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Financial > Financial Planning
Leaving Money to a Child with a Disability in Your Will: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Why direct bequests cause benefit loss and how Special Needs Trusts preserve SSI and Medicaid eligibility.
Financial > Financial Planning
Financial Planning for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities: Supported Decision-Making for Money
When your child with an intellectual or developmental disability turns 18, you'll face dozens of decisions about their adult life. One of...decision-making, where adults with IDD make their own financial choices with help from trusted supporters. For families, the question isn't whether your adult child...
Financial > Financial Planning
First-Party Special Needs Trusts: When the Person with a Disability Funds the Trust
...it into a trust. The money...special needs trust solves this....third-party trusts don't: when...left in the trust goes back...Special Needs Trust Is. A first-party...special needs trust (also called...self-settled trust or d(4)(A)...d(4)(A) trust) is funded...person with a disability. That's the...placed in a trust without disqualifying...long as the trust meets specific...when the trust is created,...and the trust must include...
Legal > Advocacy
Supported Decision-Making: An Alternative to Guardianship
...process where adults with disabilities choose trusted people to help them understand situations, weigh...communicate their decisions. The person with a disability retains all legal rights. The supporter doesn't...employment, education. They choose supporters they trust: parents, siblings, friends, mentors. Those supporters...
Global Insights > Advocacy
Teaching Your Child to Self-Advocate: Age-by-Age Strategies from Elementary Through High School
...it in situations they can handle. By the time they're navigating college disability services or workplace accommodations, they've practiced hundreds of times...recognize when something isn't working and how to communicate that to a trusted adult. Start with self-awareness. Help your child notice what helps them...
Special Needs > Learning Differences
College with a Learning Difference: A Four-Year High School Preparation Guide
...wait until senior spring to think about college disability services find themselves scrambling for documentation...arrives at college ready. Freshman Year: Name the Disability and Build the Foundation. The work in ninth grade...(classroom, IEP meeting, conversation with a trusted adult)." This isn't about the student delivering...
Special Needs > General Special Needs
Special Needs Trusts in 2026: What the New Rule Changes Mean for Your Family
...2026 that fundamentally change how Special Needs Trusts and ABLE accounts work together. If you set up...accounts used to be available only to people whose disability began before age 26. As of January 2026, that age...September 2024. Before this change, if a Special Needs Trust paid for food, SSA could reduce the beneficiary's...
Parenting > General
ABLE Accounts vs. Special Needs Trusts: Which One Does Your Family Need?
...need a special needs trust. A third person insists...savings plan, but for disability-related expenses instead...Withdrawals for qualified disability expenses come out...ABLE account, the disability must have started...the person with the disability. They control it....What a Special Needs Trust Does Differently....Differently. A special needs trust holds money for a...
Financial > Financial Planning
Guardianship vs Supported Decision-Making: How to Choose the Right Option When Your Child Turns 18
...spectrum of options between full guardianship and no legal support at all, and disability advocates now recommend starting with the least restrictive option first....override. Under an SDM agreement, your child can appoint you, a sibling, a trusted friend, or a professional to help with specific areas: healthcare, education,...
Financial > Loans
Navigating Financial Resources for the Special Needs Community
...with disabilities. These include Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income...may qualify for at benefits.gov. Special Needs Trusts and ABLE Accounts. Special needs trusts and ABLE...Needs trusts and ABLE Accounts. Special needs trusts and ABLE accounts are two savings options...
Financial > Housing Assistance
Navigating the Housing Landscape for Individuals with Special Needs
...Financial planning is key to ensure long-term stability. Special needs trusts and ABLE accounts allow saving money without impacting eligibility for...Partnering with knowledgeable advocates can make a world of difference. Disability rights organizations often have housing specialists on staff. They can...
Education > Other
Supporting Children with Special Needs through Early Intervention
...develops rapidly in the first three years of life. This is a critical time for learning and development. If a young child has a developmental delay or disability, it's best to get help as soon as possible. Research shows that early intervention can make a big difference. It can improve children's language...