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Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler > Articles posted by admin (Page 4)

New Year’s Resolution #1: Plan Now for the Future of My Special Needs Child

Whatever the age of your special needs child, from infant to adult, it’s critical not to put off planning for the future care and supervision of your loved one. Many children with disabilities will survive their parents and siblings. General Estate Planning is important for everyone, and if you are the parent or guardian of a child with a disability, a Special Needs Trust (SNT) must form an essential part of your planning. Here are some FAQs About SNTs: What is a Special Needs Trust? The SNT allows family and friends to leave assets to provide for the person with a disability. When...

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World Braille Day

By Jayne M. Wesler, Esq. Why do we Celebrate World Braille Day? World Braille Day commemorates the birth of Louis Braille – on 04 January 1809 in France. In 1829 he published his "Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged by Them." But why is there a World Braille Day? What’s the big deal? Perhaps the stories of HM, Bruce Sexton, and Eric Guillory will answer those questions. In 2011, HM was an eleven-year-old fifth-grade student enrolled in a public school in New Jersey. Legally blind from birth, HM was diagnosed with albinism...

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Don’t Drop the Ball on Establishing a Special Needs Trust

We all know how fast time goes by during the holidays – before we know it, the ball will drop on a brand new year! On the bright side, this is a great time to resolve to do the things we’ve been meaning to do but somehow never got around to. If you have a special needs child receiving government benefits and you plan to leave them money, or anyone else in your family may leave them money, it’s essential to have a Special Needs Trust in place so the money does not pass through their hands and they do...

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Let’s Join Hands and Hearts to Celebrate:

December 3rd is United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities By Jayne M. Wesler, Esq December celebrates multiple happy holidays, Kwanzaa, Hannukah, and Christmas among them. It’s also the month when the world celebrates the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities during the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The United Nations first proclaimed an International Year of Disabled Persons in 1981, kicking off the celebration with the theme of “Full Participation and Equality.” The UN’s intention was to help persons with disabilities live life to the fullest by participating in the development of society, and by having...

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Children with Diabetes are Children with Special Needs

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and at Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler we want to focus attention on the many children and adolescents who have diabetes. As parents and caregivers know all too well, it is a serious and lifelong disease that must be managed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including the hours spent at school. Under Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is illegal for schools to discriminate against students with diabetes. In addition, the State of New Jersey has a number of laws that protect students with diabetes. One New Jersey state law...

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Seeing Things from the Other Side – Giving Thanks for a Passionate Perspective

By Mariann Crincoli, Esq. Having sat on Boards of Education in the past, I am thankful for the turnaround in perspective that my 6 years as an attorney at Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler have given me. I’m thankful for the opportunity to advocate on behalf of parents of a special needs child when school boards are not fulfilling their legal obligation to provide a free and appropriate educational experience. Helping children and their families in this way quickly became a sustaining passion for me, and I never looked back. This passion has not changed. I count myself fortunate to be in...

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Clearing the Cobwebs about Estate Planning

October is the month for apples, pumpkins, crisp fall weather and Halloween spells – and National Estate Planning Awareness Week, October 18-24. For the attorneys at Sussan, Greenwald & Wesler, the time is always right to dispel some of the common misconceptions about Estate Planning. According to the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC), Estate Planning is an often-overlooked element of financial wellness. It is estimated that over half of Americans – 56% – do not have an up-to-date estate plan. If you fall into that category, it’s possible that one or more myths have been standing in your...

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A Special Month for Awareness

The month of October commemorates important issues for students with special needs. Included among those issues are dyslexia and ADHD. For parents and educators alike, it is critical to highlight these topics to ensure that children receive appropriate educational programming, and that such programs are properly implemented. Both state and federal law were created to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities. Prior to the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, there were over four million children with disabilities who were denied appropriate access to public education. Some children were denied entry into public school altogether. Others were...

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How Might Another Year of COVID Restrictions Impact My Child? What Can I and My School District Do to Address that Impact?

This looming topic has spurred numerous studies globally during the 2020-2021 school year. Some of the pertinent discoveries include: In the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and China, children and adolescents have presented with substantially increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. The Center for Open Science on its OSF website reported on a UK study that reviewed the factors which parents and school district must address to help maintain a positive level of mental health in the school-age population. School districts are urged to look at the evidence-based studies to help them develop Covid protocol policies on complete and partial school...

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LONG COVID: What it is, and how to help your student who has it.

by Jayne Wesler. Esq. Since February 2020, families have been struggling with the increasing complexity of their children’s education. You’ve had to upend your lives to educate them at home, and then make critical decisions about how and when to return them to the classroom. School districts across the United States and even worldwide have had to confront similar decisions from their end. As the 2021-2022 school year commences, many students still contend with the long-term effects of COVID-19, also known as “long COVID.” What is long COVID? According to the Centers for Disease Control, long COVID is also identified by several terms,...

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