I. Introductions were completed.
II. Minutes from November were accepted.
III. Announcements
The Parents League of New York
The Parents League provides advisory services to families applying to independent preschools and K-12 schools in NYC. They are looking to reach out to families with special needs children. Call 212-737-7385, or go to www.ParentsLeague.org for more information.
Esperanza
The adult day services program and the main office have moved to 181st Street between Audubon and Amsterdam Avenues.
AHRC NYC
Program vacancy list is attached. Free psychological and psychosocial evals can be done for individuals who have DD and do not have Medicaid; call Cathie Shannon at 212-229-3250 to make a referral for people who live in Manhattan.
Ohel Bais Ezra
Staff are available to do presentations on navigating disabilities, the availability of services, and how to access them, including how to enroll in the waiver. Go to www.ohelfamily.org, call 718-436-6124 or email manhattan@ohelfamily.org for more information.
YAI
The fall schedule of the Family Support Series for Caregivers of People with Autism Spectrum Disorders is attached, as is the vacancy list. The free Health Education Workshops for professionals are starting again in January (MSC’s receive credit for attending). Call YAI LINK at 212-273-6182 for referrals and any other information.
The Autism Center is collaborating with Elahi Yoga to provide a variety of programs for children on the autism spectrum ages 3-9 (and some older than 9). Call 1-888-YAI-AUTISM or go to www.yai.org/autism for more information.
Resources for Children with Special Needs
The Camp Fair will be held on 1/29/11 from 11-3 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle. The Camp Directory will be available for free at this event. After the Fair, people will have to pay for a copy.
Intensive Education Advocacy is also available for families in Manhattan with children ages 5-21. Staff are available to go to impartial hearings, and to participate in many different aspects of the process. Call Miguel Salazar at 212-677-4650 x 19 or mlsalazar@resourcesnyc.org .
Other
Joshua Trust has a music video bingo DVD for people with disabilities that he is eager to share with programs and agencies; contact 718-234-2779 for details.
IV. Website Update
The website is being updated to a different platform. It was suggested that there be an “Ask the Council” section where anyone can submit a question via the website, and a small group of people would be responsible for answering and posting the requested information on the site. This forum might also generate topics for meetings.
At this point, there is no way to send emails to subscribers to let them know the Council website has been updated. Hopefully in its new version, this will be possible.
It was also suggested that the site include more links to sites not funded by OPWDD. If you know of any sites that people might find helpful, please send them to Elly Rufer, web master at erufer2000@yahoo.com.
Please continue to visit www.manhattanddcouncil.org and provide feedback to Elly.
V. State News
Dr. Butkus reported that the Budget remains the biggest issue. There are still a lot of question marks in terms of the future. There is talk of proposed 20% budget cuts to Medicaid, and agencies should be looking at increasing revenue however they can. The State will look at collaborating with agencies and working creatively to keep providing services as best they can.
The field is still adjusting to the restructuring of MSC. There are rumors that MSC is being capped, but that is not accurate; caseloads are what is being capped.
OPWDD hosted a “Just Be” activity in the Bronx. Just BE—Just Be Equal, is a group that promotes person centered planning and innovation. The group gathered to encourage networking for staff in the DDSO and all staff from their Voluntary Provider Agencies. There was a great turn out and the feedback has been very positive. Over ten Voluntary agencies were represented and the staff ranged from Executive Directors to Direct Support Professionals. People were very happy to have the opportunity to meet like minded people that work in the same field and have some fun socializing. The Voluntary agencies sponsored baskets that were raffled during the event and the staff present were impressed with the thoughtfulness. The next Meet and Greet is scheduled for December 9th and they are expecting a greater turn out.
In terms of the proposed merger of “O agencies” (OPWDD, OMH, OASAS), Dr. Butkus said it’s mostly not feasible. There is very little overlap in the populations served, and it would be very hard to combine them.
Action alerts are on the DD Council website, for staff and families.
In concert with the name change, the OPWDD email addresses are being changed beginning 12/11 to [first name].[last name] @OPWDD.ny.gov.
VI. City News
The FY 11 and FY 12 City Tax Levy cuts were announced by the Mayor in November. OPWDD cuts included clinics (three voluntary and one HHC) receiving supplemental funding. Affected providers were notified via phone calls and correspondence was sent. FY 12 City Budget is still in a deficit despite the cuts that were implemented. Further reductions may be possible. Another concern is possible state local assistance (SLA) reductions for FY 12. Any SLA reductions would cause further review of current contracts funded through SLA.
DMH Executive Deputy Commissioner Dr. Karpati and Assistant Commissioner William Lopez have been visiting Work Readiness programs. Mr. Lopez has started to visit Work Readiness and Transitional Employment programs. More visits are planned to visit all Work Readiness and Transitional Employment programs funded. The next visits planned will be for recreation/socialization programs funded.
Update on the DDPC funded DD/Substance Abuse program: The initial response from OASAS is the possible development of supportive housing for this special population. A meeting will be coordinated with both OPWDD and OASAS regarding this initiative.
DOHMH was looking to coordinate a small forum with families who have children on the autism spectrum disorder. The goal would be to provide testimony on gaps and barriers in services for their children. The DD Council recommended that Mr. Lopez reconsider the timing of this forum until after the Borough Chairs meet in January, so they can develop a coordinated effort. The City Council funded providers will be conducting a survey for families receiving parent education and training services, in order to assess service needs.
VII. IAC/Federation Report
IAC: Advocacy efforts continue; the letter writing campaign to the Governor elect and other legislators is underway. Committees are reviewing eMods, the recent changes in MSC, and TB regulations.
IAC is also working on Lobbying issues, and the Lobby day will be 3/1, coordinated with other state associations.
Federation: The Federation is meeting on December 10, and the next meeting of the Borough chairs will be in January.
VIII. Committee Reports
Marco Damiani led a discussion about efforts to increase family involvement and advocacy in Manhattan. This effort began while considering how to get families involved in the Children’s Committee. A small subcommittee meeting was held. Ideas that came out of the meeting included:
• Reach out to early and elementary education programs and ask their assistance in identifying committed parents who might be interested in advocacy and in participating in some Council activities.
• In order to quickly engage new parents in council activities, it was suggested that several of these parents be encouraged to join the Legislative Committee to assist with planning and outreach for the Breakfast.
• Outreach to parent coordinators at DOE was recommended as another method to increase parent involvement. The Family Support Committee will follow-up with Ray Velez.
• Because one of the Council’s central goals is to increase the numbers of informed and engaged parents that are available for advocacy, the group felt that an “advocacy curriculum” should be developed for existing and new parents. It was felt that IAC could play an important role in moving this idea forward as we hopefully get more parents involved in upcoming weeks and months.
There was some discussion of that parents have a sense of entitlement and that they need to know the history of the field, and the struggle that has led to the services available today. Especially in this economy, the future of the field is uncertain, and we need young families to be ready to fight to preserve the services that are in place. These efforts and this discussion will continue.
Family Support – The 2010 Family and Professional Resource Fair was a big success, as usual. Approximately 550 people came, and 175 of those were parents. This is a great opportunity for families to get a lot of information and find out about services available to them. The updated Family Support Directory is available on the Council website.
Starting in January, the Committee will hold informational in-depth discussions about each aspect of getting enrolled in the Waiver. In January, there will be a presentation on eligibility and LOCs with Lois Gillman and Ron Gagliardi from the Metro DDSO. See attached for the schedule of upcoming topics at meetings through June, including MSC enrollment, DDP1 and DDP2 forms, waiver enrollment, and Medicaid enrollment. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 1/11, at 10am at UCP/NYC, 120 East 23rd Street, 5th floor. Call 212-979-9700, ext. 708 for more information.
Legislative – The date for the 2011 Manhattan Legislative Breakfast is Friday, March 11. Agencies with 853 schools should start thinking about parents/caregivers of students who will be transitioning to adult day services who can talk about their futures and the next 20 years of the field. The Borough Chairs had a conference call with IAC and came up with new ideas for advocating. Advocacy efforts are in progress, and there may be buses going up to Albany at some point. There are going to be many different agencies in different fields, all fighting not to be cut and to receive whatever funding is available. The Committee will start meeting soon. To join, email Judith.deiasi@ahrcnyc.org.
Transition – The December meeting had a relatively small turnout, but staff from District 75 schools were there, along with a presence from 853 and other schools in Manhattan. There are several new transition linkage coordinators, and the Committee has been focusing on guiding them through the transition process. There are about 75 expected graduates for June 2011. The Student Information Exchange will take place on 1/19, with school representatives, families, and adult day service providers. The Committee is still seeing program vacancies, but fewer than in the past due to less development. The ADS Directory was updated, and since the focus is now on Supported Employment, this was featured first in the directory this year. The directory is available on the Council website. The next meeting will be the Student Information Exchange on Wednesday 1/19 at 9:30 at Metro DDSO, 75 Morton Street, 1st floor activity center. Call Kathy Kelly at 212-780-2724 for more information.
Manhattan Family Support Services Advisory Council – The November meeting was not well attended, and the Executive Committee agreed to meet on an eight week schedule, with additional meetings as needed. At the January meeting, Alden Kaplan, formerly of OPWDD and the Division of the Budget, will speak about the State Budget Process. The January meeting will be on 1/20 at 10 am at 75 Morton Street. Call Margaret Puddington for more information, 212-799-2042.
Service Coordination – The Committee met on 11/17 and spoke about the MSC changes and their impact. So far, everyone has similar issues, which is a good sign. The Committee will bring Manhattan MSC’s together on a regular basis to encourage ongoing discussions and will eventually have presentations. The first gathering will be January 24 at 2:30 at UCP/NYC (120 East 23rd Street, 5th floor, room 525). Agencies should send their MSC Supervisors and MSC staff. If you are interested in participating, please email irina.tuchina@yai.org.
Children’s Committee – The Committee is working on the role and function of the Children’s Committee and trying to reach out to families. A survey was sent out to the Manhattan preschool run by Christina Muccioli as a sample of families with children ages 3-5. So far 25% have been returned, and Christina will reach out to those families to try and get them involved somehow. So far the surveys seem to indicate a preference for morning meetings if there is a speaker or a focus on a specific topic.
The next meeting will be announced when a date is set. For more information about the Committee, contact Christina Muccioli at Christina.Muccioli@ahrcnyc.org.
Next meeting: Thursday, January 13 at UCP/NYC, 122 East 23rd Street, 1st floor boardroom.