DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY  ADMINISTRATION 
EMPLOYMENT FIRST NEWSLETTER
February 2020 Monthly News and Updates
Census 2020 - Get the Count Out 

The Arc and the National Disability Rights Network hosted a webinar to discuss the 2020 Census and how it relates to the disability community. The webinar began with a 2020 Census overview along with a summary of why it matters. The webinar also shared the resources and materials for a successful Get out the Count (GOTC) effort. Speakers Julie Ward, The Arc and Erika Hudson Public Policy Analyst for the National Disability Rights Network present this joint effort to deep dive into why the census is so important to the community and the accessibility features available. 
The webinar recording, transcript and slides are available at  https://www.ndrn.org/resource/census-2020-get-out-the-count/.
Information about how the Maryland Department of Health has prepared for Census 2020 is available at  https://census.maryland.gov/Pages/how-census-works.aspx. 
Case for Inclusion 2020
 
The ANCOR Foundation and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) have released the 
Case for Inclusion, containing data "assessing how well state Medicaid programs serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families." According to the report, "a significant shortage of direct support professionals who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), along with growing waiting lists and insufficient employment opportunities, are inhibiting the ability of people with I/DD to be included in the community." The Case for Inclusion 2020 assesses all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 58 measures.
 
The report ranks states in seven areas: Addressing a Workforce in Crisis; Reaching Those in Need; Promoting Productivity; Tracking Health, Safety & Quality of Life; Promoting Independence; Keeping Families Together and Serving at a Reasonable Cost. The Case for Inclusion finds a national turnover rate among DSPs of 43.8 percent and a 49,000 increase in the number of people with I/DD on waiting lists for Medicaid funded Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).
 
The report is available at https://caseforinclusion.org/resources/key-findings.

New Business Acumen Toolkit Module Available

The  HCBS Business Acumen Center has released the third module of the  HCBS Business Acumen Center Toolkit: "Disability Network Business Strategies: A Roadmap to Financial and Programmatic Sustainability for Community-Based Organizations." This resource is a 'how-to' guide designed  to help community-based organizations (CBOs) evaluate, plan, develop, implement, and monitor strategies to help build and sustain their organizations in various business climates.
The first module, "Step 1: Prepare" provides guidance to CBOs serving people with disabilities on the information, data and people needed to inform the development of their strategic plan. The second module, "Step 2: Plan" provides guidance on how to analyze, prioritize, and organize the information and data collected in Step 1. The third module, "Step 3: Stabilize" addresses common issues that CBOs struggle with on a daily basis, including issues around human resources, business processes and financial management.
These user-friendly resources include a collection of templates that CBOs and their teams can use to conduct their environmental scan, identify and develop strategic priorities and potential strategies, develop and implement strategic and operational plans, and monitor the effectiveness and progress of those plans.
The toolkit is available at  http://www.hcbsbusinessacumen.org/toolkit.html. 
ODEP- Employment First Webinar Recording 



Did you miss our webinar on the "  Growth Through Opportunity (GTO) Program ? "  If you were unable to join, you can view it  here.

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