Click HERE for the emailed version of the 9/11/17 CP News.
Volume #23 – Issue #7
CP OF NYS ANNUAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Registration information is now available for the 2017 CP of NYS Annual Conference. Click HERE for more details. There are some new twists added to the Conference this year and you will not want to miss the great collection of speakers. Keep watching our website – www.cpofnys.org – for new information.
Please remember that the deadline for hotel registrations is September 15.
Conference registration deadline is October 13.
2017 DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL (DSP) RECOGNITION WEEK IS SEPTEMBER 10-16
Organizations at the national, state and local levels are preparing for Direct Support Professionals Week, recognizing the dedication and accomplishments of outstanding Direct Support Professionals and expressing appreciation for their vital contribution to communities across the country. The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) is planning celebrations and advocacy events in Washington, D.C. Learn more about those activities HERE. If you are planning events, please send us information and photos to share what has been done around the state in future postings.
In New York State, CP of NYS and its partners in the #bFair2DirectCare Coalition will celebrate by launching a social media campaign to highlight the important work of DSPs. Help us shine a light on your DSPs and give them the recognition they deserve. There is still time.
If you know a DSP that would like to be featured in this social media campaign, please submit the following:
- High-quality photo of the DSP
- The DSP’s short biography
Please submit spotlights to Al Shibley at ashibley@cpofnys.org. If we get them before the end of DSP Recognition Week we will post them on social media sites and share with other colleagues around the state.
DDPC LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON AVAILABLE JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAMS
The NYS Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) has developed a survey to collect targeted input about existing reentry services for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD), as well as to gather ideas about future work and initiatives in the area of Juvenile Justice. Please share as appropriate and please take a few minutes to fill out the following survey:
Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/STTXHRR
Estimated Time: About 15-20 minutes to complete.
Survey Deadline: Please complete by Friday, Sept. 18th
The input from this survey will help DDPC get a better sense of what reentry services are currently in place, where gaps are, and potential areas to make a positive impact for youth with ID/DD in the juvenile justice system. We appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey.
CP of NYS DAY & EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE RECEIVES UPDATE BY ACCES-VR AND OPWDD
The CP of NYS Day & Employment Committee met on September 7, 2017 at the CP of NYS Affiliates Services office in Cohoes. The Committee was joined in the morning by Raymond Pierce for an update of ACCES-VR activities and then by Lynne Thibdeau for an update on OPWDD programs and activities.
Mr. Pierce engaged with the Committee on a detailed discussion of the Core Rehabilitation Services (CRS) RFP which was released on 8-17-17. There will be a bidder’s conference on 9-13-17 at 1:30 pm which will review all the required documents, and questions may be submitted until 9-15-17. ACCES-VR will respond to all questions by 9-27-17 on the procurement website and the RFP is due no later than 10-18-17. Mr. Pierce said that all agencies should verify that they are pre-qualified and should submit their response prior to the required 10-18-17 due date in order to ensure that it is accepted.
Ms. Thibdeau provided updates on the Community Pre-Voc regulations & ADM, SEMP, Pathway and there was a wonderful discussion of the Committee members’ concerns and questions. It had been announced at the OPWDD Provider Association meeting that the Community Pre-Voc regulations and ADM should be out by the end of this month. Ms. Thibdeau said that she will be scheduling a Director’s meeting after they are released and that SEMP will follow that. She also announced that Ceylane Meyers is leaving OPWDD and going to ACCES-VR on 9-20-17.
Afterward, the Day & Employment Committee members discussed other issues of concern and meeting at the CP of NYS Annual Conference. All Committee members felt that it was an extremely productive in-person meeting and well worth the travel time.
DESANTO TO RETIRE, KIYONAGA TO RETURN TO OPWDD
Helene DeSanto will be retiring from OPWDD at the end of the year after 39 years of service. She has served in several positions at OPWDD, including Deputy Commissioner for Service Delivery and, most recently, as Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner.
Acting Commissioner Kerry Delaney also announced that Jay Kiyonaga has been named Executive Deputy Commissioner, returning to OPWDD from the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs and has more than 18 years of progressive managerial experience in the public sector, including serving as OPWDD’s Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Fiscal and Administrative Solutions.
CP NASSAU AWARDED MDRT FOUNDATION GRANT
PHOTO: Left to right – Karen Geller-Hittleman, Assistant Executive Director of CP Nassau, Bob McGuire, Executive Director of CP Nassau, representing the MDRT Foundation, Ben Baron and Sarah Baron, Benjamin Weiss, Yael Weiss, Josef Weiss and Marilyn Weiss
The MDRT Foundation (Million Dollar Round Table) has awarded a $7,500 grant to CP Nassau to fund a technology update to the library at the Children’s Learning Center, the school at the Agency that serves over 250 children from age 2 – 21 with developmental disabilities. Through its global grants programs, the MDRT Foundation is committed to building stronger families and communities around the globe. This year, the MDRT Foundation will award over $1 million in MDRT member-endorsed grants to more than 200 charitable organizations worldwide.
Bennett Baron was instrumental in obtaining this MDRT grant and credits his daughter, Marilyn Weiss, with providing assistance. Mr. Baron presented the check at the CP Nassau Annual Agency Meeting earlier this summer. Bob McGuire, CP Nassau Executive Director, thanked the Baron and Weiss families for their years of caring support and generosity towards CP Nassau.
ROADIES GET IT DONE FOR UPSTATE CP
A group of 12 men and women donated their time, energy and a good deal of sweat to help an important cause. This brave group competed in the Peak to Brew 220-mile relay race on August 11th to raise funds to purchase fitness equipment for the children who live and attend school at Upstate Cerebral Palsy in Utica and Rome. Their team, named “Fierce Tradewinds,” successfully navigated the road course from Whiteface Mountain, site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, to the Saranac Brewery in Utica. Agency staff participating in the event included Dr. Erik Jacobson, Patti Carey, Kevin Hodge and Sean Evans.
CP of NYS Affiliate Upstate Cerebral Palsy educates students with some of the most complex developmental disabilities in New York State. Research has shown that students at Upstate CP exhibit unique benefits from routine exercise, like increased attention in school and less frustration. With help from these donations, students in the Tradewinds Education Center will have more opportunities to experience the benefits of exercise by expanding options available to them, particularly during the long winter months. The $1,771 raised by the team will go to purchase three indoor recumbent bicycles for each of three school campuses at Upstate CP. Many children with developmental disabilities have barriers that cause them to struggle to ride a typical bike. Recumbent bicycles provide a stable, reclining seat that allows the rider to balance and experience less stress on the body during exercise. This is a unique opportunity to provide them with a chance to reach their next level of independence while also reaping therapeutic benefits. Congratulations to the Fierce Tradewinds team for their extreme dedication.
