NYAPRS Note: NYS developed its long-awaited Olmstead Plan last year amidst sweeping transformations to transition persons with disabilities to community settings. Roger Bearden, Special Counsel to the Governor for Olmstead, will be joining this webinar to review the NYS experience in developing the plan. Understanding how this plan has developed should contribute to our advocacy in moving it forward, which has been fraught with complications. The multi-tiered plan has been met with mixed reactions for its lack of specificity for implementation and reliance on general, over-arching themes and goals. This year’s legislative session highlighted the need for strong executive commitment to the plan, as the legislature was able to delay hospital and developmental center closures and deter the Community First Choice Option from being implemented. Likewise, tensions on the Most Integrated Setting Coordinating Council (MISCC), the body that meets to review Olmstead activities, have risen in the wake of recent rights abuses on members of our community from staff members at institutions. Forums like the webinar below are excellent opportunities to gain information and raise critical questions about the ability of states to develop and, more importantly, implement an Olmstead plan.
Developing a State Olmstead Plan: Who, What, How, and Why
Community of Practice and Olmstead Virtual Community Webinar
Tuesday, July 22, 2014, 2:30 – 4:00 pm EDT
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., most states developed an Olmstead Plan to guide their community integration activities. Many states are now re-visiting those plans in light of litigation or new opportunities to finance community integration activities. Others are developing a plan for the first time or coordinating a larger strategic effort to comply with Olmstead goals. During this webinar, presenters will discuss key elements of state Olmstead plans and share state experiences in developing a plan, establishing goals and performance targets, and collaborating across service systems.
Presenters include:
• Barbara Stampul, Civil Rights Analyst, HHS Office for Civil Rights
• Roger Bearden, Special Counsel for Olmstead, Office of the Governor, New York State
• Mike Tessner, Compliance Office/Special Projects, Olmstead/Jensen Settlement, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Sponsored by Advocates for Human Potential
Register Now: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/812736831