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CONNECTICUT COUNCIL ON DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Regular Council Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, July 12, 2022, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
(Online via Microsoft Teams)
The 238th meeting of the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities was held on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 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, Lynn Frith, James Hexter, Chair; Shannon Jacovino, Bryan Klimkiewicz, Doris Maldonado Mendez, Vice Chair; Kaitlynn Ramos, Brenda Stenglein, Tara Viens, Jim Welsh
Members Absent: Louis St. Felix, Jennifer Switalski
Staff: Walter Glomb, Director
Members of the Public: Mya Bowen, Melissa Kremmel
1. Call to Order: With a quorum present, James Hexter, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:01 a.m.
2. Comment from Members of the Public: Melissa Kremmel, Executive Director of Connecticut Family Support Network (CTFSN) introduced herself to the Council. CTFSN is a network throughout Connecticut that works to empower families. They assist with training, support, and advocacy. Like many other providers, they are currently looking to hire new staff, particularly in their southeast and southwest regions. They are focused on creating more diversity within their organization. Among their plans is building a taskforce for families that have a loved one who has autism, but doesn’t necessarily qualify for DDS services, and talking about the services needed for that specific population. Their website address is:https://ctfsn.org/
3. Approval of Agenda:Kevin Daly motioned to approve the agenda. Doris Maldonado Mendez seconded the motion. The agenda was approved.
4. Approval of Minutes from May 10, 2022, Public Forum & Council Meeting: Shannon Jacovino motioned to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Michelle Baughman. The minutes were approved. James Welsh abstained.
5. Comments by the Chair: Due to a packed meeting agenda, James Hexter, Chair turned the floor over to Walter Glomb, Council Executive Director.
6. Report from the Council Executive Director on State Plan Activities for Fiscal Year 2022: The Council has been working with Health Equity Solutions, who will be hosting a series of community conversations this summer. They have invited the Council to cohost one with them that focuses on disabilities.
Because of the Council’s work on the vaccine clinic last year, Walter Glomb, Council Executive Director, received a call from David Reyes, Director of the Office of Health Equity, and Heather Aaron, the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Health. They are interested in expanding their focus to include disabilities among the groups they will address in their equity activities.
Walt continues to attend meetings of the Ministerial Health Fellowship run by Reverend Robyn Anderson. He thinks it’s a terrific group and encouraged them to submit a grant proposal to the Council.
Partners in Policymaking training is wrapping up and will be graduating 15 new Partners in September. Walt and Molly Cole, Executive Director of the State Independent Living Council (SILC), have been discussing how to effectively use all of the many Partners grads and how to keep them engaged. The Council should be on the lookout for a future grant application whose purpose is to create and maintain a database of all Partners graduates, projects, and ongoing interactions with the grads. No Partners training has been proposed yet for 2023.
PATH continues to conduct their Parent to Parent trainings and the Sibling Network held a successful first meeting with nine (9) siblings in attendance.
The Down Syndrome Association will hold a conference on people who are aging and have Down Syndrome or a related developmental disability. The conference will educate healthcare professionals and people in the disability service system on how to better manage and serve people who are aging, either within the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) system, or in the general population. The event will provide a more detailed picture of where people are and what their needs might be.
Progress has been made in regards to the $95K grant the Council was awarded from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), to expand the public health workforce. The money must be spent on Community Health Workers, which aligns with the Council's goal to use the funding to pay Community Health Workers in Connecticut to develop training in how to provide accommodations to the kind of populations the Council served at its vaccine clinic last year. These were people with behavioral disabilities, intellectual and some psychiatric conditions, who were unable to find appropriate accommodations within the mainstream healthcare system. The project will start with a $50K grant to Health Equity Solutions, who will work in partnership with the Community Health Workers Association on the training. Both organizations are seen by the state of Connecticut as primary representatives in their field.
Walt has attended some of the Community Health Workers' meetings, along with the Community Health Workers Advisory Body meetings. The advisory body is part of the State Office of Health Strategy. They recognize the Community Health Workers Association (CHWA) as the entity that is authorized to develop training and certification programs for Community Health Workers in Connecticut. CHWA along with Health Equity Solutions already has a special relationship with the state, and the Council would benefit from taking advantage of the partnership.
When Walt submitted the Council's State Plan to the Administration for Community Living (ACL), they returned it with some questions and comments. A response is due by August 15. The ACL accepted all of the Council's goals and objectives that they're building their program around.
The Council is working on getting their membership in order and the Membership Committee has been meeting to ensure this happens. A new contact at the Governor's Office, Tom Scanlon, is in the process of sending out the confirmation letters for new members. ACL has given the Council until 2024 to satisfy all requirements of membership and Walt is submitting a membership plan to them by August 15. The Council is way ahead of the ACL’s deadline to resolve issues.
James Hexter, Chair, asked in regards to Council Objective 2.3, where the Keep the Promise Coalition is providing seminars on housing, if reforms to zoning laws would assist in the creation of more housing for people with developmental disabilities; if the idea is being discussed further; who's taking the lead on it; and was there anything the Council or Council members could do to help progress it?
Walt said the organization leader for CT that advocates in that area is the Partnership for Strong Communities. They are experts on nonfamily residences and are very focused on the affordable housing issue for people with disabilities and other populations. He’s in contact with Danielle Kubley, Policy Analyst there.
In most towns, everyone inside a single-family home has to be related. Co-living is against the law, which is a problem for a group of people that just want to share a house. Unfortunately, there are numerous ways towns legislate or regulate against accessory units, multi-family homes, tiny houses, and other creative housing solutions, by adjusting the zoning code. This impacts a lot of existing housing stock that might be used or modified.
As it’s unlikely the state is going to appropriate the amount of money required to subsidize the number of people needed to live in these places, the law needs to be modified to compel towns to allow more affordable housing. Partnership for Strong Communities is taking the lead on introducing legislation to bring about this change. Although the Council cannot lobby, they can inform legislators about the problem, the solutions, and the necessity of housing reform.
Housing reform can be made into a disability issue. It can be connected to the Olmstead ruling, since a lot of groups are pushing for peoples’ rights through the Olmstead decision for community living. Until now, the focus on Olmstead has been on ensuring community-based service are available to people with disabilities, who live in the community or their own home. The state has come up with a variety of ways people can get the services and supports they need outside of an institution, and in their own home, through Community First Choice, HCBS waivers, Money Follows the Person, and other programs. But because housing is so difficult to obtain and people can’t afford their own homes, groups are pushing back on Olmstead. The housing issue has evolved into an obstacle to community-based services. This aligns with the Council’s purpose of promoting community-based services and supports.
Bryan Klimkiewicz commented the Department of Education holds districts accountable for providing a least restrictive environment. They are required federally to track, monitor and collect data on an annual basis for all 170 local education agencies (LEAs). The reports are available for viewing by the public.
7. Vote to Approve Public Health Workforce (CT Community Health Workers) Grant Funding:A lengthy and involved discussion on the grant occurred between Council members. James Hexter, Council Chair, asked for a motion to approve a grant of $50K to Health Equity Solutions through money received by ACL to expand the Community Health workforce to serve individuals with developmental disabilities. Charles Bergamo made the motion. Kevin Daly made a move to call the question. James acknowledged so moved, and automatically moved the grant funding to a vote. The motion passed unanimously.
8. Report by the Executive Director on the Bridging Aging and Disability Community of Practice Program:CT is one of 5 states selected to be the charter member of the new national Community of Practice. A team has been formed, led by the Council. It includes DDS; the Unit on Aging; the Arc CT; AARP; the State Independent Living Council (SILC); and Health Equity Solutions. Each entity satisfies a requirement of the grant. They held their first meeting in June. Goals are: to create a common technology platform to bridge aging and disability networks, so families and consumers will have one place to go to get information; assistive technology; workforce development; care coordination; direction of services after parents are gone; and the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate delivery of services and supports. Walt will attend the inaugural meeting of the national CoP on July 18-19, in Washington, D.C.
9. Report by the Executive Director on the Fiscal Year 2022 Council Budget:The Council’s Disability Policy Specialist is on medical leave, budget is on track and staff continues to look for opportunities to save money and cut back on costs whenever possible.
10. Discussion of Feedback from Grantee Site Visits: Walter Glomb, Council Executive Director extended his thanks to all of the Council members who attended the site visits. Overall, he was very satisfied with the performance of the grantees. Andy Cirioli thought the Keep The Promise Coalition site visit was excellent and he is very pleased with what they’re doing.
11. Discussion of Feedback on the Council Orientation: Feedback on the Council Orientation was very positive. Doris Maldonado Mendez, Council Vice Chair thanked Walt for a great orientation and applauded his efforts.
She said knowing the background of the Council and its grassroots are essential to being able to lead and move forward inside and outside of the Council. She supports offering follow up trainings, and would like to see modules for people who can’t readily attend Council meetings. She noted some members are working when the Council holds its regular meetings in the morning.
Chuck Bergamo also liked the training and recommends holding a regularly scheduled training, and also have one right after new members start serving on the Council. An orientation date could be added to the Council’s calendar.
Antonia Edwards thinks the timing of Council meetings are a major issue, especially in the underserved communities. She also cited location and venue as a big problem.
12. Report From the Membership and Support Committee: The Council has 4 open slots for 2 parents or family members, and 2 self advocates. A member can serve two 3-year terms. Members are encouraged to reach out to prospective candidates who would be a good fit for the Council. Walt cautioned them to read the definition of a developmental disability carefully, as presented in the DD Act.
13. Presentation of Draft Budget for Fiscal Year 2023:Walter Glomb, Council Executive Director, reviewed a draft budget for the new 2023 fiscal year. It will be voted on at the Council’s annual meeting in September.
14. Discussion of Solicitations of New Grants in Fiscal Year 2023:Council members should use their networks and start contacting non-profit organizations about submitting a grant proposal for the next 2023 fiscal year. Proposals will be evaluated in terms of which can better assist the Council in meeting the objectives stated in its Five-Year plan. Its federal funding doesn’t allow the Council to financially support any organization. The new RFA has been updated and posted on the Council’s website.
15. Announcements and Adjournment:Charles Bergamo, Chair, made a motion for adjournment. Antonia Edwards seconded the motion. The meeting concluded at 1:00 p.m. The next Council meeting will be the Council’s Annual Meeting held on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, online via MS Teams.