AKALAKA

Do you know a care manager? AKALAKA wants to connect with you to recognize and support the important work care managers do for our community. Click get started on our AKALAKA LinkedIn page today. Thank you! #Share #TailoredCareManagement #HandleLifeTogether ??

"Having a DSP [direct support professional] has been extremely helpful in my everyday life [...]" Another person's story... please read, reflect, and re-share. "[...] I have a lot of need for physical help to get through my day. Ever since I had a DSP to help me, my days have been much easier?not only for me, but for my mother. She has been a big supporter in my life but deserves a break. That is where the DSPs come into play. A DSP helps me get up in the morning. [ ? ] They help me go through my day even if that means taking me to the store, going through my goals, taking me to the bathroom, giving me a shower, and doing my chores because I cannot do these things on my own. When they help me with my goals, this means my DSPs help me have experiences that I could not have on my own. They help me learn to be more independent in the community. They have taken me to the park, museums, movies, and bowling. [ ?? ] I enjoy the time that they are with me. This makes me feel like I am doing things on my own, which makes me happy. When my DSPs are with me, they treat me like their family or a friend. Not like someone who is paid to come and take care of me. This helps me build a better perspective as far as my self- esteem goes. When a DSP is not available to help me, things seem to be harder due to my special needs. I keep asking my mom what I am going to do if an emergency comes up, even though I know that my mom will be here to help me. I want to be as independent as I possibly can, and I rely on the DSPs a lot. They make my day! If there is one day that a DSP cannot show up due to an emergency or being sick, then I start to freak out because I feel like nothing is going to get done. I get upset. DSPs are essential to my life and happiness. Having DSPs here brightens my day and allows me to open up and enjoy my life." #Medicaid #NorthCarolina Caring Across Generations Protect Our Care #HandleLifeTogether ?? AKALAKA

"My friend recently lost his mom, who was a very important part of his life [...]" Note: The North Carolina Direct Support Professional Workgroup compiled several stories from people with disabilities, their caring friends, family and professionals; and provided them in a 2023 letter from the NC Department of Health and Human Services to the North Carolina General Assembly's Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC Health Choice. Since it's that time again for storytelling, we are re-sharing these published stories (that NC state senators and representatives were already told about). Thank you to the brave, brilliant, and bold people who decided to share their stories, we hope to continue to honor you with our work at AKALAKA. Please take time to read, reflect, and re-share. Here's the first story from above, continued: "[...] She died last year. He lives independently, however depends on the support of another person to get dressed, to bathe, and for most other regular activities of daily life. This is because he has limited use of his limbs and needs to use a wheelchair. He also has some difficulty with speech. My friend only has one Direct Support Professional (DSP) because of the DSP crisis. He has been advertising and working with his provider to look for another DSP but has not been able to find one. This is a crisis for him just like it is for so many people with developmental disabilities across the state. Putting so much demand on one DSP leaves very little time for that person to take care of his own personal needs. And God forbid that anything detrimental happens to his one DSP! His only other supports are his grandparents. They are getting older in age and live almost an hour away. We all have shortcomings; my friends are just more visible than mine. Regardless of his disabilities, my friend is a highly accomplished individual and an active part of his community. He works as a Community Inclusion Specialist at Solutions for Independence. He is Chair of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities. He previously chaired two other disability rights organizations. If my friend does not have the support he needs from a DSP, he doesn’t know what will happen to him. He has accomplished so much! But it is all at risk without the support that he needs." #medicaid #northcarolina Caring Across Generations Protect Our Care

This month, we’re shining a spotlight on the inspiring leaders and groundbreaking missions of Black-owned businesses. With support from B Lab U.S. & Canada's Level program, these entrepreneurs are creating change within the B Corp community and beyond. Kicking off our series on #WomensEqualityDay, we’ll be sharing stories of Black women who are at the forefront of this movement. ?????? Meet Dr. Victoria Chibuogu Nneji, the Founder and CEO of AKALAKA. Dr. Nneji earned her B.S. in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Columbia University in New York City, ultimately becoming the first person to earn a Ph.D. in Robotics from Duke University for her autonomous systems engineering work as her work of caregiving for her family continued to be needed across the lifespan. Recognizing the lack of innovation for people living with disabilities and caregiving responsibilities, Dr. Nneji launched AKALAKA to enable care partners to sustain timely, thoughtful, and delightful long-term care for family and friends to live longer, healthier lives at home and in their communities of choice. Dr. Nneji's simultaneous technical experience with STEM, entrepreneurship, and innovation has helped her to methodically gather data to ensure the solution AKALAKA is building is indeed worth building for a broad, growing, and painfully underserved market. Curious to learn more? Over the next three days, we’ll spotlight nine remarkable business leaders and their inspiring journeys. Stay tuned as we celebrate their work and explore more ways to support Black entrepreneurship.

Participated in any of the following programs in the State of North Carolina sponsored by NC Council on Developmental Disabilities? - Partners in Policymaking - NC IDD Peer Mentor Training Program - Ability Leadership Project of NC (ALP-NC) - Advancing Strong Leadership - Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental-Related Disabilities (LEND) - NC GRIP - Advocates for People with Disabilities - Steps Toward Independence and Responsibility (Project STIR) - NC Stakeholder Engagement Group Join the NC Advocacy Leaders Network Project ECHO Pilot Miniseries this every Friday this September 2024 from 12:00 - 1:30pm ET. Apply by September 4, 2024 at: https://lnkd.in/euUa3Ctb Featuring Laurel Powell of UNC School of Social Work Community Bridges #HandleLifeTogether ??

Thanks to our community partners who helped us share fresh produce at the AKALAKA table during the 2024 Durham Disability Pride Parade at Reality Ministries! https://lnkd.in/e_bkc__f We hope y'all enjoyed your fruits and vegetables ?? Thank you Justin Ray and Scott Esko Brummel and everyone volunteering ?? #HandleLifeTogether ??

Participated in any of the following programs in North Carolina sponsored by NC Council on Developmental Disabilities? - Partners in Policymaking - NC IDD Peer Mentor Training Program - Ability Leadership Project of NC (ALP-NC) - Advancing Strong Leadership - Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental-Related Disabilities (LEND) - NC GRIP - Advocates for People with Disabilities - Steps Toward Independence and Responsibility (Project STIR) - NC Stakeholder Engagement Group Join the NC Advocacy Leaders Network event on Wednesday, July 31, 2024! RSVP at: https://lnkd.in/euUa3Ctb Featuring Deja Barber and Kelly Friedlander #HandleLifeTogether ??

Victoria Chibuogu Nneji, Ph.D.'s startup AKALAKA can help care partners better sustain long-term care for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities in home- and community-based settings. ?? https://t.ly/Bfcmf

Because of the American with Disabilities Act millions of Americans have accommodations - at work, school, or in the spaces where they live and play. The Cares team is included in that list! Today, one of our team members shares the way that their life has positively been impacted #thankstotheada.

Huge?thank you to our?guests and all who came out to Employer Resouce Day: Empower?Your Team?last week! We were joined by Victoria Chibuogu Nneji, Ph.D. of AKALAKA, who gave the keynote, and a wonderful panel that included Christie Smith, Angela Martin, Gabi Angelini, Logan Passey and Shakema McClean!? What were some of your?favorite takeaways from the event? Comment?below! #ADA #DisabilityAwareness #Raleigh Lenovo, NC Department of Health and Human Services, KHYIAH T BYRD INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION, Gabi's - Powered by Special Abilities!