The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) is pleased to announce funding for an initiative in advocacy and leadership development. Organizations are invited to respond to the Request for Application (RFA) described in this document.
The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, authorized under Public Law 106-402, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act), is one of 55 entities of its type in the United States and territories. The NCCDD is an independent agency located in the NC Department of Health and Human Services. Its activities are governed by a 34-member body, appointed by the governor and comprised of at least 60 percent people with developmental disabilities and their families. Other members include legislators and policymakers representing various agencies and organizations having a vested interest in persons with developmental disabilities. The Council’s quarterly meetings are open to the public.
The mission of the NCCDD is to assure that individuals with developmental disabilities and their families participate in the design of and have access to culturally competent services, supports and other assistance and opportunities that promote interdependence, contribution, self-determination and inclusion in the community. The NCCDD achieves this mission by promoting advocacy, leadership, capacity building and systems-change activities. It also serves in an advisory capacity, under state law, to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
The NCCDD makes funds available to fulfill its mission in a variety of areas in accordance with the DD Act and the Council’s Five-year Plan. Funding is made available primarily through competitive bids or RFAs. A general description of the RFA is included in this document. The complete RFA package is available on the NCCDD web site (www.nccdd.org) or may be requested by mail. Please complete and submit the Notification of Intent to Apply, located on the back page of this publication, if your organization intends to apply.
Request for Application RFA #1 6-07
Going to college has become a rite of passage and, increasingly, a cultural expectation for young adults. In addition to gaining knowledge, institutions of higher education are one of the most effective environments young adults have for developing the social, interpersonal, work and independent living skills that will help ensure their future success. Unfortunately, this opportunity has not been readily available to people with developmental disabilities, particularly when their disability is intellectual in nature.
With this Request for Applications (RFA), the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) intends to address its mandate for systems change, advocacy, and capacity building by investing in planning, establishing and evaluating a residential, college-based learning experience for people with intellectual disabilities. The objective for this RFA derives from the 2006 to 2011 NCCDD State Plan, specifically, Goal 2; Objective 3: “Promote access to post-secondary education opportunities for students with developmental disabilities.” The intent of the RFA is not to supplant existing, college-based support services for students with disabilities that are required by ADA, or the Higher Education Act (HEA), or to duplicate current programs such as compensatory education. It is also not the intent of this RFA to develop segregated programs. To the contrary, this RFA seeks to offer students with intellectual disabilities ongoing experiences and interactions with other students within the context of a typical college environment, integrated with access to the activities and services a college provides its students.
According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, in the year 2005, 17,377 students graduated from special education classes across North Carolina. Large, yearly cohorts of individuals with disabilities such as this, each with their own personal goals, strengths and needs, present a major challenge to those agencies, academic institutions, and other programs responsible for providing vocational, educational, and other supports and services. Young adults seeking such services find, in most communities, extensive waiting lists for supported employment, supported living, case management and other services. With unemployment levels in the disability community remaining at chronically high levels – 62.5% (US Census, 2005) of those in the 16 to 64 age range — few leave school and find competitive, community jobs. The challenges of finding a job are even higher for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Although there are some residential, college-level programs in other states and post-secondary education programs in North Carolina that demonstrate some of the features NCCDD is seeking, a comprehensive approach to a college or university experience for people with intellectual disabilities is not yet a realistic option for most people in North Carolina.
The importance of this critical gap in supports and services was reflected in the public input for the recently completed NCCDD 2006-2011 State Plan. The need for more post-secondary education experiences consistently received a high ranking in the listening sessions, focus groups and individual meetings held across the state as part of the Plan development process. While college–based, post-secondary, educational experiences for people with intellectual disabilities are relatively new, there is a growing body of research that strongly supports their effectiveness. Follow-up studies of students completing a similar program at Taft College showed that, post college:
97%had the skills to live independently
92%were successfully living independently on their own or with a roommate
73%were employed
92%were successfully using public transportation
Other factors support more widespread planning and implementation of quality, post-secondary education experiences in North Carolina. For people with disabilities, finding natural supports in a community is often a challenge. Universities and colleges, with their diverse student bodies and array of activities, provide an excellent source for building connections that may last a lifetime. Research has shown that the opportunity to develop and maintain friendships is a significant factor contributing to successful community living and better health outcomes. For other students, the active presence of people with developmental disabilities on campus offers opportunities to get to know and understand people as “people first,” apart from their disability, and may lead some towards future careers in human services. In sum, by opening their doors to students with intellectual disabilities, colleges and universities can better reflect and relay the complexity, challenges, and richness of the real world in which we live and underscore the mutual gifts that each of us bring to our communities and society at large.
This RFA focuses on young adults, 18 years of age and up, with intellectual disabilities, whose personal goals include attending a college or university in North Carolina. The NCCDD expresses a preference for grantees who conduct active outreach to recruit and enroll people with intellectual disabilities within the African-American, Hispanic, Hmong, American Indian populations and other minority groups.
Listed below are strategies and program features which should be considered in developing a proposal to meet this objective.
Implementation of a contemporary, competency-based curriculum with a focus on academic and personal skill-building, employment, community living, self-advocacy, and self-determination. The curriculum should be from two to four years in duration. Development of job skills within the program should include collaboration with the local Vocational Rehabilitation Office.
Classes held in existing on-campus classroom locations and facilities, and, as appropriate, in the community.
The involvement of college students and as peer mentors around issues of everyday campus life, such as academics, relationships, and activity scheduling.
Use of on-campus housing or near by off campus settings.
Involvement of college students who may live in the residence of each participant to assist as needed with such things as activity scheduling, meal preparation, problem-solving, and participation in campus activities. Such students may be compensated through pay or housing or be volunteers.
Collaboration and coordination with local self advocacy groups and organizations providing related supports.
The active involvement of persons with disabilities and other family members in planning, oversight, and evaluation of the program.
The provision of access to and necessary support for participants to be involved in other campus events, facilities, and services, such as dining, athletic, social, and entertainment, housing, health, and transportation.
Ongoing communication, awareness and information sharing with college administration, faculty, learning difference services, and student organizations regarding the goals and activities of this program.
Use of a person-centered planning process that reflects the realities of campus living and the paid and unpaid supports necessary to succeed.
Procedures for awarding participants, upon graduation, with a transition plan, certificate of completion, and résumé that documents goals, skills, interests, strengths, accomplishments, and references.
Opportunities for participants to audit classes of interest outside their course of study.
Clear program outcomes and an ongoing quality improvement process.
Use of a program advisory committee with representation from program participants, selfadvocates, students, faculty, and other community agencies.
Demonstration of connections to other existing college degree programs such as education, social work, psychology, and rehabilitation counseling. Examples of such connections include, but are not limited to, assistance with curriculum design, student training, and research and evaluation.
The NC Council on Developmental Disabilities welcomes applications from entities which:
Are colleges or universities, or community organizations which demonstrate specific links and collaborations with such colleges or universities.
Evidence mastery of or partnerships with organizations with demonstrated experience in developing innovative educational, employment and community living approaches for adults with intellectual disabilities.
Have experience in working collaboratively with a variety of other public and private agencies and organizations.
Demonstrate an awareness of available supports and services in the educational setting and community. These supports and services include those which focus specifically on people with disabilities and those which are available to all students and citizens.
Council funding is time-limited. Consequently, organizations must be able to develop specific strategies to help ensure long-term sustainability. Examples of such strategies include, but are not limited to, identifying a permanent, administrative ‘home’ for the program, long-term funding, outcome-based evaluation, and necessary policy changes.
The NC Council on Developmental Disabilities gratefully acknowledges the work of staff member Doug Dixon (1950-2006) to bring this RFA to fruition.
RFA #2 8-07
What do you think of when someone says, “What do you want in a home?” Many envision the proverbial, single-family home with a white picket fence and flowers; for others, it’s living with extended family or best friends, while some dream about a one-bedroom loft, looking out over a bustling city. Whatever we ultimately choose, we all share in common that what we want is just that: a choice. Regardless of where we live, we expect that it will be our pictures and magnets on the refrigerator, our loose sock on the floor, and our dirty dishes in the sink. We don’t anticipate sharing a home with anyone but those closest to us, let alone strangers we meet on move-in day. By contrast, for most people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (ID/DD) who are receiving supports and services in North Carolina, the personal, individualized surroundings and rhythms of an ordinary life are an unrealized dream. To understand why, we must look at the history of developmental disabilities service delivery.
Both nationally and in North Carolina, great strides have been made in paring down the provision of supports and services to people with ID/DD. We have, as a field, moved from large, congregate settings (known as developmental centers and/or “institutions”) to smaller scale, congregate settings (e.g., group homes). Through utilization of the Medicaid funding stream known as Intermediate Care Facilities (ICFs/MR/DD) and, more recently, through home and community based (HCBS) Medicaid waivers, such as CAP-MR/DD, many individuals with ID/DD have transitioned from large, institutional settings to what some refer to as “community-based settings.” In fact, in 2005, 70.8% of individuals with developmental disabilities in the United States lived in community settings of six or fewer people (as opposed to 1977, when only 16.9% lived in settings this size) (Prouty, Smith, & Lakin, 2006). During the same period, 1977-2005, in North Carolina, the percentage of individuals living in settings of 16 or more dropped from 91.1% to 20.6%, with, by 2005, 79.9% of people receiving residential services living in the community. While this trend is certainly a significant improvement, in this same year, 2005, only 19% of North Carolinians with ID/DD who were receiving residential services owned or leased their own home (compared with an estimated US average of 25%), while 58.8% of these citizens were receiving services while living in the home of a family member (compared to 56.5% nationally) (Prouty, Smith & Lakin, 2006). With the aging of “Baby Boom” family members, many families are increasingly unable to provide or to access services and supports in their home. Further, adults with ID/DD are living longer. In light of these demographic trends, it seems that, without concerted action, the dream of true community integration and inclusion for people with ID/DD may well slip further out of reach.
While congregate settings have become smaller (five to six individuals) these models can rarely offer the personal living situation others enjoy. The setting itself may compromise efforts to provide genuinely, person-centered, individualized supports. Life is often dictated by the circumstances of housemates (also with disabilities), with whom an individual may share no social or emotional connection. As a result, it is likely that people who live in congregate settings only experience physical integration into their communities rather than true, inclusive community integration (O’Brien, 2006). This is not to say that service and support providers do not value or strive to honor the individual aspirations and rights of the consumers they support. Rather, it instead demonstrates the perpetuation of a model into which the field has invested significant resources. It is clear that newer approaches can enhance quality of life for those served while achieving logistical, financial, and business viability for those providing services.
What if we broke the mold? What if the opportunity to live in individualized settings was presented to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, not to be innovative, not to be politically correct, but, simply put, because it was the right thing to do? Better yet, what if we demonstrated that individualized options can actually work? Best of all, what if we demonstrated that these options can be provided to all people, including those with the most complex disabilities, without exception? Most would respond, “It sounds good. But, I’d have to see it to believe it.”
Seeing is believing. In May of 2007, as part of an international conference, funded by the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD), providers of ID/DD service from around the world convened in Asheville, North Carolina to show-case and examine options for individualized supports and services with proven track records of success. All eight presenters at this event had converted their programs from congregate, residential services to homes, most often for one to two, and no more than three people. Each provider had been delivering services to people “without exception” for more than 15 years. The presenters demonstrated, from a business perspective, how these options could be a “win-win” for individuals with ID/DD as well as providers. The conference generated such a high level of excitement among the participants that a new coalition (the “Asheville Coalition”) was born, with the mission to carry forward the vision of supporting individuals outside of traditional, congregate models.
The NCCDD seeks to make the spirit of the Asheville Coalition the basis for a new approach to services and supports for North Carolinians with ID/DD. It is our intent to build community capacity by funding an initiative to provide technical assistance in the provision of individualized support options to providers of community, residential services and supports for persons with ID/DD, without exception and without regard to the intensity of supports needed. For purposes of this grant, individualized services and supports are defined as services and supports delivered in settings for no more than three, unrelated individuals (and preferably only one individual) with ID/DD. In sum, the purpose of this initiative is to provide organization-specific, technical assistance for providers, participating in a collaborative, to move from group supports to individual options. The successful technical assistance applicant will match North Carolina providers with exemplary peers’ approaches to service delivery that are both personalized and financially viable. It is not the intent of this RFA to encourage the development of smaller, group home settings. It is to create diverse approaches that offer people with ID/DD the opportunity to experience an element of choice in their lives that is indistinguishable from that of the population at large.
The recipient of this fund release will engage NC providers of residential services and supports to people with developmental disabilities who desire to begin transforming their model of service provision from primarily group/congregate care to a personalized approach, tailored to a contemporary organizational vision. These organizations include:
Non-profit, for-profit, or otherwise legally structured providers of service desiring to create, design, and implement personalized service and supports in North Carolina.
Organizations seeking guidance in the development of financially viable means of providing personal/individualized services and supports as opposed to congregate care models.
Overall strategies for implementation of this initiative should include nurturing values-based leadership at all levels of the organization, including:
Creation, description, and expression of the vision and social ethics upon which the move to individual supports is built.
Engagement of people in the exploration of “better”.
Creation of examples of what can really be possible in a person’s life.
Linking like-minded leaders through informal networks and alliances.
Exposure of emergent, values-based leaders to inspiring and seasoned leaders. (Kendrick, 2007)
Specific strategies may also include:
Utilizing a technical assistance broker to match specific NC providers with providers experienced in transforming services.
Development and implementation of strategies to engage NC policymakers in the service transformation process.
Exploration of incentives for small, medium and larger provider organizations to participate and/or apply.
A process for the identification and selection of a targeted number of NC providers in the learning community.
Coordination and collaboration with existing Council projects and state efforts that relate to this initiative.
Targeted, agency-specific, fiscal and other technical assistance for participating provider organizations.
The successful applicant will demonstrate the following qualifications:
Working knowledge of the national provider community, including various providers across North Carolina and the nation.
Understanding of past and current trends in service provision for people with ID/DD in North Carolina and the nation.
Understanding of national, state and local funding sources.
Relationships with successful providers that have undergone transformation from group to individual options and now provide individualized services and supports as their primary approach.
Ability to express importance of and values/ethics behind individualized services and supports.
Ability to convey the positive outcomes (for consumers and organizations) of individualized services and supports.
Capacity to complete and submit (quarterly) programmatic and (monthly) financial reports in a timely manner.
Capacity to administer subcontracts (this includes both programmatic and financial aspects of administration).
Ability to identify and pair skill sets/styles of those seeking TA with those providing TA.
Ability to engage key NC policymakers and advocates in activities supporting service transformation from group to individualized options.
Collaboration skills that will facilitate cooperation between those involved with service transformation efforts and those involved with NC’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) grant, “Money Follows the Person,” NCCDD’s “People Can’t Wait” grant and other relevant NCCDD and NC Department of Health and Human Services and/or NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services initiatives.
Capacity to create and distribute a final report that will identify the project’s processes, successes, barriers and policy change recommendations.
Sustainability of this three year project will entail the development and execution of a provider organization’s capacity to offer the option of individualized services and supports to “many” rather than a “few” in their organization. Furthermore, successful sustainability will be evidenced by a shift in the culture of the organization to reflect an investment in individualized supports and services. Participant provider organizations will develop a network that serves as a learning community for each other, as well as other provider organizations in the state who wish to transform from group to individualized options.
To carry out the intent of this objective, the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities will make available one grant at up to $100,000 for up to three years (level funding) with a required minimum of 25% non-federal matching funds.
REFERENCES
Kendrick, M. (2007). Social ethics and values leadership and their effect on the
life prospects of people with disabilities. Down Syndrome Quarterly, 9(2), 8-12.
O’ Brien, J. (2006). “…to interact with non-disabled persons to the fullest extent possible.” Perspectives on “most integrated” services for people with developmental disabilities. Retrieved on June 15, 2007 from
http://thechp.syr.edu/most_integrated.pdf
R.W. Prouty, Gary Smith, & K.C. Lakin (Eds.) (2006). Residential services for
persons with developmental disabilities: Status and trends through 2005.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research and Training Center on
Community Living, Institute on Community Integration.
Definition of Developmental Disability
What is a developmental disability?
According to the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (P.L. 106-402), section 102(8), “the term 'developmental disability' means a severe, chronic disability of an individual 5 years of age or older that:
Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments;
Is manifested before the individual attains age 22;
Is likely to continue indefinitely;
Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity:
(i) Self-care;
(ii) Receptive and expressive language;
(iii) Learning;
(iv) Mobility;
(v) Self-direction;
(vi) Capacity for independent living; and
(vii) Economic self-sufficiency;
Reflects the individual's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, supports, or other assistance that is of lifelong or extended duration and is individually planned and coordinated, except that such term, when applied to infants and young children means individuals from birth to age 5, inclusive, who have substantial developmental delay or specific congenital or acquired conditions with a high probability of resulting in developmental disabilities if services are not provided.”
Unless otherwise indicated in specific RFAs, all grant awards will be subject to a formula requiring non-federal matching funds from the applicant agency based on the poverty or nonpoverty status of the county in which the applicant is headquartered. Also, unless otherwise stated in the RFAs, all grants designed to exceed one year in duration will be subject to declining federal/Council participation based on the poverty or non-poverty status of the county in which the applicant is headquartered. Please refer to the Council's grant application for a list of poverty counties and details on the declining federal/Council participation. All applications must reflect the active participation of people with developmental disabilities and their families in the development and implementation of grants. In addition, preference will be given to those applications demonstrating responsiveness to the beliefs, values, interpersonal styles, attitudes and cultural, ethnic, linguistic or other traits enhancing maximum participation of and benefit to people with developmental disabilities and their families.
This publication is produced by the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, established by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (P.L. 106-402) to promote interdependence, contribution, self-determination, integration and inclusion into the community for citizens with developmental disabilities.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability in employment or the provision of services.
Robert J. Rickelman, Ph.D.
Chair
Holly Riddle, J.D., M.Ed.
Executive Director
North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities
3801 Lake Boone Trail
Suite 250
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 420-7901 voice/TDD
(919) 420-7917 fax
1-800-357-6916 voice/TDD
This toll-free number is available for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO APPLY
I am interested in submitting an application for:
I am interested in submitting an application for:
_____ RFA #1 6-07 College Bound: Creating a Post-Secondary Education Experience For Students with Intellectual Disabilities
_____ RFA #2 8-07 Seeing is Believing: Building
Send grant application packet
I will download the grant application packet from the web site: www.nccdd.org
All applicants are strongly urged to attend a “Bidders’ Workshop” where application details, including federal and program outcomes reporting, will be discussed. Bidders’ Workshop to be held on August 29, 2007 (indication of intent to attend workshop should be received from applicants by 8/27/07; other workshops may be offered, depending on demand).
Name(s):
Organization:
Address:
City/State/Zip Code:
Telephone Number:
FAX #:
E-mail Address:
Intent to apply may be received any time before the application due date
Applications must be received by 5:00 pm, Monday, September 24, 2007 to the NCCDD office.
North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities
3801 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 250
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 420-7901 voice/TDD
(919) 420-7917 fax
www.nccdd.org