ANNUAL REPORT FFY 2012

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The Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) is part of the Minnesota network of programs funded under P.L. 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). The DD Act also funds the Minnesota Disability Law Center, the designated Protection and Advocacy agency for the state, and the Institute on Community Integration, a University Center for Excellence located at the University of Minnesota.

The business of the GCDD is to provide information, education, and training to increase knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to an increase in the independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) of people with developmental disabilities and their families.

COUNCIL MEMBERS AS OF DECEMBER 5, 2012

Dan Reed, Chair
Peg Booth
Dawn Bly
Jennifer Giesen
Mary Hauff
Shawn Holmes
Tom Holtgrewe
Loraine Jensen
Matt Kramer
Steven Kuntz
Louis Lenzmeier
Lynne Megan
Stevie K. Nelson
Carolyn Perron
Scott Price
David Quilleash
Mary Raasch
Robbie Reedy
Bryan Schmidt
Bonnie Jean Smith
Michael Stern
Joe Timmons
Wendy Velzke Wangen
Katheryn Ware
Melissa Winger

FEDERAL OUTCOMES (IPSII)

Independence: Personal freedom to make choices and have control over services, supports, and other assistance the individual receives;

Self-determination: Authority to make decisions, control resources and develop personal leadership skills;

Productivity: Meaningful income-producing work or volunteer work that contributes to a household or the community;

Integration and Inclusion: Full participation in the same community activities as people without disabilities.

RESULTS

The Minnesota GCDD received $1,022,921 from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) for FFY 2012. Of that amount, 71% ($ 726,274) was allocated for grants and contracts to fulfill the goals of the GCDD's Five Year State Plan approved by the federal government.

1. Partners in Policymaking®: In FFY 2012, Class 29 graduated eight self advocates, 21 parents, and one parent self advocate; five individuals represented minority communities. Participants evaluated themselves at the beginning of the program year on the federal outcomes of IPSII and again at graduation. The following IPSII changes were reported: On a 5 point scale, independence increased from 4.1 to 4.6; productivity increased from 4.1 to 4.6; self determination increased from 3.8 to 4.6; and integration and inclusion increased from 3.3 to 4.3. Graduates rated knowledge gained at 4.7, usefulness of the presentations at 4.8, and quality of the training sessions at 4.8 (5-point scale).

QUOTES

"I'm a strong advocate for my kids. Coming to Partners has affirmed the steps that I've taken with the school; I'm doing what's right for my kids. Partners in like a one-stop shop. I'm grateful to all."

"I liked the class, I'm glad I took it. I think it's about time we face the world. Thank you Partners for making this happen."

"I've learned so much; my head was spinning after each weekend session. I understand how important parents are, to give our children the support the need so they can have a good life."

"I know how hard we've worked to [graduate]. The hard work has really paid off. Thanks for teaching us about the real world. I learned about disability laws and how disability affects me. Now I'm kind of an advocate."

"I didn't know how much I didn't know about government and how it works, and that legislators will listen. I'm a lot less afraid now for my kids and for their futures."

"We send hearty congratulations on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Partners in Policymaking. In doing so, we commend your vision, wisdom, and commitment to building social capital across the country and abroad through Partners in Policymaking."

Partners Listserv

The Listserv is a closed email list for graduates and coordinators of the Partners in Policymaking programs in the United States and internationally where subscribers can exchange information about accomplishments; offer "how to" suggestions; request assistance; announce conferences, training seminars and meetings; and post public policy alerts. Currently, there are 418 subscribers to the Partners listserv.

Quarterly survey results: Total of 99.5% of survey respondents said the listserv was useful and helpful, and 98.75% said the listserv provided a learning experience.

QUOTES

"Enjoy the discussions. Timely."

"Great way to network. Enjoy it daily."

"I regularly circulate news items amongst my own UK Partners network. Many issues of international importance/significance wouldn't otherwise have become common knowledge."

Supplier:
Government Training Services
2233 University Ave West, Suite 150
St. Paul, Minnesota 55114
www.mngts.org

2. Partners Online: The Partners in Policymaking classroom program is connected in several ways to the online training courses –

Partners faculty are incorporating suggestions from the Integrating Online Learning module for the online courses into their presentations and interactive learning exercises.

The online courses are included as additional homework assignments for Partners participants to supplement and reinforce the classroom learning.

Partners participants are able to use the online courses to help make up part of a missed weekend session.

In FFY 2012, a total of 26,123 visits and 109,103 page views were made to the online courses, for an average of 2,177 visits and 9,092 page views per month respectively A total of 446 compliments were received, and 410 Feedback Forms completed with ratings for IPSII measures - independence was rated 4.3, productivity was rated 4.3, self determination was rated 4.3, and integration and inclusion were rated 4.3 (5-point scale).

The "Telling Your Story" app is a free download for self advocates, family members, and advocates to compose and practice their personal story for elected public officials/other policy makers at all levels of government when seeking policy changes or increasing awareness about disability issues. Stories can be rehearsed with an audio recording feature and a photo can be included. Sixteen self advocacy stories are included as examples of the important elements of presenting a compelling personal story. The app was released in July 2012; total number of downloads = 345.

A Spanish version of Partners in Making Your Case was released in FFY 2012; a Spanish version of Partners in Education is being finalized and will be released in FFY 2013.

QUOTES

Partners in Making Your Case

"I liked the integration of digital media; this modernized the concept and made it more applicable for today's world."

"I liked the course because it gave me the tools I needed to advocate for my child. It helped me to understand the process and how to connect with policymakers."

"It reinforced the protocol and clarified the process about local, state, and federal laws; and approaching systemic change in a positive, assertive, and organized way, promoting change through personal stories."

"Easy to access, easy to navigate, clear, and love the sequencing of information."

Partners in Education

"I now have the information needed to properly enroll my child in school and know their rights in special education."

"All schools should recommend and supply the entire written material of this course for parents of children with disabilities."

"I feel I'm much more of an expert on what my rights are and I won't be intimidated by the professionals. I'll be their equal the next time I walk into that meeting room!"

"It made me think harder about the goals needed for 21st century thinking and how they apply to my son's IEP."

Partners in Employment

"I enjoyed all aspects of the course and learning what employers have to consider when hiring individuals with ASD."

"It gave me everything I need to better prepare my child for employment."

"The planning pages were helpful, especially the Circle of Support and resumé templates."

"The course showed me how important it is to start now, when my son is young, to network and start thinking about his future. It also gave me a lot of hope for his future that I didn't have before."

Partners in Time

"It gave me a perspective on the way that disability affects us all and the resources that are available to help people."

"I liked the way the course moved historically through time with lots of extra features and personal stories."

"I liked how you looked to the future and then compared it to the present. It's an eye opener of where we would like to be and how far we have to go to get there. It shows why advocacy is so important to make changes and how, even though time has gone by, the past is repeated."

"I realize how slow change is and how hard people have to work to get results for things that should be done because it's the right thing to do."

Partners in Living

"The information about all the different laws that have been passed was very helpful because, with few exceptions, I had no idea what was out there."

"I liked learning about all the different ways one can become independent without living in a group home."

"I liked learning about the different assistive technology devices. I understood these were only electronic devices or equipment for communication."

3. Cultural Outreach: The GCDD funded cultural outreach programs in the African American and Latino communities in FFY 2012. A total of 28 individuals graduated from these training programs. In assessing IPSII, the graduates rated themselves on a 5-point scale.

For the African American Outreach program, independence increased from 4.0 to 4.7, productivity increased from 3.5 to 4.6, self determination increased from 3.9 to 4.6, and integration/inclusion increased from 4.0 to 4.6. Graduates rated the program as 4.9 for knowledge gained, 5.0 for usefulness, and 5.0 for quality of training.

For the Latino Outreach program, independence changed from 4.0 to 4.2, productivity from 3.6 to 4.4, self determination from 3.9 to 4.4, and integration/inclusion from 3.6 to 3.8. Graduates rated the program as 4.9 in knowledge gained, 5.0 for usefulness, and 5.0 for quality of training.

QUOTES

"It is important to know about the services that are out there for the Hispanic community."

"This has helped me a lot regarding government services that I can apply for."

"Increased my knowledge about my rights and responsibilities, and helps me to advocate for myself and my family."

"Great talk. I learned a lot about technology for children in special education."

"I learned that a leader is assertive, a good listener, patient, passionate, caring, accepting, and positive."

"I learned some ways to get a job and how to keep a job."

"I met a state Senator and learned how a bill is passed."

Suppliers:
IPSII, Inc.
6611 Lynnwood Boulevard
Richfield, Minnesota 55423

CLUES
797 East Seventh Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55106
www.clues.org

4. Longitudinal Studies of Partners in Policymaking: During FFY 2012 Nancy Miller, Metropolitan State University, surveyed Partners graduates from Years XX through XXI II (Classes 24 through 27).

Based on averages across these four classes, the results indicated that 94% of the respondents have the advocacy skills necessary to get needed services and supports some or most of the time; and 94% rate their leadership skills as good to excellent. In terms of federal outcomes, 92% have increased independence, 83% have increased productivity, 92% have increased self determination, and 88% have increased integration and inclusion that they attribute to their Partners experience.

Supplier:
Nancy Miller, Ph.D.
Metropolitan State University
700 East Seventh Street, Room SJ 210
St. Paul, Minnesota 55106
nancy.miller@metrostate.edu

5. Digital Imaging/Employment: Since 1998, the GCDD has worked with employers and promoted the direct employment of people with developmental disabilities. During FFY 2012 –

A total of 173 people with developmental disabilities were employed in document imaging/scanning positions as well as jobs in other fields in Minnesota in FFY 2012. Individuals are employed in full time, part time, intermittent, temporary, or project focused positions. A total of 23 individuals are at business locations with the Department of Human Services (medical cards, transitional support services, and HIV; 4 individuals), Pollution Control Agency (two scanning shifts and one copying shift; 9 individuals), Mower County (5 individuals; scanning budget increased 12% and hours increased 17% over the previous year); and Steele County (5).

A total of 124 individuals are employed at the Midway Training Services (MTS) storefront business; 32 individuals are at the storefront operation and 92 individuals at other business locations; 7 individuals started employment at MTS during this past year. Approximately 800,000 images were scanned; of that number, about 469,000 images were scanned for major conversion projects yet to be completed with Anoka Hennepin and Mahtomedi School Districts; about 4,500 large format blueprints were scanned for the Department of Health, engineering division; and 131,000 images were scanned for the Johnson Condon law firm.

One individual continues to work in an office support position with the Ballion Law Firm in St. Paul doing primarily document imaging; 8 individuals are doing document prep at Mid American Business Systems for a 1.5 to 2 year project; 11 individuals are at the Dakota County Northern Service Center doing more complex scanning jobs and office support (contract extended for 2013).

Marketing efforts about document imaging and jobs/careers particularly in technology fields focused on transition students and the young adult population since work experience before exiting high school and post secondary education are directly related to successful employment/careers. Connections made/results: New Horizons Computer Learning Centers (assessment and IT training; 3 individuals completed coursework); CompTia (training for A+ and D+ certification; 3-4 applied for a pilot program in Minneapolis); AMC Theaters FOCUS Program (specifically for individuals with autism; traditional interview replaced with concrete questions and walking theater tour; one person hired).

Working relationships were established with 10 transition programs, individuals with developmental disabilities and family members; more than 75 job openings were selected based on individual skills and interests, and considering geographic location, transportation, job coaching, and other employment support needs. Several phone interviews and online applications resulted, and one individual was employed.

Connections were made with ArcaSearch (historical document preservation) and Elk River Area School District for potential document imaging work; and business contacts were renewed with IKON and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota.

Digital imaging services and increasing employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the technology field were promoted at conferences/exhibits including Governor Dayton's Jobs Summit (600 attendees); Economic Development Assoc of MN Winter Conference (150 attendees); Association of Records Management (100 attendees; individual with developmental disabilities and job coach staffed exhibit); MN Health Information Records Assoc (600 attendees); League of MN Cities (150 attendees); Association of MN Counties (525 attendees); City of Bloomington Employment Fair (40 attendees); Minnesota Department of Transportation resource Fair (40 attendees).

The Tree Trust Summer Internship Program funded 75-100 positions for student workers; this is a nine-week program, about 20 hours/week, for students ages 14-21; hourly wage is $7.25; students with disabilities in Independent School District 287 participated.

Seven positions, part time and entry level, with the Twin Cities YMCA were reviewed as possible job opportunities for transition students along with a range of accommodations that might be needed; positions included Help Desk, database assistant, data processing representative, child care teacher's aide, custodian, camp kitchen, and School Success Program. Five individuals were employed at the Woodbury YMCA in child care, youth development, member services, and custodian positions.

A Specialisterne franchise operation, modeled after the business that originated in Denmark, was established in Minnesota. The business model will be replicated in Minnesota and North Dakota. Individuals with ASD are assessed, trained, and then employed as consultants in the technology fields.

A new DVD, "The Jobs Challenge for People with Disabilities," was released in June 2012. Video interviews were completed with individuals with developmental disabilities who are directly employed in a variety of positions by Minnesota public and private sector businesses, including Northview Dental Clinic (records management), the Nilan Johnson Lewis law firm (assistant to the law librarian), Social Security Administration (claims department), Securian (total of nine individuals employed throughout the company including the high-tech mail room), City of Minnetonka (document imaging), Walgreen's (cashier), TJ Maxx (merchandising prep), and Q Holdings, Inc.(self employed IT consultant). This product was combined with the TPT public television documentary, Institutions to Independence, and illustrated essay, Know Your Rights into a single DVD and disseminated at the 2012 National SABE Conference.

Supplier:
The Wallace Group
3750 Pilot Knob Road
Eagan, Minnesota  55121
www.wallacegroup.com

6. Self Advocacy: The statewide self advocacy network, Self Advocates of Minnesota (SAM), covers all six regions in the state. The mission of SAM is to promote the human and civil rights of people with developmental disabilities, working with groups to strengthen personal empowerment, increase disability awareness, and achieve systems change.

During FFY 2012, federal funds supported the Central and Northwest regions ($100,000); and a state appropriation, part of the base allocation for the Department of Human Services, supported the Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest regions. A variety of funding sources financially supports the Twin Cities SAM region.

In 2012, a total of 464 self advocates attended 41 training sessions in the Central and Northwest regions on topics including the concept and principles of self advocacy, voting, citizenship duties and responsibilities, leadership qualities, communication and presentation skills, evaluation, civil rights, human rights and disability, privacy as a human rights issue, personal empowerment, social change and human rights, types of power and systems change, community organizing and community involvement, and transportation issues/strategies.

A total of 49 self advocates served as teachers/trainers on issues/topics that included the concepts of self advocacy and social change, fairness, types of power and systems change, communication skills and sharing personal stories, goal setting and evaluation, money management and budgeting, civil rights, privacy as a human rights issue, and the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Self advocates serving as teachers/trainers evaluated themselves - greater independence – 100%, productivity – 100%, self determination – 100%, integration/inclusion – 100%.

Self advocates served as hosts for the 2012 SABE Conference that was held August 30 – September 2, 2012 in St. Paul. This year's theme, "All About Fairness," was reflected in a Human Rights Fair, a human rights game event, and presentations that focused on human rights issues. The GCDD worked with a self advocate to secure Conference sponsorships, was a major sponsor, and contracted with Tom Olin, for photographs.

Suppliers:
Advocating Change Together, Inc.
1821 University Avenue, Suite 306-South
South St. Paul, Minnesota 55104
www.selfadvocacy.org

7. Training Conferences: The GCDD cosponsored 13 training conferences during FFY 2012; the total number of attendees was 1,550. The overall rating was 9.3 (10 point scale) and 98% of the participants rated the conferences as useful/helpful.

QUOTES

"Navigating this system (transition) feels very complex and scattered, thank you for bringing a lot of information to one place to get us going."

"Thank you to everyone doing the workshops (healthy relationships, self advocacy and self determination); it was good to see people with disabilities run them"

"I learned speaking up for myself."

"I learned so much about children in general and specifically children with disabilities…I have been here 3 times and have enjoyed every one highly!!"

Suppliers: ABLE, Inc., Advocating Change Together, Inc., The Arc West Central Minnesota, Arc Kandiyohi County, Arc Southeastern Minnesota, The Arc United – Headwaters Region, Center for Inclusive Child Care, discapacitados abriéndose caminos (dac), Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota, Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, Fraser, MnDACA, and Reach for Resources, Inc.

8. Publications: In FFY 2012, the GCDD disseminated 18,847 print publications to 115 individuals as well as conference attendees. The evaluation scores averaged 9.8 on a 10 point scale and 100% of the respondents indicated the publications were useful. A total of 1,260,703 items were downloaded from the GCDD and Partners web sites.

9. E-Government Services: In FFY 2012, a total of 363 items were converted to electronic formats and/or added to the websites. A total of 256,768 unique visits were made to the GCDD and Partners websites. A total of 34,841 visits were made to mn.gov/disability-mn, the one stop website for all state disability programs, products, and services in Minnesota. The MNDisabity.gov website was recognized by the Governor's Office in August 2012.

New features added to the GCDD web site included the following:

Community Building with John McKnight – A supplement to an earlier video presentation, the key elements of asset based community development are presented through the art of storytelling with segments that include neighborhood maps, the diversity of gifts, the concept of hospitality, and the role of associations in building community capacity. A large collection of his publications was located, digitized, and posted.

The Evolution of the Quality Care in Developmental Disabilities with Jim Conroy – video presentation on the principles of normalization and quality assurance, the accreditation paradox, personal centered planning and resource control, and future challenges. A white paper will be added in 2013.

The History and Evolution of Behavioral Approaches and Positive Behavioral Interventions with Derrick Dufresne – video presentation on the early history, use of reinforcers, issues behind behavior, and the shift from behavior management to positive behavior supports. A white paper was prepared by Bruce Kappel and posted.

METO Lawsuit and Jensen Settlement Agreement – video presentation with counsel for the Plaintiffs on the legal issues involved and critical aspects of the Settlement Agreement including the Rule 40 Advisory Committee and Olmstead Planning Committee; interviews with four self advocates (staff training and person centered planning), Minnesota Disability Law Center (METO investigation, restraint use, staff training), and the Ombudsman Office for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (background, METO investigation and findings); and related court documents.

Ed Roberts Section - Lee Roberts shared a series of stories about the personal life of his father, Ed Roberts, an addition to the Ed Roberts feature that focuses on his life as a pioneering leader in the disability rights movement. Ed was selected for the California Hall of Fame in December 2011and this feature was expanded to coincide with that honor. An interview with Dr. William Bronston and other images of Ed Roberts were also added.

Autism 5-Point Scale EP app – an emergency planning and preparedness tool designed for individuals with autism spectrum disorder to help facilitate communication and interactions with first responders in emergency situations. The free downloadable app uses a color-coded scale to convey stress levels, and video modeling to customize safe responses to emergencies and emergency personnel. The app received a national Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government-to-Citizen State Government category, was a finalist for a Minnesota High Tech Association Tekne Award, and was recognized by Governor Mark Dayton. The app was released in October 2011; total number of downloads for FFY 2012 = 14,597.

Telling Your Story app – a free download for self advocates, family members, and advocates to compose and practice their personal story for elected public officials/other policy makers at all levels of government when seeking policy changes or increasing awareness about disability issues. Stories can be rehearsed with an audio recording feature and a photo can be included. Sixteen self advocacy stories are included as examples of the important elements of presenting a compelling personal story. The app was released in July 2012; total number of downloads = 345.

Feedback is being collected on the apps.

Features/additions to the Partners in Policymaking® website:

A 25th Anniversary banner was created for the home page, and testimonials and letters of congratulation were added from Partners graduates, faculty, and supporters of the Partners leadership training program. The Anniversary was celebrated in conjunction with the graduation of Partners Class 29; a total of 200 individuals attended the event. Governor Mark Dayton issued a Proclamation declaring Partners n Policymaking Day in Minnesota.

The Partners in Policymaking Coordinator's Handbook, Curriculum Highlights, and Integrated Learning module were updated.

A Spanish translation of Partners in Making Your Case was added to the series of online courses.

Additions to Parallels in Time, Part 2 include Presidential Library holdings in the National Archives about Americans with Disabilities and Project Interdependence photo album.

Additions to With An Eye to the Past include documents related to Consumer Directed Community Supports (237 documents; 5,214 pages) and METO case documents..

QUOTES

"I was thrilled by the ability to complete the templates on line (It's My Choice publication). We have a few individuals who are really getting into computer skills and this is a wonderful way of encouraging them to practice their skills in a personally meaningful way."

Supplier:
Master Communications Group
3410 Winnetka Ave N, Suite 107
New Hope, Minnesota 55427
www.mastcom.com

10. Customer Research: A Fifty Year Minnesota Survey of Attitudes about Developmental Disabilities was conducted (285 individuals participated) to measure attitudinal changes and gain insights into three quality of life issues – education, employment, and abuse. Substantial shifts were identified – family is in the best position to provide care and support, everyone benefits when individuals with developmental disabilities are included and integrated in society, and businesses that employ individuals with developmental disabilities are highly respected. The future outlook was less than positive about education services and employment opportunities..

The results of these surveys can be found at https://mn.gov/mnddc/extra/customer-research.htm.

Supplier:
MarketResponse International
1304 University Ave Northeast, Suite 304
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413
www.marketresponse.com

11. Quality Improvement: Stakeholder satisfaction surveys were disseminated, and results reviewed and analyzed to identify actionable items.

Advice and consultation was provided on changes to the Department of Administration's structure and alignment with customer needs, requirements, and expectations (areas of customer satisfaction, continuous improvement, and employee engagement); a LEAN activity related to the GCDD's business and processes; and feedback received on the GCDD's Five Year State Plan for FFYs 2012 – 2016.

GCDD staff/members received a total of 539 person hours of training - 498 person hours of core learning on DD issues and 41 person hours of training on quality principles/Baldrige Framework.

Suppliers:
Quality Culture Institute
2603 Institute Road
Rochester, Minnesota 55902

12. Technical Assistance: During FFY 2012, the GCDD had 4,047unique customer contacts about individual problems and 88 unique contacts about the Partners in Policymaking program. Considering repeat customers and including the online courses, a total of 16,861contacts were made. A total of 1,131 compliments were received regarding personal assistance and support, timeliness and responsiveness, and specific products or services.

A total of 14,791 individuals used the Council's Facebook page and 47,158 Facebook visits were made; 187 items were posted.

A total of 100 individuals completed the stakeholder satisfaction survey; 240 compliments were received, identified as strengths, in 10 areas – materials, resources, and supporting data; leadership; passionate advocacy; Partners in Policymaking; educational materials and training resources on websites; public policy work; innovation, best practices, and use of technology; communication; compassion for constituents; and work in the area of competitive employment. On a 6-point scale, the GCDD's impact on choice and control was rated 5.7, impact on community participation was rated 5.7, and satisfaction with GCDD activities was rated 5.8.

QUOTES

"Thank you for quick reply and wonderful referrals – a great start and beyond appreciated."

"Thank you so much for your wonderful letter – completely unnecessary but so very appreciated."

"I will be forever grateful for all of your time and support when I was preparing to use the online "Making Your Case" to a group of people with traumatic brain injury, their families and providers."

"I feel blessed, very fortunate to have been connected to you, your wisdom, wit, and resources. Thank you for pointing me in directions which will help people with disabilities have resources to more safely live and thrive."

13. Presentations: During FFY 2012, a total of 16 presentations reached 831 people.

QUOTES

"Thank you for taking the time to share with us a bit of the history of the disability movement I'm quite used to school having undergone both undergraduate and graduate degrees. However, I felt very unknowledgeable and unprepared for the wealth of information you shared. It was a fabulous presentation."

"Thank you for taking the time to talk with us about the CMS sponsored ASD State of the States Project. Your comments provided our research team with greater insight into the services and supports available to people with ASD in Minnesota and will certainly prove helpful as we move forward with this project."

"Thank you for creating Partners in Policymaking. It's hard to believe that there were undesirable laws in 1882. Now that I understand the history and how times have changed, I hope to make a difference for myself and others."

PUBLIC POLICY