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December 2003 E-Newsletter

Welcome to the 2nd issue of the Center for Self-Determination E-Newsletter. This month you will find:
o An Up-Date on the 2004 Atlanta Immersion Learning Vickie Vining answers questions about the Planning Stream
o Info on States Florida ReportThe Center for Self-Determination in OhioColorado Up-Date
o The Promise of Self-Determination for Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities A new paper by Tom Nerney
o The Road to Citizenship: My Life, My Way The 2nd Annual Conference on Self-Determination and Individualized Funding in San Diego Nov. 20-21, 2003
o ADAPT Calendar
o Center Video on Self-Determination
o From Quebec: A new on-line resource on the topic of Guardianship
o TASH publishes The System of the Future

2004 ATLANTA Immersion Learning
by Vickie Vining, Lead Planning Facilitator Center for Self Determination
This year's Immersion Learning about Self Determination is offering a more concentrated opportunity for self determination implementation planning. People who have attended prior sessions of the Immersion Learning have told us that they would like to take the next step, which is using what they have learned about self determination to move their system forward using the principles of self determination. The following is a description of what the Planning Stream offers and how to take the best advantage of the opportunity. If you would like further information, feel free to contact Pat Carver at (810) 231-6364. What is the Purpose of the Planning Stream? To create an opportunity for teams from a geographic area to have the materials, tools and support they need to develop a blueprint for changing their system to one based on the elements of self determination. Who should be on the teams? Teams can be formed from any system interested in utilizing the principles of self determination to make their system more effective for the people who rely on it: (Developmental Disabilities Systems; Mental Health Services; Senior Services; etc.) Teams will be most effective if they are made up of individuals who represent the following two groups:
1. The people who rely on the system and their circles of support (family, friends, allies, etc.)
2. The people who run the system
o Service Providers
o Administrators and policy makers of the funding agency
o Planning, resource development staff
o Budget, financial staff
o Case management staff
o Medicaid and Medicare staff
Teams may also choose to include other people who contribute to the system such as service providers, advocacy groups, community agencies, etc. Teams should be identified and organized prior to coming to the Immersion Learning so they can be prepared to do real planning for the future. Each team should have a group facilitator appointed who will assist the group to be productive.
What will the teams do in the Planning Stream?
The teams will be given planning materials focused on developing a blueprint for change using the elements of self determination. (See the attached graphic of the elements of self determination.) The teams will meet each day of the Immersion Learning for at least four hours. During that time, there will be consultants available to assist them as they plan together. The consultants are associates of the Center for Self Determination who have expertise in various areas related to systems change based on self determination. The teams will be given the seven elements of a self determination based system. The resource consultants will help them understand what each of the elements means and what other systems have done to make each element an effective reality.
What will the teams leave with at the end of the Immersion Learning?
Teams will be assisted to create a "Blueprint for Implementation," which is a written plan for applying the principles of self determination to their system. The blueprint will create a structure for helping the teams to identify the parts of their system which need to be changed; define tasks that need to be done; indicate who should be responsible for the different tasks; specify timelines for getting things done; identify resources and support for the process, as well as planning for evaluating the outcomes. Teams will receive assistance from the Center's associates who will be working with them to develop their Blueprint. The teams that will be most successful at developing their Blueprints will be those who come with a strong commitment to working toward making meaningful change through self determination. Successful teams will also be those that have a balance of power within the team, making sure people who rely on the system are active and valued participants in the process of change. Teams will also be assisted to plan for what they will do with the Blueprint once they return home from the Immersion Learning. The Planning Stream will be very outcome oriented, with teams sharing each day what they've accomplished. Teams that are having difficulty being productive will get extra assistance from the Center staff to address their barriers to moving forward. In addition, the Center will be available to provide long term follow-up technical assistance and training. Interested parties should contact Tom Nerney directly. E-mail: tomnerney@earthlink.net We look forward to this opportunity to help groups find a way to make Self Determination a reality where they live and work. If this is something your system needs, please join us and come ready for action! Register on-line at http://www.self-determination.com

INFO ON STATES
FLORIDA
A Blueprint for Self-Determination in Florida
Last year, the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. commissioned the Center for Self-Determination to develop a report on self-determination in Florida. This report, A Blueprint for Self-Determination in Florida, was released last month. A Blueprint for Self-Determination in Florida examines factors such as the background leading up to self-determination for individuals with developmental disabilities in Florida, maintaining and improving quality, housing, employment and income; transportation and re-tooling the Florida system. Each section has recommendations for implementation. To download a copy of the Executive Summary of a Blueprint for Self-Determination in Florida visit: http://www.self-determination.com/pdf/flaexecsumm.pdf
Bound copies of the full report may also be ordered from the Center for Self-Determination. http://www.self-determination.com/pdf/flaorderform.pdf
OHIO
Partnerships being developed between 25 Resource Specialists in Ohio and those in Dane County, Wisconsin, further along in the implementation of self-determination, are off to a good start. Evaluations from the November sessions held in Bowling Green, Circleville, Hamilton, Columbus, Mansfield and Zanesville, Ohio state that the developing mentorships and training are particularly helpful and useful. This experiential training, developed by the Center and Dennis Harkins, intends to create relationships that are securely in place by the time the project completes its funding cycle. Communication between Dane County and the five localities listed above is hosted through a bulletin board system on the Center's website. Additionally, resource and planning documents being used within this project may be viewed from the Center for Self-Determination website on the "Ohio State Page". The Center has a "template" in development which will be used to evaluate Ohio regulations for their support of self-determination. For more information contact Dennis Harkins or Tom Nerney at: dwharks@aol.com tomnerney@earthlink.net
COLORADO
From Roger G. Jensen, Colorado Representative
Colorado's Self-Determination movement has a lot of momentum. I attended the first Immersion Learning session two years ago in Las Vegas. Beside myself there was only a parent and her daughter there from Colorado. As I was leaving to return home my mind was buzzing with ideas. While at the airport I started a Power Point presentation that I could use upon my return home with what I saw as the key points. Once back in Colorado I started making presentations to everyone that would let me or asked me. I presented to my board of directors for Developmental Opportunities, at the annual retreat of the Colorado Association of Community Centered Board (case management and provider agencies) and the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. I also spoke with our new state DD director about Self-determination and what I envisioned for Colorado. I must have succeeded in getting the word out since over 20 people from Colorado attended the next Immersion Learning Session held in April of this year. Upon our return from that session the state director appointed a committee to develop recommendations for a self-determination model in Colorado. The final report contains over 55 recommendations for a total system wide implementation of self-determination principles and practices for the state. We are now waiting for the state office to review the report and develop the needed strategies for implementation.

All Center Members are invited to submit brief news articles and other items of interest for the Center's website State Pages.

ADAPT Calendar
Order a 2004 Free Our People (FOP) Calendar; it features photos from the FOP March. Go to: http://www.freeourpeople.org/sponsors/cal-ad.asp get one for yourself, encourage your local ILC/other groups to buy in bulk, send them to legislators, etc. During the month of December, as part of ADAPT's Home for the Holidays Campaign, members of Congress will receive a holiday card and CD ROM. If you're interested in the Campaign, contact your closest ADAPT organizer, go to http://www.adapt.org/contlist.htm

San Diego - My Life, My Way
2nd Annual Conference on Self-Determination and Individualized Funding Nov. 20 & 21, 2003
Center member and State Contact Russ Rankin reports that approximately 250 people attended this conference which featured, among many others, Tom Nerney and Doreen Rosimos. The conference is summarized at: http:// www.sdrc.org/self-determination/main.html Russ was recently elected to the board of the California Alliance for Inclusive Communities. Congratulations, Russ! Look for more featured correspondence from Russ on self-determination efforts in California, including his take on the state's initial pilot projects, in upcoming Center publications.

People with Psychiatric Disabilities and Self-Determination
All papers from the 2003 National Conference on Self-Determination for Mental Health Consumers/Survivors including The Promise of Self-Determination for Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities by Tom Nerney will be issued soon by the Mental Health Services Research Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Watch for announcements of it's availability on the Center website. http://www.self-determination.com

Center Video on Self-Determination ~ In Search of Everyday Life
A perfect gift for a friend or a friendly organization! Order on-line. www.self-determination.com Issues of control, money and support systems freely called "circles" are addressed in this 35 minute look at the lives of Carolyn, Cindy and Richard. In interviews connecting their three stories, Tom Nerney defines self-determination, discusses its implications, and offers a clear distinction between choice and freedom.

From Quebec: A View on Guardianship
Ura Greenbaum, the Executive Director of the Association for the Defense of People and Property under Public Curatorship presented a paper on April 23, 2003 at the conference of the Quebec Elder Abuse Network. It examined the performance of public guardians across Canada during the past quarter century. Writing to the Center for Self-Determination, Mr. Greenbaum says, "Yes, I did come across your site a couple of years ago and I have down-loaded all the articles which are of immense interest to us and for which, I must say, we are very grateful, particularly that you are keeping the discussion on a serious level always backed with a high degree of professionalism. As far as it joins your objectives, in my paper I wanted to bring to the argument that in addition to the legal, ethical and social ramifications of removing a person's basic rights through, in our study the imposition of public guardianship, there are practical risks involved also. It is not just a matter of abstract rights but of real pain and grief. Our interests are parallel and overlap to a great extent. In this corner of Canada we support your efforts and follow them with interest. Keep up the good work." You can find the full text of Mr. Greenbaum's paper entitled "Public Guardians: A Double-Edged Sword", among the conference proceedings at the following site: www.geronto.org

The System of the Future
TASH -- an international association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and professionals fighting for a society in which inclusion of all people in all aspects of society is the norm-- will soon be publishing a special edition of "Connections". The focus of this issue is on "The Future of Adult Services" and other important aspects related to converting services to more individualized supports, the future of funding, impact of the economic downturn on the quality of services, and associated topics. Tom Nerney's "The System of the Future" will be featured in this special edition. See: www.self-determination.com/publications/systemfuture1.html For more info about TASH and this special edition of "Connections" visit: www.tash.org

"QUOTE OF THE DAY"
Whoever said anybody has a right to give up? - MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN