News and Events
Individualized Planning and Self Directed Services
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services along with the Department on Aging and the Kansas Health Policy launches “Self Directing Home and Community Based Service” website
Topeka, Kan. (April 8, 2011): Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services in collaboration with the Department on Aging and the Kansas Health Policy officially launched the Self Directing Home and Community Based Service website. The website serves individuals with disabilities by having resources to learn about improving their ability to plan for, and manage self-directing services.
Located at http://selfdirection.ks.gov, the website contains resources and informational materials such as:
- Videos of people who self-direct their services discuss the difference self-direction makes in their life
- A calendar of events
- An RSS feed for updates from Community Supports and Services within the Kansas Department of Social Rehabilitation Services
- Interactive forms to use when self-directing or planning for services
- Fiscal management service information for providers and case managers
2011 Link 4 Life Run for Suicide Prevention
Ready, Set, GO! The eighth annual Link 4 Life Run for Suicide Prevention is
coming up fast! This year's run will take place at Old Cowtown Museum,
Saturday, May 14 and a new one-mile run has been added to the event line-up.
Come show your support for survivors of suicide, and make a statement that
suicide is everybody's business and can be prevented.
View the Link 4 Life Run brochure here.
Access to Support and Services Within the Community
The Sedgwick County Developmental Disability Organization (SCDDO) has made a commitment to ensure that individuals with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) receive access to support and services within the community. During the Summer and Fall of 2009 the SCDDO compiled information from a variety of stakeholder groups ranging from direct service providers to parent/consumer groups. This input assisted in developing a three year strategy that focused on the areas of employment, successful transitions to adulthood, and support for an aging ID/DD population. In addition to this three year plan, “Strategic Achievements” highlights various achievements and community successes that occurred during the 2005-2009 timeframe.
Progress on Ad Hoc Task Force Report
Progress continues to be made on the recommendations from the Ad Hoc Task Force Report. A local workgroup has been meeting regularly to develop a strategy to implement the recommendations. The focus of the group has been to create a system that stresses pre-crisis planning and intervention while also creating support options for those individuals in crisis.
Starting in May 2008 the CDDO began accepting applications for consultation with Dr. James Vincent. Dr. Vincent is a licensed psychologist with extensive experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness. The application form can be found by clicking on the “forms” link on this page and anyone may submit an application. This service is specifically for individuals exhibiting “challenging behaviors.”
Next steps include determining the feasibility of
creating a Safe House and a Crisis Response Team in
Task Force Reports to County Commissioners
The Ad Hoc Task Force on Developmental Disabilities and Mental Illness presented its final report to the Board of County Commissioners during the Board’s December 6 meeting. Task Force Chair Marla Flentje provided County Commissioners an overview of the report, which highlights the difficulty in safely supporting people with development disabilities who engage in extreme, aggressive behaviors. While the number of individuals who fall into this category is estimated to be relatively small, perhaps fewer than 100 in Sedgwick County, the amount of resources required to ensure the safety of those individuals and those around them creates significant stress for area providers of developmental disabilities services.
Flentje emphasized the high quality of supports provided to the vast majority of people who utilize community developmental disabilities services. Unfortunately those who engage in the extreme behaviors do not receive the type of support they require, which places them, others around them, and community agencies in jeopardy. The report includes a series of recommendations for action both by Sedgwick County and also the State of Kansas to improve services for affected individuals.
Commission Chairman Ben Sciortino questioned what next steps were planned now that the report has been completed and recommendations have been identified. County Manager Bill Buchanan responded that the recommendations contained in the report would be utilized to create an action plan for consideration by the County Commission in the next few weeks.
Click here to read the full report prepared by the Ad Hoc Task Force.
Community Activity Calendar
An on-line calendar of community events that are of particular interest to people with developmental disabilities is available for use. The calendar, which can be viewed at www.SeeDeeDeeGo.org is sponsored by numerous community organizations and is intended to be a quick resource for those who are trying to find community events that take into consideration needs specific to people with developmental disabilities. Listed events are not necessarily limited to people with developmental disabilities, but typically will have been planned with disability issues in mind.
The events calendar is one of the first accomplishments of the Expanding Social Supports initiative identified during SCDDO’s community-wide planning process during the past year. Now that the calendar is operational, it is anticipated that more time will be spent to encourage the development of events and opportunities that are of interest to people with developmental disabilities.
CDDO Reports Progress on Planning Initiatives
The 2006 Progress Report on Planning Initiatives (PowerPoint presentation) was presented to the Physical and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board during the November 14 meeting. This year was the first of a five-year plan to address strategic areas identified and prioritized through an inclusive process during 2005.
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