The Lego Foundation has announced a new project that will replace the usual knobs atop Lego’s iconic toy bricks with Braille dots. The blocks will also be stamped with the corresponding written letter, number or punctuation symbol, making them accessible to blind and sighted children alike. The project, called Lego Braille Bricks, is in a pilot phase and is expected to be released in partnership with schools and associations for the blind in 2020.
WDDE offers a preview of Artfest, detailing how the festival offers individuals with disabilities and UD student volunteers opportunities to team up, create a painting and participate in an inclusive Zumba dance.
Nationwide, about 13 percent of students qualify for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, but that number varies significantly from one state to the next, according to a Government Accountability Office report out this week. The report identifies disparities in eligibility criteria and disability definitions. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), House education committee chair, said it reveals how “inconsistent state policies and inadequate federal oversight [allows] thousands of young people with disabilities to fall through the cracks.”
President Trump recently signed into law a stopgap measure intended to maintain funding for the Money Follows the Person Medicaid program. Lawmakers are working on a bipartisan deal to fund MFP for several years at $450 million per year, but in the interim, the program is in danger of running out of money. MFP seeks to smooth the transition out of institutions by helping individuals with disabilities pay for certain services that promote independent living.
The Creating Awareness of Resources for Every Senior in Sussex County (CARES) Conference, taking place May 9 at Crossroad Community Church, will cover various considerations individuals should make before their death. These include estate planning, burial/cremation, philanthropic giving, caring for surviving pets and other topics.
