Raising expectations, Changing lives
Dear Reader,
When I invited people to join the Transformation Panel in February
of 2015, one thing seemed clear to us all: this is a moment of
opportunity for people with developmental disabilities. We have a
chance to shape more individually tailored services for each
person and a more sustainable system for all. The
recommendations from this group, in the state that has been a
leader in supporting people with developmental disabilities for
decades, can be simply summarized: go further.
As I have spoken with many people served by our system and
heard how worried and uncertain people felt about the future, I
thought it was very important to open up the process of change. I
invited people with different perspectives, from self-advocates to
parents of children with developmental disabilities, people from
the provider community and expert advisers to help define
ambitious goals and innovative ways of attaining them. In this
process, one thing has become very clear to me: we are in this
together.
The Panel members identified the challenges we need to address
and the opportunities we can seize on to help people with
developmental disabilities live the fullest lives possible, helping
them thrive in the community, as citizens, neighbors and friends.
This diverse group has worked through 2015 to help reimagine
and redesign systems of support.
I felt it was important for this Panel to represent different
perspectives and, as expected, there are varied opinions about
many of the specifics in the report and recommendations that
follow. Being open to these different viewpoints is an important
part of making real progress.
Continue reading:TransformationPanelReport-RaisingExpectationsChangingLives