Last week, HHS presented its National Disability Employment Awareness Month Observance. I was enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with Commissioner for the Administration on Disabilities Melissa Ortiz and Michael Murray from the Office of Personnel Management. My aim in the discussion was to share high level information, and highlight some of the NIDILRR-sponsored research, training, and knowledge translation activities in employment for people with disabilities conducted by ACL.

This week is National Retirement Savings Week and the occasion gives us an opportunity to highlight a success story. This story is how a 65-year old widow from Massachusetts was helped to recover her lost pension. One of our ACL grantees, The New England Pension Assistance Project helped this widow obtain her monthly benefit and retroactive lump sum from her deceased husband’s pension from the Massachusetts branch of the Service Employees’ International Union (SEIU) pension plan.

Two competitive grants have been awarded by ACL's Independent Living Administration to TIRR Memorial Hermann Health System for the Independent Living Research Utilizati

Just in case you missed it, Next Avenue recently announced their 2017 Influencers in Aging.

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) has developed several case studies about creating partnerships between community-based organizations (CBOs) and health care organizations.

The Administration for Community Living awarded 11 grants totaling $10,787,854 over a three-year period through the Alzheimer's Disease Initiative: Specialized Supportive Services (ADI-SSS) program, which builds and expands dementia capability in states and communities and fills gaps in services for people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers.

On September 29, President Trump signed an executive order continuing the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) through September 30, 2019. PCPID is a federal advisory committee which promotes policies and initiatives that support independence and lifelong inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in their respective communities. The committee includes representatives from several federal agencies and 18 citizen members.

On Sunday, we will join communities around the world in observing the International Day of Older Persons. October 1 was designated by the United Nations in 1990 to recognize the vital contributions of older people globally and to encourage member nations to thoughtfully address their increasingly aging populations.

Recently, ACL issued a series of grants to University Centers of Excellence on Developmental Disabilities to continue to promote diversity and cultural competence across the developmental disabilities network. The National Training Initiative grants will fund partnerships with minority-serving institutions (MSIs), a diversity and inclusion training program, and 12 diversity and inclusion fellowships.

Edwin Walker (left), Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, participates in Politico's panel discussion on Aging in America.