A Life Care Plan plays a vital role in special needs planning. Special Needs Alliance (SNA) members Thomas Begley, Jr. and Emily Schurr emphasize that planning should begin “with the end in mind,” just as Stephen…
We are thrilled to share that we are actively working to acquire two buildings at 1475 El Camino Real, right next to Freedom Pointe at The Villages. These buildings, formerly…
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a need-based program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Because it is designed for individuals with limited income and resources, any form of support…
Big news just down the road from us in The Villages—Beacon College in Leesburg has been named to the inaugural Forbes Accessibility 100 list, recognizing global leaders making a real…
At our AFINS workshop on Friday, May 9th, we had a brief discussion about Managed Care with Jeannette Estes, Regional Operations Manager for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD).…
Florida is facing a significant crisis in providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Over 20,000 Floridians are currently on a waitlist for essential home-based services, despite the state having…
Advancing Families and Individuals Needing Services (AFINS) hosted a workshop on April 11, 2025, at the Sumter County Annex. Mr. Giovanni Santi, a Supportive Living Coach (SLC) and owner of…
The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act has been brought back to Congress in 2025. On April 1, 2025, Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced the bill…
A story, published by FSA Central, highlights the emotional and complex journey of a family who spent years navigating the healthcare system in search of a diagnosis for their daughter’s…
🗓️ Wednesday, August 13, 2025
🕙 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
🧑🏻💻 Webinar
Join us for a hybrid Family Care Council meeting. You may join us via GoTo Meeting or in person at their Central Region office, located at 901 Industrial Drive, Suite 100, Wildwood, FL 34785. Paula Whetro, Family Care Council Area 13 Chair, will be hosting this meeting. The meeting agenda is as follows:
🗓️ Tuesday, August 26, 2025
🕑 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
🧑🏻💻 Webinar
Safety planning is an important tool for survivors of domestic violence, used to ensure that the survivor has a plan in place under a variety of circumstances when an abuser may become dangerous. Survivors with disabilities experience a number of unique factors that advocates must take into consideration while safety planning to be effective. For instance, abusers use unique tactics that are often not accounted for when planning for safety within the relationship. Additionally, survivors with disabilities who escape the relationship experience limited community resources – such as transportation options and accessible shelter – which need to be accounted for in their safety plan.
In this webinar, we will explore the unique dynamics experienced by survivors with disabilities and how they factor into their safety plan. We will review strategies for supporting survivors with disabilities to create safety plans that respond to these dynamics.
The webinar will be presented by Sandra Harrell, Senior Managing Director of Survivor Advocacy Initiatives at Activating Change.
🗓️ Tuesday, August 19, 2025
🕜 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
🧑🏻💻 Webinar
People with disabilities are among those most at risk of human trafficking—yet too often, they remain invisible in prevention and response efforts. According to the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report, individuals with disabilities are one of the groups most vulnerable to being trafficked. A small but powerful study in Florida revealed that girls with intellectual disabilities were significantly more likely to be trafficked than their peers—an alarming finding that has received far too little attention.
Despite growing evidence of this crisis, professionals on the front lines still lack the training, tools, and resources to identify and support trafficking survivors with disabilities.
In this insightful and powerful event, Activating Change will share findings from a national needs assessment exploring how systems are—or are not—responding to survivors with disabilities. You’ll learn directly from the staff who led this assessment as they share key insights, unexpected discoveries, and the most urgent opportunities for change.
Whether you work in anti-trafficking, victim services, disability advocacy, or systems change, this session will offer essential information to strengthen your work and help ensure no survivor is left behind.
The 2025 Special Olympics golf season begins the first week of August. Special Olympics Florida has secured funding for these two golf locations. Approved golfers – Single 9-Hole and Unified teams approved by Lenny Kemp – can tee off at these courses at no cost:
If you choose to play at a different course, you must pay out of pocket and, scan and email your scorecard and receipt to Lenny Kemp.
Skills Golfers wanting to practice may do so at
Lady Lake Golf Driving Range
230 Rolling Acres Rd
Lake Lake, FL 32159