Forwarded on behalf of Sara Newell-Perez --

 

 

Good Afternoon,

 

I want to thank those that have volunteered to peer review DD Council State Plans when they come in this August.  I’ve heard from several Councils that are interested in participating but are apprehensive, not fully understanding what this review process entails. 

 

Attached is the State Plan Review Tool.  This is a tool that Councils can use as they are currently working on their State plans and what ultimately will be used by the Panel Reviewers to conduct their reviews.  You’ll note the review is focusing on identifying 3 key areas: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Compliance Concerns.  While there is a scoring component to give us (AIDD) a sense of how Councils are doing, this score will not be used for other purposes.

 

This review will not be an opportunity for reviewers to critique another Council’s strategies or impose their program ideas on another Council.  Based on feedback we received from the previous panel reviews in 2011, reviewers did however find this process to be a valuable learning experience, taking back some great suggestions to their own Councils.

 

Once the plans have been reviewed and approved (before Sept. 30), AIDD will analyze overall findings to determine any trends or areas we should be focusing our training and technical assistance efforts.

 

I still have the need for several reviewers, so I hope you’ll strongly consider this opportunity.

 

Please let me know if you have additional questions or concerns.

 

Thank you,

Sara

 

 

Sara Newell-Perez

Program Specialist

 

Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Administration for Community Living | U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

330 C Street, SW  | Washington, DC 20201

Ph: 202.795.7413| Fax: 202.205.0402

Email: xxxxxx@acl.hhs.gov
Website: http://acl.gov/Programs/AIDD/Index.aspx