According to a recent report, the ACA provided approximately 54 million Americans with at least one new free preventive service in 2011 through their private health insurance plans. Also, an estimated 32.5 million people with Medicare received at least one free preventive service in 2011 under the health reform law. Prevention coverage has helped an estimated 86 million Americans.

If you are a Social Security disability beneficiary and want to make more money through work, the Ticket to Work program can provide the support you need to transition to greater financial independence. You'll learn about Social Security rules that may apply to you including work progress reviews, trial work periods, extended periods of eligibility, earned income exclusions and expedited reinstatements. This free webinar will be held on February 29, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Register online or call 1-866-968-7842 or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY/TDD).

Watch videos on various tax topics on the Internal Revenue Services' (IRS) YouTube channel. Videos aer in ASL with open captions and voice over for people who are deaf, hard of hearing and hearing viewers. Topics include tax tips, health insurance, disaster recovery and small business.

Volunteers of America supports people with developmental disabilities in 24-hour residential settings. These settings range from single person apartment settings to group homes, which primarily serve 3 or 4 people in a home. All of our homes are located in communities, close to family members and friends. Each supportive living residence is licensed and certified through state agencies and operates under Medicaid guidelines.

Jody, Bill and Tony were institutionalized as young boys and spent most of their lives institutionalized, most recently living in the Southwest Ohio Developmental Center. It was there the trio learned to control themselves and to make better choices. Because they were perceived as high-need men who were "risky" placements by supported living providers, they stayed even after they were ready to leave. But the three men had a dream. In August 2005, two other men from the same institution, housemates of the three men, also seen as high-need and risky placements, located a bi-level home in a nice neighborhood. It was Volunteers of America Ohio River Valley that was willing to take a chance on their success. When Jody, Bill and Tony saw their acquaintances' home and saw the rewards of making good choices, they were inspired to have a place of their own. They were highly motivated to make good choices and demonstrate that they were ready for a chance to live in the community.

Eleven young adults with an intellectual disability were interviewed for this exploratory study aimed at charting their experiences of growing up in homes where at least one parent had the same or a similar disability. Two main themes emerged from the interviews. Firstly, a clear majority of the young adults had positive experiences of family life during their upbringing, as expressed especially through their memories of their grandparents. Secondly, the study participants all described experiences of being bullied and harassed outside the family context. The results obtained in this study highlight the importance of the parents, the family, and informal networks in the upbringing of these children. The study also considers the consequences that the study participants’ negative experiences of peer contacts and their sense of exclusion might have for their prospects in later life.

Understanding the disability impact on parenting and caregiving is important for intervention. The present study was designed to understand the differences in perceived disability impact and related coping in mothers having children with intellectual disabilities alone compared to those having children with intellectual disabilities and additional disabilities. Accordingly, 30 mothers of children with intellectual disabilities and 30 mothers of children with intellectual and additional disabilities were assessed for disability impact and coping. Group differences for disability impact were present in specific domains but not overall. Despite variations in coping pattern, both positive and negative coping strategies were observed in both groups. The results may imply that the impact of intellectual disability is so pervasive that except in certain domains mothers may not perceive the further impact of additional disabilities. Positive coping does not rule out negative coping strategies. These findings have specific relevance to service delivery in a cultural context.