`Meeting Notes State Plan For Independent Living (SPIL) Committee September 10, 2008 Hawthorn Suites- Kent, WA Present: Shelley Hawkins, Gladys Springborn, Al Neely, Jim Baker, Romel Mackelprang, Linda McClain, Charley Lane, Von Elison, Barbara Hathaway, Rob Honan and facilitator Kathe Matrone The meeting commenced at 12:15 with brief opening remarks by Rob Honan, SILC director. He provided some brief housekeeping remarks. Introductions were made for the benefit of the CART provider, Darlene Pickard and Facilitator Kathe Matrone as well as interpreter Jody Mayer (Sarah Rasmussen arrived at 3 PM) After providing some background on CCER (Center for Continuing Education in Rehabiliation) and the DBTAC (Disability Business and Technical Assistance Center), Kathe led the discussion on the SPIL in earnest. The primary focus was on discussing the “successes” and “barriers” of the current SPIL that was signed by the SILC chair, the two DSU (designated state units) DVR and DSB, and ACIL-WA in July 2007. In addition, there was a movement to “reform” or ‘reprioritize” the SPIL to reflect new realities. Matrone approached the discussion on the SPIL chronologically, and began with success and barriers in “Marketing, Outreach, Education” Minority Outreach. (Minority Groups and Underserved disAbility groups) Successes in Outreach, Marketing and Education - SILC has added Latino and Native American to Council -Gladys sees that more diverse communities are being reached, especially Asian and Pacific Islander - Charley working towards outreach with Tulalip Tribe - Von reports that they have really developed good relationships with a variety of organizations and she is seeing a broader spectrum of people served (and many are from “minority” backgrounds) Deaf Blind, Deaf, and Hard of Hearing- Honan gave historical background on inclusion into SPIL - Several Directors (Von, Trina, and Charley) report that they are becoming more active in the Deaf Community by offering video phones to participants and members of the community. - Linda reported that she has partnered with Washington State Domestic Violence Consortium to assist Deaf participants of CORD. TBI- Traumatic Brain Injury - Jim stated that DARSW got a grant from DSHS to assist with support groups and has been very successful. Other Marketing, Outreach and Education Successes: - Linda reported that she has done outreach with AIDS/HIV groups through the HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) grants. - The “Extreme Make Over” contest certainly gave CORD a great deal of exposure. - In Tacoma, CFI has seen more activity at their CIL as a result of their advocacy work around city hall (Tacoma) transition plan. - Von reports that HAVA (Help America Vote) grant has assisted in outreach efforts - Jim suggested that upcoming legislative forum will be a great way to increase stature in community. - Romel: From a national perspective, the Washington SILC has made several presentations nationally and had a presentations approved for the APRIL conference. Barriers to Outreach, Marketing, and Education - It takes resources and the time to build trust with minority groups - Von and Trina indicate they are not reaching as many diverse groups due to resource constraints and are thus serving less geographical areas (counties) of the state - Trina states that it is very expensive to work with Deaf participants due to Interpreter costs. - New Part B (Transition focus) has caused CILs to restrict service area and potentially serve less consumers. - Base CIL funding is decreasing due to RSA cuts- less funds to do minority outreach. - The Governor’s restriction on travel to NCIL and APRIL conferences- loss of networking. HOUSING Successes: -Jim: DARSW Staff instrumental in housing issues in Clark County - Linda: CORD has been at the table in “loft-style” condos—helping people become home owners instead of renters - Von: A great of success in working with apartment managers -Von: One of her board members works in housing arena - Jim: Homeownership Center is right next door to the DARSW office. Good working relationship Barriers: -Linda: Still a huge need for “landlord education” -Romel: Need to find resources that indemnify landlords -Linda: There is still a large gap in housing resources for prisoners and released felons - Jim: Need to get consumers and CIL staff involved in the Statewide Housing Conference Transportation Successes: -Jim: Tax Levy Passed in Clark County/ Vancouver to assist fixed route and para-transit. DARSW helped efforts to get levy passed. -Von: Ellensburg has great public transport for community its size: fixed route, taxis, and paratransit - Rob: More people are taking public transportation and the demand has certainly gone up due to gas prices. -Jim: There was an agreement to bring the Tri-Met light rail to Vancouver from Portland (finally). - Gladys: There are now more accessible taxis in Seattle than ever before. Barriers: -Trina stated that there are shuttle service problems in Pierce County and says that “transit organizations are not listening.” -Rob: Funding is always a barrier. Decreased federal funding for transportation -Linda: Rural Transportation is still lacking -Kathe: Mentioned that transport across county lines is still problematic, but Shelley took a different view; she said that county to county transport (assume it is the para transit) has been “smooth” - It was agreed that most of the counties within greater Seattle had “smooth” exchanges, but Pierce to Thurston (and vice versa) was poor Transition Successes: -Gladys: The Alliance has had some success with in-kind donations and fun group activities with kids in their transition program -Trina states that CFI has worked to reach out to parents not only just kids Barriers: -Linda states that CORD simply does not have the expertise to successfully put on a transition program -Von: “transition is not our niche” -Trina: “It is all about resources.” She stated that a full-time person cannot be funded for $47,000/ year -The Old 7B must now be shut down—and this takes time and money—and resources away from transition (Linda). It is “unprofessional” to shut down the existing 7B program. Deinstitutionalization Successes: -CORD success spans at least six years, they have a dedicated staff person, and a contract with HCS (Home and Community Services) to provide Road to Community Living (Linda) -Von also has a contract with HCS, but believes she can renegotiate for a higher amount based on the information she is getting today Barriers: - Trina states that the dollar amount that HCS is offering for contractual services is far too low to actually provide said services. Again, it is a resource issue. Emergency Preparedness Successes: -Trina said that CFI got a $10,000 grant to purchase materials for Emergency Prep kits and to develop a training curriculum (?) -Linda stated that many on the CORD staff have gone through Emergency Prep training with the local Fire Department. In addition, CORD partners with other local agencies to be part of a disaster prep team. -Von has made attempts to work with local Public Health agencies. It is slow, but it is off the ground. -Gladys stated that the Alliance gives packets to consumers about Emergency Prep as part of their independent living plan. The Alliance also acts in advisory role to first responders in the Seattle area. Barriers: -Jim states that DARSW does not have the resources to provide Emergency Services as well as the other services. -Linda also suggested that it is a “priority” issue. That is, they do not have the priority to provide the four core services, deinstitutionalization AND Emergency Prep -There was a consensus that Emergency Prep is a much lower priority than the other services provided. Assistive Technology (AT) Successes: -Rob stated that he is on the board of WATF and is committed to promoting AT loan options to people who might need the AT to live independently -Jim: WATF has partnered with DARSW to put on some workshops in Vancouver -CWDR has an extensive loan closet -Al Neely assists individuals in Yakima area; he has four wheelchairs always out for loan and use Barriers: -Consumers often do not even have the extra discretionary income of $10-$20/ month to borrow or buy AT they need. “Old” Part B funds could have covered some AT, but this will not be possible in the new transition focus (according to some) -Computers are a need for folks who are homebound in rural areas. After the discussion on the “issue areas” of the SPIL, the relationship between the SPIL and the Part B contracts was discussed. There was a consensus that the SPIL “drove” or at least was a reason for the new Part B focus (Transition). There was a broad consensus that the new Part B contract, while positive in many ways, will be a hardship because there will likely be less numbers of individuals served than in the past. The final part of the meeting was a healthy discussion on how to “re-tool” or “re-prioritize” the SPIL. Matrone led the discussion on how to proceed. The group believed that the best way to operate was to move forward on FOUR major priorities of the existing SPIL. They four voted upon (I do not have the vote tallies listed) were: 1. State Funding (which would assist with marketing, outreach and education so that the entire state would be better served. In addition, state funding would allow the SPIL priorities of reaching out to minorities and underserved disAbilities to proceed) 2. Housing- This is a high priority. It was a high priority during the public hearing process and remains a high priority. 3. Deinstitutionalization- Transitioning folks out of expensive institutions and nursing home is very important to the CILs. 4. Transportation- People need adequate transportation to get to employment and social activities, among others. Transition , Emergency Preparedness, and Assistive Technology were deemed very important to the members of the SPIL committee, but the first four were higher priorities. The meeting ended at 5:05. Notes respectfully submitted by Rob Honan, SILC Executive Director