Telepsychiatry
& Telegenetics in the Underserved Eastern Sierra and Tribal Communities
This project will provide essential psychiatric and genetic services to Kern Regional Center clients who live in remote areas. Four clinics will be established at generic sites in the Eastern Sierra: Bishop; Mammoth; Ridgecrest; and Death Valley. Teleconferencing equipment will be used to evaluate patients during weekly clinics and allow the physicians and the patient to see and talk to each other during the evaluation and follow- up treatment process. A comprehensive psychiatric evaluation of the “whole person” will be performed; recommendations for school, family, physical and social issues will be addressed during the evaluation. M.D. consultation to physicians and patients will be available 24 hours per day seven days a week. This project will also include an ongoing infant and toddler assessment and intervention course that will be broadcast to all four sites to provide the knowledge and clinical tools for an early intervention program.
Fred Finch Solano Youth Center
$241,030
awarded to Fred Finch Youth Center to serve consumers in Napa, Sonoma, and
Solano Counties
This project will develop a Level-14 residential treatment program for 12-14 youths diagnosed with both cognitive/developmental disabilities and significant mental health challenges that require a high level of care. This program will provide the following services: comprehensive assessment and ongoing evaluation; crisis intervention; individual, group, family and milieu therapy; behavioral management and skill-building; a Non- Public School on site, special education services; case management; medication support and monitoring; and expressive arts. This program will collaborate with the following agencies: North Bay Regional Center, Solano County Health and Social Services, Solano County Mental Health, Solano County SELPA, Solano County Child Welfare, Solano County Probation Department, and Solano County Parent Network.
EZ Access House Calls
$173,937 awarded to The Regents of the
University of California, University of California, Irvine (UCI) to serve
consumers in Orange County
This pilot project will design and implement an innovative house calls program to provide the full scope of primary health care services to adults with developmental disabilities who live in group homes. It will include an educational program for physicians and other health care providers, patients and caregivers, and ancillary staff at the Medical Center and at the group homes. A “point of contact” to assist patients and caregivers in accessing and utilizing services at the UCI Medical Center will be provided. This program will also conduct research, to identify current needs and monitor changes that occur as a result of this project.
Victims with Developmental Disabilities Project
$88,766
awarded to Ventura County District Attorney to serve consumers in Ventura County
This
project will develop Protocols in
conjunction with local service providers and criminal justice personnel to
improve the reporting, investigation and prosecution of crimes against
individuals with developmental disabilities. It will also organize a regional
conference on crime victims with disabilities to educate and train members of
the criminal justice system and service providers on issues in prosecuting these
cases.
People
First Leadership/Mentoring Development Project
$251,800
awarded People First of California, Inc. to serve consumers throughout
California
This project will strengthen and expand the only statewide self-advocacy organization led and directed by and for people with developmental disabilities. This project is the Council’s chosen method to fulfill the federal mandate of supporting a state self-advocacy organization. Through this grant, People First of California, Inc. will: 1) develop/strengthen at least 16 regional branches throughout the state; 2) provide self-advocacy training, outreach and mentoring to consumers; and 3) conduct at least two statewide trainings in leadership and mentoring.
CC’s Ice Cream Dreams
$168,301 awarded to Casa Colina Centers for
Rehabilitation – Career Development Center to serve consumers in Los Angeles
and San Bernardino Counties
This project will provide vocational rehabilitation services to youth and adults in an integrated community-based business environment, specifically an ice cream shop. This project will provide a wide array of training opportunities to 20 individuals, both students and adults. Through this small business model, clients will learn to assist customers, sell products, take inventory, stock supplies, open and close the shop, run the cash register, operate small appliances, maintain the shop’s appearance, and develop marketing and promotional activities. The business will have typical management, planning, accounting and secretarial duties for advanced trainees. These skills will be easily transferable to other types of business enterprises. Four vocational training modules, each designed to last approximately one month and each progressively more difficult, will be developed. Each module will be designed so that it can be used as both a stand-alone unit or as part of a continuum of services.
A Model for Increasing Specialty
Services to Children with Autism
$99,089 awarded to Tri-Counties
Regional Center/University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) to serve consumers
in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties
The purpose of this collaborative project between the Tri-Counties Regional Center and the UCSB Autism and Training Center is to develop a service delivery model for increasing specialty services for children with Autism. This cost-efficient model will increase the quality and intensity of intervention services by recruiting, training, and supervising paraprofessionals (university students) to assist with in-home intervention and support. This project is intended to collaborate with existing services in order to enhance program success for these children and their families. This program will provide up to 10 hours per week of additional in-home assistance for each family by trained, supervised undergraduate students for approximately six months (two consecutive quarters). Parent education services currently provided will be integrated with this program to provide optimal support for families and education for children with Autism.
ASD
After School Care Program
$40,397 awarded to Arts & Services for the Disabled,
Inc. to serve consumers in Los Angeles County
This project will provide after-school care five days per week, with recreation and creative arts programming in a fully inclusive community environment, for children between the ages of 5 and 12 who are developmentally disabled. It will also provide a full-day summer program, a Saturday program, and programming during school-closed holidays. Through collaboration with the YMCA, students will also be able to participate in programs and events sponsored by the YMCA. These include the aquatics program, a resident camp program, Cook Day, Family Night, Petting Zoo, and guest speakers/entertainers. The program components will focus on development of the individual child, particularly interpersonal skills, social/emotional skills, cultural awareness and diversity, recreation and leisure skills, and personal skills.
VICTORY
$70,900
awarded to Blind Children’s Learning Center to serve consumers in Orange
County
This project will implement a guided tutorial program for students K-12 with severe visual impairments. This program will serve as a prototype for agencies that provide coordinated services for children with significant disabilities. The interventions available through this program will include: 1) comprehensive tutorial service tailored to the unique learning needs of students who are visually impaired, 2) maintenance support for assistive technology (AT), and 3) comprehensive job training for tutors. Issues for the students that will be addressed are: all academic problem areas including humanities and social sciences; math and sciences; basic areas of reading and writing; specialized areas of reading, writing, and math using Braille and/or enlarged or magnified print; and the use of assistive technology including adapted computers, optical scanning and other forms of adaptive information access, electronic note takers, and electronic print enlargement devices.
Personal Safety Training A Coordinated Response
$121,685
in funding for Critical Focus to serve consumers in Marin, San Mateo
and San Francisco Counties
This pilot project will provide Personal Safety training for consumers, families, and care providers that include clinical staff and police officers in the Golden Gate Regional Center catchment area. Specially trained officers from San Rafael Police Department and Marin County Sheriff’s Department will assist in developing and providing the training curriculum. This curriculum is designed to educate consumers on ways to protect themselves from abuse/ victimization and also how to access law enforcement personnel if they are threatened, victimized, lost, or at risk. This project will include resource development for crisis and long-term post-traumatic stress counseling, linkages to victim witness programs, and other support services.
Forensic
Advocacy Victim Services
$78,323 in funding for Toward Maximum Independence, Inc. to serve consumers in
San Diego County
This project will provide coordinators to work with victims to assist them in
navigating through the criminal justice system. Referrals for this project will come from regional centers,
service providers, family members, and departments within the criminal justice
system. This project will also provide victims with direct assistance in filing police reports, communicating
with prosecutors, preparing victim statements, cooperating with investigations,
applying for Crime Victim Compensation funds, and accessing community resources
for continuing counseling and other emergency services as needed.
Senior
Activity Services
$177,504
in funding for HOPE Rehabilitation Services/Skills Center to serve
consumers in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, and San Mateo
Counties
This project will research, design, and develop a Senior Activity Services program to provide senior consumers the opportunity to interact, socialize, and enjoy recreational and educational activities in an integrated community setting. This program will initially serve 12 to 20 consumers who are 45 and older, providing them with maximum interaction with non-disabled peers of similar age.
Advocacy
Program
$77,673 in funding for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Luis
Obispo, County, Inc to serve consumers in San Luis Obispo County
This project will increase the access to appropriate intervention services and mental health supports for abused and neglected children with developmental disabilities, primarily in foster care. Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a nationwide movement of community volunteers who speak for children in dependency proceedings in Juvenile Court. Through collaboration with Parents Helping Parents, this project will recruit, train, and supervise volunteer CASAs to advocate for medical and developmental services needed by children who have, or are at risk for, developmental disabilities due to abuse and neglect. Training and other resources will be developed to ensure that at least 20 CASAs: 1) become familiar with and able to identify characteristics of developmental delay; 2) understand the Special Education System and the Developmental Disabilities System and the advocates role at the Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Individual Family Services Plan (IFSP) conference, 3) become familiar with available intervention services and how to access them; and 4) develop and improve advocacy skills and strategies. Training materials, program structure and outcome results will be shared throughout the California CASA Association and the Family Resource Centers.
Youth Placement Program
$56,202 in funding for The Arc of Santa Maria Valley (Vocational Training
Center) to serve consumers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties
This project will provide employment services, community training, and integrated work to youths with developmental disabilities that are transitioning from high school to work. This program will also offer services to high school age students who are eligible for work permits and need holiday, summer or after school jobs. Counseling regarding services available will be provided to students and their families. Services will be selected based on an individual's needs and may include: intake assessment; external situational assessment; personal, social, and community services; employment preparation; job exploration; transitional employment; job clubs; job placement; job coaching; and job retention.
Supported Employment-Group Placement
$69,158 in funding for California Human Development Corporation/Redwood Empire
Industries (REI) to serve consumers in Sonoma, Napa, and Solano Counties
This project will develop a Group Placement Service supported employment program. The program will enhance the services provided by REI’s current employment program for individuals with developmental disabilities, including those with a dual diagnosis of mental illness, and consumers who are hard of hearing or deaf. REI will develop opportunities in new industries and give increased work options to consumers. One goal will be to place clients in groups within the Santa Rosa Court System where they can perform light clerical work. Another goal will be to explore partnerships with local nurseries to expand opportunities in the horticultural industry. This project, that requests funding for job coaching staff, will compliment and leverage an Establishment Grant recently awarded to REI through the Department of Rehabilitation that will fund a job developer and a bi-lingual, bi-cultural ASL/English speaking communications assistant.
Supported
Employment Collaborative
$61,750 in funding for Work Training Program, Inc. to serve consumers in San
Luis Obispo County
This pilot project will increase the transition of high school students with developmental disabilities from school to paid employment within San Luis Obispo County communities. This project will enhance interagency collaboration between local employers and local governmental agencies (school districts, Department of Rehabilitation, Tri-County Regional Center, Special Education Local Planning Agency, etc.). The pilot project will also develop a website and quarterly newsletter that will provide timely employment information to students with developmental disabilities, their families and their teachers.