State Plan Initiatives

Education
(Elementary through Post-Secondary Transition)

GOAL:

• The Council will have contributed to assisting students into meaningful post-school outcomes with adequate services and supports through the implementation of:
  – at least four new improvements to transition services, and two or more policies or practices.

OBJECTIVES/MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

• Create or expand two or more practices designed to improve transition outcomes through collaboration with agencies, school districts, and programs.
• Develop a system to provide transition services to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with an emphasis on students with the most significant disabilities, including youth previously thought unemployable.
• Increase expansion of and access to at least three models (e.g. career and technical within technical centers, career and technical with Florida Colleges etc.) ensuring equitable access for students with the most significant disabilities by providing technical assistance and support.
• Improve access to and completion of postsecondary education and training programs for students who identify as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Hispanic/Latino to address targeted disparity found in completing postsecondary education and training programs.
• Implement advocacy efforts as needed.

OUTCOMES:

• A minimum of four new improvements to transition services will be achieved with adequate services and supports.
• Two or more policies or practices will be improved or developed to assist students attain meaningful post-school outcomes with adequate services and support.

Employment
(Facilitate and Provide Technical Assistance to Florida’s Employment First Nine Signatory Agency Collaborative)

Housing

GOAL:

• Florida will have made at least one systemic change to statutes, rules, policies or procedures designed to improve choice and provide for financial support for safe, affordable and inclusive housing with access to support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

OBJECTIVES/MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

• Prioritize the needs of individuals with I/DD by:
  • collaborating with profit, nonprofit and governmental housing organizations;
  • monitoring and influencing the development of key federal and state housing plans; and
  • allocating resources in a minimum of 3 cities and 3 counties representing 3 geographical areas of the state.
• Conduct comprehensive research on community-based strategic planning mandates through the Consolidated Plan process under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for safe, affordable and inclusive housing throughout Florida.
• Utilize the research from the Consolidated Plan process to develop or identify and implement involvement in the Consolidated Plan process.
• Provide training, technical assistance and support for self-advocates and family members to empower them to:
  • understand housing-related issues; and
  • serve on housing-related commissions, boards or advisory committees to ensure needs are met within the Consolidated Plan.

OUTCOMES:

• A minimum of one systemic change to statutes, rules, policies or procedures designed to improve choice and provide for financial support for safe, affordable and inclusive housing with access to support services for persons with I/DD.

Self-Advocacy Leadership

GOAL:

• A minimum of 350 Floridians (250 individuals & 100 families) impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities, not currently participating in leadership and advocacy, will participate in leadership, advocacy and systems change activities in culturally diverse or cross-disability coalitions.

OBJECTIVES/MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

• Support the state-wide self-advocacy organization, Florida SAND (Self Advocacy Network’d) to:
  • engage in at least one specific public policy activity;
  • encourage its members and circles of support to participate in at least one grassroots effort to inform their local communities of issues that impact full inclusion;
  • conduct at least one public policy activity annually; and
  • support local grassroots groups through education and training on fundraising, membership recruitment, retention and outreach to facilitate independence and sustainability.
• Support at least two members annually to participate in cross-disability leadership coalitions and mentor self-advocates in leadership.
• Increase the knowledge of at least 100 individuals on advocacy, leadership and self-determination by:
  • utilizing Partners in Policymaking®(PIP); and
  • creating Partners in Policymaking Plus, a cohort of PIP graduates, to receive advanced training on the Council’s policy issues to be used in systems change efforts.
• Collaborate with all DD Network Partners to implement and sustain a leadership training program with a minimum of eight self-advocates and eight mid-career institutional leaders to build the next generation of top leaders.
• Collaborate with Disability Rights Florida (the protection and advocacy partner for Florida) to promote voting access for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) through:
  • training and providing opportunities for a minimum of 25 self-advocates to improve public speaking skills as Project VOTE co-trainers.
• Collaborate with the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities at the University of South Florida, and other DD partners as deemed appropriate, to institute a minimum of one systemic change for one high priority issue impacting the lives of persons with I/DD and their families.

OUTCOMES:

• Florida SAND will have developed the infrastructure to sustain as an independent, non-profit organization.
• A cadre of trained leaders will be established and available to provide leadership training to individuals with I/DD who desire to become leaders.
• The number of individuals and their families impacted by I/DD participating in diverse leadership coalitions, including participation on local and state level systems change boards, will increase.
• A new group of trained advocates (minimum of 350 individuals and families impacted by I/DD) will be established.

Self-Advocacy Systems Change

GOAL:

• Implement at least one systemic change to federal and/or state statutes, rules, policies or procedures designed to mitigate the income limits imposed on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in federal and state programs, restoring their ability to independently control their income.

OBJECTIVES/MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

• A minimum of 50 policy-makers at the federal and/or state level will be educated on the impact of waiver income limits and the benefits of the Medicaid Buy-In.
• Track, report and analyze the changes in legislative policies relating to income limits and Medicaid Buy-In and determine recommendations for future systems change activities.
• Advocate for legislative developments which enable individuals with I/DD to control their income.
• Implement advocacy efforts as needed.

OUTCOME:

• A minimum of one systemic change to federal and/or state statutes, rules, policies or procedures mitigating the income limits on people with I/DD will be implemented resulting in the restoration of their ability to independently control their income.

Transportation

GOALS:

• Develop and implement:
  • a minimum of three sustainable transportation solutions
  • at least one infrastructure change
• Increase both dollars and access to safe and affordable methods of transportation for the DD Community

OBJECTIVES/MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

• Establish a mobility management structure statewide that provides both access to the community and satisfaction with transportation services for a minimum of two life activities i.e. employment, education, recreation, leisure etc.
• Improve and enhance travel-training services that will create greater access to existing transportation services through existing mobility management systems.
• Improve and enhance sensitivity training for transportation personnel to meet specialized communication and disability etiquette needs.
• Implement advocacy efforts as needed.

OUTCOMES:

• A minimum of 3 sustainable transportation solutions are developed and implemented.
• A minimum of one infrastructure change, resulting in increased access to safe and affordable transportation, is executed.

Workforce
(Direct Service Providers Compensation & Training)

GOAL:

• One or more improvements will be made to practices, services and compensation for community-based service providers to ensure that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have access to, and receive services and supports from, a sustainable, qualified provider base.

OBJECTIVES/MAJOR ACTIVITIES:

• Identify recommendations and advocate for competitive compensation for a minimum of 2 categories of community-based providers.
• Collaborate and advocate with key stakeholders based on recommendations from data collected.
• Advocate to improve compensation for community-based providers.
• Identify, develop and implement evidence-based training for at least 250 community-based providers i.e. personal care attendants and residential habilitation/group home staff and 25 supervisors representing organizations of diverse sizes.

OUTCOMES:

• One or more improvements will be made to practices, services and compensation for community-based service providers.