News Release

April 13, 2006

Contact: Carolyn Pennington, 860-679-4864
e-mail: cpennington@uchc.edu

Supporting Families with Medically Dependent Children

Legislative Forum Scheduled for April 20

FARMINGTON, CONN. – A special legislative forum to discuss in-home support for children who are medically fragile and dependent on technology for their daily care will be held on Thursday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Old Judiciary Room of the State Capitol in Hartford.

The forum will discuss what options are currently available for families and how those options can be improved. The featured speakers will include Carolyn Brennan and Andre Blanchet from Family Lives, a service provider in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts; Christopher Knapp, parent and board member from the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities; and representatives from the Connecticut Family Support Council. The forum will also include personal stories from families struggling to meet the needs of their children at home.

The forum is sponsored by Senator Don Williams, President Pro Tempore; Rep. James Amann, Speaker of the House; and the Developmental Disabilities Network, a partnership of the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, and the University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service at the UConn Health Center.

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