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2005-04-20 - Commission for Residents with Disabilities - Minutes Board orCommission: ❑ commission on Residents With Disabilities Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 04/20/2005 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting MINUTES OF THE BUFFALO GROVE COMMISSION FOR RESIDENTS WITH DISABILITIES MEETING April 20, 2005 I. Call to Order - Meeting called to order by Chairman Kahen at 1900 hours. IL Roll Call - Rick Kahen, Debby Holm, Debbie Verson, Sue Gottlieb, Geri Miller-Brown, Mark Weiner, Dave Morton, Larry K. Swieca. Guests: State representative Kathy Ryg & Legislative Aide Andrew Chusid. III. Approval of Minutes - Minutes of March 23, 2005 approved (motion by Debbie Verson second by Mark Weiner) Approval of January 26, 2005 minutes waived. Welcome to guests. Attached is a list of questions prepared beforehand for Representative Ryg, by Geri Miller-Brown & the Committee. Answers follow. Representative Ryg left at 2110hrs. IV. Chairman's report: BG Days Shuttle — there will be 1 less driver so more commission members need to pick up the slack. July 16th & 17th cart for the Arts Festival. V. Commissioners Reports - NONE VI. Sub-Committee Reports - NONE VIL Items for Discussion - NONE VIIL Staff Liaison Report - NONE IX. Questions from the Audience - NONE X. Other Business - NONE XI. Adjournment - Motion by Debbie Verson to adjourn, second by Dave Morton. Approved. Adjourned 2122. Next Scheduled Meeting: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 at 7:00 p.m. in the lower level conference room at Village Hall. Representative Ryg started out with a quick review of her background. She has experience working with disabled individuals from the time she worked at Clearbrook. Representative Ryg also stated she would start referring groups needing information on services to the Commission. The Buffalo Grove Commission for Residents with Disabilities offers the following recommendations, in support of people with disabilities, pertaining to: handicapped parking; paratransit; housing design; health care; schools; employment; as well as programs and services for the developmentally disabled. The Commission welcomes your input and comment. Chairman Kahen has requested AVM Neukirch to ask developers to voluntarily provide more handicapped spaces. Perhaps they could also provide separate Parking spaces for pregnant women. Handicapped Parking: Limit availability of handicapped license plates & placards only to those with proven need. • Increase monitoring/enforcement of handicapped spaces (in parking lots & on streets) more stringently. Perhaps periodic random checks as cars pull into the parking space. Great Lakes ADA - Orland Park Police had begun checking on handicap parking Permits. They confiscated over 450 ilegally used parking permits. Suggestion to raise minimum fine to $150. Perhaps accessing a state database to verify name/age of recipient. Kathy Ry_g response: State issues the permanenet stickers, townships issue 90 day temporary stickers. i.e. for a broken leg. Develop signage to indicate "no parking of an additional car on the striped area of the handicapped parking space." Cars, with handicapped license plates and placards, are often parked on the stripes, adjacent to a designated handicapped space, when no other designated space is available. The striped area is not a separate/additional handicapped parking space. Handicapped passengers, using modified vehicles, wheelchairs, or mobility aids, may need this area for access, and/or lowering of ramps and lifts. Sometimes, a modified vehicle needs to park on part of the adjacent stripped area, to allow for adequate clearance. • Provide stand up signage for all handicapped designated parking spaces. The painted symbol on the ground may not be visible if rubbed out or snow covered. • Monitor parking lots and streets to ensure designated parking spaces are clear of snow, debris, etc. Enforce with businesses, accordingly. The Commission has sent letters to all managers not to put snow from lots into the handicapped spots. • Raise fines, statewide, for misuse of handicapped parking. • Develop public education materials on handicapped parking — use & abuse. Paratransit: • Provide paratransit between local jurisdictions, not only within them. Provide greater funding, and foster greater dialogue/cooperation among local jurisdictions, to permit this. Kathy Ry_p response: There is a Mass transit Committee including Pace Metra & the CTA. Lake County is coordinating the Paratransit part of the committee because some of its townships were providing transport. County line causes a lot of problems for Buffalo Grove. Pace has been working well with the townships. Committee is working on making the services seamless. Central Dispatch Voucher program Suggested that Commission should be a part of this committee. Housing Design: • Amend local zoning codes, affecting new housing construction, to require that every residence has: at least one handicapped accessible entrance; no curb at driveway; etc. • Advocate for government assistance for handicapped accessible home modifications/ construction. Health Care: • Advocate for coverage of therapies, assistive technology, alternative treatments, etc., for individuals with disabilities. Ongoing therapy (speech, physical, occupational, cranial-sacral, etc.) is often medically necessary, and the only treatment available, for many individuals with disabilities. Most private insurance does not cover, or drastically limits coverage of: - Augmentative communication devices - Speech & language therapy that is other than restorative - Alternative treatments -- stem cell, etc. • Ensure that people with disabilities have adequate health insurance coverage, especially if they are no longer eligible for coverage under their family's health insurance plan. Response: DuPage County has a human services Coordiantor. In lake County nursing home help is available through Catholic Charities (they are under contract). Schools: • Support HB 0978 (Mathias) that amends Illinois School Code, to permit review/oversight of school building plans/specs by local municipal inspectors, including: fire, plumbing, building, etc. Question From Commission: Why is there nothing in bill regarding ADA. Architects aren't talking to the local people who know the building. i.e. fullsize adult toilet in an early childhood classroom. 0 Require schools to develop, and annually update, an emergency evacuation plan for all students with disabilities, and share them with local police and fire departments. Representative Ry_g will check with the regional superintendent to see if there are requirements. Will also check to see if this provision can be added to Representative Mathias'House Bill. Developmental Disabilities: • Increase overall funding of programs/services for individuals with disabilities — social, educational, vocational, recreational, residential, etc. Illinois ranks low, in comparison to other states, in funding programs for people with special needs. • Increase funding and availability of home and community-based services, to support a family's ability to continue caring for their child at home, as a beneficial alternative to costly institutionalization. - Respite Care - 72-D Program Provide adequate pay and benefits to in-home workers, to foster increased competence and retention. These workers are providing care to an extremely vulnerable population. They need to be well-trained, value their job, and be respectful of each client and their family. • Increase the number and quality of group homes & CILAs. Provide placement for individuals with multiple/severe disabilities, as an alternative to placement in long-term care settings. Increase availability of wheelchair accessible group homes and CILAs. Provide well-trained staff. • Increase meaningful work opportunities for people with disabilities. Provide incentives, awareness, and support, to businesses for employing people with disabilities. Increase opportunities for individuals with multiple/severe disabilities to work in vocational settings/sheltered workshops. Increase availability of wheelchair accessible vocational/work settings. Other Issues: Transportation: Why doesn't Illinois have money to build the 53 Extension? Why was there a toll increase, especially since there had been talk, some years ago, of removing tolls altogether? Has thought been given to the fact that truck traffic on Hwy 41 is likely to increase, as a result of the increased tolls, and its impact on traffic and the condition of Hwy 41? Prescription Drugs: Explain the law affecting ordering of medications from abroad. What security will be taken if it is allowed? Social Security: Proposed provisions to Social Security may require people to invest income into private sources, for access later during retirement. What plan could be implemented to insure that individuals without adequate income or jobs are not left out? DISCUSSION BY RERESENTATIVE RYG ON LEGISLATIVE ISSUES NOT SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING OUR PREPARED QUESTIONS: Brian Rubin is very active downstate with his "Do the Right Thing' coalition. - Different agencies are bonding together to promote a unified front. - They are looking at a cost of doing business adjustment - There has been no increase inn 5-7 years - Raises were not a priority - Still a significant fiscal challenge. Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities: - Illinois very low on the scale of state spending - Illinois has never been good at capturing its share of public aid dollars - Illinois had been giving flat grants instead of being billed (fee for service). Because of this Illinois was not receiving matching Federal dollars. - Difficult for agencies to switch over to this process. - Easier for Developmental Disability agencies to bill for services then those serving the mentally ill. - Fee for Service Committee formed to facilitate the transition. - Started using MOU's within the State - Also problems with substance abuse agencies. Legislation in Progress: - HB 1353 is proposing a $.50/hr increase in wages for home based direct care workers. Would cost the State about $40 million. - State was paying Home Health Care Agencies a flat $62/hr. - Federal rates for ■ Home Health Aide $44/hr ■ Speech Therapists is higher ■ RNs is higher. Question from Commissioner Weiner— If the Federal Government starts paying their portion will the State take the extra money? There is legislation pending to set up a Medicare Trust Fund. DPA cost can decrease. - Legislation to match Federal pay rates and levels passed out of the House, did not pass the Senate. - DPH officials were in favor of reducing the cost $3.5 million. Hospital PA rate is at least $100/day cheaper at home. - Alos looking at rebalancing-term care. 2/3 of all in-patients in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF's) are eligible for Public Aid. — no longer just welfare moms on the public dole. - Additional incentives to locate in depressed areas — affordable housing etc. Question from Commissioner Miller-Brown on Healthcare — Private Medical Insurance (PMI) won't cover therapies such as Speech, OT because you don't qualify for DSCC. Rehab therapy after a stroke or accident — coverage may end before you are returned to 100%. If you are diagnosed with PKU the necessary supplements are not covered. Kathy Ryg response: One thing that did pass — plan from business and insurance to have choices in the level of coverage, i.e. no maternity care after 40 years of age. Some insurance coverage enhancement but it is better to increase the size of the pools Healthy Illinois working on best practices of Maine. Families of Autistic children really get socked with therapies and insurance costs because the treatments do not qualify for benefits. Representative Ryg distributed a flyer regarding seminar on April 21 on "Shedding Light on Due Process: The Law, Parents and Schools" From the Commission: Frustration over IEP's - Many cases school board attorneys won't let parents talk to the board directly. - In District 102 the Special Ed Coordinator was very much an advocate for the students. Representative Ryg response: State Board of Education has several initiatives: PBIS — Positive Behavior Intervention Support, State trains people to adopt PBIS as a school-wide culture where everyone can learn. This is data driven EBD Network— Emotional Behavior Disorders Network. As of June 30 EBD Network is no more. State Board of Education said that State should not fund this program — it needs to be funded and run at the local level. Hearing Impaired Services — Cut out entirely. Question from Commission: Is PBIS similar to Project Choices? Go to schools,have a circle meeting — seems to be the same. This had seemed effective. Another bill for families to get tax breaks for college expenses. Legislation for tax breaks fro setting up a Long Term/Special Needs Trust — no movement.