The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities was established by Governor Wendell Anderson in October 1971.
MISSION STATEMENT
The business of the Minnesota Council is to provide information, education, and training to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes that will lead to increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities and their families.
VALUES STATEMENT
The Values of the Minnesota Council are stated in the introduction to our Position Statements and are as follows:
- “Segregation is the way in which society tells a group of human beings that they are inferior to other groups of human beings in society.” Testimony of Kenneth Clarke, Brown v. Board of Education, 1954.
- People with developmental disabilities are citizens with the same rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and equal treatment under the law as other citizens.
- People with developmental disabilities are more like everyone else because everyone has abilities and limitations.
- All people are unique individuals, having worth, no matter the degree of disability.
- People with developmental disabilities have the right to make choices for themselves and have maximum control over their own lives.
- Neighborhoods and communities must be encouraged to include people with developmental disabilities.
- The creation of the sense of community is built upon the capacity of people served, no on their needs.
- People with developmental disabilities should be given the supports and services they need in their home communities where they live, learn, work, and play.
VISION STATEMENT
The Minnesota Council’s vision is articulated in A New Way of Thinking –
People with developmental disabilities, like all people,
need to be seen first as people; to experience love and friendship; to experience continuity in their lives, especially in relation to the people who are important to them, to be respected and treated with dignity; to have access to opportunities and information; to make choices and to exercise rights; to have opportunities to continue to learn throughout life; to have meaningful employment and contribute to the community.
ESTIMATED NUMBER of PEOPLE with DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES in MINNESOTA:
1.13 percent of the population, or approximately 55,000 Minnesotans with developmental disabilities.
COUNCIL COMPOSITION
The Minnesota Council has 25 members, with more than 60 percent of the membership directly experiencing developmental disabilities as adults or as family members. The Council has representatives from the state agencies listed in the federal law as well as from the UCE and the P&A.
NUMBER of STAFF: 3 (Director, Grants Administrator, and Office Specialist)
STANDING COMMITTEES
Grant Review Committee, Public Policy Committee and Executive Committee
FREQUENCY of MEETINGS: Six times per year
DESIGNATED STATE AGENCY/ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY:
The Department of Administration (since 1991)
2005 FEDERAL ALLOTMENT: $1,033,190.00
return to index
CURRENT COUNCIL PROJECTS
- Partners in Policymakingâ: The Minnesota GCDD has sponsored Partners in Policymaking courses since May 1, 1987. In FFY 2004, Class 21 graduated 11 self advocates and 14 family members. Participant evaluations indicated that , on a 5 point scale, independence increased from 3.9 to 4.4; productivity increased from 3.9 to 4.4; self determination increased from 2.7 to 4.4; and integration and inclusion increased from 3.3 to 4.2. Graduates rated knowledge gained at 4.7, usefulness of the course at 4.7, and quality of training at 4.7.
Minnesota now has over 630 graduates. A survey of all Partners programs was conducted in 2003, and there are now 12,300 graduates in the United States and less than 1,000 in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
- Partners Online: The Partners in Policymaking course is being converted to five online e-learning courses during this five-year planning cycle. The first online course, Making Your Case, teaches the competencies of communicating effectively with public officials and community organizing. The second course, Employment, teaches people with disabilities and families how to become employed and seek a career. The third course, Education, will be launched in FFY 05.
- Cultural Outreach: The GCDD funded cultural outreach programs in the African American, Asian and Hispanic communities in FFY 2004. A total of 30 individuals graduated from these training programs. The graduates’ evaluations indicated that, on a 5 point scale, independence increased from 4.1 to 4.5, productivity increased from 4.1 to 4.5, self determination increased from 3.8 to 4.5, integration and inclusion increased from 3.7 to 4.6. The graduates also rated the programs as 4.3 in knowledge gained, 4.7 for usefulness, and 4.8 for quality of training.
- Longitudinal Studies of Partners in Policymaking: During FFY 2004, external evaluations of graduates from the previous four classes indicated that 100% of the respondents rate their ability to get the services and supports they need as good to excellent; 100% have the advocacy skills they need to get necessary services and supports most or some of the time; and 100% rate their leadership skills as good to excellent. In terms of federal outcomes, 92% have increased independence, 79% have increased productivity, 100% have increased self determination, and 93%have increased integration and inclusion.
- Partners in Policymaking Graduate Workshops: In FFY 2004, four workshops were held on the topics of data practices, grant writing (two workshops), and networking and media relations. A total of 82 graduates attended and evaluated the workshops as follows: 4.4 for knowledge gained, 4.3 for usefulness, and 4.3 for quality of training on a 5 point scale.
- Partners in Employment: Since 1998, the GCDD has worked with employers to increase the employment of people with developmental disabilities through education and training activities. A six hour self directed e-learning course, Partners in Employment, was completed and tested. This course teaches people how to find a job of their own choice, prepare a resume, approach the hiring process, handle interviews, and career planning.
- Self Advocacy: The GCDD funded self advocacy projects to strengthen self advocacy in Minnesota. A total of 136 self advocates attended national and state conferences; two local groups sponsored conferences/workshops, attended by 237 self advocates, to promote self advocacy and self determination; and 20 self advocates made presentations on self determination and voting rights at training sessions attended by 793 self advocates.
Participants self-evaluations indicated a 77% increase in independence, a 69% increase in productivity, an 87% increase in self determination, and a 91% increase in integration and inclusion.
- Publications: In FFY 2004, the GCDD disseminated 45,151 print publications and 48,967 downloads from the GCDD web site. The evaluation scores averaged 9.4 on a 10 point scale and 100% percent of the respondents indicated the publications were useful.
- E-Government Services: The GCDD web site is one of the largest on the state of Minnesota server with a total of 343 products and services converted to electronic formats during the past year. In FFY 2004, there were 109,218 unique visitors to the GCDD web sites.
- Training Co-sponsorships: The GCDD cosponsored eight training conferences; the total number of conference attendees was 3,245. The overall rating of the conferences was 9.2 (10 point scale) and 99% of the participants rated the conferences as useful/helpful.
- Customer Research: In FFY 2004, the GCDD conducted a Health Care Opinion Poll Survey to support and supplement the work undertaken by Senator Dave Durenberger and the Minnesota Citizens Forum on Health Care Costs. A total of 800 Minnesotans participated in the survey. The topics included health care quality and costs; and attitudes and values about insurance coverage, service costs, and social responsibility issues. People with developmental disabilities and families were oversampled and provided insight into specific barriers experienced in the health care system.
- Quality Improvement: Since 1997, the GCDD has aligned its work to the Baldrige Criteria. In FFY 2004, staff and GCDD members received a total of 328.5 hours of training on quality. Three GCDD members were trained as Minnesota Council for Quality evaluators.
- We addressed the following public policy issues during FFY 2004 at the state level:
Minnesota Citizens Forum on Health Care Costs (insurance
coverage, services, costs, social responsibilities)
Co payments for health care services
Family support
CDCS waiver amendment and budget issues
Parental fees
Health Care Access Fund
Concordia Care Center
Olmstead planning
State Plan for Independent Living
Outdated terminology in state statutes
- The following public policy issues were addressed at the federal level during FFY 2004:
ADAPT Free Our People March
DD Act funding
Terry Schiavo and “Not Dead Yet” national statement
Budget cuts for people with developmental disabilities and families in
California
IDEA reauthorization
Transplants and people with disabilities
MiCASSA
CMS wheelchair policy
return to index
EXAMPLES OF SIGNIFICANT LONG TERM ACHIEVEMENTS
- The last resident with developmental disabilities left the state institution system in July 2000. The Council was actively involved in this effort across three decades as chronicled in “With An Eye to the Past” at the Council website.
- The Council was actively involved in supported employment initiatives in the 1980s and has more recently demonstrated that people with the most significant disabilities can be employed in digital imaging and archiving jobs.
- The Council created Partners in Policymaking in 1987 and has worked on replication of this leadership training program. The content is now being converted to online learning courses.
- The Council has aligned its work to the Baldrige Criteria and received recognition for its efforts by winning the gold award in January 2000.
- Council publications such as A New Way of Thinking, Making Your Case, It’s My Choice, It’s Never too Early, It’s Never too Late have been disseminated nationally and adopted by many states and organizations.
Additional information about the MN Council’s initiatives can be found at: http://www.mncdd.org/council/documents/2004rept.htm
return to index |
