Developmental Disabilities Newsletter
November 2005, Volume 8; Issue 5
Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where
no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort
and go into the wilderness of your intuition.
You cannot get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not
quite knowing what you are doing. What you will discover will be wonderful;
yourself.
-Alan Alda
In This Issue:
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New University Centers for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities
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Change in Financial Reporting Submission
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Aging and Disability Resource Center
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2006 Region VI DD Institute
New University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) announced
on October 6, 2005 the award of several new grants and contracts.
ADD awarded three grants to expand the Network of University Centers
for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), one National
Training Initiative grant, and a contract to conduct an independent
evaluation of the DD Network.
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
The fiscal year 2005 appropriations included funds to expand the Network
of UCEDDs. After a competitive review of the applications submitted,
ADD awarded grants to Universities in three States (1) Florida - University
of South Florida/Department of Child & Family Studies; (2) Tennessee
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center/Vanderbilt University School of Medicine;
and (3) Texas - Texas A&M University/Department of Educational
Psychology.
National Training Initiative
This is a supplemental grant to UCEDDs focusing on critical and emerging
needs of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
ADD awarded the grant to the Oregon Health and Sciences University
UCEDD for their project entitled “Making It Real: Participatory
Action Research in University Centers for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities”, which will develop educational modules on participatory
action research with the creation of a toolkit by modeling an inclusive
approach.
Developmental Disabilities Program Independent Evaluation Project
ADD awarded a two-year contract to Westat to conduct Phase I of the
Developmental Disabilities Program Independent Evaluation (DDPIE)
Project. The purpose of the project is to examine through rigorous
and comprehensive performance-based research procedures the targeted
impact of grantee activities funded under the DD Act.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
The 2005 theme for October’s National Disability Employment
Awareness Month was “Workers with Disabilities: Ready for Tomorrow’s
Jobs Today.” The theme emphasized that people with disabilities
are a vital part of America’s workforce. The theme was used
in the private sector, federal, state and local governments, and advocacy
organizations to plan events and programs that showcase the abilities
and skills of job candidates who have disabilities.
Public Law 176, enacted by Congress in 1945, designated the first
week in October as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped
Week.” President Harry S. Truman designated the President’s
Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities to carry out the
law. Congress changed the name to “National Disability Employment
Awareness Month” in 1988. The responsibility for leading the
nationwide recognition was transferred to the Office of Disability
Employment Policy (ODEP) of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Taken From: U.S. Department of Labor, News Release
Change in Submittal of Financial Status Reports
ADD-IM-06-1 informs State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
and Protection and Advocacy Systems of the change in submittal of
financial status reports from semi-annual to annual. The reporting
period will be October 1 through September 30. The annual report must
be submitted within 90 days of the end of the period (December 30).
The new schedule was effective October 1, 2005.
Hurricane Relief Efforts
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) hurricane relief efforts
can be found on ACF’s web site located at www.acf.hhs.gov. In
addition - more information can be located on the Federal Government
web site located at www.USA.gov.
ACF Region VI Wishes You Happy Holidays!
Compassion Capital Fund
On September 29, 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) announced awards totaling $49 million through the Compassion
Capital Fund (CCF). The awards are designed to help grass roots, faith-based
and community organizations enhance their ability to provide a wide
range of social services to those in need including the homeless,
at-risk youth, rural communities, the elderly and families transitioning
from welfare to work.
The first grant involves the CCF Demonstration Program and totals
$17,695,299 for 20 organizations. These groups will serve as intermediaries
to help build the capacity of smaller faith-based and community organizations.
These awards include $1.1 million to the OneStar Foundation of Austin,
Texas. The second set totals $15,192,810 for 310 faith-based and community
organizations under the CCF Targeted Capacity-Building Program. The
target program areas include at-risk youth, the homeless, rural communities,
and strengthening marriage. In addition, awards totaling $15,740,265
were given to continue currently funded CCF programs.
| Region VI - CCF Targeted Capacity Building Grants
for Marriage |
| Organization |
City |
State |
Estimated Award |
| Alliance for North Texas Healthy and Effective Marriage |
Dallas |
Texas |
$49,853 |
| Little Union Baptist Church |
Shreveport |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
| Merry Heart Guidance Center, Inc. |
Oklahoma City |
Oklahoma |
$50,000 |
| Northside Christian Church |
Spring |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Region VI - CCF Demonstration Program Awards |
| Organization |
City |
State |
Estimated Award |
| OneStar Foundation, Inc. |
Austin |
Texas |
$1,100,000 |
| Region VI - CCF Targeted Capacity Building Grants
for At-Risk Youth |
| Organization |
City |
State |
Estimated Award |
| Big Brothers, Big Sisters of El Paso, Inc. |
El Paso |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Change Your Life Through Education |
Little Rock |
Arkansas |
$49,980 |
| Communities in Schools - MCYC |
Waco |
Texas |
$49,980 |
| Creative Visions Social Services & Consultants, Inc. |
Grand Prairie |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Region VI - CCF Targeted Capacity Building Grants
for At-Risk Youth |
| Organization |
City |
State |
Estimated Award |
| Diamond Hill United Methodist Church & Mission |
Fort Worth |
Texas |
$49,413 |
| Hope Cottage, Inc |
Dallas |
Texas |
$46,214 |
| Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma |
Perkins |
Oklahoma |
$50,000 |
| New Day Services for Children and Families |
Fort Worth |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Our House, Inc. |
Monroe |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
| Skillful Learning Center, Inc. |
Dallas |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Stronghold Community Development Corporation |
Dallas |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Tangipahoa Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council (TADAC) |
Hammond |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
| The Extra Mile Region VII, Inc. |
Shreveport |
Louisiana |
$49,193 |
| Trinity River Mission |
Dallas |
Texas |
$36,802 |
| Wesley Center for Family and Neighborhood Development |
Austin |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Region VI - CCF Targeted Capacity Building Grants
for Rural Communities |
| Organizations |
City |
State |
Estimated Grant |
| Center for Fathers and Families of Arkansas |
Paragould |
Arkansas |
$49,862 |
| Cuatro Puertas |
Albuquerque |
New Mexico |
$50,000 |
| Doris J’s Incorporated |
Tangipaho |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
Taos Jewish Center |
Taos |
New Mexico |
$50,000 |
| Region VI - CCF Targeted Capacity Building Grants
for the Homeless |
| Organizations |
City |
State |
Estimated Grant |
| Brantley Baptist Center |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
| Brigid’s Hope |
Houston |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| C.O.O.L. Ministries, Inc. |
Houston |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Living Witness Community Social Services, Inc. |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
| Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance |
Dallas |
Texas |
$50,000 |
| Samaritan House, Inc. |
Las Vegas |
New Mexico |
$50,000 |
| The Harry Thompson Center |
New Orleans |
Louisiana |
$50,000 |
Grants to Live in the Community
On September 26, 2005, the Department of Health and Human Services
announced $28.5 million in grants to 17 states to help people of all
ages with disabilities or long-term illnesses live in their homes
and participate fully in community life. The grants are part of President
Bush’s New Freedom Initiative, which promotes the goal of community
living for individuals with disabilities and long-term illnesses.
The grants awarded will help states and other eligible entities improve
their community support systems. Seventeen grants were awarded in
two grant categories:
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Family to Family Health Care Information and
Education Center Grants. $1.6 million to 10 states to establish
family run centers that provide information, education and training
opportunities for families with children with special health care
needs. Previously, HHS has awarded $2.8 million in grant funds to
create 19 such centers across the country.
Region VI Grantee: Texas Parent to Parent
$165,000
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Systems Transformation Grants. $26.8 million
to 10 states to target key elements critical to developing more
comprehensive and integrated long-term support systems. These include
better coordination of services that may be managed by different
agencies; more services directed by the person receiving them; better
funding for community-based living; and emphasis on quality control
in community settings.
Region VI Grantees: Arkansas Department of
Human Services $2,856,575; Louisiana Department of Health &
Hospitals $3,022,545; State of New Mexico $2,736,384
Inclusion Handbook
The print version of the Inclusion Handbook (the full title is Inclusion:
Creating an Inclusive Environment: A Handbook for the Inclusion of
People with Disabilities in National and Community Service Programs)
is available at no charge to qualifying programs, courtesy of the
Corporation, through The Resource Center. For more information, you
may e-mail a request to rc-shipping@etr.org or call Sheryl at 800-860-2684
ext. 142. The PDF file can be found on The Resource Center’s
list of on-line publications along with other documents on disability
inclusion: http://nationalserviceresources.org/resources/online_pubs/index.php#disability.
Additional resources from The Resource Center Library include:
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Understanding Learning Difficulties: How Difficult
Can This Be?
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Collector of Bedford Street
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ENABLE People with Disabilities and Computers
Aging and Disability Resource Center
The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Grant Program is
a cooperative effort of the Administration on Aging (AoA) and the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and was developed
to assist states in their efforts to create a single, coordinated
system of information and access for all persons seeking long term
support to minimize confusion, enhance individual choice, and support
informed decision-making.
Since 2003, 43 states have received ADRC initiative grants as follows:
Region VI - Arkansas [7/1/2004 - 6/30/2007]:
Arkansas Division of Aging and Adult Services
Arkansas will develop a Community Choice Resource Center that serves
older people as well as people with physical or developmental disabilities
in a 12 county region of the state.
Region VI - Louisiana [9/30/2003 - 9/29/2006] :
Louisiana Governor’s Office of Elderly Affairs
Louisiana will establish a pilot Aging and Adult Disability Resource
Center at the Cajun Area Agency on Aging (CAAA) with eight satellite
locations in the parishes (counties) in CAAA’s planning and
service area.
Region VI - New Mexico [July 1/2004 - 6/30/2007]:
New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Care Department
New Mexico will realize the vision of the Resource Center by establishing
the core capacity of information and assistance services statewide
and phasing in a seamless public interface through community-based
Resource Centers.
Region VI - Texas [9/30/2005 - 9/30/2008]:
Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services
The Texas Aging and Disability Resource Center will be strategically
placed in three pilot areas that will provide consumers with information,
referral and counseling, case management, and Medicaid eligibility
determination for public and private pay individuals with long –term
care needs.
Taken From Administration on Aging Website, www.aoa.gov
With This Ring...
On November 17, 2005, the National Father Initiative released its
study “With This Ring… A National Study on Marriage in
America.” The study can be found at: http://www.fatherhood.org/research.asp
$200 Million in Welfare Bonuses
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) awarded $200 million
in High Performance Bonuses from the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) program. The awards to 41 states and the District
of Columbia are for transitioning welfare recipients to work and for
job retention, increased earnings or meeting other goals of welfare
reform.
The 1996 TANF law authorized bonuses to states for annual achievements
aimed at strengthening families through work and reforming the welfare
system. Awards for each state depend upon its performance in achieving
goals and the size of each state’s TANF block.
The Region VI awardees are:
Taken From: HHS News Release, October 12, 2005
$1.3 Billion LIHEAP Funding
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced $1.3
billion to help low-income families pay their heating bills on October
12, 2005. The funds are being sent to states, tribes, and territories
through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). With
the funds, states can begin assisting low-income households immediately
this fall and early winter and help those households currently in
need to deal with current higher fuel prices and colder temperatures
to come.
More than 4.5 million low-income households across the country receive
LIHEAP assistance each year. The program helps eligible families pay
for home heating and insulation in winter and cooling their homes
in the warmer months.
Taken From HHS News Release, October 12, 2005
Friendly Reminder
Please remember that the State Councils’ and Protection and
Advocacy Systems’ Program Performance Reports are due by January
1st via OLDC.
Please remember that the Protection & Advocacy Systems’
Statement of Goals and Priorities are due by January 1st via OLDC.
$37 Million in Abstinence Education
On October 11, 2005, the Administration for Children and Families
(ACF) announced the award of $37 million to 63 abstinence education
grantees. The awards, from the Community-Based Abstinence Education
(CBAE) program, are designed to encourage youth to remain abstinent
until marriage. The CBAE program is administered by ACF’s Family
and Youth Services Bureau, which also administers the Title V Section
510 Abstinence Education Program to enable states to support abstinence
education, mentoring, counseling and adult supervision to promote
abstinence from sexual activity, with a focus on those groups which
are most likely to bear children out of wedlock.
The Region VI awardees are:
| Centers for Youth and Families, AR |
$279,029 |
| Tree of Life Preventative Mental Maintenance, Inc., AR |
$726,164 |
| Operation Turn-Around, LA |
$347,844 |
| Mescalero Apache School, NM |
$426,983 |
| Socorro General Hospital, NM |
$799,883 |
| 1st Choice Pregnancy Resource Center, TX |
$435,419 |
| Laredo Independent School District, TX |
$520,725 |
| Longview Wellness Center, TX |
$800,000 |
| Univ. of TX Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, TX |
$213,276 |
Taken From: HHS News Release, October 12, 2005
$41 Million to States for Child Abuse Prevention
On October 25, 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
announced $41 million in funding to 50 states, the District of Columbia
and the American territories for community-based child abuse prevention
programs. Community-based child abuse and prevention grants are provided
to agencies designated by the governor of each state. Funds are used
to enhance community-based efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect.
They also foster the development of child abuse prevention services
through state and community-based partnerships and public information
activities focusing on the health and positive development of families.
The Region VI awards are listed below:
Taken From: HHS News, October 25, 2005
The Region VI Developmental Disabilities Newsletter is issued
6 times a year by the
Region VI Administration for Children and Families
Look for the next Newsletter in January 2006
2006 Region VI DD Institute
The Region VI ACF DD Team will host the 2006 Developmental Disabilities
Institute in conjunction with the Region VI ACF Mid-Winter Conference
“Supporting Our Families and Communities…” to be
held in January 23 - 27, 2006 in Dallas, Texas.
The Developmental Disabilities Institute will be January 25 - 26,
2005.
Stay Tuned for More Details!
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services
Administration for Children & Families
1301 Young Street,
Room 945 / ACF-3
Dallas, Texas 75202-5433
Region VI Administration for Children & Families
Leon R. McCowan
Regional Administrator
Janice Davis
Team Leader
Phone: (214) 767-8075
Fax: (214) 767-8124
jdavis@acf.hhs.gov
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