Navigation Menu - Text-based navigation appears at the bottom of the page.
Home (Ctrl/Alt + H) About Us (Ctrl/Alt + A) Teams (Ctrl/Alt + T) Intake (Ctrl/Alt + I) News and Recent Publications (Ctrl/Alt + N) Employment Opportunities (Ctrl/Alt + E) Links (Ctrl/Alt + L) Contact Us (Ctrl/Alt + C) E-mail Us (Ctrl/Alt + M)

GOALS 2007 - 2008

(NOTE: for Goals from previous years, click 2006-2007, 2005-2006, 2004-2005, 2003-2004, 2002-2003)

FY 08 Service Goals
Organized by Team Specific Focus Area

Approved by the Board of Directors August 17, 2007.

Contents:

 

Focus Area 1: Conditions in Institutional Facilities (IC Team)

  1. Improving quality assurance programs and health and safety protection programs as they relate to individuals with disabilities and their rights to be free from abuse and neglect.
  2. Improving safety and welfare including healthcare, services, supports, and access to diversion, admission, transfer and discharge for individuals with disabilities in civil and forensic institutions.
  3. Increasing and improving access to meaningful dispute resolution forums, including complaint resolution, mediation, and due process systems for individuals with disabilities alleging violations of civil, legal, or human rights.
  4. Reducing and eventually eliminating the use of restraint and seclusion of individuals with disabilities.
  5. Improving the rights of and protections for children in state custody.
  6. Safeguarding and increasing the rights, health, safety and self-advocacy skills of individuals residing in state mental health treatment facilities.
  7. Safeguarding and increasing the rights, health, safety and self-advocacy skills of individuals residing in state developmental disabilities institutions and selected community-based institutions serving individuals with developmental disabilities.

 

Focus Area 2: Community Access to Resources, Entitlements and Services (CARES Team)

  1. Protecting and advocating for the rights of the individuals with disabilities impacted by implementation of Florida’s Medicaid Reform Sec. 1115 Research and Demonstration Waiver.
  2. Increasing and improving access to essential home and community-based services and supports that are or should be provided by Florida’s Medicaid program and Medicaid waivers. Services include Durable Medical Equipment (DME), environmental modifications and health care services under state Medicaid and Developmental Disabilities waivers designed to allow individuals to reside in non-institutional settings including supported living and residential group homes.
  3. Increasing and improving access to meaningful dispute resolution forums, including complaint resolution, mediation and due process systems, to vindicate rights violations such as medical benefits and entitlement, denial of information about rights or legal assistance and community habilitation services.

 

Focus Area 3: Education (ED Team)

  1. Ensuring the provision of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) to individual students with disabilities in Florida
  2. Assisting state and local agencies to implement improvements to policies and procedures throughout Florida in the provision of services to students with disabilities and ensuring local educational agency compliance and state educational agency enforcement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, federal regulations and state rules to ensure school districts provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities.
  3. Improving and monitoring the provision of services to students with disabilities in or at risk of entering the "school to prison pipeline" in Hillsborough County.
  4. Protecting the educational rights of students with disabilities in the dependency (foster care) system.
  5. Protecting the educational rights of students with disabilities in the delinquency system (Department of Juvenile Justice).
  6. Improving access to transition supports and services, including but not limited to meaningful career training, post-school educational planning, agency collaboration, and self-advocacy rights education.
  7. Utilizing and improving parent access to dispute resolution mechanisms including mediation, resolution meetings and due process complaints.

 

Focus Area 4: Employment (EMP Team)

  1. Increasing and expanding access to employment opportunities, with special focus on workplace accommodations, competitive employment, employer awareness, ticket to work and self-employment.
  2. Increasing access to assistive technology, training and support services and worksite modifications to assist individuals to prepare for and/or engage in employment.
  3. Increasing and improving access to transition plans, services and service coordination, including but not limited to meaningful careers, higher education planning, benefits planning, vocational rehabilitation, voter registration and rights education.
  4. Increasing employment opportunities for individuals with mental health disabilities.
  5. Improving the quality of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation/Division of Blind Services Plan, policymaking, and operation of Vocational Rehabilitation services.
  6. Increasing and improving access to meaningful dispute resolution forums, including complaint resolution, mediation, and due process systems for individuals to vindicate rights violations in Vocational Rehabilitation.

 

Focus Area 5: Equal Access to the Community (EAC Team)

  1. Increasing physical and programmatic access to the state court system and the public services housed within courthouses and ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in the area of court and courthouse based services.
  2. Increasing physical and programmatic access to publicly funded services under Title II & III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act including but not limited to universal design, information and assistive technologies, and post-secondary education.
  3. Expanding the range of options for safe, affordable, and accessible housing and ensuring compliance with the Fair Housing Act, Section 504, Florida Building Code and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  4. Increasing physical and programmatic access to publicly funded services, with special focus on transportation services.
  5. Increasing physical and programmatic access to publicly funded services, with special focus on the Older American's Act, guardianship and foster care transition to the community.

 

Focus Area 6: Self-Determination (S-D Team)

  1. Expanding and increasing opportunities for economic self-empowerment for individuals with disabilities through greater personal control over the management and use of public benefits and personal assets, and through new asset development programs and policy initiatives.
  2. Increasing access to least restrictive alternatives to guardianship and guardian advocacy; ensuring that adequate legal protections are afforded to individuals during and after appointment of a guardian or guardian advocate.
  3. Reducing occurrences of abuse, neglect and exploitation of individuals with disabilities in community settings, as well as limitations or restrictions on their personal choices.
  4. Increasing access to person centered planning and self-determination through education and expanded opportunities for individual and systemic self-advocacy.
  5. Expanding and increasing opportunities for self-empowerment for individuals with disabilities through expanded access to voting rights and civic participation.
  6. Promoting the adoption and implementation of a Medicaid Buy-in program as authorized by the federal Ticket to Work legislation, to provide continuing Medicaid benefits to individuals who would otherwise exceed income and asset eligibility thresholds for Medicaid because of work activity.

 

Focus Area 7: Intake and Referral Services (FIRST)

  1. Improving information and referral services to individuals with disabilities.

 

Focus Area 8: Policy and Legislative Education, Communication, Outreach, Volunteer, Training and Self-Advocacy Projects

  1. Expanding accessible, technology enhanced and culturally competent services, outreach and training efforts.
  2. Ensuring that effective and appropriate public policy is established for individuals with disabilities.
  3. Increasing public awareness of the Advocacy Center’s mission, service goals, needs of individuals with disabilities, disability issues, and other key information.