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NTDC Council Minutes 2004

November 8, 2004

Bethesda, MD

Welcome and Opening Business

Introductions and Attendance
Chairperson Ann Cox opened the meeting at 8:10 am, introduced officers, and welcomed the group. Attendees introduced themselves. The following were present:

Ann Cox, Chair (VA); Jane Beatson (VT), Richard Blumberg (NJ), Christine Burns, visitor (NY-Rochester); Crystal Clement (AUCD), Kay Conklin (MO), Denise Delagarza (TX), Nancy Deringer (ID), Michelle Doty (ID), David Deere (AR), Robert Fain (MO), Larry Gallagher for Karen Applequist (AZ), Ann Bradford Harris (CA-USC Children's Hospital), Sharon Hauss, visitor (IN-Bloomington); David Helm, Immediate Past-Chair (MA-Boston); Rita Hohlstein (WI), Judith Holt (UT), Charles Hughes (MS), Katie Keiling (IL), Steven Koch, Vice-Chair (IN-Indianapolis), Scott Lindgren, visitor (IA); Terry Longhurst (WY), Carmen MilagrosVelazVega (PR), Andrew Morris, trainee (OR); Vicki Pappas, Secretary (IN-Bloomington); Roz Parrish (OH-Cincinnati), Mary Jane Rapport (CO), Carolyn Richardson (NM), Paula Rabidoux (OH-Columbus), Matt Reese (KS), Ruth Roberts (TN), Angela Rosenberg (NC), Karrie Shogren, trainee (KS), Kathleen Shelton (OR-Portland), Denise Sofka, (MCHB), Norma Jean Stodden (HI), Sally Stuart (WA), Stephen Sulkes (NY-Rochester), Jeanette Valentine, trainee (WA); Susan Vig (NY-Bronx), Ann Cameron Williams, Virtual Trainee (IL), Diane Williams (WV), Janet Willis, visitor (VA); and Mary Ann Zeppuhar (WV).

ACTION: Vicki Pappas asked the members present to update their NTDC roster listing. She had previously requested updates via the NTDC listserv to those not present. The roster will be used to update the NTDC website directory and listserv.

ACTION: Ann requested mentors for two new Training Directors. Steve Koch will be a mentor to Katie Keiling (IL), and Judith Holt will be one for Diane Williams (WV).

Election Results
David Helm, as Chair of the Nominations Committee reported on the election process, conducted this year for the first time via email. He felt the return was good, with about the same number of training directors voting as those who sued to vote in person at the meetings. David announced the new officers for the 2004-2007 term:

Steve Koch, Chair
Judith Holt, Vice-Chair
Kay Conklin, Secretary

Training Symposium
Ann thanked Steve Koch for organizing this year's Training Symposium on Outcome Evaluation and Participatory Action Research. Steve reported that this year's pre-registration was the highest ever (about 85).

Health Administration Discipline Meeting
Andrew Morris and Kathy Shelton reported. The coordinators met in February, and determined that a revised curriculum was needed, the last curriculum being developed in 1987. The new curriculum includes several areas of focus: strategic planning, social marketing, marketing of health care, clinical operations and financial management, finance, and business planning using the small business model.

ACTION: Andrew seeks input from the Training Directors, and will seek feedback via the listserv in December

Work Group Progress Reports

Trainee Linkages: David Deere
David reported that the purpose of his work group was to look at ways to link trainees to the entire AUCD Network. He thanked the Training Directors for encouraging their trainees to participate in the survey; he received 124 responses (4%). Even though the return rate was low, there was helpful information from those who did reply: (a) trainees use LendLinks, the web page, and the listserv most frequently; (b) trainees deem the Trainee web page, teleconference classes, and collaboration on projects as most helpful; and (c) they advised better advertising of linkage information, more effective orientation programs, and more effective electronic information. David thanked Crystal Clement of AUCD for her assistance in setting up the survey and developing the report.

Health Disparities: Matt Reese
Matt noted that this work group had evolved from a former Training Symposium. The group has developed some curriculum areas and abstracts for use in Centers' own curriculum. There was consensus about the curriculum areas that they be broad and beyond developmental disabilities.

Examples of curriculum material summaries for the first four, of nine, targeted areas to be displayed on the website were provided to the group:

  1. The social/cultural context of healthcare
  2. The business of healthcare
  3. Poverty, SES, and healthcare
  4. Definition of health , health disparities, measurement , and epidemiology
  5. Access to private and public health insurance and health insurance coverage in DD
  6. Successful preservice training curriculum in DD
  7. Successful urban, rural, and school models of health care in DD
  8. Empowerment, self determination and advocacy in health care and DD
  9. Successful system change strategies in health care for people with DD

Matt's group is checking for future funding streams, additional curriculum content and resources as they continue to "beef up" the resources. They also would like to devise ways for more trainee involvement in the work group.

Recruitment and Retention: Angela Rosenberg
Angela reported that the purpose of this workgroup is to examine how to recruit more effectively, especially by discipline and ethnic/racial backgrounds. The group attempted to identify via NIRS data what was happening in the network in order to then identify ways to support each other to assist recruitment efforts.

Kelly Myles (AUCD NIRS Consultant) presented reports illustrating ethnicity and discipline, gender and discipline, and financial support by discipline and ethnicity. Angela suggested these be used to inform discussion on the issues. Due to confidentiality restrictions, the workgroup cannot access identifying data from individual programs. Central Office can run aggregate data for the entire network so individual Centers can compare their local results to national trends. Kelly also reviewed how to run the reports in NIRS.

Angela thanked Kelly and the AUCD Central Office for their assistance in the use of NIRS to generate the reports needed by this work group.

Work Group Meetings
At this point in the agenda, members re-convened to attend their choice of work group meetings: Recruitment and Retention, Trainee Linkages, Health Disparities, and Information technology. The groups met to plan activities for the coming year.

Work Group Reports
Each work group reported on its future plans.

Recruitment and Retention
The group discussed how to look at the current data and how to compare it to national and state Census data. They identified some future discussion areas: (a) looking at faculty to increase diversity, (b) strategies for linking with academic institutions, and (c) assistance in recruiting. They noted that the Multicultural Council is developing a publication on changing demographics.

ACTION: The Recruitment and Retention Work Group set the following as areas it wishes to address in the coming year:

  1. Angela is stepping down as chair, so a new chair for this work group needs to be identified.
  2. There is a need for a national philosophy regarding what is meant by "recruitment of ethnicity and race."
  3. Each state/site would develop specific goals and objectives through NIRS and the philosophy statement.
  4. Discussion: are we training for a national presence or for our own communities?
  5. Look at disability as diversity, currently an optional category in NIRS.

Trainee Linkages: David Deere
Participants: David Deere (AR), David Helm (MA), Rita Hohlstein (WI), Katie Keiling (IL), Sue Pearson (IA), Ruth Roberts (TN), Norma Jean Stodden (HI), Steve Sulkes (Rochester, NY), Jeanette Valentine (WA), Susan Vig (NY-Rose Kennedy), Ann Cameron Williams (IL - Virtual Trainee), and Mary Ellen Zeppuhar (WV).

Participants discussed their activities that focused on linking trainees with the larger network. Participants agreed that it was helpful to learn about each other's activities and were surprised at the level of activity. The following is a summary of the activities described for the group:

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    • West Virginia collaborated with the LEND program in Pittsburg. Each trainee was required to turn in a copy of the AUCD Trainee Webpage as evidence that they had visited the site.
    • Illinois included information about the network in their curriculum.
    • Arkansas reported they shared site visits between their trainees and the ones at the Boling Center. With the programs at the Boling Center in Memphis, the MIND program in Nashville, and Riley Child Development Center in Indiana, they used trainees to plan and administer a conference on use of educational technology. With the two Tennessee programs, they also held a teleconference to help trainees get acquainted, then used WebCT to conduct discussions throughout the year.
    • In addition to joint activities with Arkansas and the program at Vanderbilt, the Boling Center in Tennessee checked with each trainee to confirm that they have subscribed to the listserv.
    • The Strong Center in New York conducted joint classes with other training programs, sent trainees to the Governmental Affairs Seminar, established a Website on Blackboard (their platform for online instruction), and automatically forwarded messages from AUCD to the trainees.
    • The Rose Kennedy Center in New York conducted collaborative activities with their training programs in medicine and allied health. They also took their trainees to the computer lab to connect with the AUCD site. For their time-limited trainees, they included information about the network during orientation.
    • Iowa participated in a mid-western group, where they exchanged site visits with one another and conducted a trainee poster fair. They conducted a cross-site discussion about cultural competency via WebCT.
    • The Institute for Community Inclusion reported they have a large number of short-term trainees, which makes linkage particularly difficult for that group. They forwarded to trainees the AUCD legislative briefs and sent trainees to the Governmental Affairs Seminar. They found joint activities with the Shriver Center useful, especially in light of the fact they are in the same city. They are planning a regional event with the programs in Vermont, New Hampshire, and the two Boston programs.
    • Wisconsin reported they have used their Leadership Seminar to inform trainees about the network. The training director notified trainees about postings to the threaded discussions on the trainee website. They sent trainees to the AMCHP meeting and used WebCT for some lively discussions.

The workgroup affirmed the work done by the virtual trainees during the past and current years. They expressed an interest in supporting Ann Cameron Williams in her activities during the rest of this year. The group commended the work done by the Board and Central Office of AUCD to promote trainee involvement in the network.

ACTION: The Trainee Linkages Work Group set the following as areas it wishes to address in the coming year:

  1. The Work Group agreed to try using the Training Directors' Message Board to conduct its work during the year: e.g., what do we do locally/regionally? What do we do nationally? The facilitator will notify the members when there is information posted and invite discussion from group members.
  2. The Work Group will consider instituting a program of Trainee Mentors with current and former trainees.
  3. David agreed to continue as chair of the Trainee Linkages Work Group for next year.

Health Disparities

Participants: Matt Reese, Chair; Kay Conklin, Judith Holt, Scott Lindgren, Karrie Shogren,
and Carmen Velez.

The group discussed curriculum areas and shared materials and formats. Matt agreed to continue as chair of the Health Disparities Work Group for next year, along with trainee Karrie Shogren.

ACTION: The Health Disparities Work Group reviewed the materials and provided feedback. Participants set the following as areas it wishes to address in the coming year:

  • The participants suggested that the curriculum nine areas be condensed and broadened, with subcategories as appropriate:
  1.  
    1. Definition of health, health disparities, measurement, and epidemiology
    2. Social/Cultural factors related to health care/health disparities, including poverty, gender, age, disability
    3. Access to health care
      1.  
        • The business of health care and making a profit
        • Medicaid and DD
        • Medicare and DD
        • Private insurance and DD
        • Empowerment/Self-Determination in accessing health-care
    4. Successful system change efforts to improve health care in DD: rural, urban, and school models
    5. Suggested including areas not addressed in original list: e.g., gender and age issues as they relate to health disparities
    6. Eliminate the beginner/advanced materials distinction, because thus differs significantly based on discipline, background and it my limit some people from reviewing materials that may be useful to them
    7. Seek further information from:
      1.  
        • Health Services Administration Discipline Heads
        • Training directors-LEND
        • Training directors-UCEDD
        • Ask people to forward to anyone who is interested
        • Include clear link in message to send materials to
        • Include trainees in the process
        • Send request to LEND network asking Training Directors to identify interested faculty/trainees
        • Send now, as well as next summer when new trainees are coming in
        • Identify further resources

Information Technology

Participants: Vicki Pappas, Chair; Ann Bradford Harris, Sally Stuart, Charles Hughes, Roz Parrish, Rick Blumberg, and Crystal Clement from AUCD.

The group defined their function as a work group: to gather information about available resources available through and with information technology and to enhance development and utilization the Training Directors' website, listserv, and Message Board. The work group members also reviewed pages of the current Training Directors website and made suggestions for Vicki to forward to AUCD for implementation.

ACTION: The Information Technology Work Group set the following as areas it wishes to address in the coming year:

  1. Update the Training Director's Directory page by January (Vicki).
  2. Implement the suggested reorganizational changes for the Training Directors web pages (Vicki to forward suggestions to AUCD).
  3. Compile and add Web-based training resources to the Resource page (Ann).
  4. Update Core Course pages, including Disability Studies programs (Sally).
  5. Consider possibilities for re-design of website (e.g., features such as pop-up windows) that would make the pages more useful to directors and outside users (Charles).
  6. Work with the Executive Committee to enhance use of listserv and Message Board (e.g., identify questions, compile replies, and mount summaries on the website as FAQ's).
  7. Work with Work Group Chairs to add and update web pages for their work, reports, and resources.
  8. Survey the Training Directors to see what they would like to see on the NTDC website.
  9. Encourage all surveys requested by Training Directors be conducted via AUCD's web-based survey format.
  10. Check to see if we can monitor the number of visits/hits the NTDC pages receive.
  11. Consider the possibility of creating a new page: NIRS Information for Training Directors. Work with Central Office and others to create standard reports appropriate for Training Directors (e.g., Personnel Prep grants received, trainee reports, trainee follow-up announcements)

Closing Business
Resource Announcements
Ann shared two new resources developed by the VA UCE: The VCU web course on Abuse and Neglect of Children and Adults with DD and Profiles in Excellence: Former Trainees.
Comments from MCHB
Denise Sofka noted how great it is to work with all the Training Directors. She thanked them and NTDC for all their activities.
Comments from Steve Koch, Chair-Elect
Steve thanked Ann Cox for her nine years of leadership with the Training Directors Council as Secretary, Vice-Chair, Chair, and AUCD Board representative. David Deere, on behalf of the Executive Committee, presented Ann with a gift.
Steve also thanked the work group chairs. He plans to continue the work group concept that Ann initiated this past year. He also intends to continue the use of periodic conference calls with the Executive Committee to provide updates on Council and AUCD activities and move the Council forward. The Executive Committee calls include the three elected officers, the four work group chairs, an AUCD staff member, and AUCD's Virtual Trainee.

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Adjournment
Ann adjourned the meeting at 10:55 am.

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Respectfully submitted,
Vicki Pappas, NTDC Secretary