Two ways to invest in the future

Before I dive in, I’d like to extend personal thanks to Winslow Woodland and Erin Leveton.  You both know why.

And now down to business.  By now, I’m assuming you’ve sent in your testimony to the Human Services Committee (humanservices@dccouncil.us) with respect to DDS performance – whatever you have to say, positive or negative or somewhere in between – or if you’d like to put in a plug for expanding services beyond intellectual disabilities – NOW’S THE TIME, BY MARCH 7.  It can affect the DDS budget for next year.  Feel free to read my last blog post if you’d like some ideas!

But there are two other immediate ways for you to invest in the future of people you know and support in D.C.

     On Friday, March 8, from 9:30 to 3:00, you can attend all or part of the Supporting Families Community of Practice meeting at DDS (250 E St SW, Federal Center SW metro), which this time around will offer opportunities to learn more about Supported Decision Making (and how to make it real in your life.  Contact Emily Price (emily.price@dc.gov) for more information.  The Family Support Council will also be taking up SDM in a more detailed way at its upcoming meeting later in March, and Emily can tell you more about that too if you’re interested.

·        And on Tuesday, March 12, 4:30 to 7:00 kick back and have some fun at the Quality Trust Better Together Reception at Umaya Izakaya Restaurant, 733 10th Street, NW.  Buy tickets at https://qualitytrustforindividualswithdisabilities.networkforgood.com/events/10906-better-together-reception.  Yes, I’m on the QT board, but that’s because it plays a crucial role in providing ongoing monitoring, oversight and advocacy for people receiving services and supports from DDS.   QT often operates behind the scenes but it’s more important than you may realize.  So turn out on Tuesday night to give QT and the folks you care about your support, and have fun doing it.  I’ll be there, with my son – see you there!

I haven’t heard anything more about when DDS will host a special meeting or meetings on the draft housing and contribution to care policies that I’ve discussed in recent blog posts, but at the performance hearing on February 21 Andy Reese said that the new complaint system called for in the DSRAA (take a look at the page over to the right “Acronyms and Organizations” if you don’t know what this is) would be in place before these new policies are implemented, so that’s a good sign.  Watch this space for more news about an upcoming meeting on these policies (DDS feel free to post a comment!), and in the meantime, search “Housing” in the block to the right to read my recent blog posts about these policies.