Special education | The Arc Alliance

Oh the places you’ll go!

Hello everybody, Today my blog will be about a wrap up of the whole blog year and what is coming up in the future. Sorry to say that this is my last blog for the 2014 – 2015 school year :-( All good things must come to an end, but don't worry, I will be back next year in full swing. Before I get started reminiscing about the current year, I'd like to mention that the “What If…” campaign will also be in full swing next year. It's just the fact that we started so late and then I had never done that type of thing before. We are having trouble figuring out what direction we want to take it and hopefully by next [...]

By pleo|2015-06-08T13:42:21-04:00June 8th, 2015|advocacy, Arc news, Blog, Blogroll, Chandler Balch, Special education|0 Comments

ABLE Act Passes House and Senate

We are thrilled to report that a few moments ago the United States Senate passed the ABLE Act which will now head to the President’s desk to become law! After 8 years of hard work, families are one step closer to being able to save more effectively for their children’s futures. Adult children with disabilities will be able to save for their own futures while maintaining services like Social Security and Medicaid. United States Congress Press release Casey-Burr ABLE Act Passes Senate, Heads to the President’s Desk to Become Law Casey and Burr-Led Effort Passes Easily with 78 Senate Cosponsors - Bill Previously Passed the House with 404-17 Margin ABLE Has Been Called “…the broadest legislation to help the disabled in nearly a quarter-century.” Washington, DC- [...]

By pleo|2014-12-18T15:58:23-05:00December 18th, 2014|advocacy, Arc news, Blog, In the news, Press coverage, Releases, Resources, Special education, Support|1 Comment

Chandler Balch – I need your help!

Hello everybody, I need your help coming up with ideas for a movement to go along with my campaign. I bet you have seen the ALS ice bucket challenge. Scott and I are trying to figure out a movement that will set us apart from all of the other people in social media. I had the idea of a flash mob. If you don't know what a flash mob is, it's where people go into a certain store and randomly start dancing. There was one involving this song “Happy” and kids with Down syndrome. Everyone seemed to really like that. Scott even integrated it into a post on the website. Now that I've given you a little bit of background I want you to [...]

By pleo|2014-12-18T15:27:03-05:00December 18th, 2014|Chandler Balch, Resources, Special education, Support|1 Comment

Chandler Balch – Sports I actually like!
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Chandler Balch – Sports I actually like!

Blog, Blogroll, Chandler Balch, Special education

Chandler Balch – Sports I actually like!

Chandler hard at work A couple of days ago my classmates and I went to the Reading Phillies game. It was a lot of fun! Unfortunately we were not able to stay for the whole thing. One of the pregame activities included the Reading Museum of Science doing a few demonstrations with liquid nitrogen. The Reading Phillies competed against the Pawtucket Red Socks and we won. One of my favorite parts of the game was the vegetable race. Like always, the cauliflower won. Last year my classmates and I saw the same teams play, also I was given an autographed hat from one of the opposing team’s players. On May 29, my class and I are going to another Reading Phillies game. [...]

By pleo|2014-05-16T14:27:51-04:00May 16th, 2014|Blog, Blogroll, Chandler Balch, Special education|1 Comment

Chandler Balch Weekly Post Month two of School!

Hello- Everybody, this week my blog will be about the second month of school and how it’s going. Two months have passed since the beginning of school it has been a lot of fun but a lot of hard work to. My favorite class is still math, but my least favorite class is transition to work, I would like transition to work if it were more like math! Another favorite class of mine is Family Consumer Science because I like to cook and also the teacher makes it fun and interesting. If you have been reading my blog you know how much I really do like food! It's been a lot of hard work but next month it's all going to pay off when [...]

By pleo|2013-10-31T20:25:27-04:00October 31st, 2013|Blog, Blogroll, Chandler Balch, Special education|1 Comment

Mitch, Julie and Evan – Chop Buddy Walk

Julie, Mitch and Evan all appeared on Philly Talk on CBS 3 today promoting awareness for Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) and highlighting the upcoming CHOP Buddy Walk. Take a few minutes to hear the family present their situation and how several agencies including The Arc Alliance has played a significant role in supporting Evan throughout his young life. http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/09/25/buddy-walk/ Thanks Mitch, Julie and Evan

By pleo|2013-09-25T17:59:16-04:00September 25th, 2013|advocacy, Arc news, Blog, Blogroll, Down Syndrome, In the news, Resources, Special education, Support|0 Comments

Chandler’s PreHoliday Post

Hi everybody .Today’s post is from Wednesday the 19th of December. I have posted a new YouTube video, it is called Work. It is about the Spring-Ford transitional program. Step for short. In this video, Dr. Jean Marie Mason, explained how the program works. Parent comments are included, and it discusses an end of the year complimentary breakfast that includes students, parents, the Job site supervisors and the Job coaches. Some of the worksites that are part of the Step program are: The Arc Alliance, where I am working, Upper Schuylkill Valley Park, Pennsylvania Insert, The Spring-Valley YMCA, Chick-fil-A, Wonder Years Preschool and Waltz and Turtle Creek Golf courses. These locations provide students various opportunities to identify potential vocational directions. My time at The [...]

By pleo|2012-12-27T17:21:09-05:00December 27th, 2012|Blog, Blogroll, Special education|0 Comments

Chandler’s Vacation to Disney World

Hi everybody, I am back from Disney World! It was a lot of fun .We left at 4 AM on Saturday and drove to my South Carolina where my Uncle is stationed. We stayed at a military base in South Carolina with my Uncle. After visiting with my Uncle we left the next morning and arrived at Disney World around 6 PM on Sunday. The drive down was hard as I anticipated the fun we would have when we got there. When we did arrive we ate at a restaurant called the Big River. I had a very yummy meatloaf. Do you like meatloaf? We stayed at the Boardwalk resort which was great. On Monday, we went to Epcot. We saw street shows and [...]

By pleo|2012-12-13T14:48:20-05:00December 13th, 2012|Blog, Blogroll, Special education|0 Comments

Chandler’s Weekly Post

Hi it's me again; today I will be talking about why I am in a wheelchair and how my school got an I-Pad But first let's talk about why I am in a wheelchair. I have a non-contiguous disease called cerebral palsy. I have many different people helping me throughout the day. I have a Personal Care Assistant (PCA) that helps me with various daily living activities at home. This aid does not accompany me to school however. At School I have a great Instructional Assistant, Mr. Cartwright. He is fun to be with and has a great sense of humor. On a typical day at school he will help me with school work. On a lot of my assignments Mr. Cartwright will type [...]

By pleo|2012-11-15T14:12:03-05:00November 15th, 2012|Blog, Blogroll, Special education|2 Comments

Planning for Your Special Needs Loved One

Presents Planning for Your Special Needs Loved One Thursday, May 10, 20126:30 - 8 pmNewtown Library201 Bishop Hollow Road, Newtown SquarePresented by:Dennis C. McAndrews, Esq.McAndrews Law Offices Pat Bergmaier, CFP, LUTC MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning Ginny Koehler PLAN (Planned Lifetime Assistance Network) of PA RSVP to Roe DeLuca by Monday, May 7 at 610-687-4249 or rdeluca@planofpa.org - View the Flyer here Estate Planning For Families in 2012 - Pitfalls of Gridlock in Washington By: Dennis C. McAndrews, Esquire If Congress and the President do not reach an agreement in 2012 to extend or modify the existing Federal Estate Tax Threshold of 5 million dollars per person and 10 million dollars per couple, the threshold [...]