Miami Lakes committee hears from ACES advocate about long APD waits and Jan. 26 resource event

Litsa Nelson, a community advocate with Alliance Community and Employment Services (ACES), told the Miami Lakes Special Needs Advisory Committee about the organization’s work placing people with disabilities into employment and the barriers families face getting state services.

Nelson said ACES has helped about 300 people with disabilities find work over the past 16 years and described long waits for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) and for MET waiver services. "The waiting list is so long," she said, and urged earlier outreach from hospitals and the city so families can begin the process sooner.

Nelson invited families to a free ACES resource event planned for Jan. 26 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Roberto Alonso Community Center, saying the program will offer community partners a table, vision-board activities and information about vocational services, Ticket to Work and vocational rehabilitation referrals. She said ACES would provide follow-up contact information and a flyer for distribution to schools and churches.

Committee members asked logistical questions about the flyer, registration and referral pathways; Nelson said parents typically must begin with vocational rehabilitation or Ticket to Work to connect to ACES services, and that some services (APD) serve people 18 and older while vocational training can start at age 14. The committee asked staff to collect the flyer and share it with neighborhood groups and school contacts.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; members recorded the event details for inclusion in the council report.