MINUTES

STATEWIDE INDEPENDENT LIVING COUNCIL

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

December 2, 2009 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

93 Gooding Ave., Suite 3, Bristol, RI 02809

Members Present: Kristen Connors, 1^st Vice Chair; Liz Graves, Chairperson; Barbara Rozul, Treasurer; Heidi Showstead, 2^nd Vice Chair (speaker phone); Mary Wambach, LDA Co-Chair.

Staff Present: Camille Pansa, Executive Director; Lisel Rockwood, Program Assistant.

Interpreter: Michelle Neiley

1. Minutes of November 4, 2009: previously sent. A motion was made by Mary Wambach and seconded by Kristen Connors to accept the minutes as written. Vote passed unanimously.

2. Review January 2010 calendar: calendar attached. The State Plan Committee meetings will resume on the 8^th and 22^nd from 12:30 – 2:00. The Finance Committee will meet on the 15^th. All consecutive Finance meetings will be held on the third Friday of the month. The Mentoring/Orientation sessions will begin on the 27^th from 1:30 – 3:00. The office will be closed on the 1^st and 18^th, New Year’s Day and Martin Luther King Day respectively. All other meetings are on their scheduled date and time.

3. Vote for Christmas gift for cleaning person: A motion was made by Mary Wambach and seconded by Barbara Rozul to use $25 from the fundraising account for a seasonal gift for the office cleaning person. Vote passed unanimously.

4. Agenda for quarterly Council meeting: was reviewed.

5. Educational presentation/Alice Elliot films: Craig Stenning, Gary Alexander, and the Poverty Institute were contacted to present on the Global Medicaid Waiver. No one was available on December 11^th. It was

decided to show the Alice Elliot film, The Collector of Bedford Street, which showcases a person with developmental disabilities and his ability to live independently.

6. Update for 704 Report: The report is complete and ready to enter into the new on-line submission form.

7. State Plan 2011-13: The meetings will resume in January. It is important that all Council members attend or give input. It was suggested to have a representative from the Native American community attend one or more meetings. Camille reported that she had spoken to the auditor concerning the estimation of increased costs for the new State Plan budget. A suggestion was made to invite Steve Brunero to answer funding questions.

8. Restructure of LDA Committee: It was decided to utilize subcommittees as this group has increased significantly in size over the past year.

9. Recruitment: Camille Pansa stated that although no one was recruited from the ads place in the Providence Journal, recruitment has been good. Two of the new volunteers represent underserved populations, Hispanic speaking and veterans.

10. Initiatives for 2010: were reviewed and discussed. Work has begun on several initiatives while others are more ongoing. Subcommittees have been formed for the 20^th anniversary of the ADA. The committees will involve other organizations and bring in outside resources. Camille Pansa has spoken to Emile Joyal concerning the Disability History Week bill. Emile stated that this was a perfect time to draft a bill to be introduce in January 2010. It was suggested to contact Commissioner Deborah Gist, David Sienko, and Tony Antosh for their support. RIVER has not been active in the past few months and will try to start back up in January. The Mental Health advocacy group has discussed several ideas for a workshop to educate people about mental illness and rid society of the stigma. The grant opportunity through the DDC was discussed and whether the SILC could write for that grant if RIVER is unable. Further information is needed. Other workshop ideas being discussed are legislative education and a disability symposium.

11. Chairperson’s Report: Liz Graves thanked all. She noted that it was great to have the 704 report completed, but more collaboration from the Centers was needed. She suggested placing RISILC brochures at Whispering Pines in Exeter.

12. Executive Director Report: no report.

13. Financial Report: previously sent. Barbara Rozul stated that final figures would not be available until January, but the preliminary report shows a break-even year.

14. Leadership Development and Advocacy Committee Report: previously sent. Mary Wambach stated that 2009 was a stellar calendar year.

15. Old Business/new Business/Incoming Mail: A thank you note was received from Anna Liebenow for the bouquet of flowers from RISILC. Camille Pansa also reported that she had sent a letter to East Bay Center concerning a posted notice at the facility that incorrectly stated that service animals must be certified or licensed in order to gain access into the establishment. She received a call back from the President who stated that he would have his staff investigate this further. The posted sign has since been changed and now reflects the appropriate ADA guidelines.

Respectfully submitted,

Rick Costa

Secretary