November 10, 2009
Hilton Towers, Harrisburg, PA
Mr. Joseph Kraher convened the meeting at 10:00 a.m. Thanked the officers from last year for their time and dedication to the Council then read the mission statement.
There were no changes to the agenda.
Ms. Linda Williams reported for Dr. Kate Seelman who could not be at the meeting today. Ms. Williams reported that Ms. Edie Schramm, Workforce Development, sent in a report on Monday and Ms. Williams emailed it out to the members and also had copies available at the meeting. Members of the CareerLink committee will discuss it on their next call.
Ms. Jill Kovalcik-Weaver reported the last call was October 19, 2009 and the committee finalized and approved the revised Customer Satisfaction Survey which was on the consent agenda for approval. The next call is scheduled for November 30, 2009 at 11:00 a.m.
Mr. William Murphy stated the committee met on a conference call on October 1, 2009 and approved the PaRC Annual Report. Mr. Murphy stated a transition goal was created for the committee through the efforts of Ms. Linda Loar. The goal is to, "Work collaboratively with other organizations to increase cross-system alignment of transition services for youth with disabilities". On the last conference call the committee requested someone with transition knowledge from OVR be on future committee calls.
Ms. Emily Scott reported the committee met on a conference call October 29, 2009 and had two guests, former member Passle Helminski and Aaron Bishop (HELP committee staff) from Senator Enzi's office. The main topic of discussion was healthcare reform in relation to persons with disabilities and employment especially pre-existing conditions. Position papers will be discussed on the next conference call. Ms. Scott thanked Ms. Lee Eberly and Ms. Linda Williams for all of the work they do for the committee.
Mr. Lawrence Kauffman reported he would be giving a presentation after lunch on the State Plan attachment. He also discussed the timeline for the attachment this year. The Executive Committee will approve the attachment in January 2010 and the Full Council at the February 2010 meeting. On the last conference call, members looked at last year's attachment and were updated on progress made on the recommendations by Ms. Marji Beyer.
Mr. Kraher reported that the PaRC needs members in the geographic areas of Southwest and Northeast Pennsylvania. The Executive committee will discuss recruitment issues on their next call. Mr. Kraher also brought attention to the emails and memo in the meeting packet in regards to reimbursements where there are now no per diems. Staff must have receipts in order to process reimbursements. Ms. Williams let the members know that the August 11, 2010 meeting and the November 11, 2010 meeting would be held at the Crown Plaza in Harrisburg. If members are concerned about accessibility of the new location, they can write a letter to Mr. Gannon requesting a waiver stating the basis for the waiver relative to accessibility concerns. OVR will see that it is forwarded to appropriate travel staff.
Mr. Don Zeigler reported the operating expenses for August were $8,089.19 and for July, the expenses were $206.35, leaving a balance of $53,435.17 as of the end of August.
Mr. Lawrence Kauffman reported he attended the South Central WIB meeting recently and they were working on their local plan for public comment and public hearings, both of which no one attended.
There was discussion that Penn Energy is starting up two new solar technology companies. Additionally, there are Aging Worker Grants in the amount of $971,000 over 3 years from the Federal Government for CareerLinks to provide training on how to use computers for 300 consumers 55 years and older in eight counties in Pennsylvania. At the meeting, Dr. Garrity, the PA SWIB director stated that the PA WIB's are some of the best in the nation due to their partnering with more community colleges. It was also reported, in Franklin/Fulton county jails, inmates are getting job certification by computer.
None.
Mr. Michael Adamus made a motion to approve the consent agenda which included the agenda, minutes, 2009 Annual Report, Customer Satisfaction Survey, and committee briefings. Mr. Kenneth Tuckey seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Mr. Gannon reported that there had been a disagreement on the SILC budget, however with mediation all parties agreed on the third year contract/budget. SILC is currently working on and scheduling (dates/times) for their State Plan hearings. Mr. Gannon encouraged all PaRC members to participate. Persons with disabilities need to participate at these meetings.
Currently with regards to federal funds, OVR is operating under a continuing resolution (CR). They haven't received all their funds and won't until CR matches the budget year. OVR doesn't see a reduction at this time.
Mr. Gannon reported that OVR has a little less in state match of federal resources than they did last year. State VR was eliminated in the budget this year (approx. $ 2 million). Independent living centers funded the same as last year. Assistive technology funds were cut in half. Not sure what the final allocation will be. Beacon Lodge was defunded in the coming year's budget. It has often had funds reinstated in the past.
Mr. Gannon reported there is still no out of state travel, and the hiring freeze is still on as well. Mr. Gannon was asked about members travelling to Washington this year to advocate with legislators and to participate in the National Rehabilitation Association's legislative conference. Mr. Gannon suggested that if members want to go to the NRA conference they should write a letter to him for consideration with copies to Sec. Sandi Vito and Neal Cashman.
Mr. Gannon reported that OVR won a National Council on Rehabilitation Education award for their collaboration with education.
Mr. Lee Lippi reported the following:
Over the last quarter CAP participated in the following meetings and events:
Upcoming events:
Effective January 1, 2010, the new address for the CAP office in Philadelphia will be 1515 Market Street, Suite 1300, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Mr. William Murphy reported that the PSSA test scores have gone up in Pennsylvania. All students are to be at grade level by 2014. Under a single system, all students would be under one roof and the students with the greatest need would get the most intervention. There was discussion about the Keystone exams and how these tests would affect students with disabilities. Mr. Murphy stated that there will need to be accommodations for students who are four to five years behind grade level. It was noted that as long as students are following their IEP, they are allowed to graduate.
There was a question regarding the waiving of college entrance exams for students with disabilities. Ms. Linda Loar noted that some students are auditing courses at some colleges. She noted that the IEP is over, when you go into college.
Ms. Linda Loar reported the Parent Training Initiative (PEN and PEAL) are working to support the State Performance Plan of the State. This included: 1) increasing the graduation rate, 2) decreasing the drop-out rate, 3) improving the Transition planning and writing of measurable goals, 4) doing follow up on youths success one and two years after graduation and increasing parent involvement in all aspects of school. The Parent Groups will be doing parent training on how to prepare a good transition plan and write measurable goals. PATTAN staff will be doing in service training on appropriate assessment for students in transition to find good job matches. The Pennsylvania Youth Leadership Network has been meeting with youth throughout Pennsylvania - 25 in a group in the East and 50 with a group in the Southwest. They are looking to expand the group throughout Pennsylvania.
Ms. Edie Schramm was not present to give a report. Ms. Williams will email Ms. Schramm's report after the meeting and had it available in print at the meeting today.
No one was present from SILC to give a report. (Ms. Melissa Simmons provided a report via email that was sent out to members after the meeting.)
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Mr. Kauffman did a presentation on the State Plan Attachment 4.2 ( c ). Staff was asked to email last year's state plan attachment out for them to send comments into the office. There was discussion on who else or what other groups we should be asking for input from for the attachment. Members stated they thought the citizen advisory committees, vocational providers (vendors), employers, the education community, the PA Youth Leadership council and other organizations in the disability community should be contacted. It was noted that the state plan attachment is the council's means of communication with RSA. Members were asked to review last year's attachment with organizations they are involved with for feedback. Members viewed a training module on the state plan and the attachment at the end of the presentation.
The next Full Council meeting will be on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at the Hilton Towers in Harrisburg, PA.
The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council
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