By Amy C. O’Hara, CELA® New York’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) savings account program became effective on April 1, 2016. However, the program is not yet available for individuals with disabilities to open an account.  The program is expected to launch at the end of 2016 or in 2017.  New York’s legislature recently…

At Littman Krooks, we work to help individuals with disabilities achieve meaningful benefits and live a fulfilling life. According to U.S. Census data from 2010, 56.7% in the United States have a disability – 19% of the non-institutionalized population. A disability can occur at any point in one’s life. The law protects all of us.…

April is Autism Awareness Month, a time to raise public consciousness about autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Join the global autism community and Light it Up Blue on April 2, 2016.  Senators Chuck Schumer of New York and Chuck Grassley of Iowa have introduced legislation to help the families of loved ones with autism,…

By Sandi Rosenbaum, Educational Advocate, Littman Krooks LLP Hundreds of thousands of students each year sustain concussions, a form of mild traumatic brain injury not detectable by scanning or imaging.  After an individual experiences a jolt or blow to the head, a physician or health practitioner must assess the student for physical or cognitive impairment…

The United States Department of Education has taken a positive step toward recognition of dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia.  Many parents of students with dyslexia or with specific learning disabilities in math and writing know the difficulty of obtaining individualized services for their children– particularly if the children have average or above-average cognitive abilities.  Some districts…

By Sandi Rosenbaum, Educational Advocate Families with a child with autism often face severe difficulties with misunderstandings in the community.   A Sunnyvale, CA family is facing a lawsuit by their next-door neighbor families, which charges that the family’s 11 year old son with autism is a “public nuisance” and seeks unspecified monetary damages and a…

More people with developmental disabilities are living to adulthood and even into their senior years. As a child with developmental disabilities grows older, parents begin thinking about how to secure their loved one’s financial future as the care they need can be expensive. While government programs and community resources provide essential help, significant family resources…

By Giulia Frasca, Esq. Spread the Word to End the Word is a movement started in February 2009 in conjunction with the World Winter Games to stop the use of the word “retarded” and its variants. Now, as the 2015 Special Olympics World Games are under way, Spread the Word to End the Word has…

As children with autism reach adulthood, one of the biggest challenges is finding suitable employment. By some estimates, the rate of unemployment for adults on the autism spectrum is 90 percent.

Employment programs for individuals with special needs do exist, and people with autism have shown that they can be some of the most dependable and productive employees. Now, more businesses are beginning to realize that people with autism have unique talents that can be an asset in the workplace.

Littman Krooks attorney Amy C. O’Hara, Esq., presented on the Able Act at Arc of Westchester’s Family Resource Day, a day of transition and transformation including seminars, demonstrations, art exhibition opening and a special needs vendor resource fair. To view our materials from this event, please click on the appropriate link below: The Able Act…