Family Advocacy & Resource Portal

Welcome to the Family Advocacy & Resource Portal

In Partnership with the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council

This portal is designed for individuals with disabilities and their families to:

Engage with Current Advocacy Efforts: Stay updated on the latest news and initiatives.
Access Vital Information: Find relevant documents, training recordings, and valuable links.
Connect to Resources: Connect & Network with other family led organizations
Goods and Services: Discover goods, services, and supports for everyday needs.
Advocate for System Change: Join forces with other families to advocate on a large scale for system change and join forces with self-advocates on issues of common interest to the disability community.

Together, our unified advocacy efforts strive to transform systems to better empower people with disabilities and their families, ensuring their needs are prioritized over those of providers.

Our Training Library is for people with disabilities and their family.

Visit the Training Library

Our Resources provide information, support and services.

Visit the Resources Page

Unified Advocacy
Agenda

Coming Soon

Video: How to Talk to Your Legislator

Legislators appreciate hearing from their constituents. Don’t forget: they are elected to represent YOUR views. Watch this video to get tricks and tips on chatting with your Legislator.

Watch the Video on YouTube

Pa. lawmakers propose ‘purple alerts’ to help find missing people who have intellectual disabilities

Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Allegheny, is sponsoring the Senate companion bill. He said the alert system could be life-saving.

“Time is of the essence when someone with an intellectual disability is lost since the death rate of a person missing more than 72 hours is as high as 88 percent,” he said. “By establishing a Purple Alert in Pennsylvania, we can put the public on notice quickly and hopefully succeed in bringing the individual back home safely.”

Read the full article on Commonwealth of PA >

Governor Shapiro Signs Bipartisan 2024-25 Budget- New Opportunity for All Pennsylvanians

Today, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law a bipartisan budget for fiscal year 2024-25 that delivers on his top priorities and creates more freedom and opportunity for all Pennsylvanians. With historic investments in education, economic development, law enforcement and violence prevention, workforce development, affordable housing, health care, public transit and infrastructure, and much more – this budget invests in the people of Pennsylvania and solves some of the most pressing issues our Commonwealth faces.

Read the full article on Commonwealth of PA >

Community Strong Event, December 11, 2019.

Dollars & Sense – The Group Home Racket

The Biden administration has proposed a change in the formula behind Medicare reimbursements to U.S. states for their residential care. The change would widen their access to home- and community-based services over and against the “group homes” where they now live alongside residents not of their own choosing, under the supervision of paid caregivers not of their own ilk.

Read the full article on Dollars & Sense >

Act 61

Act 61 of 2023 becomes effective on June 11, 2024. The Office of Elder Justice in the Courts (OEJC) wanted to highlight important aspects of Act 61 that may impact family/lay guardians.

Read about Act 61 >

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Olmstead

On June 20th the United States Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights hosted a panel discussion to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the landmark disability rights decision, Olmstead v. L.C. This decision affirmed that people with disabilities have the right to live in their communities and should not be forced into an institution just because they have a disability.

Watch the video on YouTube >

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 State Budget Update (PIE Info 7/7/2024)

Negotiations are ongoing for the state budget. The budget is due to start on July 1. This week the Pennsylvania Senate passed Senate Bill 1001, and it is now being considered in the House of Representatives. We expect that the budget will be done in early July, but are still awaiting details about what is included in the final budget deal.

Read about the Governor’s Budget proposal >

Families Implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Final Rule Implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

On May 1, 2024, HHS made disability rights history with the release of a long-awaited final rule implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This comprehensive update — the first since the initial regulation was put into place more than 40 years ago — creates one of the most powerful tools we have ever had to combat discrimination based on disability in health care and human services.

Read the full article >

July 26 is the Anniversary of the ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. Throughout the year and on the ADA Anniversary (July 26), the ADA National Network recognizes this landmark event and the important work to promote equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

Learn more about the ADA Anniversary >

PADDC

The Family Advocacy & Resource Portal is funded in part through a grant from the Pennsylvania Developmental Disability Council.