I. Introductions were completed.
II. Minutes December minutes Approved. The minutes are posted on the Council website. If you would like to refer to past minutes, they are always available on the DD Council website:
(www.manhattanddcouncil.org).
III. Announcements
-Please remember to pay your dues which help support our events throughout the year. You can reap many benefits when paying your dues.
AHRC
See attached flyers for program vacancies
AHRC relocated it’s Day Habilitation site from VanDam Street to 101 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side.
ADAPT Community Network – formerly UCP of New York City
See attached flyers for all upcoming programs as well as program vacancies
1877-827-2666 or email project connect @adaptcommunity network.org
Mercy Drive
See attached flyers for all upcoming programs as well as program vacancies and other various programs available.
QSAC
See attached flyer for program vacancies Openings in the after school programs.
Ohel Bais Ezra
Family reimbursement funds available Manhattan and Queens Call 718-686-3451 or email Communityservices@ohelfamily.org
YAI
Information is attached for service vacancies. For information about any YAI programs, please call 212-273-6182, or email link@yai.org.
NY START
212-273-6300 Accepting referrals. Provide help with conflict and behavior needs. Crisis intervention. Coordinators on call 24/7. Crisis line available.
Tri County Care
availability in all Boroughs and NY State for care coordination
Birch Family Services
See attached flyers for details
Elmy’s Special Services Inc
See attached flyer for details
Disabled in action
January 13th 1:30-PM-4:00PM. Selis Manor on 135 West 23rd St. Rising Treetops(Camp Oakhurst) see attached flyer for program information
Include NYC Fair
January 26. Supports and services non educational based. At the hotel Pennsylvania
Sinergia
-see attached flyers for openings
GHI
has openings can assist with getting a care manger in different language
Goodwill
Day HAB and employment Transportation reimbursement
General Human Outreach (GHO)
see attached flyer for details on programs
Eprine
-See attached flyers for details
Anderson Center for Autism
-see attached flyers for details
The Office Of Special Educational Partnership (NYS Education Department)
-see attached flyer for details
NY City Fair and SWAN are groups exclusively for families come and get involved!
Guest speaker-
AHRC, NEW YORK CITY
PERSON CENTERED APPRENTICE/FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
Caroline Fulop/Elizabeth Guida- Presenter Person Centered Apprentice Program Goals
• Offer opportunity for professional growth for apprentices
• More quality POM conversations completed
• More person centered options for people we support
Expectations from Apprenticeship Year
4 POM conversations
• 100 hours leading a person centered initiative
• Presentation on a person centered topic to an entity outside of AHRCNYC
Applicants
• Interested parties went through an application process, and selected via interview,
essay, and supervisor recommendation.
• 8 people accepted into the program
Challenges
• Variety of abilities among the apprentices
• Apprentices fully understanding what the program entails and completing
requirements
• Not biting off more than you can chew!
• Logistics
• Working around schedule conflicts: summer, holidays
Unforeseen Gains
Periodic learning and sharing opportunities
*Networking with peers and meeting new professional acquaintances
*Taking risks and gaining confidence
*Learning about ones strengths and weaknesses
* Mentoring relationships
* Fostering relationships between departments
For more information:
• Sandra.Moody@ahrcnyc.org
• Laura.Cucinotta@ahrcnyc.org
• Caroline.Fulop@ahrcnyc.org
• Julia.Shapovalova@ahrcnyc.org
Jamel-Presenter
• He was a participant in the group. He thought it was fantastic. He learned to sing Wicked, beauty and the beast and Lion king music.
• He loved the Jazz music
• Jamal said he made new friends through the program
Questions
Q-How were people chosen?
A- Recommended by supervisors and then gave in a project of what they wanted to do and then had an interview
Q-What was the structure of the group?
A- In main office smart board. She would bring in musical selection and she would put the steps on the floor and they leaned different Jazz steps from Broadway shows
• They also did Improv – one example is taxi cab One person was the taxi cab driver and there were 3 passengers. It expounded on how
different people’s feelings can be contagious. The driver would choose the feeling and everyone worked from that. It was a training in empathy as everyone was to take on the emotion of the person in the driver’s seat.
• Some days would be acting and singing.
IV. State News – Ellen Bleckman, Mary Grace Giuliano
New Dr. Kastner from Montefiore nominated as the new commissioner of OPWDD will be spending several days a week at the Beaver Street office
More managed care forums in April Mary Grace said it will be a more organic calendar. She is looking to establish more fluid communication with the community. More groups in smaller settings in meetings that are already established.
This is Ellen’s last meeting as she is retiring on February 27th. It has been a pleasure working with everyone. There is no replacement yet. Nicole Lopez will be filling in for the time being.
The Deputy Director position has been posted and it now closed. There has been no announcement if someone has been chosen.
There are still families who do not have Care Managers since the change in July who can they contact? There is now local meetings with the 3 CCO’s. The first meeting was a few weeks ago and it’s the hope of the state to be more open in communication. Parents should continue to call the local DDRO’s and let them know that they still need a Care Manager
V. City News – Gavin Myers
DD council’s will continue to contribute to local services planning and will continue to do so for the 2020 Local Services Plan (LSP). Like last year, the department will coordinate a meeting in early spring amongst DD council leadership, Community Services Board DD subcommittee members, and OPWDD to assist with last year’s plan. On another note, the CSB DD subcommittee is in discussion with the department about methods and mechanisms for identifying unmet IDD services needs in NYC.
VI. IAC – Richard Bosch –
Early childhood direction Centers (ECDC) are closing without public notice on hearings.
Chris Treber says region C has gone to the commissioner and she was not aware of this.
Go to board of regions. As soon as you can send an email about the importance of the service and how important it is. No steak holder involvement.
Important to speak about the needs of Manhattan parents. Allow for ECDC to finish contract through 2020
Flu shots in preschool. They were told that if there was no flu shot kids could not go to school. There are still 275 who have not documented getting the flu shot but with the push many received the shot.
Chalk beat an online paper has given 325 million a year for children going to private schools which did not speak of 853 schools. This only the people who sue the DOE. For a cater kids average tuition is $79,00.00 per year. Average 853 child is $45,00.00 per year. A way to help make things easier is to let kids into 853 schools
Measles- Children who have not gotten measles shot in specific schools were given notices that kids must get shot in order to come to the school
Next membership meeting IAC January 31st. Instead of January 24th.
Gearing up for Lobby day with COPA and the cololistions on February 26 and 27th IACNY.org for more information
2 more installments in be fair to direct care. 2.5% and 2.9 % COLA. There is indication they might not want to give both
Rally scheduled in Brooklyn on BE Fair money. Date TBD Keep turned in for details
Winnie Schiff will be sending out tweets that you should send to the governor’s office
Still exploring a law suit as children are being denied the right to a proper education
VII. Committee Family & Provider Information Committee: Co-Chairs: Carol Lincoln and Jackie Ceonzo
The first few months have been great and the next few months to come have great meetings in the future. Next meeting is Jan 22nd at AHRC New York City – 83 Maiden Lane – 11th Floor. The topic will be a presentation on NY START
Legislative Committee: Co-Chairs Jim Malley & Lynn Decker-
Lynn and Jim are inviting people to stay after today’s meeting to join the legislative breakfast March 8th is the day for the legislative breakfast ECDC will be on the agenda
Manhattan FSS Advisory Council: Co Chairs Jackie Goldberg and Mary McGuire-Weafer
First time participating more in the fair. Was a great learning experience
Next meeting educational advocacy at SNACK –please help spread the word.
The family support fair was a great success!!!!-get info from Margaret on numbers
Thank you to all of our sponsors who supported us. Because of the sponsorship we were able to have the event at a more central space. The Sponsors were: Metro DDRO; NYC DOHMH; NYC
DOE – District 75; Advance Care Alliance; Care Design NY; Partners Health Plan & TriCounty Care. 496 people came of which 217 were families. It’s one of the highest percentages of families at the fair
GENERAL FEEDBACK ON FAIR: 85 EVALUATIONS
Overall Quality of Fair:
59 Excellent
24 Good
1 Neutral
0 Poor
1 NA
Overall Feedback on Booths and Resources:
74 Very helpful
9 Somewhat helpful
0 Not helpful
2 NA
Overall Feedback on Workshops:
51.5 Very helpful
10.5 Somewhat helpful
0 Not helpful
15 Did not attend a workshop
8 NA
7
Overall Satisfaction with Fair – I am satisfied with this Fair:
62 Strongly agree
22 Agree
0 Disagree
0 Strongly disagree
Some pictures went up on Facebook and the new directory and pictures will go up on the websites by next week.
VIII. New Business – Kathy Kelly
There was a meeting with Senator Gilibrand’s offices. It was a productive meeting she was open to concerns and issues and ongoing communication
There will be a recap of the meeting soon and discussed how to make it a state-wide push to the senator. We have a go forward agenda.
• Marilyn Rubinstein of the Early Childhood Direction Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital shared the news that effective June 30, 2019, the New York State Education Department will terminate its contracts with the state-wide network of fourteen Early Childhood Direction Centers (ECDC). This termination is one year ahead of the June 2020 contract end date. For forty years, families and professionals have benefited from the support and resources provided by the ECDC staff to help them navigate the myriad of systems that support young children with suspected or diagnosed developmental and educational disabilities.
• Laura Podvesker of INCLUDEnyc shared the news that NYS Education Department Special Education Parent Centers (PC) contracts will also end in June
– INCLUDEnyc have the Parent Centers contracts for Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens.
• The NYS Education Department Office of Special Education (OSE) is now in the process of creating a network of support for students with disabilities from birth through the post-school years. In doing so, this new Educational Partnership includes an Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement Center and a School-Age Family and Community Engagement Center. However, there is no clear role to support families in the recently released RFPs and there is a greatly reduced staffing pattern.
• Richard Bosch of IAC spoke about the negative impact that the termination of the ECDCs and PCs will have for families. He told the Council that the NYS Regents recently learned that about the contract terminations and there is an opportunity for families and advocates to let the Regents know how important the ECDCs and PCs have been to families. The Regents are meeting on Monday, January 14th and emails should be sent to them before the end of the day on Friday.
• The DD Council Chair and several family members offered to share the information about how families can reach out to the Regents.