Organizational Change

Following the Gulf Coast Hurricane disasters in 2005, the NASDDDS Emergency Response Preparedness Self Assessment Instrument was developed to assist state developmental disabilities officials evaluate the extent to which their existing preparedness plans address the unique characteristics and needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during periods of emergency. A link to the website includes the assessment tool and resources and allows you to watch a product demo.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services Aging Service Division presents this documentation of the principles and processes used in supporting its consumer advisory committee for Real Choice System Change grant and CDPASS grant activities. Building and documenting a shared vision of effective public policy funded by public dollars is a fundamental responsibility of grant recipients. This paper helps explain the stakeholder experience and considers ways to create a quality process.

The “Quality Close to Home” papers are part of Wisconsin’s process to review the existing quality management system for Home and Community Based Services. The report on local practices was the result of a series of interviews conducted with local informants who conduct quality management activities. The second paper outlines the scope of quality management, challenges of quality management, federal rules and regulations, and provides a design for an improved quality management system.

The Turner Geriatric Clinic Social Work Department established a community-hospital liaison as part of the Michigan Nursing Facility Transition grant. This report discusses the goals of the project, its development and implementation, challenges and successes, and the end results.

How did the Massachusetts Real Choice grantees involve consumers and what are the lessons learned from the process? This presentation describes the systems created for consumer involvement in the design, planning, and implementation of the Real Choice activities. The fact sheet provide suggestions on how to involve consumers in a collaborative process.

Community Service Options, Inc (CSO) is an organization dedicated to assisting persons with developmental disability to receive service and live in the “least restrictive” setting. CSO provides screening, eligibility assessment, service coordination, and advocacy throughout the Chicago area. The website provides links to their services and assessment tools.

The CMS Systems Change conference, Transforming Systems: Keys to Success was held April 10-12 in Baltimore. Presentations from the 2006 sessions are available in both PDF and text formats. Topics range from ideas on system transformation, stakeholder involvement, coalition building, strategic planning, sustaining systems change, and the Deficit Reduction Act. Full titles are listed in the keywords section.

The third paper in the series examines what contemporary social service systems can do to promote consumer-directed services. We identify different features that make a service \"self-directed,\" and we identify characteristics of successful consumer direction and self-determination. In its present form, this paper serves as foundation work for additional dialogue and will also undergo continuing development in discussions with representatives of projects and consumer leaders in states.

The second in the series, this paper identifies the features of high-quality integrated community services and the systems that support them and serves as the foundation work for additional exploration. The paper will undergo continuing development in discussions with representatives of projects and consumer leaders, will augment assessment of existing systems and planning of new or improved systems, and ideally become an even more useful tool for those involved in systems transformation.

Based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, this paper examines the impact of asset ownership on meaningful and participatory social inclusion. The paper first, presents an overview of the assets-based perspective of welfare and highlight factors that have shaped this perspective with an overview of rural communities and their relationship to these issues. Next, the paper reviews the potential effects of asset ownership and how this may impact social inclusion in rural areas.