Blog

Information & Resources for Financial Relief

Local:

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (MDHCD):

  • Maryland Nonprofit Recovery Initiative (NORI): https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Communities/Pages/MarylandNonprofitRecoveryInitiative.aspx
    • Funding for Maryland Non-Profits Available July 22! There will be $50 million available from the Maryland Nonprofit Recovery Initiative (NORI) to help organizations that provide services to people with disabilities and other organizations who have revenue reductions and/or expense increases due to the economic and safety impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The application period is from July 22, 2020, to July 29, 2020.

Maryland Department of Labor (MDL):


Last Updated: July 14, 2020

Read more

Governor Hogan Vetoed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Bill

The Blueprint ensures every child in Maryland gets the education they deserve


We are writing to share a disappointing, but hopefully temporary, setback: Governor Hogan has decided to veto the bipartisan Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. This historic piece of legislation passed with overwhelming majorities in both the House of Delegates (96-38) and the Senate (37-9) and had responsible safeguards put in place to protect our budget against downturns in the economy.

Now more than ever, students, families, and communities need the support and investment offered by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future bill. The Blueprint implements a series of important reforms that benefit our children’s education, health and well-being, and the state’s economy. Some of the benefits of the legislation include:

  • Investing in early childhood education by expanding full-day Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.
  • Transforming teaching into a high-status profession with increased preparation and benchmark salaries.
  • Expanding college and career pathways including career and technical education opportunities.
  • Fixing our regressive funding formula by providing extra support for students living in poverty and interventions for struggling students, including students with disabilities, before achievement gaps grow.
  • Adding a new accountability board to ensure the reforms are carried out with fidelity.

The state of Maryland must remain committed to the goal of eliminating inequities and building an education system that works for all kids, families, and educators over the long term. This virus magnified the extreme disparities that exist in Maryland, including in our schools. The Blueprint was designed to close these disparities and eliminate the achievement gap. We can’t let this veto send a message that our kids’ future is not a priority for the state of Maryland.

Legislators wisely built in a pause button into the Blueprint in the event of an extreme economic downturn. This pause button would slow implementation allowing the economy to recover before further funding ramps up. The Blueprint takes a measured, cautious fiscal approach while implementing the supports that we know all of our students need.

Now is the time for our leaders to ensure that Maryland will build the system we need not only to recover from this virus but to provide enhanced opportunities for all students, eliminate racial achievement gaps, and rebuild a strong economy for all Marylanders.

Read more

Psychiatric Hospital Patients Are At Risk During the Pandemic

Statewide closures complicate the plight of some people with mental illness


Restrictions implemented in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are largely intended to protect the public from the spread of the disease. Maryland’s statewide closure of schools, child care programs, and nonessential businesses, for example, was enacted to support limitations on large gatherings and social distancing to prevent exposures and transmissions, and reduce the threat to vulnerable populations. However, many don’t realize the unintended consequences these restrictions have in jeopardizing the lives of involuntarily-committed patients in Maryland’s psychiatric hospitals.

Emily Datnoff, a staff attorney in Disability Rights Maryland’s mental health unit, discusses the challenges patients face to effectuate their discharge and how those challenges can be addressed during the pandemic in a recent Baltimore Sun editorial.

Discharge from state hospitals and residential centers becomes virtually impossible when facilities stop evaluating patients, courts no longer conduct proceedings necessary to effectuate discharge, and community providers stop accepting patients. This is the dilemma many patients at state hospitals currently face. These problems are urgent and need to be addressed to protect patients from the inevitable spread of the virus.” – Emily Datnoff, the Baltimore Sun

Disability Rights Maryland is working to have efforts made to discharge patients to maintain their health and safety. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are available to provide information, referrals, technical assistance, and limited representation during the pandemic.

For legal assistance, our intake line is open at 410-727-6352 or MD relay. Please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. Please note that return calls may be made from blocked numbers since staff is working remotely.

Read more

Maryland School District Continuity of Learning Plans

See How Your School District is Continuing Education During the COVID-19 Closure Period


Last Wednesday, Maryland State Superintendent Karen Salmon provided an update on school closures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. She announced that “after lengthy discussions with health experts around the State,” she and other officials with the State Board of Education made the decision to extend closure of all public schools for an additional four weeks through April 24, 2020.

Dr. Salmon also provided information about the continuity of leaning of all students across Maryland:

“We are already working very closely with every school system to address issues affecting their ability to provide educational services to all of their students. It should also be noted that we will be diligent in providing educational services to our students with disabilities.

Local superintendents have provided me with their plans for the continuity of learning during the additional closure period. My staff at the Maryland State Department of Education has been reviewing the plans and determining what supports and resources the State can provide where needed.” Dr. Karen B. Salmon, School Closure Update

We understand that as a parent of a child with a disability, you have more questions than answers about the state’s special education services. As advocates for all Marylanders with disabilities, we want to do whatever we can to help.

Your child’s school should be reaching out to you to schedule an IEP meeting by telephone or by an online platform to determine what services can be provided to your child during this period of time when schools are closed. To find out generally how your school district is addressing continued student instruction during the closure period, please visit “Maryland School District Continuity of Learning Plans,” a resource guide created by Decoding Dyslexia’s co-founder Laura Schultz.

In addition to checking the Continuity of Learning Plans website frequently for updates, Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) suggests that you do the following:

  • Review your child’s individual education program (IEP) and pay particular attention to the goals and objectives.
  • Starting today, start keeping a log or journal of your child’s present levels of performance for each goal and objective. Feel free to video, take notes, or keep a record in whatever form is easiest for you. This will help you determine if your child is making progress, staying the same, or regressing.

This information will be helpful when it is time to discuss extended school year services for your child. It will also be helpful in determining if your child is entitled to compensatory services to make up for what your child does not receive during the closure period.

There is a lot of uncertainty and confusion about how students with disabilities in particular will receive continued educational services during the COVID-19 crisis. We hope that this information is helpful in mitigating those feelings.

 

Staying Updated


Consult our COVID-19 dedicated webpage for relevant news and guidance. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are available to provide information, referrals, technical assistance, and limited representation during the pandemic. For legal assistance, our intake line is open at 410-727-6352 or MD relay. Please leave a message and we will return your call as soon as possible. Please note that return calls may be made from blocked numbers since staff are working remotely.

Thank you and stay safe and healthy!

Disclaimer: This information is provided as a public service and is not intended as legal advice.

Read more

Information & Resources on Voting

LOCAL

Disability Rights Maryland (DRM):

Maryland State Board of Elections (SBE):


Last Updated: May 28, 2020

Read more