This bill requires the Higher Education Department to review certain conditions of eligibility for public postsecondary educational institution tuition scholarships and adjust them for students with disabilities who require accommodations. It further waives scholarship residency requirements for students who had to leave the state to receive an education pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Topic(s): Connecting Activities, School-Based Prep
This program enables eligible individuals with disabilities to save money in a tax-exempt account that may be used for qualified disability expenses while keeping their eligibility for federally-funded, means-tested public benefits. Eligible expenses include education, employment training and support, and assistive technology.
Operating Entity: Office of New Mexico State Treasurer
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program helps people with diverse disabilities build and refine their leadership abilities, through a series of learning opportunities, resources, and hands-on experiences. Topics include disability awareness, disability advocacy, policy and legislation, and coalition building. The program is implemented through three Regional Resource Networks in the state.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, Center for Self Advocacy
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Youth Development & Leadership
This program helps promote employment and self-sufficiency among people with by disabilities by helping them understand how work will affect their social security disability and/or social security income.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Public Education Department, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program provides paid work experiences for youth ages 15-22 whom have barriers to employment, such as disability or health conditions. Leadership Crew members train service dogs and serve as Camp Counselors at Camp L.E.A.D., a leadership, empowerment, and abuse prevention day camp in Taos for younger children with disabilities.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Rocky Mountain Youth Corps (RMYC)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program helps ensure underserved parents of children with disabilities, including low-income parents, parents of children who are English learners, and parents with disabilities, have the training and information they need to enable them to participate effectively in helping their children.
Operating Entity: Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs (EPICS) Project
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Family Engagement
This program provides guidance and counseling, transition services, job search and placement, assistive technology and equipment, as well as other services tailored to the specific needs of individuals with disabilities. It also provides various resources to help people attend state community colleges and career/technical schools, including tuition, fees, books, tools, uniforms, and supplies.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Public Education Department, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program provides a range of independent living services to people with disabilities at Centers for Independent Living across the state. Services include help connecting to local services, assistance with job searches, local transit skills training, assistive technology help, peer mentoring support, assistance with school-to-career transitions, self-advocacy help, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program serves clients with high levels of social, mental, or behavioral health needs following discharge from juvenile justice facilities. Transition Coordinators work with clients to develop transition plans, which cover areas like housing, behavioral and mental health, education, employment or vocational training, and life skills.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Children, Youth & Families Department, Juvenile Justice Services
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program educates and empowers people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to become leaders, public speakers, and advocates, and to build a more inclusive world for people with IDD. It includes an Ambassadors program to teach public speaking, self-esteem, and confidence skills.
Operating Entity: Best Buddies in New Mexico
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Youth Development & Leadership
This program helps farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities attain gainful employment in production agriculture or a related occupation, access appropriate assistive technology needed for work and daily living activities, and more.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This residential program is designed to equip blind persons (especially those who are newly blinded) with the skills needed to become employed. It includes six to nine months of intensive training in Braille, orientation and mobility, assistive technology, personal management, home management, and industrial arts.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Commission for the Blind
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities
This program provides a variety of direct services for children and youth with disabilities, families, professionals, and other organizations that support them. This includes helping parents participate effectively in their children’s education and development and partnering with professionals and policymakers to improve outcomes for children with disabilities.
Operating Entity: Parents Reaching Out (PRO)
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Pre-ETS assist students with disabilities in identifying career interests and developing skills to be successful in the workplace. This includes five required activities: job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, workplace readiness training, counseling on comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs, and instruction in self-advocacy.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
This program provides Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities who live in the Pueblos of Jemez, Zia, Santa Ana, Sandia, Santo Domingo, and Cochiti, as well as students from Jemez Valley Walatowa Charter and Bernalillo school district. The work-based learning component provides opportunities for students to integrate with their communities to learn work skills. It is run by Jemez Vocational Rehabilitation in coordination with the New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Operating Entity: --
Entity Type: Multi-Stakeholder Project
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides technical assistance to families, service providers, and educators to ensure that all children who are deaf-blind receive the supports to achieve full inclusion in their schools and communities, academic achievement, and successful graduation to college, career and independent or supportive living.
Operating Entity: University of New Mexico
Entity Type: College / University
Ten regional cooperatives serving 89 school districts across the state provide support services in a variety of special education areas, including Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and technology assistance.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Public Education Department
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
This program facilitates School-to-Work Transition Teams (SWT) in twelve communities throughout New Mexico, supporting local efforts to improve employment outcomes for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and increase school-to-work interagency collaboration.
Operating Entity: University of New Mexico, Center for Development & Disability, Partners for Employment
Entity Type: College / University
This program coordinates Supported Employment Local Leaders meetings in each region of the state to provide a forum for employment support professionals to network, learn, and collaborate.
Operating Entity: University of New Mexico, Center for Development & Disability, Partners for Employment
Entity Type: College / University
This program provides transition assistance services to Native American youth in the state.
Operating Entity: Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs (EPICS) Project
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This program provides transition planning, beginning at age 14, and transition services, beginning at age 16, to help students who are deaf or hard of hearing move from school to adult life. Services focus on students' needs or interests in areas such as higher education or training, employment, adult services, independent living, and taking part in the community.
Operating Entity: New Mexico School for the Deaf
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Connecting Activities, School-Based Prep
This intensive, eight-week job training program helps individuals with developmental disabilities (14+ years of age) navigate the transition into adult life. Students participate in life-skills based courses, job fairs, job site tours, benefits counseling, mentoring with employed peers, and complete 40 hours of paid work in customized internships within local nonprofits and businesses
Operating Entity: Mandy's Farm
Entity Type: Non-Profit / Community Organization
This program is designed to connect individuals with developmental disabilities to experience working in public or private sector jobs that are non-stereotypic for people with disabilities. The program covers wages, worker’s compensation, and taxes for individuals who participate, and it includes a microenterprise (or self-employment) option for individuals who want to operate their own businesses.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Department of Health, Developmental Disabilities Supports Division (DDSD)
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
These 23 "one-stop" centers provide employment services and supports to job seekers, including those with disabilities. The New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Commission for the Blind both provide intensive technical assistance and training to promote disability awareness and ensure ADA compliance of the WCCs.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
Entity Type: State Agency / Office
Topic(s): Career Prep & Work-Based Learning
This campaign and associated website is designed promote mental and physical well-being by offering positive tools and informational resources to help New Mexicans improve their health, in general and during the pandemic.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Human Services Department
Topic(s): Mental Health
The Behavioral Health Guidance and Resources section of this webpage provides links to various resources to help educators and parents support their children’s social and emotional needs during the pandemic.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Public Education Department
Topic(s): Mental Health
The Useful Phone Numbers section of this toolkit includes a Mental Health section, which provides numbers for crisis lines and suicide hotlines. These numbers are relevant to educators in managing their mental health needs and addressing the mental health needs of students.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Public Education Department
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webpage provides links to three videos that discuss Long-COVID, including what it is, symptoms and who can get it.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Human Services Department
Topic(s): Long-COVID
This program provides free and confidential short-term mental health services to New Mexicans seeking free and confidential counseling to help cope with social isolation and other challenges brought on by the pandemic.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Human Services Department
Topic(s): Mental Health
This is a document that contains questions and answers regarding special education programs during the pandemic. It explains changes to disability assessment procedures to accommodate students' virtual needs, and it notes that qualifying students may apply for compensatory education services.
Operating Entity: State of New Mexico Public Education Department
Topic(s): Distance Learning
This Info Doc contains a comprehensive list of distance learning resources for educators, which include resources discussing the best practices for distance learning with students with disabilities. These resources include general tips, methods specific to students with cognitive disabilities, both distance and hybrid learning resources, and resources providing practices to ensure the continued safety of students with disabilities during distance learning.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Public Education Department
Topic(s): Distance Learning
This webpage provides tips and links to resources to help people manage their anxiety during the pandemic.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Human Services Department
Topic(s): Mental Health
This phone app was launched at the beginning of the pandemic to provide free 24-hour crisis and non-crisis behavioral health support to individuals and referrals to longer-term support. It also provides information on COVID-19.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Behavioral Health Collaborative
Topic(s): Mental Health
This webinar from the Office of School and Adolescent Health in the New Mexico Department of Health provides information on supporting student mental and emotional health during the pandemic.
Operating Entity: New Mexico Department of Health
Topic(s): Mental Health