New Jersey COVID-19 Resources from the

Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual
or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

Click Here

NEW! State of NJ COVID-19 Jobs and Hiring Portal

The State of New Jersey has developed a centralized resource to match talent with opportunities in industries on the front lines of serving New Jerseyans during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Did you lose your job or have your hours reduced as a result of COVID-19? Businesses across New Jersey need thousands of workers for immediate hire.

To learn more about who is hiring in your community, visit the NJ COVID-19 JOBS AND HIRING PORTAL

Employers in critical industries should submit information about openings with urgent hiring needs related to COVID19 at https://jobs.covid19.nj.gov/intake.  

New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities Emergency Funding - Click here

The NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities is seeking feedback from parents/guardians/caregivers of children and youth with I/DD who have completed or tried to complete the DD Eligibility application for PerformCare.  This is the link to the on-line survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DDEligibility  Let your voices be heard!

DDD’s Timeline for Students Exiting School and Turning 21, commonly known as the Graduates Timeline, is now available. This timeline provides next steps for students who are turning 21, exiting the school system, and interested in accessing adult services through DDD. Because the fee-for-service transition is nearing completion and the information will remain the same going forward, the timeline is no longer specific to a graduating year.

Would your son or daughter with special needs and talents and abilities be interested and excited at the possibility of joining a non-competitive, super fun, weekly, co-ed, indoor soccer and/or indoor basketball league with other young adults (teammates) who also have special needs, talents, and abilities?  

    PerformCare is now accepting requests from caregivers for financial assistance toward the 2020 summer camp session. Requests MUST be postmarked or received by PerformCare no later than April 30, 2020.

Please note:

Individuals 21 years of age and older are served by The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). Information on summer camp assistance through DDD has not yet been published. As soon as we have the information we will be sure to share it with you. In the meantime, for more information about summer camp assistance through DDD, contact your case manager or support coordinator.

https://www.thearcfamilyinstitute.org/resources/camp-funding-applications.html

Welcome to the BCSS CAPE Resource Center.  We serve the special needs community by providing access to information, resources, services, educational opportunities, and referrals.  Learn about the many features, services and benefits that the Center brings to the special needs community.   

During these very uncertain times, please remember you can always reach out to me.  I’m available to speak with you by phone or through email.  My contact information is below. 

When life is back to normal, we hope you will join us for our FREE workshops.  Listed below are some of the workshops we have planned, but they may be postponed or cancelled depending on the directives from our governmental officials. 

Spring workshops: 

Our parent/caregiver support group for parents/caregivers assisting adults 18 years and over has been a great success. There are many issues related to caring for adults with special needs and this group provides a venue for support and encouragement as you tackle the challenges of caregiving for an adult. The group meets monthly on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7pm.  Our next meet is April 16th followed by May 14th and June 11th. 

As always, our Parent-to-Parent Exchange meets monthly on the 2nd Tuesday at 7pm. Our next meeting is April 14th followed by May 12th, & June 9th.  These monthly parent support meetings are geared to parents with youth 14 years and older, who have developmental and other disabilities. Doreen Moran leads the group and she wears the hat of both professional in the field and parent of two young adults with disabilities. Hope you can participate - drop in when you can. 

You can register at https://cape.bergen.org for these and other FREE workshops throughout the year.

To join our email list for more information about our workshops, please sign-up HERE - https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/V9b5SEg/parentssignup

Hope to see you soon!! Of course, feel free to contact me at the BCSS CAPE Resource Center if you have any questions.   201-343-6000 x 4076 or by email at linwie@bergen.org.

 All the best,

  Linda

The BCSS CAPE Resource Center serves as a...

A hub for educators, community members and individuals living and working in and around Bergen County to locate services and resources for those with developmental and other disabilities;

We offer...

Resource Coordination/Information

• Resource coordination includes intake as well as referral to the system of services and educational resources in Bergen County and the surrounding communities.
• Educational materials, such as fact sheets, journal articles, publications, directories, etc., on topics related to people with disabilities;

Educational Workshops (Areas of interest include…)

• Transition Planning
• Parenting Skills
• Guardianship/Estate Planning/Special Needs Trusts
• Housing Options
• Monthly Parent Support Groups
  • Monthly Aspen Dads Groups
  • Monthly Parent Support Group for parents/caregivers with youth 14 yrs. and older

Linda Wieseneck, Director, is available to answer questions and to provide consultation and support regarding special services and community resource options.  Follow up ensures quality of services.