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CONNECTICUT COUNCIL ON DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

Regular Council Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, March 8, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

(Online via Microsoft Teams)

The 236^th meeting of the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities was held on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.

Presiding:  James Hexter, Chair

Recorder of Minutes:  Donna Devin, Program Assistant

Members Present:  Emily Ball, Michelle Baughman, Chuck Bergamo, April Burke, Andy Cirioli, Kevin Daly, Antonia Edwards, James Hexter, Chair; Bryan Klimkiewicz, Doris Maldonado Mendez, Vice Chair; Kaitlynn Ramos, Santina Sciaba-Douglas, Lauren Traceski, Brenda Stenglein, Tara Viens

Members Absent:   Ann Gionet, Louis St. Felix

1. Call to Order:  With a quorum present, James Hexter, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. There were no members of the public present, so James moved to the next item on the agenda.

    

2. Approval of Agenda:April Burke, motioned to approve the agenda. Michelle Baughman seconded the motion. The agenda was approved.

    

3. Approval of Minutes from January 11, 2022, Regular Council Meeting:  Chuck Bergamo motioned to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Andy Cirioli. The minutes were approved.

    

4. Report from the Council Director:  Walter Glomb, Council Director, is very pleased with the work being done by the MidState Arc in organizing their July two (2) day assistive technology conference. Walt has been attending their planning meetings. The team is really making an effort to include all the different departments of the state who might use assistive technology, as well as a number of private and non-profit groups. All indications point to a terrific event.

   
   Doris Maldonado Mendez, Vice Chair; and Walt met with Dr. Cheryl Ellis, the new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Department of Developmental Services (DDS). At the meeting, they showed Dr. Ellis the Council’s proactive outreach project to underserved communities. The Council is excited by the prospect of having a great partner in Dr. Ellis and is looking forward to working with her more in the future.

    

   Disability Rights Connecticut has completed two monthly webinars on civil rights and legal issues for individuals with disabilities. Walt was a speaker on the February webinar. He talked about the Vernon vaccine clinic the Council hosted over the summer.
   
   The Keep The Promise Coalition is heavily involved in legislative advocacy and has been holding monthly meetings and giving presentations on specific topics. Walt is speaking to them this month on the definition of developmental disabilities and why the mental health community should be included in that definition.
   
   Walt has been very active in People First of Connecticut. He has been assisting them in restructuring due to organizational and leadership issues.
   
   Walt and Council Member, Michelle Baughman, are focused on Council Grantee, Payton-Jameson and their Grit and Flow trainings on supported employment and job development for a neurodiverse population.

    

   Walt is a member of a Subcommittee for the Governor’s Office of Workforce Strategy. They have just produced a new work plan for trainings. The Office is funding grants to improve the workforce in Connecticut, post-Covid, because some sectors are experiencing a large shortage of workers. Walt is committed to ensuring that underserved communities and people with people with disabilities have a voice in the plan.

    

   The State Independent Living Council (SILC) has launched Partners in Policymaking. Walt will address them and recruit some of the advocates to work on projects that are in support of the Council’s goals.

    

   There is a request out from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities. Our national organization received a grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to create a new national community of practice focused on bridging the disability service networks and aging service networks. Walt wants to submit an application in time to be one of the first states and charter members of the community.

    

   Connecticut was one of the original six (6) states in the Community of Practice Supporting Families, which later became LifeCourse and they introduced it to the state. The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) adopted it as standard practice and LifeCourse is now integrated with their Individual Plan Process.

    

   Walt believes bridging disability and aging networks is going to be big and it’s important for the Council to be a leader in it. A local network has to be formed that includes the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), the Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS) and some other groups. Should the Council be selected, there are no fees and they would receive a modest grant of $5K to cover administrative costs. The Council would be connected to three large University Centers of Excellence that are forming to support this at universities around the country. It is a great opportunity for Connecticut.

    

   The Council was informed at a previous meeting that the Administration for Community Living (ACL) was going to be giving out new grants as a follow-on for the vaccine access grants from last year. The Council now has an extra $95K in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, specifically to invest in the public heath workforce.

    

   Doris Maldonado Mendez, Vice Chair, and Walt have been meeting with  Milagros Sequinot, the Chair of the Community Health Workers Association (CHWA) with the intent of working with them. Although the money has to be spent on salaries and benefits for community health workers, it will be done in a way where there will be some long-standing impact. The Council wants to partner with CHWA and some other organizations. The grant maximum is $40K.
   
   

   Walt submitted the Council’s Program Performance Reports (PPR) to the Administration for Community Living (ACL). He is in the process of reviewing their feedback on the Council’s Five-Year Plan. The Council will have until August 15^th to respond to the comments.

    

   The Membership Committee will be convening to work on filling some empty spaces on the Council. The issues will be sorted out by August 15^th.

    

   The Council will begin scheduling meetings for site visits of its grantees during this month into May. A list was compiled of grantees and the names of Council members who are interested attending the meetings. If there are any members who would like to be added to the roster, please inform Donna as to which grants you are interested in following.

    

   Chuck Bergamo asked if there is an expiration date for the $30K grant not used by People First of Connecticut. Under the ACL rules, the Council has 24 months to liquidate funds. The business address of People First of Connecticut has been changed to the MidState Arc.

    

5. Report From the Proposal Review and Evaluation Committee and Motions to Approve Recommendations:Charles Bergamo, the Chair of the Committee, spoke on behalf of the Committee. The Committee recommended three (3) grant funding requests be approved by the Council.

    

   Yale School of Public Health – Community Autism Socials at Yale (CASY), CASY in Chinese. Yushi Zhang, Project Coordinator applied for $15,248 in funding for the program. They will provide an online social and educational resource for Chinese speaking communities mainly residing in Connecticut, but also open to other online Chinese speaking Autism Spectrum communities. James Hexter, Council Chair, asked for a motion to approve funding for CASY in Chinese. Andy Cirioli, Committee Vice-Chair, made the motion. Doris Maldonado Mendez, Council Vice Chair, seconded the motion. A discussion was opened. The proposal was approved.

    

   Yale School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH). The program will engage in six (6) interactive conversations with individuals with developmental and psychiatric disabilities on themes of rights, responsibilities, roles, relationships, and resources of community membership, and to explore strengths and barriers about the cultural needs for Black and Latinx community members’ developmental and psychiatric disabilities in Connecticut, using the “Citizenship Approach”. Graziela do Carmo Reis, Project Coordinator, asked for $49,130 in funding to implement the program. James Hexter, Council Chair, asked for a motion to approve funding for PRCH. Kevin Daly made the motion. Brenda Stenglein seconded the motion. A discussion was opened. The proposal was approved.

    

   Motion to Approve Increase of Council’s Grant Budget:

   In order to approve the grant for the Down Syndrome Association of Connecticut, the Council’s funding ceiling needs to be raised from $400K to $413K. Walt Glomb, Council Director, explained that every year the Council rolls over some of the monies received from the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Also, there are funds left over due to meetings and events being held online instead of in person. Charles Bergamo, Committee Chair, made a motion to increase the Council’s budget for FY 2022 grant funding from $400K to $413K. Michelle Baughman seconded the motion. A discussion was opened. The proposal was approved unanimously.

    

6. Approval of Final Grant Request Recommendation from the Proposal Review and Evaluation Committee:The Down Syndrome Association of Connecticut (DS ACT). Shanon McCormick, Executive Director of DS ACT requested $27,815 in funding for the program. It is for training and education of workers and administrators in relevant state agencies, healthcare facilities, direct care agencies and other service providers in Connecticut about the care of aging adults with Down Syndrome. The knowledge gained in the project will be generalized to the larger population of those with similar developmental disabilities in Connecticut. James Hexter, Council Chair, asked for a motion to approve funding for DS ACT. April Burke made the motion to approve funding for DS ACT. Charles Bergamo, Committee Chair, seconded the motion. A discussion was opened. The proposal was approved unanimously.

    

7. Report from the Legislative Policy and Planning Committee:Andy Cirioli, Committee Chair, filled the Council in on the content of the Committee’s February online meetings. During the meetings, members discussed the goals and expectations of the Committee. Their tasks are to review bills under consideration by the Connecticut General Assembly during legislative sessions; decide which bills align with the Council’s goals in its Five-Year Plan; prioritize the bills and determine which ones they’d like to offer opinions on; and submit some type of written opinion of the legislation to the appropriate committees or to legislators, outlining the facts of the bill and identifying how the bill may positively or negatively impact communities the Council represents. Since this year is a short legislative session and almost over, the Committee is focusing its energies on planning and strategizing for the long legislative session next year, also a budget year.

    

8. Plans for April Retreat: The Council discussed ideas for the content of their annual retreat to be held on Tuesday, April 12^th via MS Teams. Due to Covid and the “Great Pause”, a retreat hasn’t been held since April of 2019. Members would like to have someone from the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission speak on the Council’s responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). They also requested a brief overview of the Council and duties of its members.

    

9. Announcements and Adjournment:James Hexter, Chair, made a motion for adjournment. Charles Bergamo seconded the motion. The meeting concluded at 12:15 p.m. The next Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, online via MS Teams.