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WRC Meeting Minutes
January 19, 2012
Madison, Wisconsin
Present: B. Anderson, B. Anderson, C. Anderson, W. Dawson, R. Buettner, J. Dobrinska, S. Drum, C. Dwyer, J. Ferchoff, S. Gilles, J. Hanna, A. Hill, R. Jansen, T. Koehn, K. Stern, L. Vegoe, M. Zellmer
Absent: M. Kamal, P Lerch, J. Lui, A. Marshal, R. Perez
Resource Staff/Guests: W. Parke-Sutherland, J. Richard, L. Mirkin, S. Milnar
Recorder: Kristin Rolling
Call to Order
Linda Vegoe, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Roll Call
Announcements
Appointments for new and returning members are in process.
Minutes
Moved/seconded to approve minutes with amendments.
Approved.
Old Business
None.
New Business
- Raising the question/issue – email from a human resources organization for
training related to the ADA Amendments. Jodi Hanna will share with DRW
attorney who is working with SHRM on ADA Amendment issues
Observation that the company is using scare tactics to attract people to pay for their training and materials.
Updates
Department of Public Instruction – Wendi Dawson
- DVR, DPI, and the Department of Health Services are promoting a collaborative grant called "Let’s Get to Work." It targets school districts to focus on employment for youth with intellectual disabilities and increase employment out comes. Districts can apply for mini-grants to implement the program. Applications are due this week.
- The Statewide Transition Conference will be held February 9 and 10.
- A statewide form is being developed to track information related to Indicator 13. The form will be available to school districts in the Fall.
National Rehabilitation Association – Cayte Anderson (Vice President of the Wisconsin Rehabilitation Association)
- The NRA national conference will be held in Chicago on August 24 and 25th. They are seeking presentation proposals through January 31st.
- Sarah Sundeen is the new NRA President.
- WRA Board is supporting her appearance and presentation at the RFW Conference
National Coalition of State Rehabilitation Councils – Linda Vegoe
- Working on position paper about the federal government eliminating employment disincentives for people with disabilities.
- Advocating that it be addressed prior to sub-minimum wage and sheltered workshops so people with significant disabilities earning sub-minimum wage can afford to earn to their potential.
Independent Living Council - Wisconsin – Ron Jansen and William Parke-Sutherland
- The appointment process to Governor-appointed councils is looking more closely at the activities of potential members (i.e., Facebook comments, etc.).
- Legislative Days, sponsored by the Wisconsin Coalition if Independent Living Centers (WCILC), will be held on February 8, 2012.
Client Assistance Program – Linda Vegoe
- In federal fiscal year 2011, Wisconsin CAP received 3,035 information and referral calls. Of those, 130 became cases.
WRC Member Comment - Suggestion that there be an overview at a future meeting about how both CAP and Disability Rights Wisconsin work and what their roles are.
WRC Member Question – Are there trends or themes in those 130 cases?
Answer - College funding, self-employment plans, counselor change, and calls related to Independent Living Services. Orthopedic impairments, followed by mental illness, are the most common types of disabilities represented by callers.
Agenda Item: Innovation and Expansion Updates
Charlene Dwyer, JoAnna Richard & Kathleen Enders
- Kathleen – Projects in Process.
- Charlene and JoAnna – Upcoming Initiatives - DVR Update/Presentation (Slides 1-6).
Agenda Item: DVR Reports
Charlene Dwyer, DVR Administrator & JoAnna Richard, DVR Deputy Administrator
- DVR Update/Presentation (Slides 7-11).
- Order of Selection details for discussion at May 2012 WRC meeting.
Agenda Item: Disabled Offenders Economic Security (DOES) Project
Sarah Milnar, Legal Action of Wisconsin
http://prezi.com/kv4kqwwiumui/does-project-wrc-meeting-1192011/
WRC Member Question: Is the program available in federal prisons?
Answer: No, only in state prisons
WRC Member Question: What happens at the time of release if the prisoner has a physical disability and the transitional housing isn’t accessible?
Answer: All of the participants to date have had mental health issues and not physical disabilities so they have not encountered that problem.
WRC Member Question: Is DOES working with community based recovery programs?
Answer: Yes, but if WRC members are aware of organizations or resources that DOES can connect with, the project is happy to take suggestions.
WRC Member Question: How do prisoners find out about DOES?
Answer: Institution social workers inform them.
WRC Member Question: Do you work with juveniles offenders.
Answer: No, DOES works exclusively with adults.
Agenda Item: Workforce Development Area 10
Les Mirkin, WDA 10 Director
- WRC reviewed materials that are used by WDA 10 staff to address consumer “soft skill” challenges.
WRC Member Question: Temporary work or work experiences can affect disability benefits. How do consumers manage that?
Answer: Benefits counseling is sought if there are questio0ns about income and benefit eligibility
WRC member Question: How long does it take for a consumer to develop “soft skills?”
Answer: Each case is different but the average DVR case is 27 months.
WRC Member Question: What is the average caseload for a counselor and how often to counselors contact their consumers?
Answer: The average caseload in WDA 10 is 88. The agency-wide standard for contacting consumers is every 30 days.
WRC Member Question: What is DVR’s relationship with the Society for Human Resource management (SHRM)?
Answer: SHRM proactively contacts DVR with questions and partnership opportunities.
WRC Member Question: Is there enough assessment capacity in WDA 10 to meet the needs of consumers with sensory disabilities? Is there any population that lacks assessment resources?
Answer: WDA 10 is resource rich and most often the resources we need are available.
Agenda Item: Public Comment
None.
Motion/second to adjourn
Meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.