Autism Community Alliance

Excellent resource comparing state waitlists for DD waivers. Explains how the wait is growing for those not in Priority 1 for Virginia. A must read if you are considering an out of state move!

Medicaid DD Waiver Waitlists by State (2026) | Complete 50-State Guide Every state DD waiver waitlist — wait times, no-waitlist states, and what to do while waiting. 2025 data for all 50 states + DC. From a special needs parent.

Peach crisp for cooking Friday. Yum! If you like butter you will like this as it uses a lot! We first softened the peaches we cut up in some butter and syrup. We didn’t have the cast iron pan or a small baking sheet recommended in the YouTube videos … so we decided to use muffin tins. We added the crumble which has equal parts oats, butter and sugar with a little flour, salt and vanilla. After baking for about 20 minutes to a golden brown the kitchen smelled wonderful. Vanilla ice cream is the perfect complement, especially when the crisp is still warm. Maybe we will try another time with another fruit? But we may cut back on the butter and add some more fruit …

Wonderful opportunity to avoid the lines at DMV! A big shout out to Ashley Africa-Osborne, Program Manager, Tech for Independent Living, The Arc of Northern Virginia for facilitating this event!

For cooking Friday we attempted buttered noodles. Emulsifying the butter is harder than we thought! Even though our end product didn’t look like the YouTube video, it still tasted fine. ACA is about trying new things and learning it’s ok when things aren’t perfect 🤩. And afterwards we had a nice siesta with some chill music.

Such a sad story. Bright Center in Manassas closed in March 2025, 3 years after the death of its founder ... as no one knew the business like she did and the workload was too much to handle. As I recall, they accepted Medicaid funding. More places like this one are badly needed! https://www.insidenova.com/news/prince_william/so-badly-needed-manassas-bright-center-for-adults-with-disabilities-clings-to-hopes-of-reopening/article_d4eda68c-7f4a-46a7-ab15-3158b6a2f4be.html

'So badly needed': Manassas' Bright Center for adults with disabilities clings to hopes of reopening Sidikie Kamara didn’t hesitate in recalling the adversity he has faced in recent years and his decision to close his Bright Center for adults with disabilities.

We made yummy no bake cookies. Make sure you let the pot boil over for approximately 2 minutes to properly dissolve the sugar and make it harden as it cools!