Monthly Archives: January 2013

Special Parents Confidential 02 Legal Issues

Legal Issues. Guest: Dan Blauw. Special Parents Confidential Episode 02.

How much do you know about legal issues, the law, and how they apply to your special needs child? Parents of special needs children sometimes aren’t aware of all the various legal issues that can affect the life of their child. Understanding your rights and your child’s rights is important. But where can you get good information on legal issues?

Our guest for this episode is Attorney Dan Blauw who’s legal firm, Blauw Kirkpatrick Law, PLC, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, specializes in legal issues for people with disabilities, special needs, and their parents. He talks about the various laws that exist to help parents of special needs children. He also clears up many misconceptions that people have regarding their rights and the rights of their special needs children.

Do you need to have a special will or trust if you have a child with disabilities or special needs? Can you specify how and where your child or children will live after you’re gone? How will your child’s economic future be handled when they become adults? Do you expect someone in your family to take care of your special needs child if you are not able to do so due to illness or death?

Disclaimer: Dan Blauw is an Attorney in the State of Michigan. Most of his answers, while general in their information, may still be specific to Michigan law. If you are not a resident of Michigan, please consult an attorney in your state who specializes in disability law to make sure you have the right information for your state.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Blauw Kirkpatrick Law, PLC

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

Special Needs Alliance

National Disability Rights Network

Special Parents Confidential

Special Parents Confidential

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Special Parents Confidential 01 Support Groups

Support Groups – Guest: Carol Lippert. Special Parents Confidential Episode 01

For our first episode of Special Parents Confidential we talk about support groups for parents. Our guest has some valuable information, especially if you’re not apart of a support group right now. Why are support groups important?

If you have access to support groups in your area, you know they can be a great resource for parents of special needs children. Being able to talk with other parents of children who have similar challenges as your own children can open up avenues of information that you might otherwise not have available. But what can you do if there aren’t any support groups where you live?

Our guest for this interview, Carol Lippert, was confronted with that situation when she and her family moved to Grand Rapids, MI from Los Angeles. Her oldest son has autism and there were no support groups for parent of autistic kids. So she started her own support group. She talks about how she did it and what you can do if you are in a similar situation.

Can you start your own support group for parents whose children have similar issues as your own? How do you find members? Where can you hold meetings? Will there be start up expenses or can you run your support group for free? Are there laws covering support groups? Do you have to have a tax-free exemption, like a charity? Do you have to have any special training to run a support group? Do you have to have special insurance or other legal protections like a business? Do these meetings need to have formal recognition from your city, county, state, or the federal government, or can they be just an informal group of friends getting together?

We have the answers for you.

Special Parents Confidential

Special Parents Confidential

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