A Parents Forum, held yesterday, provided a platform for parents to ask questions to get answers from various government agencies about services for their children with disabilities.
The well attended forum, an activity for Disability Awareness Month, included a panel with officials from the Department of Human and Social Services, the Department of Health, Office for Protection & Advocacy for the Disabled, Vocational and Rehabilitation Services, Dial-A-Ride, Medicaid, Department of Education and others. 
After introductions, the panel held a 2-hour question and answer session with those in attendance. Some asked questions directly, while other questions were submitted in writing and were read by the moderator.
One question was about assistance to buy needed equipment such as wheelchairs for children with special needs.
Medicaid Director Sandra King Young explained that the first thing that’s needed is a report from a doctor or prescription, indicating that the child needs the wheelchair. She said, the only provider of wheelchairs and other such equipment on island is MedQuest in Matu’u. The company upon receiving a prescription will proceed to contact Medicaid, who would pay for the wheelchair.
