Multicultural Council Minutes

March 7, 2007

I. Attendance

A. Mat McCullough - AUCD Central office
B. Tokesha Warner - Vanderbilt LEND (MCC Chair)
C. Laura Robinson - Rochester
D. Gaetano (Guy) Lotrecchiano - Children's Hospital, DC (MCC Vice-Chair)
E. Gordin Richins - Utah (COCA Co-Chair)
F. Sachin Pavithran- Utah
G. Jean Beatson - Vermont
H. Maria Blanco - Louisiana State University
I. Carl Dosier - Madison, Wisconsin (COCA)
J. Carolyn Richardson - New Mexico LEND
K. J. Kimberly Walker-Norton - OHSU (MCC Past Chair)

 

II. Follow-up on the Letter to the Board

A. The letter was not signed by all council chairs as was suggested in our meeting, but included the signatures of the Chair and Past-Chair
B. The letter was submitted to the Board at the meeting on November 1, 2006. The letter was accepted by the President and the Council was thanked for their input.

 

III. Board and Council Chairs updates

A. Annual meeting

1. The Diversity Survey was accepted as revised on 11-1-2006
2. The Board requested an implementation plan (timeline) be submitted at the Winter Board meeting

B. Winter meeting

1. A timeline was submitted for the Diversity survey, calling for a March launch with an April deadline

• March 1 or March 15: Online Survey disseminated to the AUCD Network
• April 1 or April 15: Survey Deadline
• May 2007: Analysis of Raw Data
• June 2007: Preliminary survey results shared with Board
• November 2007: Share 2007 survey results and provide comparisons & differences between 2003 and 2007 survey results

2. Summer Board meeting before being presented to the network at the Annual Meeting

3. Council Chairs were asked to collaborate on a definition for Interdisciplinary

4. 1-hour dedicated to the issue of diversity in the Network

5. The Legislative Committee is working with Cornerstone on issue brief restoring funding, COLA increases and funding planning grants for minority serving institutions.

6. There have been discussions on raising the capacity of existing UCEDDs and increasing the involvement of minority institutions through training grants in the reauthorization of the DD Act.

C. Council Chairs have prepared letters to all UCEDD and LEND Director's requesting appointment of representations to the Councils

1. Letters include a link to each Council's website and hotlink to email each council chair by clicking on our signatures.
2. Letter will soon be distributed to all Program Directors

IV. MCC Strategic plan and action planning

A. Diversity Survey

1. We need to collect how the data was collected (i.e., self-reported, HR records, data entry person's guess, etc.)
2. MCC Action Plan (this is a DRAFT)

a. Drawing from the MCC letter to the Board and the charge from the Board after the Winter Board Meeting.

B. Trainee involvement in the Councils

1. Goal is to get trainees more involved and connected to the network.
2. Get trainees involved on the Council level
3. Set-up a network mentoring program for trainees (mentoring trainees across projects)
4. Take the research approach to gain trainee interest

V. Annual Meeting and Training Symposium

A. Themes for the Annual Meeting

1. Tomorrow is Here Today: The Interrelationship between Research, Education, Service and Policy.

B. Some topics suggested from last year's Training Symposium are:

1. Last year's topic was Violence Prevention
2. Emergency and Disaster preparedness for Persons with Disabilities
3. Autism Spectrum Disorders

VI. Review of new MCC website

A. Most council members on the call have viewed the website.
B. Feedback:

1. Lots of information coming at you at once.
2. Some things blend into the background.
3. Print may need to be larger.
4. Color choices may need to be more dramatic to avoid blending into the background.