Important Listening Session with DHHS and MDSOAB 9/26 5-7pm Lewiston

NEWS FLASH! You’re invited!
Come join the conversation about a Continuum of Care for those with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism
 
What?        Listening Session of Interest to Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders, to Their Families, and to Those Who Care for Them
When?       Thursday, September 26, 5 to 7 p.m.
Where?      Community Concepts, 240 Bates Street, Lewiston (parking off Blake Street)
 
The Maine Developmental Services Oversight and Advisory Board (MDSOAB) and the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) want to know how well the current system of care serves Maine citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities or autism spectrum disorder and how well it embodies these principles.
We invite comment on the following propositions, which we believe represent a set of principles that a good system of care should follow. 
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Specifically:

• Where and how do shortcomings or obstacles in the current system of care get in the way of implementing and fulfilling this model?
• We’d also welcome suggestions on how services might be delivered in order to better embody these values.

Partnership. Support for an individual is a partnership among the individual, family, community and government. The role of each party varies by individual, and over the lifespan of support.
Lifespan. People need different types and amounts of supports over their lifespan. Formal supports [provided by government] complement and supplement natural supports provided by family and community.   Supports include affordable, stable housing; competitive employment; comprehensive healthcare; accessible, reliable transportation; financial stability; continuing education; and planning for aging.
Community Inclusion. People are included and engaged in their communities. Inclusion is promoted and facilitated by both natural and formal supports.
Person Centered. The person drives the planning process. The person, family, and community are all involved in planning supports as they evolve over time. Supports are based on the wants, goals, and needs of the individual and change over the lifespan. Self-advocacy and self-determination are primary values.
Choice and Flexibility. People are entitled to have a broad array of choices about how they live their lives and the form that supports take. Formal supports should be flexible and adaptable to individual preferences and needs.
Coordinated Access and Quality Outcomes. Supports should exist that are based on these principles, and if they do not there’s clear recourse and a path to solve problems or challenges.
 

Questions about this event? Contact Mark Kemmerle, Executive Director of the MDSOAB, at [email protected]  If you cannot attend, you may send written comments.