The 216th meeting of the CT Council on Developmental Disabilities was held on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 from 10:05 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Beth El Temple in West Hartford, CT.

 

Presiding:  James Hexter, Chair, and Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair

 

Recorder of Minutes:  Donna Devin

 

Members Present:  Charles Bergamo; April Burke, Kevin Daly, Ann Gionet,
James Hexter, Chair; Alicia Kucharczyk, Ellyn Little; Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair;
Megan O’Neill, Patricia Richardson, Brenda Stenglein, Robin Wood

 

Non-Voting Members Present:   Louis St. Felix

 

Members Absent:   Gary Gross, Bryan Klimkiewicz, Gretchen Knauff, Joyce Lewis, Antonio Orriola, James Rosen, Michael Scanlon, Kathy Wolkner

 

Non-Voting Members Absent:   Antonia Edwards, Lauren Traceski

 

Staff:  Walter Glomb, Director

 

Meeting Assistants:  Jennifer Raymond, Rosa Serrano

 

Guests:  Angela Jimenez

 

1. Call to Order:  Without a quorum present, James Hexter, Chair, began the meeting at 10:10 a.m. 

2. Report from Council Chair:  James Hexter, Chair, remarked he feels very honored and privileged to have received the position of DD Council Chair. He looks forward to working with everyone for the next year and hopefully beyond. A special thank you was extended to Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair, for the 4 years she served as Chair and expertly guided the Council with unwavering dedication and verve.

3. Report from Director:  Walter Glomb updated the Council on the status of their objectives. The Council continues to work with the 2020 Committee to close Southbury Training School. Patty McQueen, the Communications Consultant hired by the Council, put together materials and developed questions that members of the disability community could ask political candidates on the campaign trail. The Council discussed the need for more structure and for disability advocacy groups to be more involved with campaign events. At the next 2020 meeting, focus will be on ways to get more support for the 2020 goal. On a lighter note, the October 18th showing of the CPTV “Building a Great Life” documentary, sponsored by the Arc of Litchfield County, was a great success. Attendance was good and a lively panel discussion followed the viewing.

Disability Rights Connecticut (DRCT) has formed the Connecticut Coalition for Supported Decision Making. Walt has been attending their meetings.

Two classes of participants graduated from the Partners in Policymaking program in September. DRCT will be running the program next year.

The Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance held their 2018 Candidates’ Forum on October 11th. It was attended by over three hundred people. Among the candidates who spoke were U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro; then CT Governor Elect, Ned Lamont; U.S. Rep. John Larson; and State Senator Joe Markley.

 
Ellyn Little attended The Arc’s National Convention in Nashville, TN, from November 8-10th. She gave a PowerPoint presentation on a Self-Advocacy symposium she participated in while she was there.

The Parents with Cognitive Limitations group closed out a busy year with their annual meeting on November 1st at the Pond House in West Hartford.

 
Registration is open for the Customized Employment Certification training by Michael Callahan from Marc Gold and Associates in the Systematic Instruction Process. The training will take place Wed. – Thrs., December 5-7, in the Innovation Center at the Mandell Community Center in West Hartford, CT. Two more trainings in customized employment are being scheduled for 2019.

Post-secondary education is an objective the Council shares with the UCONN UCEDD. Since there are other groups in the state who are working on a similar objective, Walt wants to bring everyone together and hammer out a proposal.
No proposals were received for the transportation issue. Other options are being explored and there may be a second call for RFPs in the future.

4. 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.

5. Introduction of New Council Member:  Louis St. Felix introduced himself to everyone. Two other new members, Antonia Edwards and Lauren Traceski were unable to attend the meeting.

6. Call to Order:  With a quorum present and with James Hexter, Chair leaving early, Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:15 p.m. 

7. Approval of Agenda:  Ellyn Little motioned to approve the agenda. Chuck Bergamo seconded the motion. The agenda was approved.

8. Approval of September 27, 2018 Minutes:  The line, “Since James Hexter, Chair, was absent, Shelagh McClure presided over the second half of the meeting as Council Vice Chair.”, will be added to the meeting minutes at the end of agenda item #4. Also, after that agenda item, anywhere else Shelagh McClure is cited to as Chair, will be changed to Vice Chair. Brenda Stenglein motioned to approve the minutes from the Annual Meeting with the edits. The motion was seconded by Kevin Daly. The minutes were approved.

9. Report from the Proposal Review Committee:  Alicia Kucharczyk summarized two proposals from the Arc. The Proposal Review Committee recommends the $30K funding of the Arc’s proposal for a Self-Direction project for Promoting Self-Directed Services and Other Under-Utilized State Services. Walt Glomb, Director, will set up a meeting with Arc to iron out the details of the proposal, and Council Members are welcome to attend.

Vote on Acceptance of Proposal Review Committee Recommendation:  There was no further discussion. April Burke motioned to accept the recommendation from the Proposal Review Committee. The motion was seconded by Chuck Bergamo. The recommendation was approved by the Council. Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair, abstained due to a conflict of interest.

Alicia Kucharczyk reviewed the second proposal from the Arc. The Proposal Review Committee recommends the $26K funding of the Arc’s proposal for Building a Statewide Self-Advocacy Organization for Parents with Cognitive Limitations in Connecticut. The proposal will build on the parent network to create a presence run by parents with cognitive limitations.

10. Vote on Acceptance of Proposal Review Committee Recommendation:
Ellyn Little motioned to accept the recommendation from the Proposal Review Committee. The motion was seconded by Robin Wood. The recommendation was approved by the Council. Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair, abstained due to a conflict of interest.

11. Committee Assignments:  Council members selected the committee they wished to serve on. The Advocacy, Public Information & Education (APIE) Committee members are: Charles Bergamo, Brenda Stenglein and Robin Wood. No Chair was selected because not all Council members were present at the meeting. The Legislation Policy & Planning (LPP) Committee members are: April Burke, Kevin Daly, Chair; Ann Gionet, Ellyn Little and Shelagh McClure, Vice Chair & Council Vice Chair. The Proposal Review Committee (PRC) members are: Alicia Kucharczyk, Chair; Megan O'Neill, and Co-Chair, Patty Richardson.

12. Review of ACL Reporting Requirements:  Because of the ACL’s new stringent data reporting requirements, the Council needs to expand on its data collection methods and create new survey questions. Walt Glomb, Director believes the Council could be aided in this endeavor by financing the services of a Ph.D. intern from the UCONN Department of Public Policy, who has a Master’s Degree in Survey Research. Building a relationship with another piece of UCONN could be very beneficial to the Council, especially given the close proximity of the Dept. of Public Policy, which is housed within the Prospect Street branch of the UCONN Hartford Campus. Another positive of collaborating with UCONN is that they have tools and technology the Council lacks. The length of the contract is nine months.

13. Vote on $17K Funding for Services of Ph.D. Program Intern from the UCONN Department of Public Policy:  Brenda Stenglein motioned to grant funding for the UCONN Dept. of Public Policy. The motion was seconded by Megan O’Neill. The motion was approved by the Council.

14. Announcements and Adjournment:  Chuck Bergamo made a motion for adjournment. Megan O’Neill seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m. The next Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at Beth El Temple in West Hartford. The snow date for the meeting is Tues, Jan. 15th.