News and Events
2008 Annual Newsletter
Children’s Individualized Supports Survey - October 2008
Community Council Survey
The Development Disability Community Council meets every three months to make suggestions and recommendations to improve the DD service system to Sedgwick County so we would like your input on the services. Please click here for link to survey.
Progress on Ad Hoc Task Force Recommendations
Progress continues to be made on the
recommendations from the Ad Hoc Task Force on Developmental Disabilities and
Mental Illness. 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.
Community Activity Calendar Up and Running
After months of work, 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.
SCDDO Seeking Disability Advocates
While advocacy and funding issues were identified as leading priorities during the community planning process for developmental disabilities services during 2005, finding ways to involve more people in advocacy efforts has progressed slowly. The Advocates in Communities Team (ACT) agreed to play a lead role in developing advocacy efforts, however only a few individuals have taken the opportunity to become more involved.
To make the process as simple as possible for those who wish to be more active in advocacy efforts, a simple survey has been developed to identify the best way to involve more people. Please take time to follow the link below and review our on-line advocacy survey. If you decide you would like to be involved, please indicate your desired level of involvement and include your name and contact information. This information will only be used to alert you when activities you have indicated an interest in are taking place. You can choose to participate in those activities or not after you have been notified.
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