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    Farewell 2017, Welcome 2018

    MNCDHH's end of year review

    12/29/2017 1:29:57 PM

    View of a sunset over a lake and dock. The year,

    2017 has gone by quickly! Throughout the year, MNCDHH advocated for communication access and equal opportunity along with you and with community partners. Together, we made a difference! Here are highlights of this amazing year.

    January

    • Announced the 2017 legislative agenda of the bills we advocated for and supported. This included 1. increased funding for MNCDHH, the Deaf Mentor Family Program, Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, Deaf Adult Basic Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation for Category 1 consumers; 2. a bill to modernize the services and increase the funding for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division; 3. a bill to require good acoustics and hearing loops in state-funded construction; and 4. a bill to require training for staff at assistive living facilities about age-related hearing loss.
    • Participated in the 2017 Martin Luther King Celebration. Kim Wassenaar served as a board member on the Governor's Council.
    • Opened registration to attend the 2017 Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing Lobby Day. This was cosponsored by CSD Minnesota, Deaf & Hard of Hearing Role Model Program and the Deaf Mentor Family Program (Lifetrack Resources), DeafBlind Services of Minnesota, Hearing Loss Association of America - Twin Cities, Keystone Interpreting Solutions (KIS), Metro Deaf School, Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC), Minnesota Deaf Muslim Community (MDMC), Minnesota DeafBlind Association, Minnesota Employment Center, Minnesota Hands & Voices, Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Minnesota State Academies, and St. Paul & Minneapolis Black Deaf Advocates.
    • Hosted our full board meeting. Our board meetings are typically held on the 3rd Friday every January, May, September, and November. 
    • Hosted the Collaborative Plan - Transition Group meeting. The Collaborative Plan stakeholders are representatives of organizations working together to improve the educational and employment outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The Transition Group focuses on students who are in high school and are young adults.

    February

    • Continued sharing weekly legislative updates. Continued planning Lobby Day with community partners.
    • Taught multiple workshops on how to "Meet with Your Legislator" and "Lobby Day Volunteer Training" in preparation for Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing Lobby Day. The workshops were taught at Metro Deaf School, Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD), and more.
    • Communications Coordinator Anne Sittner Anderson, Alicia Lane-Outlaw (AllOut Marketing) and Stephanie Ritenour (ThinkSelf) co-presented at the 2017 Nonprofit Communications & Technology Conference on how nonprofit organizations can gather meaningful accessibility feedback during website testing.
    • Anna Paulson, Becca Jackson, and Suzanne Raschke co-presented at the Association of College Educators-Deaf/Hard of Hearing (ACE-DHH) on "Clarifying and Supporting the Role of Teachers of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing," in San Antonio, Texas.

    March

    • Hosted Lobby Day. Announce the award winners to be recognized for their outstanding community and advocacy work on Lobby Day. The award winners were Fardowsa Ali, Jessalyn Akerman-Frank, DeafBlind Services of Minnesota, Minnesota DeafBlind Association, Deaf Grassroots Movement (DGM) - Minnesota, Jimmy Beldon, Gilbert Law PLLC, Jay Wyant/Minnesota Office of Accessibility, Marisa Bocanegra (posthumous), Liz Brown, Kathy Moran (posthumous), and Kathy Schumacher (posthumous).
    • Announced the save the date for the third annual Collaborative Experience Conference for professionals who serve students who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing.
    • Anna Paulson graduated from the Emerging Leaders Institute training, a high-level 10 month leadership course.
    • Hosted the Collaborative Plan - School Age Groups meeting. The Collaborative Plan stakeholders are representatives of organizations working together to improve the educational and employment outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The two School Age Groups (Kindergarten-Grade 4 & Grades 5-8) focus on students who are in those grades. They often work together.
    • Hosted the Collaborative Plan - Transition Group meeting. The Collaborative Plan stakeholders are representatives of organizations working together to improve the educational and employment outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The Transition Group focuses on students who are in high school and are young adults.
    • Anna Paulson attended the 16th Annual Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Meeting in Atlanta, GA. 

    April

    • Continued to share weekly legislative updates.
    • Hosted the Collaborative Plan - Birth-Age 5 Group meeting. The Collaborative Plan stakeholders are representatives of organizations working together to improve the educational and employment outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The Birth-Age 5 group focuses on very young children, their families, and the services that they receive.
    • Hosted the Collaborative Plan - School Age Groups meeting. The Collaborative Plan stakeholders are representatives of organizations working together to improve the educational and employment outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The two School Age Groups (Kindergarten-Grade 4 & Grades 5-8) focus on students who are in those grades. They often work together.
    • Hosted a Community Open Conversation with MNCDHH, which allowed community members to share their feedback about MNCDHH's activities and communications.
    • Had a booth at Deaf Awareness Day, hosted by the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens. 
    • Anna Paulson and Anne Sittner Anderson attended the Work Skills Challenge Day for transition-age students with disabilities (including youth who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing) in Austin, MN.
    • Anna Paulson and Becca Jackson co-presented at the Charting the Cs conference on "The Evolving Role of Teachers of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Developing a Professional Development Plan to Match the Scope of Practice."

    May

    • Continued to share weekly legislative updates. The Legislative Session ended but was reopened for a Special Session as legislators worked out the details of the final bills.
    • Opened call for proposals from potential presenters for the Collaborative Experience Conference.
    • Attended the U.S. Access Board Town Hall meeting.
    • Hosted our full board meeting. Our board meetings are typically held on the 3rd Friday every January, May, September, and November. 

    June

    • The Legislative Special Session ended and MNCDHH sent out a 2017 Legislative Wrap Up newsletter and video.
    • Began filming the IEP webinars.
    • Our new intern, Dalena Nguyen, began! Dalena's primary focus is on RBA (Results Based Accountability) data collection.
    • Anna Paulson attended the Midwest Conference in South Dakota.
    • Hosted a board meeting to discuss contract approval.

    July

    • Jessalyn Akerman-Frank began her work as the Director of Community Engagement and Project Management. Her position was created in response to the helpful feedback we received at the Community Open Conversation that April. 
    • Celebrated the 27th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act with a march to the Capitol and rally in the Rotunda. Community members Jessalyn Akerman-Frank, Jamie Taylor, and Monique Hammond were scheduled presenters at the rally.
    • Launched our Ask MNCDHH newsletters, which gives community members another way to contact MNCDHH and get answers to their questions. This was done in response to comments we received during the Community Open Conversation.
    • Began sending out surveys to collect community feedback on select topics. This was done in response to comments we received during the Community Open Conversation.
    • Rosanne Kath was appointed to the board. Rosanne is a mother of a hard of hearing child. She advocates early detection and the Deaf Mentor Family Program.
    • Held our staff retreat during which we spent time reviewing our StrengthsFinders 2.0 results and how we work together.
    • Hosted the Collaborative Plan - Transition Group meeting. The Collaborative Plan stakeholders are representatives of organizations working together to improve the educational and employment outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing. The Transition Group focuses on students who are in high school and are young adults.

    August

    • Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017 was signed into federal law.
    • Announced the online Resources for Families with Children identified as Deaf or Hard of Hearing along with the Minnesota Department of Health and stakeholders of the Collaborative Plan.
    • Celebrated the Grand Opening Celebration at the Minnesota State Capitol.
    • Participated in planning the EHDI 10 Year Anniversary celebration along with the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Hands & Voices, and other key stakeholders.
    • Began working with the University of Minnesota on the development of the Home Care provider training curriculum.
    • Began developing support documentation for the acoustics and hearing loop code requirements in partnership with LoopMN.

    September

    • Celebrated the 7th Annual Deaf LGBTQI and Allies Awards Ceremony.
    • Hosted our full board meeting. Our board meetings are typically held on the 3rd Friday every January, May, September, and November. 

    October

    • Promoted the 2nd Annual Career Fair for the State of Minnesota.
    • Supported the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC) 2017 Biennial Conference by providing financial scholarships for individuals who wanted to attend the conference but could not afford it.
    • Anna Paulson, Becca Jackson, and Suzanne Raschke published a position statement on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Division for Communicative Disabilities and Deafness titled, "Teachers of Students Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing," which expressed support for ensuring that all local education agencies use the services of credentialed teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing in order to appropriately meet the needs of the students. This is also required by IDEA and the ADA.
    • Began working with the Minnesota Department of Health's Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) program to find a program MNCDHH could work with to research how effective it would be to proactively screen seniors for age-related hearing loss.

    November

    • Supported the Minnesota DeafBlind Association (MDBA) Thanksgiving Banquet by covering the costs of interpreting.
    • Supported the Hearing Loss Association of America, Twin Cities Chapter (HLAA-TC) Fall Conference by covering the costs of captioning services.
    • Hosted the 2017 Collaborative Experience Conference for parents and professionals of students who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing.
    • Celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI)
    • Hosted our board and staff retreat in Breezy Point, MN. Our board meetings are typically held on the 3rd Friday every January, May, September, and November. 
    • Contracted with the University of Minnesota's Research Center to poll Minnesotans about hearing loss, if they use hearing aids, and if they experience any barriers to hearing healthcare.

    December

    • Participated in the Text-to-911 statewide in Minnesota launch, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and with Minnesota Department of Human Services Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHSD).
    • Co-hosted the Meet & Greet with Christian Vogler, Ph.D., along with Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens (MADC), Minnesota DeafBlind Association (MDBA), Hearing Loss Association of America - Twin Cities chapter (HLAA-TC), and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHSD). Dr. Vogler came to Minnesota to present on Real-Time Text at the Gov IT Symposium.
    • Emory David Dively presented on good acoustics and looping at the Gov IT Symposium along with Steve Walsh and Rick Korinek of Loop Minnesota and Matthew Wasson of Tierney Brothers.
    • Formally announced a pilot online training program designed to increase awareness of age-related hearing loss for care providers of older adults.
    • Contracted with Leer Communications to help us increase our media presence. Our community has benefited from increased awareness due to the announcements sent out about Text-to-911 and about the age-related hearing loss online training.
    • Heather Gilbert of Gilbert Law PLLC, Jessalyn Akerman-Frank, and Anne Sittner Anderson co-presented on working with clients who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing at the 2017 Human Rights Symposium, hosted by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
    • Rebecca Thomas, Dr. Mohamed Mourssi-Alfash, Michelle Isham, and Peggy Nelson have been appointed to the Commission board. Watch for the official announcement that will come out in January!

    What to expect from MNCDHH in 2018

    MNCDHH will continue to be active during the 2018 legislative session. The first step is for the board to formally approve our 2018 legislative agenda and the 2018 staff work plan. This will happen on Friday, January 19, 2017 at our board meeting, which is open to the public. Learn more by visiting our events page. The meeting agenda will be posted a few days before the board meeting. After the meeting, the board-approved legislative agenda will be shared shortly afterward in both ASL and English.

    In 2018, we will also begin the planning and interviewing process for our next five-year strategic plan. When we are done interviewing the community, the board will vote on the new strategic plan in June 2019 at the board and staff retreat based on the community's feedback. If you are curious about our current five-year strategic plan, visit our website. The information is available in both ASL and English.

    Work on improving educational outcomes for students who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing will continue through our participation in the Collaborative Plan with other stakeholders. Learn more about the Collaborative Plan, its priorities, and who the stakeholders are on our website.

    We wish you a Happy New Years and we are excited to work with you next year!

    Commission Board, Staff, and Contractors

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