January 22, 2010
CONNECTICUT COUNCIL ON DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF GRANT FUNDS
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR 2010 INITIATIVES
The Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities announces the availability of funds for initiatives that promote the full inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in community life. The Council makes funds available to implement its mission in accordance with its State Plan and the federal Developmental Disabilities Act. The Council is seeking partners to implement advocacy, capacity building and systems change initiatives. Private and public entities are encouraged to respond to the request for proposals (RFPs) described in this document. The definition of "developmental disabilities" and a description of each initiative for which proposals are requested are included in this publication, posted on our Web site at .gov/ctcdd, and are available from the Council Office at (860) 418-6160, (860) 418-6172 (TTY), or 1-800-653-1134. This RFP is also posted on the State of Connecticut’s web portal at .state.ct.us/Purchase/Portal_Bids_Open.asp. Applications for funds may also be obtained from our Web site or by contacting the Council Office. Applications for funds are due in the Council Office no later th an 4:30 p.m., Monday, February 22 , 2010 . Late applications will not be accepted. Funding for initiatives is contingent upon the availability of funds. Not all initiatives may be funded. The Council will make decisions about awards on Thursday, March 4, 2010 for 12 month initiatives beginning April 1, 2010.
RFP #1: Informing and educating families on rights, services and supports to obtain meaningful early intervention and public education for their children.
A. Name of Initiative: Grassroots intensive parent training on inclusive education.
B. Purpose: To provide grassroots intensive training on using special education law to achieve inclusion and to avoid the use of aversives, restraints and seclusion.
C. Activities: The Council will fund the creation or purchase of materials and the presentation of workshops around the state for parents on inclusive education, family focused positive behavioral interventions, and reporting the uses of aversives, restraints and seclusion. The intent of this training and workshops is to provide parents with day-to-day survival skills.
D. Expected Outcomes: (1) Some number of parents who have children with developmental disabilities use special education law to achieve full and appropriate inclusion of their children in regular classrooms of their home public school. (2) Some number of parents who have children with developmental disabilities report avoiding the use of aversives, restraints and seclusion. (3) Some number of parents who have children with developmental disabilities report using family focused positive behavioral interventions. (4) Some number of parents who have children with developmental disabilities report the use of aversives, restraints and seclusion.
E. Eligible Applicants: Private and public entities are encouraged to apply.
F. Funding: Up to $40,000 is available for the period April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. Grants can be renewed for up to 3 years based upon performance. It is anticipated $36,000 will be available in year 2 and $32,400 will be available in year 3. Respondents should only apply for the cost of activities for year 1 . Respondents are to provide (match) 25% of the total cost of the initiative each year.
RFP #2: Inform youth and their families about post education opportunities.
A. Name of Initiative: Training parents on building circles of support, the McGill Action Planning System (MAPS) and Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH).
B. Purpose: To teach parents, simple, values-based, graphical tools for planning for the transition of their children with developmental disabilities to the adult world.
C. Activities: The Council will fund individuals and entities skilled in building circles of support, MAPS and PATH to do regional workshops around Connecticut. Applicants are to obtain and use the new “PATH and MAPS Handbook: Person-centered Ways to Build Community” from Inclusion Press, Toronto, Canada.
D. Expected Outcomes: (1) Some number of parents who have children with developmental disabilities preparing to transition to the adult world report having built and sustained circles of support, or MAPS and PATH plans. (2) Some number of parents who have children with developmental disabilities preparing to transition to the adult world use circles of support, or MAPS or PATH plans, with their children to build personal networks, make connections to generic community associations, and develop positive future plans.
E. Eligible Applicants: Private and public entities are encouraged to apply.
F. Funding: Up to $40,000 is available for the period April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. Grants can be renewed for up to 3 years based upon performance. It is anticipated $36,000 will be available in year 2 and $32,400 will be available in year 3. Respondents should only apply for the cost of activities for year 1. Respondents are to provide (match) 25% of the total cost of the initiative each year.
RFP #3: Increase training and education for physicians and dentists with regard to patients with developmental disabilities.
A. Name of Initiative: CT Medical Safeguards Program in In-patient Settings
B. Purpose: To start up a medical safeguards program, based on the Massachusetts Medical Safeguards Program, to protect the lives of people with developmental disabilities in in-patient settings. Hospitalization experiences by people with developmental disabilities indicate a need for a group of physicians, nurses, other medical practitioners and advocates to protect the health and lives of people with developmental disabilities in in-patient settings. People with developmental disabilities are at-risk to threats on their health, well-being and life in health care settings.
C. Activities: The Council will support purchasing advice, consultation and technical assistance from the Massachusetts Medical Safeguard project and the Social Role Valorization Implementation Project to assure that a CT Medical Safeguards project has consistent values. The Council will support the start-up of a safeguards program.
D. Expected Outcomes: (1) A group of physicians, nurses, other medical practitioners and advocates on-call, on contract or otherwise committed and regarded as the CT Medical Safeguards Project. (2) Formal arrangements with the MA Medical Safeguards Project and Social Role Valorization Implementation Project for advice, consultation and technical assistance. (3) A plan for promotion of the project, outreach to individuals and families and response.
E. Eligible Applicants: Private and public entities are encouraged to apply.
F. Funding: Up to $40,000 is available for the period April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. Grants can be renewed for up to 3 years based upon performance. It is anticipated $36,000 will be available in year 2 and $32,400 will be available in year 3. Respondents should only apply for the cost of activities for year 1. Respondents are to provide (match) 25% of the total cost of the initiative each year.
RFP #4: Increase the availability of personal assistant and personal management services.
A. Name of Initiative: Naturally Occurring Living Communities: Aging In Place Demonstration
B. Purpose: To demonstrate the organization and delivery of services and supports to people with developmental disabilities who are aging and already living independently, or with whom they have chosen, in their homes in their communities with their neighbors who may not have disabilities.
C. Activities: The Council will support a regional demonstration based on the Beacon Hill (Boston, MA) Village aging-in-place in the community model that includes people with developmental disabilities. Applicants are expected to purchase and use the Beacon Hill Village Founders Manual and the NEW Supplement to the Manual. Respondents are expected to adapt the Beacon Hill Village concept and process in a demonstration centered around people with developmental disabilities who are aging and already living independently, or with whom they have chosen, in their homes in their communities with their neighbors who may not have disabilities. Respondents are expected to work closely with AgePlan, NY (www.ageplan.com), an advocacy and training network that promotes successful aging across the lifespan, and the CT Council, to explore networking this demonstration with one or more model demonstrations in Nevada.
D. Eligible Applicants: Private and public entities are encouraged to apply.
E. Expected Outcomes: (1) Some number of people with developmental disabilities who are aging and already living independently, or with whom they have chosen, living in their homes in their communities, with their neighbors who may not have disabilities, receiving services and supports based on the Beacon Hill Village aging-in-place in the community model. (2) Some number of people with developmental disabilities who are aging and already living independently, or with whom they have chosen, living in their homes in their communities, with their neighbors who may not have disabilities, prevented from being institutionalized. (3) A demonstration of using the Beacon Hill Village and AgePlan concepts to support people with developmental disabilities who are aging and already living independently, or with whom they have chosen, living in their homes in their communities, with their neighbors who may not have disabilities. (4) Promotion of the model demonstration with policymakers as an alternative to institutionalization.
F. Funding: Up to $40,000 is available for the period April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. Grants can be renewed for up to 3 years based upon performance. It is anticipated $36,000 will be available in year 2 and $32,400 will be available in year 3. Respondents should only apply for the cost of activities for year 1. Respondents are to provide (match) 25% of the total cost of the initiative each year.
RFP #5: Working with architects, developers and landlords on incorporation of universal design.
A. Name of Initiative: Visitable SmartHomes that Incorporate Universal Design
B. Purpose: To increase awareness among archetects, home builders and housing groups that will encourage the creation of housing stock that is easily modified so that people with developmental disabilities have more options about where they can live and so that there is more wheelchair accessible housing in general.
C. Activities: The Council will support the promotion with architects, developers and landlords creating accessible housing stock that combines wheelchair accessibility and universal design features with an intelligent living environment, environment-friendly habitation and technical innovation. The Council’s intent is to encourage the creation of housing that is dispersed and integrated in communities and not segregated units or communities. Respondents are expected to explore programs such as Georgia’s EasyLiving Home program and SmartHome technology pioneered by Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. Respondents are expected to (1) build and maintain a coalition of housing and citizen partners, (2) promote visitability, SmartHome technology and universal design with homebuilders associations and housing groups and (3) conduct a public awareness, education and marketing campaign on the value of visitable SmartHomes that incorporate universal design.
D. Eligible Applicants: Private and public entities are encouraged to apply.
E. Expected Outcomes: The successful bidder will (1) Create a coalition of housing and citizen partners, (2) Increase awareness about visitable, SmartHome technology and universal design through promotion and public education, and (3) resulting in an (1) an increase in the housing stock in Connecticut that incorporates visitability, SmartHome technology and universal design.
F. Funding : Up to $40,000 is available for the period April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. Grants can be renewed for up to 3 years based upon performance. It is anticipated $36,000 will be available in year 2 and $32,400 will be available in year 3. Respondents should only apply for the cost of activities for year 1. Respondents are to provide (match) 25% of the total cost of the initiative each year.
RFP #6: Transportation
A. Name of Initiative: Transportation Demonstration with a Transit District
B. Purpose: To promote policy change through a demonstration with a transit district to improve the accessibility, affordability and availability of public transportation.
C. Activities: The Council will fund a demonstration with a transit district on the use of wheelchair accessible cooperative transportation models, such as the independent transportation network pioneered in Portland, Maine, or an on-demand, wheelchair accessible system that enables people with developmental disabilities to get transportation to attend meetings and events of their choice that are open to the general public in their community. Council funds are not be used with separate and segregated transportation programs or to transport people with developmental disabilities to programs run by agencies in the field of disabilities.
D. Expected Outcomes: (1) A demonstration of wheelchair accessible transportation enables people with developmental disabilities to attend meetings and events of their choice that are open to the general public. (2) Some number of people with developmental disabilities attend meetings and events of their choice that are open to the general public in their community.
E. Eligible Applicants: Transit districts are encouraged to apply.
F. Funding: Up to $40,000 is available for the period April 1, 2010 through March 31, 2011. Grants can be renewed for up to 3 years based upon performance. It is anticipated $36,000 will be available in year 2 and $32,400 will be available in year 3. Respondents should only apply for the cost of activities for year 1. Respondents are to provide (match) 25% of the total cost of the initiative each year.
RFP #7: Young Activists
A. Name of Initiative: Enabling Youth with Developmental Disabilities Under the Age of 21 to be Active Advocates Locally, Statewide and Nationally.
B. Purpose: To develop new, young, emerging leaders to revitalize the disability advocacy movement.
C. Activities: The Council will fund an entity to support young people with
developmental disabilities to become activists on issues of importance to young people with developmental disabilities and their families. Permitted activities include using and respecting the administrative, bureaucratic and democratic process; how to testify; public speaking; participation on generic agency boards, commissions and councils, and observing when civil disobedience is appropriate. Funds may be used to acquire mentoring, role-models and technical assistance on civil rights. Youth may not be supported to be part of civil disobedience but they may be supported to observe when such tactics are appropriate. Youth may not travel to be demonstrators but youth may travel to events concerning issues of importance to young people with developmental disabilities, including visits with members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation. Funds are not intended to be used simply to enable participation in conferences and meetings. Funds are not intended to be used for events specific to a disability label. The entity awarded funds will be the recipient of requests for support from youth with developmental disabilities or their advocates. The entity will decide on the appropriateness of requests.