PCPID Quarterly Meeting: September 9–10, 2008

Chairman Rhatigan called the meeting back to order and noted again the Committee’s appreciation for Tom Reilly in making the Committee’s visit to the White House possible.  Chairman Rhatigan also noted that the following day, Doro Bush Koch and Trisha Koch would be joining the Committee and that Ms. Bush Koch would sign copies of her book, My Father, My President.

Chairman Rhatigan informed the Committee that the Office on Government Ethics had provided the Committee with revised slides from their previous presentation to include more specific information on Special Government Employees and the ethics guidelines pertinent to their position.

Chairman Rhatigan urged the Committee to write down everything they remembered of the President’s remarks while they were in the Oval Office and then send them to Laverdia Roach in order to create the forward to the 2009 report.

Chairman Rhatigan introduced Dr. David Mank—writer and editor of the 2009 Report to the President.

Dr. Mank began by discussing his purpose in being there and his commitment to writing a report that reflects the discussion and recommendations of the Committee. He noted his belief that employment is the great freedom for all people, and certainly people with disabilities.

In response to a question, Ms. Roach noted that prior to 2004, all Committee reports were written by a professional writer. She then described the procedures for communicating all suggestions, edits and ideas to Dr. Mank, and noted that the primary content of the report would come from the presentations made at the joint PCPID/Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) forum from the previous day. Ms. Roach also stressed that all of the information previously provided to PCPID for inclusion in the report had been forwarded to Dr. Mank for his consideration. She further stressed the importance of a quick turnaround on each of the drafts of the report in order to stick to the proposed timeline for completion.

Dr. Mank stressed that in the early stages, it is particularly important to pay close attention to the content of the report, as the layout and format will be addressed in later drafts.

Ollie Cantos suggested a method for submitting information to Ms. Roach and Dr. Mank that would make the process easier. He noted the importance of getting the information from the forum out to the Committee members’ respective networks. He urged the Committee members to act as ambassadors for the Committee and to grow their networks—suggesting at least five new contacts per member—and to network within the disability and employment communities as a means of broadcasting the work of the Committee. He urged the Committee to be creative in order to take the Committee’s efforts to a new level of activity and awareness.

Mr. Cantos also stressed the importance of leadership development and using the Committee’s expanded network as a means of disseminating the report (after it has been cleared). He noted the importance of developing public information pieces and looking forward with an eye toward what is next for the Committee. He urged Committee members to maximize the effectiveness of the PCPID staff by identifying needs and providing personal assistance with writing, etc. He also suggested that the Committee write letters of support to organizations holding conferences on issues of importance to the Committee.

In response to a question, Mr. Cantos further detailed his plan for expanding the Committee’s network of allied advocates and potential strategies for increasing awareness of the Committee’s purpose and work, including reaching out to former members of the Committee.

Sharon Green relayed a message from Charlie Weis that he had tentatively reached an agreement with NBC to have a halftime special about his work with the disability community and that a message from PCPID was part of the deal.

Sue Picerno clarified some statements made regarding the PCPID/ODEP forum and the white papers that may result from it. She also noted her support for Mr. Cantos’ plan for increased networking.

Mary Ellen Zeppuhar suggested working with the University Centers for Excellence in each state. Dr. Mank noted that he is a member of the University Centers and that he would be happy to help promote the Committee’s work.

Linda Starnes asked for clarification on the language of the statement of work and invitations that went out to the forum speakers about how their work would be used and disseminated.

Dr. Banik expressed his support for reaching out to former members.

Dr. Giannini suggested that the Committee also look to the American Public Health Association which has a newly established section on disabilities. She noted that the annual meeting is at the end of October.

Will Tienken suggested using the PCPID website and Disabilityinfo.gov as a means of disseminating some of the information learned at the forum, and particularly for posting the employment-related websites shared during the forum.

Chairman Rhatigan asked Harris Hollin to discuss the research portion of the report. Mr. Hollin stated that the goal of the research subcommittee was to apply the latest findings of the research community to the employment effort. He noted that as we learn more regarding how each of the more than 750 genetic conditions known to cause intellectual disabilities affect specific processing skills, we are better able to design training and employment preparation programs tailored to each individual’s needs.

Chairman Rhatigan noted the need to develop a title for the report. Stephanie Preshong Brown suggested that the Committee look for a title in the remarks made by the President in the Oval Office.

Chairman Rhatigan asked Ollie Cantos for any wrap-up notes he may have and Mr. Cantos noted the need to develop action steps. He volunteered to draft an outreach letter to be used for network building. He also suggested that the members write down the names of each organization that they would like to have strengthened relationships with and send it to him by email so that he can compile a master list from which to start growing PCPID’s network.