Blog Expired

UCSF’s 16th Annual Developmental Disabilities Conference, presented by the UCSF School of Medicine and the UCSF School of Nursing  took place last week. As always, the conference provided updates to the medical community from experts in the care and the future of  individuals with disabilities.

It was a tremendous conference.

The Special Hope Foundation provided [Read more…]

Conversations with Self-Advocates: Part II

Ivanova Smith (Description: Smiling young woman with brown curly hair and glasses.)

WITH recently expanded its Self-Advocate Advisory Committee, which, among other things, reviews the proposals that the Foundation receives and provides input on whether or not applicants should receive funding, and whether [Read more…]

Grantee Update: 16th Annual Developmental Disabilities:
An Update for Health Professionals

The Special Hope Foundation is proud to support UCSF’s 16th Annual Developmental Disabilities Conference (read about the history of the conference HERE) . The event is coming up March 2 and 3 in San Francisco and is presented by the UCSF [Read more…]

Navigating the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made it easier to get health insurance for all Americans, including individuals with disabilities.

But a lot of the information is circulating about the ACA and attempts to repeal it.  In response, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)  [Read more…]

Individuals with disabilities are disability experts.

WITH decided to expand our Self-Advocate Advisory Committee.  Melissa-Crisp Cooper is the Committee’s Chair.

Melissa Crisp-Cooper (Description: Smiling white female wearing a blue sweater with redish brown hair)

Melissa first became involved in health advocacy for people with disabilities over a decade [Read more…]

2017, we are ready.

I think we can all agree that 2016 was quite a year. Through it all, the Special Hope Foundation has remained focused on our vision and mission, and we look forward to continuing to do so enthusiastically in 2017.

A look back at some [Read more…]

Enhancing the education of dental students

My son 30-year-old son Matthew is autistic and has been going to the same dentist since he was 10 years old. Dr. Troy “gets” Matthew, so therefore Matthew loves going to the dentist.

Recently, it seemed practical that Matthew switch to a dentist [Read more…]

We have some good news to share.

President Barack Obama has announced his intention appoint Ryan Easterly, a member of the Special Hope Foundation’s Board of Directors, to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID). Ryan is Co-Founder and Director of Northern California Community Relations at [Read more…]

The American Public Health Association adopted 11 new policy statements at their annual meeting last week.

The policy statements covered topics ranging from increasing the minimum wage, to reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, to promoting transgender and gender diverse health—and promoting oral health prevention and treatment for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [Read more…]

Understanding the goal of digital health

My 30-year-old son Matthew is autistic, and he loves going to the doctor. He loves it so much that he recently  told me how much he was looking forward to his upcoming colonoscopy.

Matthew has advanced ulcerative colitis, which means many visits to the doctor, the lab, the infusion center and [Read more…]