Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council 2012 Annual Report to the Citizens of Massachusetts October 1, 2011-September 30, 2012 Our Report to the Citizens The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council presents our sixth annual Report to the Citizens of the Commonwealth. The report is also available on the Council website www.mass.gov/.mddc. Chances are you know someone with a developmental disability Although the exact number is unknown, it is estimated that over 152,000 citizens in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts citizens have a developmental disability. Council Member Profile: Lisa Ching Lisa Ching is a parent member of the Council, appointed in 2009. She is an advocate for her son Christopher, and actively participates in Council initiatives. Lisa represents the Council on the Developmental Services Statewide Advisory Council and is our former Secretary. Lisa believes that “the Council has provided me an opportunity to broaden my experiences and meet people with different perspectives. I am better educated on the legislative process and the affect policymakers’ decisions have on people with developmental disabilities. Learning about programs and services that can better support people has helped me become a stronger advocate.” Lisa agrees that being knowledgeable and resourceful are important aspects to being an effective advocate, as well as understanding the history and milestones of the disability world. "Being more aware and educated means access to resources that give people ideas about what they need to do to help their child live a self-determined and satisfying life. It helps to have a supportive family and an open-minded community, free of preconceptions, so that an individual with a developmental disability can thrive.” “We must recognize that challenges and change are constant, such as the importance of technology and being open to learning about new advances for people with developmental disabilities.” The Council agrees Lisa, and we are proud to have you on our team! Please visit our website, www.mass.gov/mddc for more information! Providing opportunities for people with developmental disabilities and their families to enhance independence, productivity, and inclusion. Follow us on Facebook! 1150 Hancock Street | Phone: 617.770.7676 Third Floor, Suite 300 | Fax: 617.770.1987 Quincy, MA 02169-4340 | TTY: 617.770.9499 Spotlight on New Train-the-Trainer Program In 2012, the Council’s nationally recognized Self-Advocacy Leadership Series training program (SALS,) implemented a train-the-trainer course to address the ever-growing statewide requests for leadership training for people with developmental disabilities. Our first new trainer is Tamara Huntley, (pictured) a previous SALS graduate, whose incredible personality and excellent communication skills make her a perfect match for the program. Tamara’s first classes as a trainer were at Berkshire Community College and Holyoke Community College, which helped the Council to better meet the demand for classes in western Massachusetts. Beyond her work as a self-advocate and trainer, Tamara is the mother of two, and pursuing a Master’s degree in education and mental health counseling. Leveraging Support for Our Work The Council exceeded expectations by leveraging $1,207,592 from grants and effective advocacy work on behalf of peo- ple with developmental disabilities in the first year of our Five-Year State Plan. Focus on Strategic Planning The Council establishes its initiatives based on the input and priorities identified by people with developmental disabilities and their families. We complete a Five-Year State Plan for the federal Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and an agency strategic plan for the Governor. These plans cover both our programmatic and administrative targets as we strive for “better performance and better government.” The Council's success is measured by both our ability to achieve the outcomes established by these plans, and the real impact that these outcomes have on the lives of people with developmental disabilities and their families. To read the Council’s Five-Year State Plan please visit www.mass.gov/mddc. Accomplishments and Achievements Maintaining Program Success in 2012 The continued success of two programs demonstrates our continued successful returns on investment. The Sandy Houghton Story: An Inspirational Journey, was developed as an educational tool to inform the public about the capacity for people with disabilities to achieve greatness. More than 200 people attended the documentary premiere at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, and multiple showings have been held at community colleges and other venues across Massachusetts. Following the premiere, one person with a disability stated “I didn’t realize that this could be possible for me.” Another audience member noted, “I didn’t truly understand the challenges a person with a disability goes through until now.” The Barbara Wilensky Gopen Fellowship celebrated its 12th year in 2012. Tim Kunzier (pictured) focused his work on developing efficient and effective methods for communicating the unique health needs of people with disabilities to emergency medical personnel. In addition to implementing a project of their design, the Gopen Fellow is educated about the disability system, advocacy, and disability policy on the state and federal level. Despite significant budget constraints, these programs continue to outperform expectations. Please visit our website, www.mass.gov/mddc for more information! Page 2 of 4 Significant Policy Achievements The advocacy efforts of Council members resulted in numer- ous legislative successes in 2012. Bills supporting housing, transition, and prenatal testing were signed into law during the 2011 - 2012 legislative session. Council staff provided an analysis of potential bills and members testified on three priority bills at State House hearings. “An Act Relative to Down Syndrome,” signed by Governor Deval Patrick (pictured below), will ensure that parents with a prenatal or postnatal Down Syndrome diagnosis receive educational information from health care providers. “An Act Relative to Community Housing” will increase the stock of supportive housing units for people with disabilities. “An Act to Promote the Successful Transition of Students with Disabilities to Post-Secondary Education, Employment and Independent Living” mandates training and competency standards for transition specialists. Council Reaches Over 300 at Mass Families Housing Conference Transitioning from living at home to a place of one’s own in the community is a stressful time for people with developmental disabilities and families. Identifying housing as a priority in the Five-Year State Plan, the Council worked collaboratively with Massachusetts Families Or- ganizing for Change to support the Building a Home Conference educating people with developmental disabilities on how to build a life in the community. In September 2012, 300 people gathered in Worcester, Mass. to expand their knowledge on how to transi- tion to living in the community. The event was a huge success toward increasing knowledge of housing options for people with developmental disabilities. Cus- tomer satisfaction surveys reported an 88% positive response rate from participants. Leading the Way The Council provides essential training to people with devel- opmental disabilities and families in many federal areas of emphasis. The chart below shows the number of people trained in the designated areas. These results surpass our projected expectations in the first year of our Five-Year State Plan. 119826377702734People Trained by Area of EmphasisCommunity SupportsEducationCommunity Supports - Health SpecificSelf-Advocacy andLeadership 2012-2016 State Plan: New Challenges Ahead Please visit our website, www.mass.gov/mddc for more information! Page 3 of 4 Significant Federal Reorganization The common interests of the aging and disability populations have been long recognized at the local and state levels. In April 2012 US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius established the Administration for Community Living, reorganizing the federal Administration on Aging, the Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Office on Disability into the new entity. This change establishes a formal infrastructure to ensure consistency and coordination in community living policy across the federal government. The Massachusetts Council now reports to the new Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, a significant change that will impact our work going forward. New State Plan Strategy Beginning with the 2012-2016 State Plan, Councils now plan and report on our progress toward achieving specific goals and objectives, rather than on quantitative measures by Areas of Emphasis. This change in federal strategy requires a significant adjustment to how Councils track initiatives, grant projects and program outcomes. The Council’s 2012-2016 Five-Year State Plan and Annual Program Performance Reports will be available at www.mass.gov/mddc. Revised Program Performance Reporting Because of the change in State Plan format, federal performance measures are in transition. Performance and reporting based on Goals and Objectives will impact the ability to quantify, validate and evaluate performance data. Although this is a challenge during the transition, these changes will ultimately better support our ability to equate budget to performance. DD Suite: Improving Public Investment The DD Suite (Developmental Disabilities Suite) is the Council’s on- line performance management system. In 2012 efforts were focused on improving the customer experience. The goal was to elevate customer satisfaction, which was successfully met through a new on-line technical assistance feature. The challenge ahead is to enhance transparency for the public. In 2013 an enhanced public search feature will emphasize simplicity, generality and usability over the Internet to better inform the public of the Council’s work and achievements. Strategic Communication and Social Media The Council’s efforts in knowledge transfer focuses on using social media to portray personal stories and experiences to elected leaders and the public. Interactive social media mediums are used to aug- ment traditional methods of outreach. This effort has resulted in an effective campaign to reach younger audiences of people with developmental disabilities, families, policymakers and the public. Fiscal Realities: Highlighting the Council Empowerment Program Because of on-going budget constraints, the Council continuously assesses program priorities and long-term viability. The Council Empowerment Program (CEF) provides financial assistance to self-advocates and family members to attain or en- hance skill-sets relevant to their disability as well as enhancing independence, productivity and inclusion within their desired community. A comparison of spending from the previous State Plan (2007-2011) and budgeted levels in the current State Plan (2012-2016) illustrates a dramatic decrease in people directly benefiting from this program. In the case of CEF, spending reduction equates to performance outcomes. To sustain the program, future considerations include limiting dollar amounts to participants, one- time only participation and/or narrowing the types of activities that participants can attend. $0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000$120,000$140,00020072008200920102011Historical Spending $0$20,000$40,000$60,000$80,000$100,000$120,000$140,00020122013201420152016Projected Future Spending Performance, Accountability, and Transparency Revenue Source of Revenue 2012 Revenue (in $) Federal Funding 1,464,956.87 Commonwealth Non- Financial Match 272,293.34 Sub-Grant Match 497,749.96 Developmental Disabilities Suite National Collaboration 177,164.38 Total Revenue 2,412,164.55 Expenses A Model of Transparency: The Council’s 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 reports received the Certificate of Excellence in Citizen-Centric Reporting from the Association of Government Accountants for advancing government accountability. By Functional Area 2012 Expense (in $) State Plan Implementation 1,943,384.17 Council Administration 291,616.00 Developmental Disabilities Suite National Collaboration 177,164.38 Total Expenses 2,412,164.55 Independent Audit The Council participated in the independent audit, receiving a clean opinion. Complete financial information is available at www.mass.gov/osc. By Major Activity Area 2012 Expense (in $) Self Advocacy 20,927.51 Citizen Empowerment 292,408.96 Leadership Training 255,352.06 Legislative Education 411,933.07 Public Policy 776,485.74 State Developmental Disabilities Network Collaboration 186,276.83 Council Administration 291,616.00 Developmental Disabilities Suite National Collaboration 177,164.38 Total Expenses 2,412,164.55 By Mission Area 2012 Expense (in $) Advocacy 1,136,470.95 Capacity Building 134,259.56 Systems Change 672,653.66 Council Administration 291,616.00 Developmental Disabilities Suite National Collaboration 177,164.38 Total Expenses 2,412,164.55 The financial mission of the Council is to maximize the use of our federal awards, while leveraging additional resources from the Commonwealth and our grantees, and through other col- laborations and partnerships, to meet our five-year State Plan goals and objectives. Please visit our website, www.mass.gov/mddc for more information! By Area of Emphasis 2012 Expense (in $) Education 282,940.80 Employment 104,895.94 Self Advocacy and Leadership 1,024,307.85 Community Supports 414,335.62 Educating Policymakers/Public Awareness 28,618.63 Housing 88,285.33 Council Administration 291,616.00 Developmental Disabilities Suite National Collaboration 177,164.38 Total Expenses 2,412,164.55 About this Report Each year the Council submits a Program Performance Report to the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities detailing activities and achievements in meeting Five-Year State Plan goals and objectives. Copies are available at www.mass.gov/mddc. Alternative formats of this report are available upon request. We encourage you to give us feedback. Please send all questions and comments to craig.hall@state.ma.us. Page 4 of 4 Note: The Council is funded through a federal formula grant and is author- ized under Subtitle B of Public Law 106-402, the Developmental Disabili- ties Act of 2000, and through state Executive Order #512. Maintaining Customer Satisfaction The Council conducts ongoing customer satisfaction surveys and reports the results annually. Overall customer satisfaction exceeded 90% in 2012.