There is a myth that youth who are in school and receive SSI benefits can’t work or they will lose their benefits. They can indeed work. There are special SSI rules that support working for students under the age of 22. It’s called the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE). There are limits to the income […]

Now in its 7th year, the Commitment to Community Awards provides visibility and recognition to these honorees for their leadership and vision. We’re asking you to help us honor and recognize the journey taken by individuals, organizations and businesses dedicated to advocacy for individuals with disabilities. Nominees must possess three or more of the following […]

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Bridgeport, West Virginia and join the experts behind the Mountaineer Autism Project for their 2018 conference. The conference brought together families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and the providers who serve them. I helped kick things off by outlining the Medicaid benefits for children with ASD, […]

Research suggests that executives and company leaders are spending half their work week in meetings (HBR, Aug. 2017). With limited resources and time in a fast-paced market, utilizing meeting time optimally is an important skill for leaders in a variety of industries. Every meeting needs a good facilitator. That person is someone who helps meeting […]

The last few months have been full of twists and turns for CHIP. Child health stakeholders were disappointed to see the September 30, 2017 deadline come and go with no new CHIP funding, but then encouraged by Committee action in the House and Senate in early October. But the failure to get CHIP funding across the finish […]

Welcome New Directors Please join us in welcoming the following new directors. Nikkita White has been named the new Director of Children’s Services for CPI. Nikkita most recently was the Program Director for Mountain Home. Nikkita joined CPI in January of 2013 as a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist (PSR) where she worked 1:1 with children in the […]

Have you ever experienced fear, doubt and anxiety? So have our Adventure Camp participants. These campers are individuals with an array of physical and mental disabilities, but they push through their fear, doubt, anxiety and physical limitations to challenge themselves and test their boundaries. Our campers have challenged themselves to make new friends, go on […]

“Don’t let your dreams, be dreams.” For a lot of individuals that we work with their dream is to be among friends without their provider or caretaker,  and to be able to do what they want, when they want. They want to be able to be free even if just for a few days, and […]

“Mr. Rutherford, I love you,” I hear from the corner of a second grade classroom as I reach for the handle to open the door. I pause, look back into the room and say, “I love you too Alex.” This room of twenty-eight students feel unaffected by my declaration. Sharing love in this classroom is […]