Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan was approved in 2015 and has since been updated annually. The Olmstead Subcabinet recently decided it was time for a more comprehensive update of the Olmstead Plan.
The process of creating a new Olmstead Plan will center on co-creation with the disability community.
The Olmstead Implementation Office is working with the Dendros Group to support consultants with lived experience of disability. Lived experience of disability includes people with disabilities, family, and friends. Dendros will select, train, and support 17 to 23 individuals to work as paid Inclusion Consultants. These consultants will work closely with state agency staff to create the next Olmstead Plan.
Consultant applications closed on February 24. Thank you to everyone who applied to be an Inclusion Consultant. Dendros Group received over 200 applications from across the state. Consultant photos and bios will be shared by mid-May. To stay updated on the Inclusion Consultants, sign up for our newsletter.
Dendros Group will also be hosting community conversations. These conversations are an opportunity to provide input for the next Plan. They will be held both in-person and virtually.
For information about future community conversations, subscribe to the OIO newsletter.
In June 2024, the Olmstead Implementation Office (OIO) hosted the Disability Inclusion and Choice survey. The survey was intended for people with disabilities and was open to all Minnesotans. It asked questions about how the next Olmstead Plan can improve the integration, choice, and inclusion of people with disabilities. Survey responses will help shape the next Olmstead Plan.
In May 2024, OIO contracted with ACET, Inc. to conduct small community conversations about inclusion, integration, and choice to inform the next Plan. ACET worked with community partners to host these conversations with people with disabilities, families, and other support persons. OIO also hosted a conversation with the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities.
OIO contracted with The Improve Group to survey Minnesotans with disabilities who have received services in segregated settings. The survey focused on their quality of life. The survey findings will help inform the next Olmstead Plan.
The Olmstead Implementation Office (OIO) is working with the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC). TAC will identify national subject matter experts. They will serve as a resource for the Inclusion Consultants and state staff as they co-create the next Plan.
TAC is focused on human services, healthcare, homelessness, and affordable housing systems. They work with government agencies to implement policies that increase community living options for people with disabilities. TAC has helped other states create their Olmstead Plans, including Nebraska and North Carolina.
TAC begins work with OIO this May. They will share national best practices with consultants and state staff to shape the next Olmstead Plan. TAC is being contracted through the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
