in Touch

• Youth Coordinator, HRTW
  KASA Co-chair
  Mallory Cyr
  Mallorycyr@yahoo.com
  207-713-9132
  
  Maine State Youth Advisory Council Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40398603825
  
  KASA Facebook Group:
  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52342247092
  
  

• Know Your Rights!

• Harvard Project on Disability
  http://www.hpod.org/

  The Harvard Law School Project on Disability has published a Handbook with an easy to read explanation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This publication is designed for anyone wanting a clear explanation of the Convention, including people with intellectual disabilities, their organizations, and their advocates.

  My Voice, My Vote
  http://www.myvoicemyvote.org

  This is a new website for young adults with disabilities who want to learn about the voting process and make a difference in their communities. The site includes resources for voters in Minnesota and across the country, including the many different ways one can vote and what it means to be a good citizen. The website also includes this open-captioned video on the voting process:

  National Council on Disability:
  http://www.ncd.gov/ KASA- Civil Rights/Advocacy
  Resources:
  http://fvkasa.org/resources/civil.html
  

  This page has reports [real life stories told by youth and young adults with disabilities] and links to other organizations and agencies that can give you information about civil rights and advocacy.
  

• Be a Leader! (Advocacy)

• What Kids Can Do
  Read about other youth across the country who have done amazing things in the world of advocacy, or check out their many publications.
  http://www.whatkidscando.org/
  
  National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN):
  http://www.nyln.org/

  The National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) is dedicated to advancing the next generation of disability leaders.
  The NYLN:

  • Promotes leadership development, education, employment, independent living, and health and wellness among young leaders representing the diversity of race, ethnicity and disability in the United States.
  • Fosters the inclusion of young leaders with disabilities into all aspects of society at national, state and local levels.
  • Communicates about issues important to youth with disabilities and the policies and practices that affect their lives.
  
  Kids as Self Advocates (KASA):
  http://www.fvkasa.org

  We believe that young people with disabilities should have control over their own lives and futures. KASA supports this by informing youth about their rights, providing peer support and training and changing systems to include youth.

  KASA- Leadership/Advocacy Resources:
  http://fvkasa.org/resources/civil.html

  This page has reports [real life stories told by youth and young adults with disabilities] and links to other organizations and agencies that can give you information about civil rights and advocacy.

  Youth Move National!
  http://youthmove.us/

  Youth M.O.V.E National is a youth led national organization devoted to improving services and systems that support positive growth and development by uniting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in various systems including mental health, juvenile justice, education, and child welfare.

  National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center:
  http://tinyurl.com/knkydu
  

  See some of your peers present on Disability Disclosure and the work they are doing as young leaders!

  Disability History:
  http://www.disabilityhistory.org

  In order to be informed and involved in what is known as the “disability rights movement,” it is very important that you learn and understand what people before you have worked to achieve. Although we may feel like we still have a lot of work to do, we have definitely come a long way too!

  Maine Transition Network
  http://www.mainetransition.org/youthleadership.html
  
  YouthSpeak Presentations
  http://www.ccids.umaine.edu/archive/maineworks/youthspeak.htm
  HRTW Topical Calls
  http://hrtw.org/hrtwu/topicalCalls.html
  
  Service Tapestry
  http://www.servicesforme.org/services_tapestry.html
  

• Other Stuff...

• Partners for Youth with Disabilities
  http://www.pyd.org/

  PYD is a pioneer in its delivery of unique mentoring services for youth with disabilities. In addition to its core one-to-one Mentor Match Program, PYD offers multiple innovative and effective group and educational programs that build skills in the areas of independent living, self-advocacy, entrepreneurship and career development and provide opportunities for socialization, leadership, community service, healthy living and participation in the arts. All of these programs provide role models who share their own stories and inspire young people to gain confidence to face their futures. Programs and events are accessible to individuals with disabilities from diverse multicultural backgrounds.
  

  The University of Montana Rural Institute:
  http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu/Transition/

  The University of Montana Rural Institute has been a leader in the area of transition planning for youth with disabilities since 1995. Activities have included:

  • Provision of education and training to schools, families, students and agencies;
  • Development of innovative strategies and transition models;
  • Demonstration, outreach and technical assistance, both on-site and long distance;
  • Promotion of systems changes to support effective transition for youth from school to adult life; and
  • Information dissemination.
    
    
  The National Council on Disability
  http://tinyurl.com/6mtffc
  
  New England Center Deafblind Project
  http://www.necdbp.org/Trainings.htm

  The New England Center Deafblind Project (NEC) provides technical assistance to children who are deafblind in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as well as to their families and educational programs. Perkins is the sponsoring agency and assumes overall responsibility for this multi-state project, which was founded in 1969. NEC's central office staff is housed on the Perkins campus, with satellite offices and staff located in each of the other states.

This grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (award #D70MC06895). The grant was awarded to the Children with Special Health Care Needs program at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. Project partners include the Maine Support Network, Maine Family Voices, and the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.