This weekly newsletter is for parents, advocates, educators, therapists, service providers, policymakers, and anyone serious about better outcomes for special needs kids.
Yesterday my friend Karla Richey, Founder and Publisher of Miami Kids Magazine, along with District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rosado, unveiled the "You Belong Here" mural at Douglas Park in the City of Miami. Three words all kids deserve to see in big letters, and now they can.
Keep reading, we've got a full edition for you today π¦
Karla Richey, Founder and Publisher of Miami Kids Magazine
Michelle Reboso of Best Buddies and District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rosado
PS. If buying or selling a home has been on your mind lately, and you want to talk it through, feel free to text me anytime at (305) 401-6224 π
Today's Edition Includes:
This Friday: Neuroinclusive Soccer Clinic
New Podcast Episode: Can Autistic Kids Play Soccer β½
Wednesday Housing Q&A for Special Needs Families: Q: We need to sell but a family member still lives in the home. Where do we even start?
Hometown Heroes: If you work as a BCBA, RBT, therapist, or in any healthcare role at a PPEC, autism center, or school, there's a Florida program that can put up to $35,000 toward your down payment and closing costs.
Helpful Resources AcrossMiami-Dade & Beyond
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Welcome to Miami π Bienvenidos a Miami
Share This Newsletter With A Friend Who Needs It π«ΆπΌ
ββComprehensive Guide to Scholarships, Grants, Schools, Healthcare, Therapy, and Recreation for Children & Adults with Disabilities
π Wednesday Housing Q&A for Special Needs Families
Q: We need to sell but a family member still lives in the home. Where do we even start?
A: You start with the conversation nobody wants to have, because every week you donβt have it costs you something.
This is one of the most common situations families in Miami-Dade find themselves in after a parent passes, and itβs the one with the most potential to fracture a family if it isnβt handled with both urgency and care. The home needs to sell. Someone is living in it. Those two facts are in direct tension, and pretending they arenβt doesnβt resolve the tension, it just delays it.
The family member living in the home needs to know what the plan is and when it happens. Not eventually, now. Because in the absence of a clear plan, they build one of their own, and that plan almost never includes leaving on a timeline that works for the estate.
For families with a special needs sibling in that home, the stakes are higher because the disruption is harder. A move for a sibling with special needs isnβt a weekend with a moving truck, itβs a transition that requires preparation, the right receiving environment, providers who are already in place on the other side. That takes time, and time is the one thing an unplanned probate situation doesnβt have in abundance.
So you start by getting the home valued, understanding what the sale makes possible, and then sitting down with the family member who lives there, not to deliver a deadline, but to build a transition plan together. One that protects them and moves the estate forward at the same time.
The families who do this well treat it as a planning problem, not a confrontation. The ones who wait treat it as neither, and eventually the situation makes the decision for them.
π If youβre thinking about buying or selling a home, or you simply need experienced guidance, I deliver expert service and personalized support to help you reach your goals.
If you work as a BCBA, an RBT, a therapist, or in any healthcare role at an autism center or PPEC, thereβs a Florida program that can put up to $35,000 toward your down payment and closing costs, and most of the people who qualify for it donβt know it exists.
Itβs called Hometown Heroes, and it was built for people doing exactly the kind of work you do.
The catch is that funding is limited and it runs out fast. If youβve been thinking about buying a home in Miami-Dade, this is the conversation to have right now, not in the fall.
Text me directly and Iβll tell you in 5 minutes whether you qualify.
π² (305) 401-6224
β Victor Antunez, Real Estate Professional
Share This Newsletter With A Friend Who Needs It π«ΆπΌ
βAdvocacy Network on Disabilities: A community of individuals, families, providers, advocates and others working together to make change happen
βAgency for Persons with Disabilities (APD): Supports people with developmental disabilities in living, learning and working in their communities. Provides Medicaid waiver services. * APD Southeast Region Office
βAll Kids Included (AKI): Inclusive arts and cultural programs in school settings and throughout the community
βBest Buddies Travel: An inclusive, staff-led program that brings people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) together to explore the world, while building independence.
FAAST β Florida Alliance for Assistive Services & Technology: Offers at no cost services that include information/assistance, device demonstrations, device trainings, and a short-term device lending library on a wide range of assistive technology (AT) tools, including Augmentative Alternative Communicacion (AAC). To support AT acquisition, equipment refurbishment and a financial loan program are also available for children and adults with disabilities and their caregivers.
βFlorida Ready App: Dan Marino Foundation AI-powered career discovery and guidance tool for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Download the App Today!
βFlorida's Early Steps Program: Early intervention services for children from birth to 48 months who have developmental delays, disabilities, or at-risk conditions
βMiami Dade College ACCESS Disability Services: Works to ensure equal access and opportunity throughout the college experience, by providing a variety of services that address a spectrum of disabilities.
βMiami Dade College STAR Academy: A post-secondary transition program that supports students with intellectual disabilities and special needs in developing academic, social, and career skills.
βMiami-Dade County: Adaptive Sports for Physical and/or Disabilities
βParent to Parent of Miami: Hope, help, and support for individuals with disabilities and their familiesβ
βPlay It Forward Toy Library: MDPLSlibrary cardholders can borrow toys that cater to diverse developmental stages
βSAFE Vehicle Registration: Helps first responders better serve residents with medical or developmental conditions during emergency situations.
βSandra DeLucca Developmental Center (SDDC):β Offers programs for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Services include Adult Day Training, Project SEARCH Miami, G.E.T. F.I.T., M.A.G.I.C., VIP S.T.A.A.R.S., and Camp Shriver.
βThe de Moya Foundation: Employment program for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities
PS. I help homeowners buy and sell homes in ways that protect long-term housing stability, financial security, and future independence. If you're thinking about buying, selling, or planning ahead, text me at (305) 401-6224
PSS. Your referrals are the biggest compliment you can give me.
This weekly newsletter is for parents, advocates, educators, therapists, service providers, policymakers, and anyone serious about better outcomes for special needs kids.