Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signs the ABLE Act

Lt. Gov. Brian Calley today signed the ABLE Act, establishing a new savings program for Michiganders with disabilities. He was joined by bill sponsor Rep. Anthony Forlini, disability advocates and constituents from Macomb County.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan residents who care for an individual with a disability will soon have access to special savings accounts to help them pay for certain expenses, thanks to legislation signed today by Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. Article V, Section 26 of the Michigan Constitution gives authority to the lieutenant governor to sign legislation when the governor is out of state. Gov. Snyder is currently attending the 2015 Ontario Economic Summit.

“The ABLE Act provides Michiganders with disabilities more financial opportunities that will help them live more self-determined independent lives,” Calley said. “Families will now have tax-exempt options to save more money to support their loved ones without worrying about losing access to other benefits.”

House Bill 4542, authored by state Rep. Anthony Forlini, creates the Michigan Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE Act) and authorizes ABLE savings accounts to be used for spending on education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services, health, prevention and wellness, financial management, legal fees and other expenses. Forlini’s HB 4543 creates an income tax deduction for ABLE Act accounts, with a deduction cap of $5,000 for a single return or $10,000 for a joint return. The bills are now Public Acts 160 and 161 of 2015, respectively.

HB 4544, sponsored by Rep. Nancy Jenkins, excludes money in an ABLE Act account from being used in determining financial eligibility for assistance programs. It is now PA 162.

Senate Bill 360, sponsored by Sen. Rebekah Warren, changes the maximum amount for Michigan Education Savings Program accounts to $500,000, from $235,000. The maximum amount allowed in ABLE accounts is tied to the maximum for MESP accounts. The bill is now PA 163.

A Different College Fair for Different Learners

Mark your calendars for Eaton Academy's "Life After High School College Fair"!

• It is open to the public!
• It's FREE!
• There will be counselors and recruiters from more than 25 colleges, universities, and post-high school programs from all over the Midwest!
• Special resources for students with learning challenges will be highlighted!
• Advanced registration is not mandatory in order to attend. 
• Where: 1755 Melton Road in Birmingham. (Melton is north of 14 Mile Road between Woodward and Coolidge.) 
• When: Wednesday, November 18, 2015
• 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. 

Sesame Street introduces new Muppet with autism

Sesame Street's 1st Muppet With Autism Aims to End Stigma, Promote Understanding

By AVIANNE TAN

October 22, 2015 12:38 AM

Good Morning America

Sesame Street is welcoming a new Muppet friend as a part of a new initiative to "help destigmatize autism," according to the show's producers.

The new Muppet's name is Julia, and she's a "preschool girl with autism who does things a little differently when playing with her friends, the lovable Elmo, Abby Cadabby and Grover," the Sesame Workshop said in a statement to ABC News.

Julia is part of Sesame Workshop's new digital initiative, "Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children," which includes an iPad app and various online resources for parents with kids who have autism.

“She has some behaviors like not looking at you directly in the eye, she’s a little more sensitive to noises and lights but when she comes together with Abby and Elmo, she’s shares not only these challenges but also what she shares in common,” Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, the senior vice president of U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop, told ABC News.

The initiative's website was designed with children in mind, featuring "larger buttons, audio-off options, and the ability for children to customize content," according to the Sesame Workshop.

Sesame Street's 1st Muppet With Autism Aims to End Stigma, Promote Understanding (ABC News)

The website also hosts moving videos of families with autistic children, edited with the help of young animators on the autism spectrum who are part of the nonprofit animation studio Exceptional Minds, Sesame Workshop added.

"Sesame Workshop is uniquely positioned to play a meaningful role in increasing peoples' understanding about autism," said Sherrie Westin, executive vice president of global impact and philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. "This project is an extension of the belief we’ve always promoted: 'we are all different, but all the same.'"

For now, Julia is only a part of Sesame’s digital resources, not yet on television.

“We wanted to make this a very targeted effort, so we assured that we’re making the greatest reach and impact directly with the families that could use it the most,” said Betancourt. “We know children with autism often use assistive technology or touch technology and this was a natural way to go.”

ABC News correspondent and co-author of ‘In a Different Key: The Story of Autism,’ John Donvan, said it was noteworthy “that ‘Sesame Street’ picked a girl for this character, since girls with autism are outnumbered roughly four to one by boys, and often their challenges get less attention.”

“This little Muppet may help change that, and if she does, a few years from now we’ll be thinking of Julia the girl with autism just as plain Julia, part of the gang on ‘Sesame Street,’” he said

REMINDER: Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) Informational Meeting for BHS Students & Families

Community Resource Day 11/18, 10am-3pm

Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) Informational Meeting for BHS Students & Families