National Disability Institute and Acorda Therapeutics Launch Free Webinars on Financial Wellness for People with …

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

National Disability Institute (NDI) and Acorda Therapeutics announced they will launch a free six-part webinar series on financial, tax and investment topics for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), their families and care teams. The National Disability Institutes Financial Wellness Series sponsored by Acorda Therapeutics will begin this September and be led by top experts in tax, money management, benefits, employment, Social Security and other areas of personal finance. Due to the programs success last year, Acorda and NDI worked together to provide resources on a greater number of topics than last years four webinars.

In 2011, NDI completed an online survey of 3,000 people living with MS. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported that their financial positions declined after their MS diagnosis, while nearly 74 percent reported that they did not use financial planning programs or strategies to manage or stabilize their finances.

Our survey showed that whether people had an MS diagnosis early or later in life, there is a critical lack of information to help people with MS understand how to manage their money, plan for their financial futures, access favorable tax provisions, effectively utilize public benefits and keep working, said Michael Morris, National Disability Institutes Executive Director. But there are many easy-to-use financial strategies and programs that can help people with MS achieve these goals, and the experts who lead each webinar will show them how to take steps toward greater economic independence and self-sufficiency.

The webinar series will include six free online programs, each beginning at 3pm ET and lasting 90 minutes:

Programs include presentations and an opportunity for participants to ask questions. In 2011, when National Disability Institute and Acorda sponsored the first series of webinars on financial topics for people living with MS, more than 1,200 participants registered. Due to the strong demand, NDI and Acorda have expanded the program to cover more topics of interest in 2012.

The series is part of National Disability Institutes Real Economic Impact (REI) Tour, an eight-year movement of more than 850 organizations in 100 cities across America that has helped more than 1.5 million people with disabilities take steps out poverty through access to financial education, asset building programs and free volunteer income tax assistance generating more than $1.3 billion in tax refunds. Registration for each webinar is free, but space is limited and advance registration is required. To register, visit http://www.realeconomicimpact.org/financialwellness.

We at Acorda are very pleased to be sponsoring this groundbreaking educational webinar series for people living with MS, who often face financial challenges related to their disability and lack information that can help them protect their financial futures, said Ron Cohen, M.D., president and CEO of Acorda Therapeutics. Acordas corporate mission is to improve the lives of people affected by neurological diseases. While our focus is on developing therapies, support for programs on overall wellness, including financial and other topics, is also an important part of fulfilling this mission.

About National Disability Institute

National Disability Institute (NDI) is national non-profit organization dedicated to building a better economic future for people with disabilities. The first national organization committed exclusively to championing economic empowerment, financial education, asset development and financial stability for all persons with disabilities, National Disability Institute effects change through public education, policy development, training, technical assistance and innovative initiatives such as the Real Economic Impact (REI) Tour, which brings tax and financial education for people with disabilities to more than 100 cities nationwide. Since 2005, the REI Tour has helped more than 1.5 million people with disabilities receive more than $1.3 billion in tax refunds. To learn more, visit http://www.realeconomicimpact.org.For updates on the webinar series, follow @RealEconImpact on Twitter, and like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RealEconImpact.

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National Disability Institute and Acorda Therapeutics Launch Free Webinars on Financial Wellness for People with ...