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Annual Report
2005
Highlights
The Council is a public policy organization that advocates for the inclusion of individuals with
developmental disabilities in all facets of community life. The Council:
◆ Educates and informs policymakers about issues of importance to individuals with
Developmental disabilities and their families.
◆ Advocates for services, policies and practices that support people with developmental
disabilities to exercise self-determination and lead productive, fulfilling lives.
◆ Designs and funds innovative projects that promote community inclusion and improve
services and supports.
◆ Focuses on bringing about lasting improvements in the areas of: education and early
intervention, child care, employment, transportation, community supports, recreation,
housing, health, and quality assurance.
The Council is an independent, self-governing organization. 60% of Council members are people
with disabilities or family members of people with disabilities. Other Council members include
representatives from state agencies, service providers, the Protection and Advocacy System
(Maryland Disability Law Center) and the University Center on Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities Education, Research, and Services (Kennedy Krieger Institute). The Council receives
funding from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental
Disabilities under the provisions of Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act
(P.L. 106-402).
Total Project Expendi11{a
EMPLOYMENT
Initiatives and Outcomes
Project Income
The Arc of Howard County and The Arc of Anne Arundel County
Project Income is a collaboration of 11 Howard and Anne Arundel County agencies
that assist people with developmental disabilities to obtain individually designed
employment opportunities and to have greater control over their employment supports.
Project Income assisted 4 individuals this year to either start their own business or begin
planning to do so. There are 23 participants who are in various stages of customized
self-employment or have found jobs of their choosing. Since 2001, a total of 468
people have been trained on customized employment by Project Income’s
consultants and agency representatives. Another aspect of the project piloted a modified
Child Care Assistant training program at Howard Community College. The success of this
pilot has inspired Anne Arundel and Howard County Community Colleges to explore
additional opportunities for including individuals with developmental disabilities. Project
Income is forging the way for customized employment by modeling strategies that
promote and support workforce inclusion.
www.arcofannearundel.org/programs
Maryland Coalition for Work
Incentives Improvement
In 2005, the Council continued to work with members of the Maryland Coalition for
Work Incentives Improvement and staff from the Maryland Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene to design a Medicaid Buy-In program. Efforts focused on drafting
regulations and implementation of the program. The purpose of the program is to allow
people with disabilities who work to keep Medicaid health benefits by paying a small fee.
Enrolled individuals will be able to go to any fee-for service Medical Assistance provider.
The program will provide full Medicaid coverage for individuals without employer-
sponsored insurance or wrap-around services for those with employer-sponsored health
insurance and Medicare. In conjunction with the work of the Coalition, personal care
regulations were changed allowing services to be provided in the workplace.
www.mdworkforcepromise.org/iwd.html
Customized Employment in the One Stop System
The Maryland Customized Employment Partnership (MCEP), a project of the
Montgomery County Workforce Investment Board, is demonstrating how the workforce
development system can better serve people with significant disabilities. As a project
collaborator, the Council is working with project partners to address the barriers to
employment for people with significant disabilities. MCEP is targeting transitioning youth,
individuals on the waiting list for community employment, and individuals moving from
segregated settings. One of the project’s unique aspects is the blending of Workforce
Investment Act resources with those of disability employment programs to help people get
the jobs they want through an effective and integrated service system. The project is
creating customized employment opportunities that are based on individual preferences,
interests, and skills, and particular employer needs. In 2005, through the Montgomery
Works One-Stop Career Center, 21 people obtained jobs as a direct result of being linked
with the Maryland Customized Employment Partnership.
EMPLOYMENT
Advocacy & Leadership
Initiatives and Outcomes
Youth Empowerment Alliance (YEA)
The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council / The YEA is funded by the federal
Administration on Developmental Disabilities with additional supports from the Maryland
Department of Education/DORS.
The Youth Empowerment Alliance (YEA), a new project of the Council in 2005,
promotes independence and leadership skills in youth and young adults with
developmental disabilities. The YEA seeks to engage youth and emerging leaders with
disabilities in activities that will enable them to define a vision for themselves and their
communities. The Leadership Advisory Committee oversees the project. The committee
consists of youth and young adults with and without disabilities, from across the State,
who range in age from 14-25. YEA activities include: developing a peer-to-peer
leadership training program, promoting inclusion of youth with disabilities in community
organizations through mini-grants, developing a youth-friendly website through
collaboration with MD Interagency Transition Council, mentorship, producing a series of
newsletters, and conducting trainings and focus groups.
YEA Mini-Grants Awarded to the following MD Organizations:
ADVOCACY&LEADERSHIP
BRYDGES (Building Responsible Youths T ADelivering Genuine E S C O U N Services) This grant supports
T H E M A R Y L A N D E V E L O P M E N by L D I S A B I L I T I Enrichment C I L
the enrollment of 10 youth with developmental disabilities to be integrated into a three day residential camp
4
with a follow-up component of adult and peer mentoring through-out the subsequent academic school year.
YMCA grant in Harford county helped to form a Youth Leadership Program called “Teens Together” that
currently has 21 members, with and without disabilities. The grant will also encourage members to apply for
the Government in Action Program during the next
Monroe Street Methodist Church After School Program supported the inclusion of youth with
disabilities. The program focuses on improved academic and social skills for youth in disadvantaged
neighborhoods. The program will also include training for parents of youth with disabilities.
Leaders In Disability Policy
The Coordinating Center, Abilities Network, Maryland Association of Non Profit
Organizations, Leadership Anne Arundel, MD Technical Assistance Program
In 2005, The Coordinating Center, along with partnering agencies concentrated
on developing a dynamic new leadership training program. The program is designed
to assist people with developmental disabilities, their families, advocates and others to
develop and apply new skills for improving disability policy. Unlike many other training
programs, participants will be part of a learning team and will receive guidance
from experienced mentors. At the heart of the project is a comprehensive curriculum
which will be used to teach 10 training sessions. Information on the use of technology
will be a key component of training as well. The new program will be piloted in 2006.
www.bealeader.info
Cross Disability Rights Coalition
People On the Go and ADAPT of Maryland
CDRC is successfully reaching many people through their work. CDRC
membership is steadily growing with a total of 40 active advocates. Distribution
of their monthly newsletter now reaches approximately 1,000 people. In addition,
CDRC helped to train nearly 300 Service Coordinators on Right to be Informed
legislation to ensure that people receiving services are educated about less restrictive
service options. The CDRC sought opportunities to influence policy through taskforces
and committees such as the newly formed Maryland Personal Assistance Services
Advisory Committee. CDRC has also collaborated with the Maryland Disability Law
Center to train 12 nursing facility residents on returning to the community.
www.thecdrc.org
ADVOCACY&LEADERSHIP
T H E M A R Y L A N D an employer that h
TASH — My Life–Going FAR
The TASH project continues to assist individuals with developmental disabilities
and their families who are interested in participating in the Developmental
Disabilities Administration’s self-direction waiver, New Directions. My Life–Going
FAR provides training regarding the waiver, person centered planning, budgeting
information and helps identify peer mentors. During the past year, project staff
devoted a significant amount of time to policy work to impact the development of New
Directions. They have participated in creating and presenting workshops for support
brokers and resource coordinators. To attract more enrollees, the project will
conduct additional outreach to educate interested individuals and families about
self-directing their services and the waiver.
www.tash.org/mdnewdirections
www.tash.org.
Maryland Youth Leadership Forum
YLF is an annual program that identifies high school students with disabilities
who demonstrate leadership qualities, achieve academic success and are actively
involved in their schools and communities. YLF provides them with training and
experiences, role models and mentors to assist them in becoming future leaders. In
2005, the Council continued its involvement with the YLF by providing a small grant
and organizing Legislative Activity Day for participating youth. The event included a
visit to the State Capitol, mentoring activities and a mock legislative hearing where
students had the opportunity to present testimony.
A D V O C A C Y & L E A D E R S H I PCIL
6
Legislative Internship at the MD General Assembly
People on the Go of Maryland
Ken Capone, member of People on the Go and co-leader of the Cross
Disability Rights Coalition, completed a 2005 internship in the office of Senator
Sharon Grosfeld. Funding for the internship was provided by the Council and support
was provided by The Arc of Maryland. As part of the internship, Mr. Capone worked
actively on several bills, including Individuals with Developmental Disabilities-
Additional Rights and Services, which became law. At numerous hearings he
submitted written testimony as well as delivered oral testimony through his
communication device. Senator Grosfeld invited Mr. Capone to the Senate floor where
he learned valuable information about the voting process and how legislators place
amendments on bills.
command respect.
Education & E
Education & Early Intervention
Initiatives and Outcomes
East Baltimore Mental Health Partnership
In 2005, the East Baltimore Mental Partnership (EBMHP) enrolled students with
developmental disabilities in its “Highly Involved Pupil” (HIP) after school care program for
middle-school students located at Dunbar High School. Partnerships developed during
the planning phase of the program continued as program staff received training in the
areas of developmental disabilities, assistive technology, and special education. The
trainings were provided by Abilities Network’s Project ACT (All Children Together),
L.I.N.C. (Learning Independence Through Computers), and the Parent’s Place of
Maryland, who also provided training for staff and families on advocating through the
I.E.P process. EBMHP’s HIP program continues to receive referrals for children with
developmental disabilities to be enrolled in their program, and intends to continue building
upon relationships developed with the collaborating partners.
Coalition for Inclusive Education
In 2005, the Council continued its commitment to supporting students with
disabilities in the least restrictive environment, by renewing a grant to the Maryland
Coalition for Inclusive Education (MCIE). The purpose of the grant is to increase the
number of students with disabilities in Maryland who are placed in general education
classes in their neighborhood schools; promote systemic change through advocacy and
capacity-building; and support students and families in obtaining more inclusive
educational opportunities through the Individualized Education Plan process. MCIE
provided advocacy services to more than 320 families with a success rate of 98%
for all resolved cases.
High School Assessments and Graduation Requirements for Students
with Disabilities
Throughout 2005, the Council continued to work closely with the State
Department of Education and other key stakeholders, as well as students and
families, as members of the Task Force on Comparable Testing Methods for Maryland
High School Assessments (HSA). The purpose of the Task Force is to make
recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding a “comparable”
assessment for students obtaining content knowledge, but otherwise not able to
demonstrate that knowledge during traditional testing scenarios. The Task Force will
conclude its work and submit recommendations for the State Board to review in 2006.
The Board is also required to reconsider the mandatory passing of HSA as a
graduation requirement, before its implementation with the graduating class of 2009.
Education Advocacy Coalition for Students with Disabilities
The Education Advocacy Coalition (EAC) is a group of 23 organizations and/or
individuals concerned with special education issues in Maryland. The Council participates
in the Coalition which meets monthly and quarterly with the Assistant State
Superintendent of Special Education & Early Intervention services. In 2005, the EAC was
active both locally and nationally in providing comments and testimony during the IDEA
2004 regulatory process. EAC members also participated on a statewide COMAR
revision task force, responsible for recommending revisions to Maryland’s regulations to
align with the new federal IDEA regulations.
EDUCATION&EARLYINTERVENTIO N
T H E R Y L A M E N T A L D I S AU N C Health
Initiatives and Outcomes
Maryland Medicaid’s Special Needs Children Advisory Council
A Council representative serves on the Special Needs Children Advisory Council
and chairs their Communications Subcommittee. The Subcommittee developed a series
of brochures on services offered through Maryland Children’s Health Program including:
Medicaid Fee-for-Service, Maryland Health Partners (mental health services), waiver
programs, and Rare and Expensive Case Management (REM). Additional brochures were
created on Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment as pertaining to children
with disabilities and special health care needs. The brochures, describing available
services for children with disabilities and special health care needs, were completed and
distributed in all new enrollee packages reaching approximately 200,000 families.
H E A L T HELOPMENTALDISABILITIESCOUNCIL
Building Healthy Futures
The Council provided funding to the Office of Child Care to support the “Children
and Caregivers: Building Healthy Futures” conference. The conference was hosted by
Healthy Child Care Maryland, which trained approximately 300 child care providers on
including and caring for children with disabilities and special health care needs in
child care settings. Council staff, together with a representative from The Arc of
Maryland, and the Maryland Disability Law Center, gave a presentation at the conference
titled, The ADA and Child Care. Approximately 300 child c
Medicaid Matters Maryland
The Council continued its support of the Medicaid Matters Maryland Coalition
through staff participation, as well as through small grants provided to the Public Justice
Center. Funding helped with creating a website and towards being a gold sponsor of the
first Medicaid Matters conference held in November of 2005. Over 120 people attended
the conference including Medicaid consumers, health providers, advocates Maryland
legislators, and staff. Three nationally known speakers were in attendance from the
George Washington University Health Policy Institute, Center for Budget and Policy
Priorities, and Families USA. The conference received very positive feedback and the
coalition is planning to hold a second conference in the fall of 2006.
are providers received training on inc
Community Supports
Initiatives and Outcomes
Educating and Informing Policymakers
The Council was active on many issues before the General Assembly to ensure
lawmakers and other policymakers were well informed about issues of importance to
individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Through testimony,
advocacy and coalition work, the Council was involved in a range of issues, including the
transfer of the Child Care Administration to the Dept. of Education, reconstitution of the
Office for Children Youth and Families, funding for transitioning youth and the DDA
waiting list, quality health care and personal assistance, and improved educational
practices. The Council ensured that developmental disability interests were considered in
all of these issues.
Family NET Works
The Council’s Family NET Works project continues to grow! An average of 11,100
people visited the Family NET Works website each month in 2005. The visitors to the
website generated an average of 102,800 “hits” and downloaded nearly 3,000 documents
and files each month. The site provides information on current news and events, connects
users to resources on a wide range of topics, and networks parents through its list serve.
The “Spotlight” section highlights important topics, such as changes in the IDEA, positive
inclusion stories happening in Maryland, and supports and resources such as the
Maryland Assistive Technology Loan Program.
www.family-networks.org
Inclusive Child Care Efforts Continue
The Taskforce on Inclusive Child Care and After School Care for Children with
Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs submitted its report and recommendations in
July 2005. The Council continued its active participation throughout the existence of the
task force and made several presentations to the National Association of Child Care
Resource and Referral Agencies, and to providers at the Healthy Futures Child Care
Conference. During the 2005 legislative session, Child Care programs and policy were
transferred to the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) The Council
successfully advocated to require MSDE to develop an implementation plan to
address the child care needs of families with children who have disabilities and/or
special health care needs. As a result, MSDE formed an Inclusive Child Care
Workgroup in the fall of 2005. Stakeholder representation and input was ensured;
including that of the Council, parents, and other stakeholders. MSDE’s Implementation
Plan for Inclusive Child Care and School-Age Care is to be completed and submitted to
the General Assembly in January of 2006.
DEVELOPMENTALDISABILIT
Housing
Initiatives and Outcomes
OUSING
Bridge Subsidy Demonstration Program
The Council worked with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community
Development and other partners on the design of a Bridge Subsidy Demonstration
Program for individuals with disabilities. After extensive planning and negotiations, the
program will begin in early 2006. This innovative program will provide short-term rental
assistance — up to three years — for eligible low-income individuals with disabilities while
they await permanent housing assistance. The program will assist 75 to 100 participants
and was designed as a pilot to study its feasibility and impact. Program components and
sustainability will be studied. The budget is $2.1 million in state funds. The program is
being implemented in 14 counties and two small cities. The Bridge Subsidy could assist
people with disabilities to leave restrictive settings such as nursing facilities and group
living situations.
www.dhcd.state.md.us
Home-Access Project
National Cooperative Bank Development Corporation
In its third and final year, the Home-Access
project continued to address the need for
more affordable housing for individuals with
developmental disabilities. The NCB
Development Corporation, through its
National Disability Institute, worked at the
local and state levels, with a major focus on
collaboration between the public and private sectors. The project engaged housing
professionals, people with disabilities, advocates and service providers in problem
solving through a variety of activities including, but not limited to: training, technical
assistance, coalition and relationship building, leadership development and policy
analysis. Successful strategies were documented to be replicated in the future.
www.home-access.org
◆ 33 People have homes of their choosing
◆ Maryland Developmental
Disabilities Council
Support Fund.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS F ROM THE MD DD COUNCIL IN 2005
10
MD DD Council
217 E. Redwood Street Suite 1300
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-767-3670 or 1-800-305-6441
www.md-council.org
