Message from the Director
March into Session
By Jim DeBeaugrine
Over the past few months the Agency for Persons with Disabilities has been preparing for the Legislative session that began March 3. The economy and the need to balance the state budget in the face of sharply declining revenue will be the focus.
The agency is supportive of Governor Charlie Crist's recently released budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Notably, the Governor's budget contains no major reductions for our agency. In fact, his budget proposes a $26 million increase from nonrecurring funds to cover the remaining Medicaid waiver deficit. His budget shows a clear commitment to the individuals we serve. This is extraordinary during such tough economic times, and I am very grateful.
Although very difficult, we have achieved the financial stability necessary to shift our focus to the waiting list. The governor recognizes this and proposes that any savings from expanding the Consumer Directed Care Plus (CDC+) program be used to expand waiver enrollment. After several years of deficit-related program reductions, this is most encouraging.
The governor's budget also supports moving individuals from the Gulf Coast Center (GCC) into the community. Closure is still scheduled for June 30, 2010. I am interested in seeing if a portion of the site can be used to provide administrative processing support to area offices and dental/medical care to community-based individuals who have difficulty accessing services elsewhere. Appropriate dental care, in particular, is a major issue for the people we serve.
Still, the reality is that the legislative session will be challenging for all of us. I will not sugar-coat the current economic reality facing our state and nation. All indications are that the Legislature will be looking for budget reductions across all areas of state government. Whether they follow the governor's lead and leave our agency's budget intact remains to be seen.
While the outcome is uncertain, I am optimistic that we are doing everything we can to improve our odds. We have engaged our stakeholder community and have a more coherent, unified message than ever. We have achieved financial stability. We have developed a clear vision for a sustainable service delivery system. We are demonstrating competence and an unwavering commitment to the people we are privileged to serve. These things help us establish credibility and gain the confidence of policy-makers.
During tough times, it is important that we focus on the things we know we can control. Doing the right thing, the right way, every day, and for the right reasons gives us our best chance to favorably influence the things we do not directly control.
Clicking on most photos will open a larger version.
Palm Beach Visit
APD Director Jim DeBeaugrine and Deputy Director of Operations Dave Robinson began a tour of South Florida area offices with a visit to Area 9 in West Palm Beach. Their remarks to office and program staff on February 24 conveyed encouragement and support.
They informed area staff that APD's deficit has been greatly reduced. They asked staff to continue their work in supporting persons with disabilities, and spoke of the commitment by Central Office staff to support area offices in overcoming the challenges that lay ahead in the future.
DeBeaugrine asked staff to be courteous to both the agency's external and internal customers, explaining that the families of individuals served have to deal with many roadblocks in trying to obtain services for their loved ones, and, as a government agency, we should not present additional barriers to those served. It was a well-received message that left area staff inspired and rejuvenated for the work that lies ahead.
Checking Out Fort Lauderdale
APD Director Jim DeBeaugrine and Deputy Director of Operations Dave Robinson were joined by several dignitaries when they toured the agency's Area 10 office and the facilities of providers in the Fort Lauderdale area.
The day-long event on February 25 began with a "Welcome to Area 10 Breakfast," hosted by Area 10 employees. DeBeaugrine and Robinson shared their views on the future of the agency and personally met all 50 staff members in attendance. Both the information and the personal touch were appreciated very much by the employees.
Later in the day, DeBeaugrine, Robinson, Area 10 Administrator Martha Martinez, and Supervisor of Quality Management Bonnie Florom visited the Lucanus Center in Hollywood, and met with its founder, Tom Buckley, and members of his family who operate the facility. The Lucanus Center provides meaningful day activities to over 150 APD customers in classroom settings and workshops.
Members of the tour also had the opportunity to meet with Sen. Nan Rich (D-Sunrise) to discuss agency issues of interest to the senator. To end the day, the group visited a Lucanus six-bed group home in the community.
Miami Tour
APD Director Jim DeBeaugrine and Deputy Director of Operations Dave Robinson wrapped up their South Florida tour with a visit to the agency's Area 11 office in Miami. They met with the office's Management Team in a meeting conducted by Area Administrator Evelyn Alvarez on February 26. The group also visited the Good Hope Equestrian Training Center in South Miami/Dade County.
The following day, DeBeaugrine and Robinson met with all the area employees. They answered staff questions and were presented with a painting created by Edgar Leal, an artist in Area 11 who is also an APD customer. In the afternoon, DeBeaugrine and Robinson toured the Robert T. Knight Day Training Program of the Association for Retarded Citizens, South Florida, in Hialeah. They also met with ARC staff including Maureen Winter and Michael Messer.
DD Handbook Workshops Held
The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) recently held rule workshops around the state to solicit recommendations for changing the Developmental Disabilities Waiver Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook. Workshops were held in Pompano Beach, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee from Feb. 10 to 13. APD area staff served as hosts for each of the four sites.
Those attending were provided with a written summary of structural modifications to be made to the handbook to improve readability. Some of these changes include merging service-specific information and definitions currently located in chapters one and two into one chapter, reviewing provider qualifications for each service, reviewing recommendations from the Paperwork Reduction Workgroup and incorporating recommendations as appropriate, and reviewing current training requirements for each service.
Attendees were given the option of providing verbal or written comments at the workshop and also given the opportunity to provide written comments to AHCA by a deadline of February 27.
Over 150 people attended the four workshops.
QSI Update
APD has had five studies conducted on the Questionnaire for Situational Information (QSI) to determine its reliability and validity in meeting the needs of APD customers. APD asked independent researchers to make sure the QSI actually measures an individual's physical, functional, and behavior status as intended. APD also asked these researchers to make sure the QSI's results are consistent over time and even when different QSI administrators use it.
In general, all the studies have found that the QSI is a good assessment tool with acceptable reliability and validity. As with any assessment tool, the validity and reliability should be continually reviewed. The agency is committed to ongoing improvement of the QSI so it meets the needs of both APD and its customers.
The studies found that the QSI meets the standards for consistency over time and consistency when different administrators use it. Further, the QSI uses many of the same criteria to assess its customers that other similar validated instruments use. The researchers also made some suggestions for how to make the QSI better. APD staff are reviewing these recommendations.
The agency continues to meet its commitment to assess all Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver enrollees by June 30, 2009. At the end of last month, 86 percent of waiver customers had been assessed, including all children in foster care, even if they are on the waiting list for services. Customers waiting to enroll in the Medicaid waiver—about 18,000 people—will be assessed using the QSI once the 31,000 current enrollees are completed.
This project is important because every individual enrolled on a waiver will receive a QSI assessment. The QSI results will be used for support planning and perhaps for other purposes in the future. The agency is grateful for the assistance it received in these studies from individuals, families, providers, and APD employees.
Company Offers Job Security
By Melanie Mowry EttersIn the small community of Perry, FL, one employer has made a huge commitment to employing individuals with disabilities. Martin Electronics is a munitions assembly plant. About four percent of Martin Electronics' workforce has a disability. When you consider the company employs 250 people, that is an impressive statistic.
Two women with disabilities work side by side and are fixtures at the plant. Geneva Moore and Alma Candis work on the safety clip assembly line for hand grenades. The company builds practice fuses that are used in training soldiers.
Moore has been with Martin Electronics for 22 years, and Candis has been there for 16 years. Their supervisor, Carolyn Foskey, is pleased with their history of work performance.
-Alma Candis
"They are both good employees and perform well," Foskey says. "They are dependable and do what you ask of them."
Moore says, "I feel good about earning a paycheck and making some money."
Candis enjoys the opportunity to work. "Having a job gets me out of the house and around people," says Candis. "I have enjoyed working at Martin Electronics for 16 years and like all the people I work with."
The two women say they feel like part of a team and have good camaraderie at work.
Martin Electronics' Vice President of Administration Suzanne Sleigher says people with disabilities make great employees.
"They are extremely reliable," Sleigher says. "They get along well with everyone. It just makes good business sense to include them as part of your workforce. We have turnover here, but the employees with disabilities stay because they want to work and are committed to the company."
Central Office Update
On February 16, Central Office employees in Tallahassee held a meeting at the Betty Easley Conference Center to learn about what is going on within the agency. Members of the agency's Executive Management Team each made presentations about their office and ongoing projects.
Director Jim DeBeaugrine said he plans to have headquarters meetings quarterly to help keep employees informed of agency initiatives and improve communication.
Chief of Staff Tamara Demko talked about the restructuring of the headquarters staff, and the functions of the new units. Organizational charts were shared with employees.
Deputy Director Dave Robinson brought laughter to the crowd with humor incorporated throughout his PowerPoint presentation. He stressed accountability and moving the agency forward.
Deputy Director of Budget and Planning Rhonda Stodard, General Counsel John Newton, and Inspector General Chuck Faircloth also made presentations. Stodard talked about the restructuring of sections reporting to her. Newton updated the group on the recent ruling supporting the agency's handling of tier assignments. Faircloth spoke about the role of the inspector general and the duties of his office.
Communications Director Melanie Mowry Etters provided an overview of the Communications Office so employees would understand how the office could assist them with projects. She also played a radio spot featuring an APD customer and his employer. The radio spot was produced and narrated by APD employee Jeff Saulich.
Around the State
Margate ADT Gives Back to the Community
By Bonnie Florom
The individuals involved in Victory Living's Adult Day Training program stay busy all year long with a wide range of volunteer programs. The ADT program in Margate focuses on individuals helping and giving back to the community.
Participants volunteer on a weekly basis at three nursing homes and once per week in a school cafeteria and at a local food program. They have also organized an Aktion Club in conjunction with the Kiwanis Club of Margate/Coconut Creek. The group makes dolls for children who have parents serving overseas in the military and for underprivileged children living on a reservation in the Navajo Nation. The dolls are also given to the local police department to comfort children in distress.
The group feels that communities are made better and stronger through the involvement of all citizens of the community, including individuals with developmental disabilities. They are striving to make their community a wonderful place for everyone.
For more information, visit www.victoryliving.org or call Victory Living's headquarters in Fort Lauderdale at (954) 616-1074.
Mentoring Day at Kennedy Space Center
Twenty-four students with disabilities, age 16 and older, took part in the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC) annual Disability Mentoring Day. The event was held on February 3 and was a special thrill for the students because the center was preparing for a shuttle launch scheduled for the following week.
Applications for participants came from Brevard Community College, Astronaut High School, and the Palm Bay High School/High Tech program. Judy Dunning, employment coordinator for APD's Area 7 office in Orlando, supervised the application process and coordinated communications between the students and KSC representative George Gabrielle.
Preparations included getting security clearances for all the students and companions, obtaining parent and school permission forms, resolving transportation issues, and matching mentors with the areas of interest of the students. Students' interests ranged from aerospace engineering to athletic training for the astronauts.
The event began at 8:30 a.m. with excited students arriving at KSC, picking up security badges, and getting on buses that would take them to their assigned mentors. With excitement equal to the students, the mentors planned out activities for the day that would fuel their mentees' interests and encourage questions concerning the work done at KSC.
One student shadowed a TV and radio technician. This student visited the Vehicle Assembly Building to take photographs of the building and surrounding area. Another student shadowed one of the engineers working on the Ares I Mars project. The Ares I project is still under design revision, so one of the students acquired a poster of an outdated version of the Ares I rocket and Mars station.
He proudly announced, "This is going on my bedroom wall!"
During the closing ceremony of Disability Mentoring Day, students learned the main purpose of the shuttle is to take equipment into space to build the International Space Station. The Space Station is due to retire in 2010. The current shuttle will be replaced by Orion, which will make trips to outer space twice as safe as the shuttle.
Randall Crosby, a small business owner, motivational speaker, and person with a disability, explained how he started a food services business with help from the Division of Blind Services. The Blind Man Café has been in operation at KSC for 10 years.
Crosby became blind from retinitis pigmentosa—a hereditary disease. As a child he developed night blindness and lost his peripheral vision shortly afterward. By age 27, Crosby was legally blind, but that didn't stop him. Even now, his hobbies include running, bowling, socializing with friends, rock climbing, spending time with family, motivational speaking, and blind driving.
Crosby challenged the students to embrace the belief that the only barrier stopping an individual with a disability is his or her own self.
The day concluded at the KSC Visitors' Center with the students and mentors taking group photos and exchanging contact info. The excitement generated by Disability Mentoring Day helps give focus and direction to the students as they plan for their careers and future employment.
Disability Mentoring Day Report
The Able Trust issued its 2008 Florida Disability Mentoring Day (DMD) report in January. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities was named as the state agency with the largest percentage of members participating in local organizing committees around the state. The reports states 15 percent of local committee members were employees of APD. These committee members were from the 14 area offices throughout the state.
The Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) was also mentioned in the report with almost 10 percent of the local organizing committee members being employees of VR.
Others involved in DMD included school district representatives, employers and employment agencies, Workforce representatives, ARC, and the Division of Blind Services. These committee members worked together to pool resources for mentees, recruit mentors, promote DMD activities, and host successful kickoff events.
Area 2 Hosts Legislative Training
The Area Steering Committee and the Family Care Council in APD's Area 2 came together recently at two locations in the Big Bend. The purpose was to present educational programs designed to assist customers, family members, and self advocates in their efforts to monitor and become involved in the legislative process.
Lynne Daw, administrator of the Area 2 office in Tallahassee, was asked if the agency could develop a short training program about the legislative process. The processes of identifying and contacting legislators and monitoring bills that would impact services for individuals with developmental disabilities were of special concern.
Mike Dunn with Legislative Affairs in Central Office, Tallahassee, met with Daw and approximately 25 very interested individuals in two meetings. A session on January 22 in Marianna was followed by a January 29 meeting in Tallahassee. As the discussions moved forward, it was obvious these individuals were aware that the legislative process was very important to them.
"They all wanted to know who their legislators were and how to contact them," said Dunn. "The participants were very interested in the procedure for contacting their legislators and how to present their concerns and suggestions. They also were very interested in how to follow bills that might impact them. Many interesting questions led to enlightening discussions."
Through their participation in this educational opportunity, these individuals have become stronger advocates. They truly represent the idea that knowledge is power.
DD Awareness Month in Sarasota County
The month of March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in Sarasota County. APD's Suncoast area office in Tampa was instrumental in having a proclamation signed by the members of the Sarasota County Commission to establish the month's special designation.
In the proclamation, signed on February 18, the commissioners "…encourage all citizens to realize that individuals with developmental disabilities should be afforded opportunities in the community, including full access to housing, employment, and recreational activities."
The proclamation also urges all citizens "…to become aware of the challenges of developmental disabilities, to support those dealing with such, and to participate in community efforts."
Suncoast Area employees consider the occasion to be momentous for individuals with developmental disabilities, parents, family members, volunteers, professionals, community members, and government officials.
Text Reproduction of the Proclamation
LENS Conference Focuses on Quality of Life
Employees of APD's Suncoast Area office in Tampa participated in the LENS conference, February 4, 5, and 6 in Largo. LENS stands for Learning, Exploring and Experiencing, Networking, and Strategizing and Sharing. The event was hosted by the Friends and Families Support Center and E. Ted Bean and Associates.
The workshop offered a wonderful opportunity for APD employees and community partners to participate in hands-on exercises to explore the meaning of quality of life within a community. Due to the success of the event, Area Quality Leader Marcia DiGrazia of the Suncoast office is developing similar workshops that are planned for Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Change in Supported Living
By Dana CohenAPD customers who are new to Supported Living and request an in-home subsidy will notice a change in how additional living subsidies are handled beginning in March. Individuals who are approved for a new subsidy will not receive the funds directly as was done in the past. The money will be paid directly to the vendor, such as the electric company or apartment leasing company.
"APD will cover existing obligations for everyone currently in the program receiving in-home subsidies and those payments will still go to the customer who then pays the vendor. However, any newly added people to the program will have their subsidies paid directly to the vendor," says Debbie Blizzard, the statewide Supported Living liaison for this project.
This change is being made due to how the Legislature is now funding the Individual and Family Support (IFS) program. IFS will now be funded primarily by federal Social Services Block Grants (SSBGs), authorized under Title XX of the Social Security Act. This funding may be used to pay for community-based care for the elderly and those with disabilities. Federal regulations prohibit the use of SSBG funds as direct payment to individuals or their families in the form of subsidy payments but do allow the funds to be directed to vendors.
This funding change is something that has been in progress since the Supported Living program was started but was made official this fiscal year. Questions can be answered by your local APD area office.
Able Trust Has New Digs
The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Endowment Foundation for Vocational Rehabilitation, has a new home. Able Trust employees welcomed partners and friends to their new headquarters in northeast Tallahassee on February 26. Communications Director Melanie Mowry Etters, APR, CPRC, represented the Agency for Persons with Disabilities at the Open House. Representatives from some other partner agencies included the Governor's Commission on Disabilities, Ability 1st, Family Café, and Florida Independent Living Council.
Three New Commissioners Appointed
On February 9, Governor Charlie Crist announced three new appointments to the Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged. The new commissioners are:
- David Darm of Orange Park, a student at the University of North Florida, appointed for a term ending August 13, 2009.
- Jill Houghton of Hollywood, a consultant at Disability Inclusion Solutions, Inc., appointed for a term ending August 13, 2012.
- Robert McLaughlin of Cantonment, county administrator serving the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, appointed for a term ending October 1, 2009.
The commission works to ensure the availability of efficient, cost-effective, and quality transportation services for transportation disadvantaged persons. Visit its Web site at www.dot.state.fl.us/CTD for more information.
Melanie Mowry Etters - Editor
Jeff Saulich - Photo Editor
Lloyd Harger - Web Development