• National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week
  The United States Senate recently adopted a resolution designating the week of September 8th - 12th as National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week.  This legislation recognizes and celebrates the important work that direct support professionals, direct care workers, personal assistants, personal attendants, in-home support workers, and paraprofessionals provide to individuals experiencing disability.
  
  State agencies, employer organizations, and individuals who employ direct support professionals may want to take the opportunity to make special recognition of workers that week.  There are a number of ways to celebrate at different levels including spreading the word about the Senate resolution, gathering workers together to have a party, hanging a banner or sign in your office lobby announcing this special week, giving workers a token of your appreciation such as a hand-written card, flowers, or a plaque acknowledging their hard work.
  
  For more information, please visit ANCOR's website (www.ancor.org or www.youneedtoknowme.org) and refer to the full text of S. RES. 613.
  
  
  
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• Crisis Assistance Services Implementation Announcement
  
  The Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services is extremely pleased to announce the phase in of the statewide implementation of the Indiana Crisis Assistance Services effective August 13, 2007.Crisis Assistance is a statewide comprehensive system that will provide supports in a timely and intensive manner for individuals with developmental disabilities experiencing extreme behavioral or psychiatric issues in which their health and welfare, or the health and welfare of others is in serious jeopardy.  The Crisis Assistance Services include:
  • 24/7/365 Telephone Crisis Support
  • In-Home technical assistance
  • Out-of-Home short term residential
  • Follow-along post crisis intervention 
    
    
  DDRS has partnered with Meridian Services, a Mental Health Provider, Anthony Wayne Services, a Developmental Disabilities services provider –AWS, to provide these services.  Meridian and AWS have effectively worked together to establish collaborative partnerships with other DD and Mental Health vendors to provide timely and appropriate services. Services Areas are defined below:
  • North     BDDS Districts 1, 2, & 3    - AWS
  • Central   BDDS Districts 5 & 6  - Meridian Services
  • South     BDDS Districts 4, 7, & 8 – AWS
    
    Crisis Assistance is one of several initiatives being implemented which will work in a coordinated manner to provide both preventative supports and reactive responses to grow the capacity of the community and assist in individual situations. It is important to note that crisis assistance services is not designed to be the provider of record, take the place of existing services, or to serve individuals who are not experiencing extreme behavior or psychiatric issues.
    
    
  For additional information please contact Dortha Joyce at 317-232-7830 or Randy Krieble at 317-232-7830.

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  OUTREACH SERVICES of INDIANA
  
  

  Outreach Services will work collaboratively with consumers,  families, advocates, providers and state agencies to grow the capacity of the community by providing training, technical assistance, consultation and service provision to improve the quality of life and support individuals with  intellectual/developmental disabilities, their families, service providers and case managers.
  
  Contact Outreach Services:
   1-866-429-5290  or  
   outreach@fssa.in.gov
  

Since 2003 a group of Indiana professionals and advocates have been meeting to explore the opportunities and obstacles to developing a comprehensive statewide education and training system to prepare and develop Indiana professionals within the disability community, and to enhance and improve the system of services available to support individuals with disabilities.

INTrain is guided by the principals articulated by John O’Brien in his teachings and writing on person centered planning and outcomes.

• Community Presence—the sharing of ordinary places that define community life;
• Choice—the experience of autonomy of life in both small everyday and large life-defining
  matters;
• Competence—the opportunity to perform functional and meaningful activities with whatever level or type of assistance is required;
• Respect—having a valued place among a network of people and valued roles in community life;
• Community Participation—the experience of being part of a growing network of personal relationships that include close friends.