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The mission of the CDDC is to advocate in collaboration
with and on behalf of people with developmental disabilities for the
establishment and implementation of public policy which will further their
independence, productivity, and integration.
Change it Anyway
Changing systems can be frustrating, confusing
and time consuming;
Strive to change them anyway.
If you speak out for change,
they may accuse you of being self-serving;
Speak out anyway.
If you make changes that work,
they may pretend to be an ally or persist with attacks;
Make change anyway.
If you make honest attempts at change,
they may undermine your efforts;
Attempt change anyway.
What you spend years developing,
they may undo overnight;
Develop it anyway.
If your innovations are successful,
they may be jealous;
Innovate anyway.
The progress you achieve today,
they may forget tomorrow;
Make progress anyway.
Create positive change the best that you can,
and it may never be enough;
Give it the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and the person relying on the system;
It was never between you and them anyway.
This is dedicated to all
those involved in changing human service systems to work better for people that
rely on them for support.
Adapted by Michael Steinbruck from The Paradoxical Commandments by Kent
M. Keith and Do it Anyway by Mother Theresa.
Announcing
a Request for Proposals for
Community Organizing in Rural Colorado
The
purpose of this grant is to fund community organizing efforts that result in an
increased sense of community among citizens, a strengthened power base of
citizens, and the active and meaningful inclusion of all citizens in efforts to
solve community-identified problems in rural communities outside the Denver
metro area. Collaboration with non-disability groups is critical to the grant, with
developmental disability as a secondary issue to the need for a variety of
community groups to collaborate in addressing community-identified issues. This
Request for Proposals addresses the Colorado Developmental Disabilities
Council’s Five-Year Plan for 2012-2016 Goal 1, Objectives 2 and 3, and Goal 2,
Objective 1. The CDDC would
like to encourage the response to this RFP by individuals and groups (both those
currently established to do business and those who may want create a new group
to do a this type project).
If
you are interested in responding to this RFP, and are not registered with the
BIDS system for the State of Colorado, you may contact Kathy O’Connor (Kathy.oconnor@state.co.us
or (303) 987-4604) to obtain a copy of the RFP.
You must be registered with the BIDS system in order to submit a proposal
in response to this RFP. To register with the BIDS system go to the State
website at https://www.bidscolorado.com/co/portal.nsf/xpRegistration.xsp.
You may also call the help desk at (303) 866-6464 or email bids.help@state.co.us.
Nominations for the Dan B Davidson Excellence in
Inclusion Awards are due June 1, 2013
Click here for the nomination form, or
call or
email the Council.
Join the Council for the
Dan B Davidson Excellence in Inclusion Awards and Banquet
July 24, 2013
The Spring 2013 Newsletter,
Between the
Lines, is available now.
Click here for the
newsletter, or
call the Council at (720) 941-0176 to have a copy mailed to you.
The Colorado
Developmental Disabilities Council
is seeking applications for membership on the
Council
The Council seeks applications throughout the year from interested citizens
of Colorado. Appointments by the Governor are generally made effective
July 1 of any year, but can be made at any time during the year when a
Council member resigns their position.
Click
here for the biographical sketch and application form for Governor appointment to the Colorado
Developmental Disabilities Council, and for additional information
about Council membership.
About the Colorado Developmental
Disabilities Council:
The Colorado Developmental
Disabilities Council is a 24-member body appointed by the Governor to advise the
Governor and General Assembly on matters affecting persons with developmental
disabilities under the federal definition.
United States Public Law No. 106-402 (the Developmental Disabilities Act)
mandated creation of a Council on Developmental Disabilities in each state and
in all U.S. possessions and territories. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/aidd/resource/dd-act
The
CDDC was established in 1977. The Colorado Developmental
Disabilities Council functions independently, advocating for the development and
implementation of public policy to further the independence, self-determination
and community inclusion of Coloradoans with developmental disabilities.
Check Upcoming Events for information on
conferences and events
in Colorado and around the nation.
The Council meets every other month, and the meetings are open to the public.
Please join us! Click here for a schedule of upcoming
Council meetings.
Grant Projects and Activities
Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council
2013
Council
Grants:
Community
Transportation Solutions
The
purpose of these grants is to fund community transportation solutions that
support the mission of the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council, and that
are conducted by local coordinators in two communities throughout Colorado. Collaboration
with non-disability groups is critical to the grant, with developmental
disability as a secondary issue to the need for a variety of community groups to
collaborate in addressing community transportation issues. Readily
accessible and extensive transportation is difficult to find where
transportation networks have been developed, and impossible in many areas in
Colorado where networks are not developed. Many communities have found that
local and community-derived solutions are more cost-effective and user friendly
than more formalized programs funded by state and federal dollars. Recipients of
Council funds are expected to identify and cultivate community partnerships that
include people with and without developmental and other disabilities in order to
create and/or improve community coalitions whose purpose is to design and
implement their community transportation solutions. All projects will use
person- and community-centered approaches that actively and meaningfully include
adults and youth with disabilities and family members in all project activities.
The projects will result in broadening community awareness of the need for
extensive and accessible transportation options for all members of the
community, including people with developmental disabilities. Near the end of the
grant year the
Council will
convene and fund separately a Community Transportation Solutions Workshop.
Community
Transportation Solutions in Arapahoe County Colorado
The Colorado
Nonprofit Development Center, d/b/a Denver
Regional Mobility and Access Council (DRMAC), in collaboration with the Autism
Society of Colorado, will support
ongoing collaboration with community leaders and organizations, people with
disabilities and family members to identify all local transportation needs and
to create an action plan to expand and enhance transportation options for all
citizens in Arapahoe County.
Project work will include the creation
of an LCC (Local Coordinating Council for Transportation Access and
Mobility)
for Arapahoe County, expansion
of DRMAC’s current train-the-trainer program, On the Move, into
Arapahoe County, and the assurance that assistive technology
is available and supported, as needed, and social media and other
state-of-the-art technology is incorporated in the work of the Project
Community
Transportation Solutions in Weld and northern Adams Counties
Access and Ability, in Gilcrest,
Colorado will cultivate new and existing relationships to address the fact that
readily accessible and extensive transportation is not available in the rural
regions of Weld and northern Adams Counties. The project will identify community
partners to develop and support community-based coalitions and partnerships that
will describe the need for and to create transportation solutions in the region.
Additionally, the project shall address the needs of Spanish speaking
communities in the region and youth and adults with developmental disabilities
and their family members. Community organizing events and focus groups will be
held in six areas within the region, with the result being a region-wide Action
Plan to create more transportation options in the area.
Investigation
of Bullying in Colorado
Watch this video from The Bully
Project: http://vimeo.com/65313147
Through
this grant project, OMNI Institute shall describe the types of situations in
which bullying of people with developmental disabilities is most likely to
occur, such as in schools, workplaces and other venues. The investigation shall
also describe how bullying is defined in various contexts (cultural, social,
social networking, relational, and etc.), how bullying is being monitored by a
variety of entities, how and where data are being collected and distributed, and
whether the range of sources of data can be compared. Finally, the grant project
shall result in recommendations for further monitoring, examples of best
practices and successful strategies that may be implemented.
Local Leadership Development
The
Council funded
three local leadership development projects for 2011-2012, and three more
projects for 2012-2013. The purpose of the training is to increase project participants’ knowledge and
understanding of the history of the disability rights movement and the dynamics
of system change in order to further social justice. Participants
develop and carry out individual and community leadership projects. In addition, the Council
brought the three projects to Denver for a joint session focused on
engagement in the legislative and public policy processes at the State Capitol.
Participants who complete the inclusive leadership development training shall
have the knowledge, skills and experience to create positive system and policy
changes that shall enhance and create opportunities for people with
developmental disabilities to further their engagement in civic activities in
their community.
Local Leadership Development
-- Denver metro area
The
Denver
Metro Community Parent Resource Center was
funded for the first year of Local Leadership Development, and will continue
with a new group of participants in 2012-2013.
The
Denver
Metro Community Parent Resource Center will conduct local
inclusive leadership development for adults with developmental disabilities and
family members of children with developmental disabilities from
culturally,
ethnically and linguistically diverse populations as well as those from low
socio-economic background who live in Arapahoe, Adams, Boulder, Denver, Douglas,
and Jefferson Counties, with a strong emphasis on areas in enterprise zones.
Local Leadership Development -- Southern Colorado
For the 2011-2012 grant, Southern Colorado Developmental Disabilities Services
undertook
local
inclusive leadership development for adults with developmental disabilities and
family members of children with developmental disabilities through the
integration of adult learning, popular education theories, and various topics
focused on leadership development for 12-15 participants from Huerfano,
Las Animas and Otero Counties in Southern Colorado.
Local Leadership Development -- Roaring Fork Valley
Valley Life for All was funded
for 2012-2013 to conduct the Local Leadership Development Project for adults
with developmental disabilities and
family members of children with developmental disabilities in the Roaring Fork
Valley region of Colorado. Valley Life for All will build on the community
development and grassroots organizing accomplished, in part, through the
Council's grant to PEAK Parent Center to conduct Taking Charge! in the Roaring
Fork Valley.
Local Leadership Development -- Weld County
Access and Ability
was funded for the first year of Local Leadership Development, and will continue
with a
new group of participants in 2012-2013. Access and Ability will conduct
local inclusive leadership
development for adults with developmental disabilities and family members of
children with developmental
disabilities from unserved and underserved populations in the region of Weld
County and northern Adams County, including
those residing in rural communities, Spanish speaking communities, and
individuals whose disabilities affect their behavior.
Project
SEARCH in Colorado
Conducted
by Employment Link, the project will replicate the essential components of
Project SEARCH, which are:
1) Lead coordinating agency that has an emphasis on
business and familiarity with human resources in medium to large companies, as
well as having experience with job development, coaching and follow-along for
people with disabilities who have jobs in non-congregate settings;
2) Business partner (e.g. hospital, bank, or
university) that provides one classroom for 15 students and internships;
3) Local agency partners. For example, Vocational
Rehabilitation or a Center for Independent Living employs the internship
support/job coaches; the school district employs the classroom teacher and
recruits students;
4) Technical Assistance from Project SEARCH
consultants and the Project SEARCH curriculum;
5) Students with disabilities and family members who
are project participants shall have the opportunity to act in an advisory
capacity with other project partners.
Project SEARCH is ongoing in Aurora,
Boulder and Fort Collins. In 2012-2013 Project SEARCH will expand into two more
communities in Colorado.
Watch the YouTube
video about Project SEARCH at Children's Hospital in Aurora.
SELN
-- State Employment Leadership Network
The
State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) is currently comprised of 25 states,
and is co-sponsored by The National Association of State Directors of
Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) and the University Center for
Excellence for Massachusetts, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI),
located at the University of Massachusetts/Boston. The project is a collaborative project among the two sponsors and
member states, and provides support and technical assistance to the states.
Member states’ agencies that provide services and supports to people
with developmental disabilities agencies have made a commitment to improving
employment options and outcomes for people with disabilities and others who rely
on public dollars for support.
Expected
Outcomes:
The
Council’s funding would secure technical assistance from ICI/NASDDS to support
the Division for Developmental Disabilities (DDD), the Division for Vocational
Rehabilitation (DVR), and other agency and community partners to:
- Complete
a comprehensive assessment of existing statewide policies and practices
designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Colorado’s existing
developmental disabilities employment support policies, practices and
infrastructure.
- Informed
by the results of the self-assessment Colorado’s SELN would prepare an
annual work plan comprised of goals, objectives and activities Colorado
intends to pursue in order to improve employment outcomes for people with
developmental disabilities.
- Colorado’s
SELN would also develop an employment data reporting and display system to
track the progress of employment on a state-wide basis and provide data to
make administrative and program decisions to enhance employment options and
outcomes for people with developmental disabilities.
- Participate
in SELN-sponsored activities, such as national meetings, monthly
peer-to-peer teleconferences, and the development and dissemination of issue
papers.
- At
the July 25, 2012 Council meeting, the Council voted to continue membership
in SELN for a second year, and to provide additional funding for travel to the annual national SELN conference for at
least three people.
Statewide
Analysis of the Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Colorado Public Schools
The
Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People (The Legal Center)
has been instrumental in bringing about systemic change to impact law,
regulation and practices surrounding the dangerous use of restraint and
seclusion as a disciplinary measure for children with disabilities. Since 2007,
The Legal Center has conducted 46 investigations. However, The Legal Center does
not hear about all abusive instances of restraint, and the people of Colorado do
not know how widespread the practice is. The comprehensive statewide study of
the use and frequency of restraint and seclusion is necessary to enable The
Legal Center, along with the Colorado Department of Education and the Council to
combine resources in addressing this multifaceted problem. The expected outcomes
are for recommendations for the
types of training and other resources needed by schools and school districts,
recommendations for more close monitoring of individual schools and districts
for compliance with the law
, and recommendations
of legislative or policy changes or funding appropriations needed to facilitate
change-over to positive behavior supports and away from the use of seclusion and
restraint
Watch
Our Words
CO
Watch Our Words (WOW) is an in-house project of the Colorado Developmental
Disabilities Council. WOW addresses the Council 's objective to support
leadership training by people with disabilities and their family members for
other people with disabilities and family members who may become leaders in
Colorado by continuing to conduct trainings in facilitated communication. WOW
members are people with disabilities, their family members and other citizens
whose mission is to train other people with disabilities, family members and
interested citizens to use facilitated communication as a means to advocate for
themselves and to increase the visibility and active presence of people with
disabilities in many arenas. WOW's trainings have been designed and conducted by WOW
members who are users of facilitated communication, with assistance from family
members and others who are facilitators for FC users. WOW has modeled and
encouraged leadership and participation by people with disabilities in a variety
of ways, from initiating and participating in person-centered planning meetings
to taking leadership positions in community organizations.
The
8-minute video of a group discussion at the 2008 Conference sponsored by the
Institute on Inclusion and Communication provides valuable and entertaining
background information:
http://soe.syr.edu/centers_institutes/institute_communication_inclusion/default.aspx
The
Council has supported the development of this self-advocacy group of facilitated
communication users through a grant that includes payment to a coordinator.
While her role is crucial to the ongoing work of WOW, it is the WOW
members who are FC users who play the key leadership roles.
What is significant about WOW as a self-advocacy organization is that the
FC users themselves lead the monthly meetings.
They have determined the agenda for each meeting, and have initiated the
practice of cross-training facilitators who attend WOW meetings so that they
learn to facilitate with different FC users. The FC users developed the training
curricula and agendas for the in-home and large-group FC trainings.
WOW is following best practices, in common with others who train large
groups, in that the FC users of WOW are the most important presenters at the
large-group trainings.
Council
Activities:
The
Council publishes a quarterly newsletter that is posted on its website and sent
to the 3800-member mailing list. Minutes from Council and committee meetings are
posted on the Council's website, as well as pertinent articles and links to
informative websites and publications. The website is presented in three
formats; English, Spanish and accessible to screen readers.
Please see the list of
Council committees, read notes on committee meeting activities, and consider
attending any committee meeting you may be interested in.
The Council's Legislative and Public Policy Committee meets
bi-weekly at the
Capitol during the legislative session, January through May.
Dan B.
Davidson Annual Awards for Excellence in Inclusion, July 25,
2012
These
awards recognize outstanding examples of inclusion of people with disabilities,
and honor
Dan Davidson, who died in 1996 at the age of forty-one. Defying the odds,
Davidson had followed his dream of living independently in the community. To
celebrate his spirit and memory, the Developmental Disabilities Council
recognizes individuals and organizations that have demonstrated visionary
practices providing exemplary supports for people with disabilities leading
to meaningful lives in their neighborhoods and communities.
The
Dan B. Davidson Awards are an annual event to recognize both individuals and
agencies that have gone beyond the usual, provided ethical leadership, and have
participated in cutting edge experiences.
Sadly, the practices are typically based on the person, and tend to fade
when the person leaves.
However, for the time individuals are present, they have had great impact
on an individual or a practice or policy.
The following individuals and agencies fit the above criteria.
Awards
were given to individuals, agencies or organizations that have demonstrated
visionary practices providing exemplary service and supports for people with disabilities that lead to inclusion as active and valued members of their
communities. With these awards, the
Council recognizes outstanding examples of inclusion in the following
categories:
- Education
- Employment
- Inclusion
in Community
Awardees
were recognized at the Council's annual celebration on July 25, 2012. Awardees
were honored for their efforts with
a $500 honorarium.
Excellence
in Education
Wendy
Schultz
Julie
Reiskin nominated Wendy for her work doing strong advocacy in education, much of
which is inspired by her being a parent and advocating on behalf of her three
children. Following her personal advocacy, she became committed to
learning all educational laws and rights and began applying her new found
knowledge to others in need of advocacy, often driving to Aurora or Colorado
Springs.
Additionally
she provides support to other advocates now and are working toward leadership
roles. Wendy is passionate about
assuring that people with disabilities have the tools not just to survive but to
thrive. Even when it is clear that
Wendy has solved an issue, she never sits on her laurels and decides that the
problem is solved unless there is a systemic change and it is solved for
everyone.
Pikes
Peak Community College
Sylvia
Garcia nominated Pikes Peak Community College for their work in implementing
universal instructional design and universal design in learning within the Pikes
Peak Community College system.
Trainings around the use of accommodations and individual learning styles
became a popular approach within the college system and has been expanded since
the initial inception.
The project has initiated a cultural shift at the college to improve the
inclusion and access of all learners; those with and without disabilities, those
with undiagnosed disabilities, and individuals with different learning styles.
Excellence
in Employment
Center
for Community Partnerships
Bitsy Cohn
nominated this agency based on their work helping individuals to reach their
potential through education, employment, independent living, community access
and recreation, all of which are truly individualized and integrated.
Bitsy’s
first encounter with the agency was when she was looking for a resource for a
Front Range Community College student who had many barriers to employment.
Vocational Rehabilitation referred Bitsy to the Center for Community
Partnerships and they had the skills to work with the student as well through
the systemic barriers to employment with the provision of job coaching among
other creative supports.
Josh Winkler
Sue
Fager and a number of other individuals nominated Josh for his bulldog advocacy
relative to including personal assistance in the supports provided by the
Medicaid Infrastructure Grant aka MIG. Without
this provision, employment would be impossible for a large number of people who
would be employed through the MIG process.
Previous to this system advocacy, Josh admits he was in it for himself and had
lots of individual advocacy experience
with
his own benefits. Now that he has
experienced system advocacy, he is ready and willing to take on new challenges.
Excellence
in Inclusion in Community
LOCO
YO
Sofia
Stewart’s parents nominated Loco Yo, a small yogurt shop in downtown
Louisville that opened their shop to be a community hang-out eatery.
Shop owners Linee Perrocel and Renee Tastad are relaxed, welcoming,
creative and collaborative in their relationships with the community.
The store is also very inclusive of Sofia who has a business of hosting
social and creative beading circles.
Loco Yo also acts as a sales location for some of Sophia’s overflow
bead ware.
Mission Supports and Arne Swenson
Thom
Miller nominated Mission Supports and Arne Swenson, the director of Mission
Supports. Arne worked for a
traditional service provider for many years before changing paths.
Recently, he formed Mission Supports to help people on the waiting list
who have little or no formal support form the DD system .
Individuals
get connected with what they themselves see as important.
This can range from accessing health care, getting a real job, or finding
a place to live; it is all based on what the individual sees as important.
The approach is very flexible, based on individual preferences and is a
one-stop shop without referral to another group that “specializes” in a
certain kind of support. Mission Supports has supported six individuals this year, a
truly person-centered manner.
Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council
Five-Year Plan 2012-2016
Goals and Objectives
Goal
1: Promote
and support the development of leadership and self-advocacy capacity among
people with disabilities and their family members.
Objective
1: Support leadership training by people with developmental disabilities and
their family members for other people with developmental disabilities and their
family members who may become leaders in Colorado.
Objective
2: Promote and support the development of
leadership, self-determination and self-advocacy capacity among people with
developmental disabilities and their family members through a variety of
strategies, including state-of-the-art technology.
Objective 3: Support policy-making groups to actively
include people with developmental disabilities and family members in
decision-making processes.
Objective 4: Serve as a representative voice of the
cultural competence and cultural diversity interests and concerns among Colorado
citizens with developmental disabilities.
Objective
5: Support and expand participation of people with developmental
disabilities in cross-disability and culturally diverse leadership coalitions.
Objective
6: Establish or strengthen a program for the direct funding of a State
self-advocacy organization led by people with developmental disabilities.
Goal
2:
Support the development of broad community coalitions that include people with
developmental disabilities in natural proportions to address
community-identified issues.
Objective 1: Support local grassroots efforts in communities
outside Denver and in rural areas of Colorado to contribute to the development
of such efforts as accessible transportation, affordable housing, employment,
inclusive recreation or meaningful participation in community policies that
expand access and inclusion.
Goal
3: People
with developmental disabilities will be free from abuse, neglect, exploitation,
seclusion and restraint related to differential treatment because of disability
in any settings.
Objective 1: The Council will investigate and establish an
effective means for ongoing monitoring of the frequency with which people who
have developmental disabilities experience instances of abuse, neglect,
exploitation, seclusion and restraint.
Objective 2: The Council will work to implement successful
strategies to decrease and ultimately prevent instances in which people with
developmental disabilities experience abuse, neglect, exploitation, seclusion or
restraint.
Goal
4:
Support and sustain community inclusion of people with developmental
disabilities in real jobs that offer real wages where non-disabled community
members work.
Objective 1: Participate
in and support a network of agencies providing education, training, employment
and other supports to employers, community members and people with disabilities.
Objective
2: Support the cultivation of natural supports within non-segregated
employment settings that foster job retention, skill achievement/enhancement and
employee success.
Objective 3: Promote and increase the active participation of
people with developmental disabilities in designing the approach and
implementation of employment strategies.
Goal
5:
Improve
the quality of life, and increase real choices for people with disabilities to
live in their communities by providing them the resources they need to live a
quality inclusive life.
Objective 1:
Support
or lead a collaborative approach to the development of a long-term strategic
plan to increase public awareness and understanding of the gifts and abilities
of people with developmental disabilities in Colorado, both those receiving
services and those on waiting lists, as well as the supports they need to be
contributing members of their communities.
Objective 2:
Engage
in public policy and advocacy activities that encourage and result in the
simplification and coordination of systems and resources for the support of
people with developmental disabilities.
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