Presiding:  James Hexter, Chair

 

Recorder of Minutes:  Donna Devin

 

Members Present:  Kevin Daly, Ann Gionet, James Hexter, Chair; Bryan Klimkiewicz, Gretchen Knauff, Alicia Kucharczyk, Joyce Lewis, Ellyn Little; Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair; Megan O’Neill, Patricia Richardson, James Rosen, Brenda Stenglein, Robin Wood

 

Members Absent:   Charles Bergamo; April Burke, Gary Gross, Michael Scanlon,

Non-Voting Members Absent:   Louis St. Felix

 

Staff:  Walter Glomb, Director

 

Meeting Assistants:  Jennifer Raymond

 

1. Call to Order:  With a quorum present, James Hexter, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:19 a.m. 

 

2. Approval of Agenda:  Brenda Stenglein motioned to approve the agenda. Gretchen Knauff seconded the motion. The agenda was approved.

 

3. Approval of November 13, 2018 Minutes:  Kevin Daly motioned to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Megan O’Neill. The minutes were approved.

 

4. Remarks from Council Chair:  James Hexter, Chair, extended a warm welcome to Lauren Traceski and Antonia Edwards. Antonio Orriola has resigned from the Council.

 

Senator Beth Bye has accepted a new position in the Lamont Administration and will no longer be chair of the Intellectual Disability Caucus at the State Legislature. The Council will be keeping a close watch on who becomes the next chair of the caucus.

 

5. Report from Council Director:  Walter Glomb gave a run-down of all the Council's activities beginning with the 2020 Campaign. He has a meeting on Monday with the Committee, where the focus will be on bringing the 2020 Campaign's issues to the attention of Governor Lamont and providing him with information and data on the needs of individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

 

Supported Decision-making is being handled by Disability Rights Connecticut which has formed the Connecticut Coalition for Supported Decision-making.

 

Gretchen Knauff, the Executive Director of DRCT offered training for the Coalition last December, on what guardianship is and how it operates in CT. Next on her team’s agenda is what groups of people need to be educated in CT and the best way this can be accomplished.

 

In regards to Self Direction, the Council awarded a grant to the Arc of Connecticut. Walt met with their leadership and they are already hard at work finding out from DDS and DSS what services offered by the agencies for individuals with IDD are under-utilized.

 

DRCT is running Partners in Policymaking this year. The new class is comprised of thirty-five (35) advocates and providers. Instead of having the providers in a separate monthly Thursday class, they will join the traditional Partners' class monthly on Saturdays. The first Partners' training will be held Friday through Saturday, February 8-9, at their new venue, the Glastonbury Garden Hilton Hotel.

 

The Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance had a planning meeting in December, where they worked on their strategic plan and chose a few key topics to put their energy and resources behind. They are examining their decision-making process. Sustainability of the Alliance is a priority for them in 2019.

 

A grant was awarded to the Arc of Connecticut to begin a self advocacy group for Parents with Cognitive Limitations.

 

People First held a successful Christmas party in December.

 

Customized Employment Certification training took place in December. Michael Callahan from Marc Gold and Associates provided training in the Systematic Instruction Process. Two more trainings in Job Development and Systematic Instruction are being planned for 2019. Also, Robin Wood at DDS was able to hire a Director of Employment and Day Services, Amber Burke, who is working currently on the new DDS employment agenda.

 

Council Leadership met with the Arc of CT and AARP Representatives. The AARP designed a Livable Communities model to help create communities that are more friendly and livable for people who are aging. The Council and the Arc see the Livable Communities concept as fitting right into their vision of an all- inclusive community that includes not only the aging community, but also individuals with disabilities.

 

Council’s Post-Secondary Education objective will enable students with IDD to enroll in college programs that meet the Think College criteria of being classes already offered in the college catalog; the same classes that students without disabilities will be attending. The experience should be an authentic college experience, and the end result for taking courses should be in the form of a certificate or something of value reflecting the knowledge gained.

 

There have been talks with Lyft and a couple of local providers to address the need for On Demand Transportation. Meanwhile, SCOOT, a new ride-sharing app is being developed by New Star for people with IDD. Also, two new CT organizations have business models that may be useful in assisting the Council to meet its transportation goal.

 

6. Budget Report:   Cathy Adamczyk, the Disability Policy Specialist remains out on medical leave. The budget is on track and staff continues to look for opportunities to save money and cut back on costs whenever possible.

 

7. Plans for Legislative Breakfast:  A second Legislative Breakfast is being planned between mid and late February. The ideal date would be when the Public Health Committee is meeting and the ID Caucus is holding their Family Forum day. Last year, many Legislators took the opportunity to stop by the LOB Atrium and learn about Council sponsored activities and programs.

 

8. Discussion of Lamont Transition Policies:  Council members reviewed policy recommendations from the Lamont-Bysiewicz Human Services Transition Committee that affects individuals who live with developmental disabilities.

 

9. Discussion of 2019 Legislative Agenda:  James Hexter, Chair, encouraged the Council to provide input for the 2019 Legislative agenda. Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair commented on the importance of keeping a close eye on the budget and the amount of money being allocated for services for people with IDD. Also, she is working on finding ways to collaborate with other partners on the housing issue.

 

Walter Glomb, Director, pointed out that there is a lack of capacity to serve individuals with a high level of need in the community. He has been fielding calls from concerned parents of 21 year old adults who have graduated and are eligible; have their IP and a budget, but there’s no one to serve them. Redeployment could address this need.

 

10. Announcements and Adjournment:  Kevin Daly made a motion for adjournment. Antonia Edwards seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 2:30 p.m. The next Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 at Beth El Temple in West Hartford. The snow date for the meeting is Tues, March 19th.