The Connecticut Developmental Disabilities Network (DDN) was established to provide leadership for implementation of the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance
and Bill of Rights Act.
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People with disabilities and their families are
at the heart of how we plan, complete,
and evaluate our activities.
We also rely on a broad range of professionals, organizations and agencies
to bring about community-wide change.
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Real Choice Systems Change
Overview
In October 2002 a Real Choice Systems Change grant was awarded to the Connecticut Department of Social Services, and the A.J. Pappanikou Center was selected to administer the grant. The grant is designed to improve the capacity of Connecticut's communities to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families by supporting the development of model communities that fully demonstrate accessible, appropriate, and quality community living opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Throughout this project the Center has been collaborating closely with two other Systems Change grants: the Nursing Home Transition grant and the Connect-to-Work Project. Project staff have been working on two areas concurrently: doing a statewide assessment of the 169 towns in the state to determine the level of inclusion available in those communities and selecting and further building capacity through technical and financial assistance in three specific communities which are already demonstrating good progress in this area.
Major Activity
- To build the capacity within the state of Connecticut to support informed decision-making, independent living, and a meaningful quality of life for persons with disabilities across the life span.
- To assist three communities in Connecticut to become models of support for opportunities and choices for persons with disabilities across the life span.
Highlights
On September 16, 2005 we held a successful conference entitled CREATING INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES FOR EVERYONE.
This conference was the culmination of a series of forums on community inclusion held around the state over the past year. Attended by over 140 consumers, town officials and advocates, the day was an opportunity for participants to engage in meaningful dialogue and discussion around one central question: “How can I help build a welcoming, accessible, and inclusive community that supports all its residents to be full participants? A report on the proceedings will be available shortly along with a Compendium of Ideas on Community Inclusion for People with Disabilities, a rich catalog of best practices, creative ideas and community initiatives that reflect the best efforts at creating inclusive communities that Connecticut has to offer.
The Real Choice System Change Community Inclusion Assessment was launched in 2004 “to determine the level and quality of inclusion in Connecticut communities.” By recruiting consumers with disabilities and their families from communities all over the state to answer our survey questions, we hoped to have valuable information that would help us to work toward the first overall goal of the project; namely, “to build the capacity within the State of Connecticut to support informed decision-making, independent living, and a meaningful quality of life for persons with disabilities across the lifespan. A report on this survey entitled Connecticut Real Choice Consumer Survey: Are Connecticut Citizens With Disabilities Able To Participate In All Desired Aspects Of Community Life In The Town In Which They Live? is now available through the UCEDD website and by request. A series of briefs based on this report is in process.
Publications
Click Here to view publications for this project
Contact
Stan Kosloski
Community Facilitator
Phone: (860) 679.1513
E-mail: skosloski@uchc.edu
Early Childhood initiatives at the UCEDD focus on evidenced based practices and learning outcomes. We provide training and technical assistance to early interventionists, teachers, therapists, service coordinators, policy makers and families on a variety of areas including social competence, early literacy, early childhood outcomes, service coordination practices, and evidenced based intervention practices.
School Age initiatives at the UCEDD focus on the inclusion of children with disabilities in typical school and community life. We provide training and technical assistance to families, school personnel and community members in a variety of areas including the special education process, inclusive education, adapted curriculum, assistive technology, disability awareness and person-centered planning.
Adult initiatives at the UCEDD focus on including people with disabilities in their communities. We provide training and technical assistance to individuals with disabilities, state agencies, service providers and other community members in a variety of areas including the hiring of personal assistants, accessible transportation, emergency preparedness and response, and health care.