TheOklahomaDevelopmental Disabilities Council(the Council), authorized byExecutive Order of the Governor in accordance with P.L. 106-402, theDevelopmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, promotes qualityservices and programs which enable persons with developmental disabilities tofully realize their maximum potential through increased independence,productivity and inclusion into the community. This is accomplished through comprehensive consumer- and family-orientedactivities that promote systemic change, capacity-building andadvocacy.

  MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Council is to promote quality services and programs which enable persons with developmental disabilities to fully realize their maximum potential through increased independence and productivity, as well as through integration and inclusion in the community.

As part of this mission, the Council has as its mandate in concert with P.L. 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, to promote, through systemic change, capacity building, and advocacy activities, the development of a consumer- and family-centered comprehensive system and a coordinated array of services, supports and other assistance designed to achieve full community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities.

 

NUMBER of PEOPLE with DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES in OKLAHOMA :

Estimated to be 60,000

NUMBER of COUNCIL MEMBERS

28 Council members.

Agency Representatives:

Department of Rehabilitation Services
State Department of Education
Department of Human Services Aging Services
Department of Human Services Developmental Disabilities Services
Department of Health
Oklahoma Disability Law Center
Center for Learning and Leadership

NUMBER of STAFF : 7

2005 FEDERAL ALLOTMENT: $914,772

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CURRENT COUNCIL PROJECTS

• Youth with Disabilities

  High School-High Tech, a national model the Council adopted, encourages students with disabilities to begin academic preparation and skills training while in high school. The program encourages students with disabilities to pursue careers in engineering, science and other fields that require technology skills. The program is a public-private partnership between public school systems, vocational-technical centers, universities, local communities, and private businesses. The Council funds 12 High School-High Tech sites statewide.

• Work

  People with developmental disabilities want to be viable, productive members of the community, and work side by side with their neighbors. The Council provided funding for a web-based job-search program for persons with disabilities and employers who were looking for potential employees with disabilities. This program, JobFit, provides potential employees to build and submit a resume, and select potential jobs based on an individualized client profile. Potential employers may screen applicants based on both hard and soft skills related to a particular job by entering a job profile. To date, 125 employers have posted 306 jobs; leading to 2321 job seekers creating profiles and 355 persons obtaining jobs.

• Health

Managed care is a reality for many Oklahomans with disabilities. The Council collaborates with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and the Center for Learning and Leadership/UCE to train health care professionals and persons with disabilities enrolled in Sooner Care, Oklahoma’s managed care system. The program is designed to assure that health care professionals understand the needs of persons with disabilities and that enrollees understand their rights and responsibilities with regard to health care. The program operates statewide.

• Communities

Inclusion in all aspects of day-to-day living is an essential need of people with developmental disabilities. Barriers, both real and artificially created, often keep individuals from enjoying life to the fullest in their own communities. The Council promotes programs that overcome these barriers and improve the quality of life for all people.

• Transportation

Transportation is one of the biggest barriers to self-sufficiency for an individual with developmental disabilities. The Council funded a project in McAlester to demonstrate the effectiveness of a small transit program designed for persons with disabilities. Oklahomans for Independent Living (OIL), a Center for Independent Living, developed and continues to operate a demand-response transit service, with curb-to-curb service. In addition to benefiting users of the service, more than 115 businesses profited as consumers with disabilities could reach their places of business. The Council sponsored additional transportation models in Duncan and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Another barrier to community inclusion for people with disabilities is the ability to physically carry out daily activities. This barrier can often be overcome with the use of assistive technology equipment. The Council provided initial support for the Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center, now part of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, which provides assessment services, adaptive equipment construction, augmentative and alternative communication devices, environmental controls, positioning and mobility aids, customized seating, and splinting. The Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center provides services statewide using clinics in Oklahoma City, Enid, and Pauls Valley.

• Leadership

People with developmental disabilities and their families often rely on supports and services to meet their basic needs, but these supports and services may be limited by decisions made by people who have no experience with developmental disabilities. Partners in Policymaking, a leadership training model funded by the Council and based on a model developed by the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, is designed to achieve a productive partnership between consumers of services for people with disabilities and those who make public policy. Participants develop skills necessary to effectively work with legislators, state agencies, and others whose decisions and actions have an impact on the lives of people with developmental disabilities.

The Council also supported the development and implementation of the Oklahoma Aging Advocacy Leadership Academy, Oklahoma Youth Leadership Forum, and Partners in Education Advocacy, three advocacy training programs based on the Partners in Policymaking model but with a focus on populations which are aging, both with and without disabilities, high school students with disabilities, and advocates for school-aged children with disabilities, respectively.

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EXAMPLES OF SIGNIFICANT LONG TERM ACHIEVEMENTS

Children andFamilies

People with developmental disabilities can lead full, productive, lives if given the opportunity to grow up in a caring,family environment. The Council supports programs that promote the family unit as the most important factor in child development. “Keeping FamiliesTogether,” developed by the Center for Learning and Leadership/UCE and implemented by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals in human service and health agencies, provided assistance to families with infants who have developmental health care needs. The program resulted in the development and continuation of local interdisciplinary service-coordination teams and in the development of the Oklahoma Respite Resource Network, a statewide program that provides funding and human resources information for respite care for children and adults.

The lack of adequate child care often limits the options of parents in determining where and when they work, or even if they can hold full-time jobs outside the home. Special Care, Inc. in Oklahoma City was funded to expand the number of child care centers that provide quality care for children with developmental disabilities. With Council funding, Special Care created a specialized training curriculum and trained child care workers throughout Oklahoma. To date, the Special Care curriculum has been used to train more than 600 child care professionals statewide. The program is offered through the Oklahoma DHS Division of Child Care “Reach for the Stars” program.

Homes

Owing your own home is a goal of nearly every individual, including those with developmental disabilities. Oklahoma Home of Your Own is a model demonstration project coordinated by the Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies. Based upon a national model program, HOYO is a statewide collaborative effort among lenders, real estate professionals, business leaders, social service providers -advocates. This statewide program leverages available resources, including service funds and disability-related entitlements, to give participants an opportunity to make housing and support choices that reflect their individual needs and preferences.

Youth with Disabilities

High School-High Tech, a national model the Council adopted, encourages students with disabilities to begin academic preparation and skills training while in high school. The program encourages students with disabilities to pursue careers in engineering, science and other fields that require technology skills. The program is a public-private partnership between public school systems,vocational-technical centers, universities, local communities, and private businesses. The Council funds 12 High School-High Tech sites statewide. 

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