Mission and Goals
Contents
Mission Statement
The mission of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities is to create change so that all people with disabilities are fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives.
Guiding Principles
All Council activities should be in alignment with the Council's mission statement and demonstrate:
- commitment to self-determination for individuals with disabilities and their families;
- effort to ensure that there is appropriate representation in all activities by people from diverse cultures and disabilities;
- best practices in the development and provision of services and supports, including an emphasis on measurable goals; and
- collaboration between the Council, grantees, advocacy organizations and other groups, including non-traditional partners, in activities that are consistent with the Council's mission.
Background: FY 2012-2016 State Plan Requirements
The Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, with public input, develops a five year State Plan that includes Goals, Objectives and specific activities that will be initiated each year with federal funds available to TCDD. The TCDD State Plan is developed consistent with requirements of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act), and guidance from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. The DD Act requires that State Plans:
- Specify 5-year-goals developed through data-driven strategic planning that are derived from the unmet needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families;
- Focus on advocacy, capacity building, and systems change;
- Reflect the diversity of the State; and
- Address needs of populations who are considered “unserved” and “underserved.” According to the DD Act, this “includes populations such as individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, disadvantaged individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals from underserved geographic areas (rural or urban) and specific groups of individuals within the population of individuals with developmental disabilities.”
In addition, each year the Plan must include activities that:
- Establish or strengthen a program for the direct funding of a State self-advocacy organization led by individuals with developmental disabilities;
- Support opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities who are considered leaders to provide leadership training to individuals with developmental disabilities who may become leaders; and
- Support and expand participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in cross-disability and culturally diverse leadership coalitions.
Each year the Council must submit a detailed report to the federal government indicating the degree to which they met the State Plan goals and objectives and providing summaries of activities initiated and empirical data about how many people benefited from specific Council activities.
Goals and Objectives: FY 2012-2016 State Plan
As approved at the Council meeting, May 2012
Goal 1: Build collaborations within at least one geographic region served by an Education Service Center (ESC)[i] to demonstrate ways to create measurable improvement in at least two identified indicators of educational success for students with developmental disabilities by 9/30/2016.
- Objective 1: Evaluate achievements of Project IDEAL[ii] relative to the impact the program might have on the identified indicators of educational success and determine next steps by February 28, 2014.
- Activity 1: Fund, monitor, and provide technical assistance for Project IDEAL.
- Activity 2: Work with grantee to create final report for Council to include analysis of relationship between achievements and identified indicators of educational success.
- Activity 3: Determine next steps and consider amendments to State Plan if needed.
- Objective 2: Identify two indicators of educational success and key criteria to solicit interest from organizations for partnering on activities in a region, by September 30, 2012.
- Activity 1: Determine process through which indicators and criteria will be identified.
- Activity 2: Identify availability/accessibility of data that will be used to measure indicators.
- Activity 3: Use process to identify at least four indicators and three regions.
- Activity 4: Select two to three indicators and one region and record baseline data.
- Objective 3: In the selected ESC region, provide training and/or intervention to support active engagement by at least one family member for every four students who have developmental disabilities, by 9/30/2016.
- Activity 1: Develop relationships with partner organizations that can reach the identified populations, and members of the appropriate Texas Advanced Leadership and Advocacy Conference (TALAC)[iii] regional leadership teams, taking into account the demographics of the region and strategies suggested by the demographics.
- Activity 2: Explore partnership and roles for Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act)[iv] Network Partners (the State P&A and the University Centers on Excellence) in establishing project.
- Activity 3: Determine what type of training, information, and/or technical assistance is to be provided and develop implementation plan.
- Activity 4: Implement plan.
- Activity 5: As possible, provide training, information, and technical assistance to other regions.
- Objective 4: Partner with other organizations to develop and evaluate a user-friendly template for a summary report of educational outcomes of students with developmental disabilities within a school district or school that may be used by organizations to provide information to parents, by 9/30/2015.
- Activity 1: Work with other stakeholder organizations, including the DD Act Network Partners and TALAC regional leadership teams, to determine the scope and identify the necessary components of the summary report.
- Activity 2: Monitor and participate as possible in workgroups and/or task forces to advocate for widespread adoption of a summary report model.
- Activity 3: Review existing data, including data available through Lonestar Reports[v].
- Activity 4: Develop and pilot summary report and user instructions.
- Activity 5: Evaluate and refine as necessary.
- Activity 6: Determine next steps.
- Objective 5: Demonstrate how appropriate assistive technology can enable students with developmental disabilities to reach their educational goals, by 3/31/2016.
- Activity 1: Collaborate with other stakeholders to develop scope of work.
- Activity 2: Develop Executive summary outlining planned activities.
- Activity 3: Select contractor(s), grantee(s), and/or partner(s) to implement activities.
- Activity 4: Monitor implementation
- Activity 5: Evaluate success of plan and determine next steps.
Goal 2: Establish at least two programs that assist Texans with developmental disabilities to gain competitive employment and/or to increase their personal income and assets, and that continue to operate after the completion of a maximum of 3-5 years of TCDD funding, by 9/30/2016.
- Objective 1: Implement a program that provides supports and on-the-job learning opportunities to students with developmental disabilities in a post-secondary program that results in at least 80 percent of students who participate for two or more years in the program gaining jobs related to their desired careers within six months of completing their education, by 3/31/2016.
- Activity 1: Continue to fund, monitor, and offer technical assistance to the selected grantee(s).
- Activity 2: Track development and success of other programs that offer support for education for students with developmental disabilities learning in a post-secondary environment.
- Activity 3: Develop comparison report for existing programs.
- Objective 2: Develop and implement a plan to demonstrate to employers, people with developmental disabilities, and/or family members how available assistive technology can increase job performance and employment options, by 3/31/2016.
- Activity 1: Collaborate with other stakeholders to develop scope of work.
- Activity 2: Develop Executive Summary outlining planned activities.
- Activity 3: Select contractor(s), grantee(s) and/or partner(s) to implement activities.
- Activity 4: Evaluate success of plan and determine next steps.
- Objective 3: Partner with other organizations to expand and evaluate the impact of Project SEARCH[vi] in Texas, by 9/30/2016.
- Activity 1: Collaborate with other stakeholders and review relevant policy to determine plan of action.
- Activity 2: Develop Executive Summary outlining planned activities.
- Activity 3: Select contractor(s), grantee(s) and/or partner(s) to implement activities.
- Activity 4: Evaluate success of plan and determine next steps.
- Objective 4: Each year, advocate for legislative and/or policy change to increase the assets a person receiving SSI and/or Medicaid can retain without losing benefits and to remove other policy-related barriers to full-time or part-time employment.
- Activity 1: Monitor and/or participate in multiagency workgroups related to policy regarding SSI and assets.
- Activity 2: Partner with other organizations to explore and evaluate the impact of other asset and/or income development models and job options other than full time work, by 9/30/2015.
- Activity 3: Provide recommendations related to legislative and/or policy change as appropriate.
Goal 3: Conduct ongoing educational campaigns in collaboration with community leaders, organizations, and businesses to enable them to better support, include, and/or provide culturally responsive services to people with developmental disabilities by 9/30/2016.
- Objective 1: Develop, implement, and evaluate at least two targeted educational campaigns to increase awareness of specific issues and/or to reduce stigma that may negatively impact the life of a person who has a developmental disability, by 9/30/2014.
- Activity 1: Develop process by which issues will be selected.
- Activity 2: Develop and maintain data to be used to identify specific goals, define target populations, develop successful strategies, and evaluate resulting outcomes.
- Activity 3: Establish and maintain partnerships with organizations that are highly motivated to create change and/or are able to have a significant impact in their community.
- Objective 2: Provide increased level of support to TCDD during legislative sessions as needed to implement communication activities and to provide information requested by members of the legislature and/or the media.
- Objective 3: Provide information and/or technical assistance to at least four organizations that promote general community development so that they may better include, support, and address the needs of community members who have developmental disabilities.
- Activity 1: Establish partnerships with organizations that are motivated to improve their ability to include, support, and address the needs of community members who have developmental disabilities.
- Activity 2: Identify technical assistance needs, develop and implement technical assistance plans.
- Objective 4: Work with others to provide information to at least 200 community organizations and/or businesses to better support inclusion of people with developmental disabilities more fully by 9/30/2016.
- Activity 1: Collaborate with DD Act Network Partners and others to determine information products to be developed and/or updated.
- Activity 2: Develop and/or update materials to be provided to community organizations and/or businesses to support inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in the community by 9/30/2013.
- Activity 3: Implement dissemination plan and track demand of product(s).
Goal 4: In at least one Health and Human Service (HHS) region[vii], increase by 1% the percent of people with developmental disabilities surveyed who report they have access to the transportation they need to participate in their community in the manner they wish, by 9/30/2016.
- Objective 1: Partner with disability advocacy groups, public transportation advocacy groups, and/or leadership and advocacy training programs to increase the number of individuals with disabilities who serve on transportation planning entities and are active in transportation planning by 9/30/2015.
- Activity 1: Publicize the success of past Council transportation efforts to increase interest in participation.
- Activity 2: Develop and post a Request for Proposals for at least one project to increase the number of individuals with disabilities who serve on transportation planning entities and are active in transportation planning efforts.
- Activity 3: Implement, monitor, and evaluate project(s).
- Objective 2: Build the capacity of at least four local organizations in that Region to provide transportation training to people with developmental disabilities by 9/30/2016.
- Activity 1: Activity 4: Evaluate success of plan and determine next steps.
- Activity 2: Select contractor(s), grantee(s), and/or partner(s) to implement planned activities.
- Activity 3: Monitor implementation.
- Activity 4: Evaluate success of plan and determine next steps
Goal 5: Demonstrate how to prevent unnecessary admissions to State Supported Living Centers (SSLC) by supporting community organizations in at least 1 HHS Region to increase their capacity to provide community-based services that support people with developmental disabilities to improve and maintain their health and to have access as needed to necessary healthcare, behavior supports, community services, and/or respite, by 9/30/2016.
- Objective 1: Determine evaluation methodology and gather baseline data.
- Activity 1: Explore use of National Core Indicators[viii], data on the numbers of people entering State Supported Living Centers from various HHS regions and the reasons they are entering, information from Community Centers that serve individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and/or input from other stakeholders.
- Activity 2: Identify 3 possible target HHS region(s) based on data.
- Activity 3: Select HHS region(s) in which activities will be implemented.
- Objective 2: Provide funding to enable at least 10 organizations working in the target region(s) to implement plans that will increase their capacity to provide healthcare services, behavior supports, community supports, and/or respite to support people with developmental disabilities living in the community by 9/30/2016.
- Activity 1: Facilitate, to the extent feasible, collaboration between previous TCDD healthcare-related grantees (Project DOCC[ix] grantees, PBIS[x] projects, Baylor College of Medicine[xi]), other interested partners, and organizations from the selected HHS region(s) to explore strategies and to develop a cohesive plan that will maximize available resources.
- Activity 2: Facilitate implementation of selected strategies.
- Activity 3: Provide support to non-medical community leaders (such as ministers) and service providers (such as speech pathologists) to collaborate with others to support people with developmental disabilities to gain access to necessary healthcare services, behavior supports, and/or respite.
- Objective 3: Pilot at least 5 different strategies to support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to be able to have increased control over their personal health and well-being by September 30, 2016.
- Activity 1: Pilot at least one strategy to support individuals with developmental disabilities to develop and maintain meaningful relationships based on common interests.
- Activity 2: Pilot at least one strategy to support individuals with developmental disabilities to choose and participate in activities to improve their health and physical fitness.
- Activity 3: Support completion of the initiated Alternatives to Guardianship/Supported Decision-Making Project and evaluate the supported decision making process as a way to facilitate individuals with developmental disabilities making their own decisions about their health.
- Objective 4: Each year of the plan, advocate for reallocation and/or more efficient use of existing resources, necessary policy changes, and/or increased funding to enable individuals with developmental disabilities to access necessary healthcare services, behavioral supports, community services, and respite in the communities in which they wish to live and to prevent unnecessary institutionalization.
- Objective 5: Beginning in FY 2013, develop opportunities to partner with people who have developmental disabilities, families, providers, medical schools, licensing and certification boards, agencies, and/or community-based organizations to provide or develop training and/or practice guidelines that include knowledge related to disability and incorporate components of successful TCDD projects.
Goal 6: Work with others to double the number of identified leadership development and advocacy training programs that are able to provide culturally appropriate training for people with developmental disabilities without ongoing grant funding from TCDD, by 9/30/2016.
- Objective 1: Each year of the plan, provide funding or technical assistance to establish and/or strengthen at least one program for the direct funding of a state self-advocacy organization led by individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Activity 1: At least once every 2 years, provide funding for at least one specific public policy advocacy activity implemented by individuals who have developmental disabilities and are working with a state self-advocacy organization led by individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Activity 2: At least once every 2 years, offer funding to support individuals with developmental disabilities to work with a state self-advocacy organization to implement a grassroots effort to organize and/or educate members of their community.
- Activity 3: Each year, evaluate the effectiveness of Council efforts to establish and strengthen state self-advocacy organization(s) and consider alternate strategies.
- Objective 2: Each year of the plan, support opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities who are considered leaders to provide leadership training to individuals with developmental disabilities who may become leaders.
- Activity 1: Each year provide opportunities for groups organizing disability-related conferences to apply for stipends to support speakers, mentors, or facilitators who have developmental disabilities and who have a philosophy consistent with that of TCDD.
- Activity 2: Evaluate the feasibility and possible benefits of working with groups and/or individuals who offer training to improve presentation and/or training, to adapt their training to meet the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Objective 3: Each year of the State Plan, support and expand participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in cross-disability and culturally diverse leadership coalitions.
- Activity 1: As appropriate, provide direct funding to support people with developmental disabilities to serve on cross-disability and culturally diverse boards, committees, and workgroups.
- Activity 2: Develop and/or provide support for at least one cross-disability and culturally diverse leadership coalition.
- Objective 4: Each year of the plan, support individuals who have developmental disabilities, their family members, and their allies to improve their skills related to self-advocacy, public advocacy, and leadership.
- Activity 1: Develop at least 5 new culturally competent leadership and advocacy training programs for people who strongly identify with a specific ethnic minority culture and have a developmental disability or are have a family member who has a developmental disabilities.
- Activity 2: Continue to provide funding to support and/or expand leadership development and advocacy training programs that serve diverse groups of people.
- Activity 3: Continue to promote coordination between grantees and other organizations that provide leadership development and advocacy skill training so they may share information and maximize resources.
- Activity 4: Provide opportunities for groups organizing conferences to apply for stipends to support participation by people who have developmental disabilities and their family members.
- Activity 5: As appropriate and as deemed necessary, provide direct funding for people with DD to be on boards, committees, and workgroups.
- Activity 6: Provide technical assistance and/or information to assist leadership and advocacy grantees to develop sustainability for leadership and advocacy training programs.
- Activity 7: Each year of the plan, continue to provide support to maintain Advocacy U, an online clearinghouse that maintains current information about leadership and advocacy training programs.
- Activity 8: As funding allows, support collaborative public policy activities.
Goal 7: Each year the Council and its Committees receive staff and administrative support to effectively implement activities for at least 90% of all identified objectives noted under Goals 1-6, by September 30, 2016.
- Objective 1: Each year of the State Plan, provide input representing the philosophies and positions of the Council on public policy issues affecting people with developmental disabilities at ninety percent (90%) of occasions and, when possible, offer concrete policy alternatives to ensure that individuals and families can access and maintain self-directed community-based services and supports of their choice.
- Activity 1: Provide information and technical assistance to Council members to support Council decision-making processes and to assist individual members in advocacy activities.
- Activity 2: Research and provide input on policies and legislation as requested.
- Activity 3: Participate in workgroups at the state and national level.
- Activity 4: Produce required reports and policy analyses.
- Activity 5: Provide grantees with information technical support and information related to policy, legislation, and/or advocacy strategies.
- Objective 2: Each year of the State Plan, coordinate the Council's planning, project development, evaluation, and reporting processes, with special attention to strategies to address issues related to the diversity of ethnicity, age, income, and geographic areas of Texas and provide updates to the Council on State Plan implementation at least four (4) times yearly.
- Activity 1: Provide information and technical assistance to Council members to facilitate planning, project development and evaluation activities.
- Activity 2: Coordinate outreach activities to ensure that Council members and TCDD staff receive relevant and timely public input from diverse audiences.
- Activity 3: Support the Council to develop and fund projects to explore innovative ideas and/or provide timely solutions to emerging needs, as funds allow.
- Activity 4: Work with outside entities, as appropriate, to evaluate Council activities.
- Activity 5: Provide information and technical assistance as appropriate to grantees and/or organizations applying for a grant from TCDD.
- Activity 6: Coordinate development and submission of TCDD's 5 Year State Plan, Annual Amendments, and the Annual Program Performance Report.
- Objective 3: Each year of the State Plan, support the Council to effectively use grant funding to reach identified goals with no lapse of funds greater than 1.5% in any fiscal year.
- Activity 1: Provide information and technical assistance to Council members to facilitate oversight of grant projects.
- Activity 2: Monitor grant projects to ensure that budgetary requirements are met and program activities are implemented as planned.
- Activity 3: Provide information and technical assistance, as appropriate, to help grantees reach goals and to support use of best practices.
- Activity 4: Work with other staff to develop and implement strategies to maximize the impact of grantee projects.
- Objective 4: Each year of the State Plan, support and coordinate at least 4 quarterly Council meetings and at least 12 meetings of the Council Committees and provide leadership and administrative coordination to implement Council approved activities.
- Activity 1: Support the Council and Committees to conduct business.
- Activity 2: Support Council members to participate in national level workgroups, conferences, and/or trainings as appropriate.
- Activity 3: Provide oversight of staff activities.
- Objective 5: Implement outreach and strategic communication activities to reach specific goals, with at least a 3% increase in established connections to organizations and individuals each year.
- Activity 1: Provide information and technical assistance to Council members to identify specific strategic communication goals.
- Activity 2: Develop and maintain productive relationships with other representatives from other organizations to maximize the impact of outreach and strategic communication efforts.
- Activity 3: Coordinate external communications related to staff, Council member, and grantee activities to implement the strategic communication plan.
- Activity 4: Coordinate messaging, marketing, and branding activities as directed by the Council.
- Activity 5: Evaluate the effectiveness of strategic communication activities and provide recommendations to the Council for improvement as necessary.
[i] For a map of ESC Regions, see www.tea.state.tx.us/index.aspx?id=2147494810.
[ii] Project IDEAL is a TCDD grant project that began in June, 2007 and will end March 31, 2012. The grantee is Texas Tech University, College of Education. Project IDEAL (Informing & Designing Education for All Learners) is designed to help prepare prospective general-education teachers to work more effectively with students who have disabilities. For more information, see: Texas Tech University College of Education Special Projects.
[iii] TALAC is a TCDD grant project that began September, 2008 and will end in August, 2013. The grantee is Texas A&M. The project provides advanced leadership and advocacy training plus broad networking opportunities through an annual, three-day conference for disability advocates in Texas. The project also provides financial support for 15 of the conference participants to attend the statewide Youth Leadership Forum training as role models to support cross-generational mentoring and to facilitate networking between experienced advocates and developing youth leaders.
[iv] To read the DD Act, see: The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000.
[v] To access Lonestar Reports and see summary information about Texas' schools and school districts, see: Data About Texas Public Schools.
[vi] Project SEARCH is an employment-related program that has been implemented successfully in many different states and assistance with implementing Project SEARCH in Texas has been requested multiple times by individuals and organizations. Read more about Project SEARCH.
[vii] Map of the Texas HHS regions.
[viii] To review the Texas' most recent data on the National Core Indicators, see the Department of Aging and Disability Services Long-Term Services and Supports Quality Review 2010 Report (PDF - link opens in new window).
[ix] Project DOCC is a teaching and training program that involves families of children with chronic illness/disabilities as faculty to transfer the families' acquired knowledge and life experience to the pediatric resident physicians. Residents spend time with families in their homes as a teaching forum to gain first-hand experience on issues parents face in caring for a child with a disability or chronic illness, which expanded the residents' skills in family-centered care and provide insight into the value of the parent-physician partnership. TCDD provided grant funding to expand Project DOCC to multiple sites in Texas.
[x] TCDD funded multiple projects that successfully provided training and established teaching programs to expand the use of Positive Behavioral and Intervention Services in Texas schools, day cares, and communities.
[xi] TCDD provided funds to expand the work of the Baylor College of Medicine Transition Clinic, which trained health care workers on how to care for people with chronic illnesses/disabilities and provided outreach to community health care providers and families of children with disabilities.
