A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.
~Yoko Ono

Friday, May 21, 2010

Yes, They Can

The Council for Exceptional Children holds an annual "Yes I Can!" competition.

This year 27 students were selected for excellence in one of nine categories: academics, arts, athletics, community service, employment, extracurricular activities, independent living skills, self-advocacy, and technology.



You can read about each of these individual's accomplishments on the CEC website.

And yes, two of them (Jake Anthony and Darlene Jakubowski) were Canadian. Interestingly, both from British Columbia. Something tells me that might just be significant.

At any rate, it reminds me of the old adage ... "Never Give Up".

H/T to the ed Week "On Special Education" Blog

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Questions, Questions, Questions

I know, I know.

I am still not exactly being prolific in my writing over here - okay, I'm not writing much at all at the moment.

So, for now, I'm afraid you will have to satisfied with some tidbits, here and there, as they come.

Speaking of which, here's one for you - a RDSP Frequently Asked Questions sheet from Compas.

H/T to Adrian's comment at the RDSP blog

Monday, May 10, 2010

Practical Applications - Payments from the RDSP

I know that posts have been light (to non-existent) around here lately but I hope to remedy that soon. My excuses (such as they are) are my health over the last few months and the fact that I am still (at least semi) diligently working away on the Guardianship Kit. Which is nearing completion. Honest.

I can throw you this tidbit though (thank goodness for Jack and the rest of the crew at PLAN) - when and how payments can be made out of a RDSP can be a very confusing subject. In fact for many, including me, it's very tempting just to know there's a formula involved and skip the rest of it for now, deal with it when the time comes.

But knowledge is power. And in this case, it is important to know the limits of the RDSP. Don't get me wrong - I believe it is a very good vehicle for the disability community. But it can't be the only tool in your financial tool box. You really need to look at using the RDSP in conjunction with other tools (such as the Henson Trust, for example) in order to provide for the future.

But here's what I wanted to share with you - the RDSP blog has just posted a chart explaining how and when payments can be made out of the RDSP.

And please don't forget one of the most important points (which is not covered in this table) -just how limiting the formula is when it comes to the dollar amount of any lump sum payments taken from the Plan.