Thanks for All of You

Through this difficult time, what has kept me stabilized and optimistic has been my interactions – even though virtual – with so many of you in various meetings and conversations.  The opportunity to collaborate with such well-intentioned and enthusiastic people, even when the issues we face are hard, has been invaluable. 

I know that some of you have lost family or friends over the past few months, and others of you have struggled with your health, finances and other challenges.  It may be hard to feel thankful.  I lost a family member back in the spring myself.  But last night I was watching a show about the meeting of the Plymouth settlers and the Wampanoag people that we’ve come to know as Thanksgiving, and I was reminded that that event came on the heels of tremendous losses for all concerned.  It’s a day of mourning for many Wampanoag, to this day.

Whether you approach this week in a spirit of mourning, or in a spirit of thanks – or both – take time to appreciate the people who live with you, who support you in person or virtually, and who work for a better world.

Thanks to, and for, all of you.  Take care, mask up, and stay safe this week.

A Government that Sees Us

I don’t know about you, but I’m breathing again.

I didn’t intentionally not write anything here through the month of October:  it just happened.

I have been busy on a number of advocacy fronts, and I’ll write more about those later.

Really, though, I think I’ve mostly been holding my breath – like most of you, I imagine.

Here is the disability policy of the outgoing Trump administration: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX9reO3QnUA

Here is the disability policy of the incoming Biden administration:

https://joebiden.com/disabilities/

And on Saturday night we were even included in the president-elect’s speech.

Yes indeed – we have a ways to go, but I am surely breathing once more.

One More Big Event this Month!

 

Earlier this month I posted about a number of events coming up before the end of the month – but now the news is out about a very important event, happening for just the second time ever in D.C. (and first time virtually!).  That’s the Latina/o/x conference, taking place on Wednesday, September 30 at 11 a.m.:  https://dds.dc.gov/event/2nd-annual-conference-latinaox-2020.  This is a collaborative effort to bring up-to-date information on disability supports and issues to Spanish speakers and others.  It will be an informative and action-packed hour and a half – DO NOT MISS IT!

Give a (Virtual) Hug to the Direct Support Professionals in Your Life!

In my most recent post, I missed the most important "event" of all - THIS WEEK IS DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION WEEK!  When you think about all they're doing in this pandemic, they deserve more appreciation than ever: according to D.C. DDS, 314 DSPs in D.C. have contracted covid-19, and 9 of them have lost their lives to it.  

So make sure you take the time to express special thanks this week to the people who make our loved ones' lives easier and happier -

                  THANK 💕 YOU

Upcoming Events that Matter for D.C.'s DD Community!

 

We’ve all been mostly home for the past six months, and I know that virtual events are getting old.  But a lot is getting accomplished and there are some new opportunities on the horizon this month:

 -          This week and next, SchoolTalk, along with partner organizations Quality Trust and Got Transition, will be holding the annual Voices of Change conference addressing transition issues - see https://www.schooltalkdc.org/voices-of-change/# for full information.

-       -            This Thursday, September 17, the Family Support Council will hold its bimonthly public meeting, 12:30-2:30.  Here’s the agenda:  https://dds.dc.gov/event/family-support-council-public-meeting-thursday-september-17-2020.

-         -        If you’re wanting some fun in support of a good cause, join a virtual cooking class at 5:30 on Tuesday, September 22 – proceeds go to Quality Trust!  Sign up here:  https://www.dcqualitytrust.org/virtualcookingparty/  AND

-        -         Next week, on Thursday, September 24, the D.C. Developmental Disabilities Council will hold its quarterly meeting – watch this space:  https://ddc.dc.gov/ for more information.

STATUS OF INITIATIVES AFFECTING THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY IN D.C.

 

Things may seem quiet, but important D.C. advocacy work and activities continue on virtual platforms:

 -          Rights of people during the pandemic. Over the last two months I’ve been part of a team helping DDS develop training guidance on protecting people’s rights during the pandemic.  Beginning next week DDS will be rolling out this training, entitled “Assuring Rights During Covid 19.”  Most DDS service coordinators have already received the training.  I’ve written frequently over the summer about the fact that some DDS provider agencies have been imposing their own restrictions on people’s movements and outside contacts during the District’s reopening, but this training should address that concern.  For more information contact Emily Ornstein at emily.ornstein@dc.gov. 

-          Getting some day services under way.  As of today, nine DDS day-services providers have submitted their reopening plans to DDS, and the first DDS responses will go out next week.  Individuals’ CPAQ (Community Participation Assessment and Questionnaire) meetings, to discuss people’s interest in, and specific support needs, to enable re-engagement in day services, are also starting up.  For people needing employment readiness services, DDS is indicating that there will be close coordination between the DDA and RSA sides of the house, with RSA counselors set to attend team meetings and a focus on moving people toward paid employment on an accelerated timetable.  Contact Kirk Dobson at kirk.dobson@dc.gov for more information.

 -          DDS Friday calls. Each Friday at noon, Andy Reese continues to host calls to update the D.C. community on how the covid crisis, and the city’s response to it, is affecting the people it supports.  Archived recordings of those calls as well as other key covid-related information can be found on the DDS website at https://dds.dc.gov/node/1467506.

 -          Memorial service being planned.  As of Friday, August 28, 33 people receiving DDS supports have died due to covid-related causes.  A group is meeting periodically to plan an in-person memorial gathering in the fall.  If you’re interested in being part of the planning, contact Rebecca Salon at rebecca.salon@dc.gov.

 -          Police interactions with the disabled community.  A group continues to meet on Mondays under the umbrella of the DD Council to consider recommendations we want to make about improving MPD interactions with disabled people.  Ron Hampton, former MPD officer and current president of the D.C. Autism Society chapter, is leading this group.  If you’d like to join the dialogue, please be in touch with Alison Whyte at alison.whyte@dc.gov.

 -          New school year. The new school year is upon us, and although it will start virtually, parents are scrambling to make preparations.  (See https://dcpsreopenstrong.com/.) Laura Lorenzen, the new DC liaison for MANSEF (see https://dcase.org/), joined a regular call of disability advocates on September 26 to talk about challenges parents are facing in obtaining necessary immunizations for their children, and the need to extend the waiver of telehealth licensing requirements, which is set to end on October 9.

I’ve spoken personally with any number of you over recent weeks, and I know we’re all managing as best we can.  Fortunately, our region is doing better at weathering this period of crisis than many other parts of the country, but we all need to be alert, careful, and mutually supportive.  Keep track of the latest D.C.-wide information at https://coronavirus.dc.gov/phasetwo.

John Lewis Legacy

When I read my (print edition) Washington Post each morning over breakfast, I routinely flip past the full-page ads.  Today, though, page A5 grabbed my attention and held it.  A full-page photograph of late U.S. representative John Lewis is accompanied by the words, “I’m so blessed that my father’s story – as a servant leader and champion for civil and human rights – was shared with you, the people of D.C.” 

There have been so many tributes to John Lewis recently, but this one had a special, personal impact.  It was directed to us, the people of D.C.  We so rarely see ourselves, as people, recognized by anyone other than our mayor or other political leaders in our city.  Coming from John Lewis’ family, this acknowledgement sent a lump into my throat.

Just take a look yourself.  And while you’re there, you can leave a tribute to this great man at https://johnlewislegacy.org/. 

The Mayor's Reopening Applies to People DDS Supports

In a blog post several weeks ago (https://www.ddinwdc.com/2020/07/rolling-back-disability-rights-in-dc.html), I pointed out that some DDA provider agencies continue to resist the idea that the mayor’s reopening guidance applies to the people they support. 

If there still was any confusion on this point, it should have been made crystal-clear as of yesterday when DDS posted this guidance:  https://dds.dc.gov/node/1490546.  

Please share this widely, since people’s rights continue to be restricted and it needs to stop now.  This is indeed a time of risk, and good support and guidance are needed.  But rights still are rights.

Helping a Friend in a Time of Trial

Many of you know Heidi Case, who used to be the Project ACTION! coordinator and now chairs DDOT's Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council (MAAC).  She has recently suffered a grievous loss and now has funeral and related expenses for which she has established a GoFundMe page:  https://gf.me/u/ykudsb.  Please give if you can.

ROLLING BACK DISABILITY RIGHTS IN D.C.

It’s been a month since I first wrote about the lack of clarity from DDS about providers’ responsibilities as the District advanced into Phase One reopening.  Now we’re in Phase Two, and things haven’t improved much, if at all.

On June 27 D.C. DDS issued guidelines for supporting people under D.C.’s Phase 2 reopening:  https://dds.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dds/publication/attachments/DDS%20Phase%20Two%20Re-Opening%20Guidance_0.pdf.  Andy Reese, DDS director, has continued to state in the Friday community conversations (https://dds.dc.gov/node/1470236) that, except for some specific DC Health guidance for intermediate care facilities (ICFs) and residential habilitation (group homes), there are no restrictions placed on full participation in D.C.’s reopening by people receiving residential supports, and provider agencies are not empowered to apply such restrictions.

As the Phase Two guidance above indicates, DDS has established an assessment tool, the Community Participation Assessment and Questionnaire, or CPAQ (https://dds.dc.gov/node/1467506), to help identify the supports that individuals need as they consider re-engaging in waiver-supported day services.  DDS has repeated over and over that the CPAQ is not intended to restrict people’s movements in the community, but rather to guide the team concerning the types of supports a person needs.

None of the repeated statements on the Friday calls have made any difference.  Some providers still seem confused, while some are intentionally disregarding the guidelines.  The answer from DDS has been: lots of training, and now a more specific Power Point that is being developed to make things clearer.  Maybe this will make a small difference.  But more to the point, DDS, at the most senior level, has to put teeth behind the guidelines and insist they are followed.  Then, in individual CPAQ meetings and other team deliberations, service coordinators must keep the rights of the person at the forefront of the discussion, with the focus on supports rather than restrictions.

Some of you may read this and think: you can’t prioritize rights over safety!  And I agree.  Everyone needs to be following guidance found at https://coronavirus.dc.gov/, and Mayor’s Order 2020-063 (https://coronavirus.dc.gov/release/guidance-mayor%E2%80%99s-order-residents-and-businesses) continues to apply.  But here’s the thing:  there is increasing evidence that the most likely environments for contracting covid-19 are enclosed, air-conditioned indoor spaces.  This means that the instinct by some providers to continue confining people indoors - besides the mental-health consequences of isolation - is precisely the wrong reaction.  DSPs, however essential, can carry covid into living spaces without knowing it, and members of the general public come and go in apartment buildings’ common areas, potentially bringing the virus with them.  And it’s happening: as of July 17, of the 212 covid cases among those DDS supports, 89 of the people were in supported living – the largest single group (77 have been in ICFs) and over 40% of the total. 

But providers don’t listen to me, they listen to Andy Reese (andrew.reese@dc.gov).  What matters here is what DDS is prepared to enforce.  And the answer to that is the least clear of all.