Hi everyone! I hope you are all having a great start to June. Just wanted to send a reminder for all of the side events happening during the conference. Please let us know if you are interested in participating
in either of the focus groups or the baseball game.
Also—please note that if you haven’t made your hotel reservation yet, the Hotel RL is now officially blocked for Monday July 10th. There are plenty of rooms
still available the 11-15th. If you need a room for the Monday evening, we have overflow rooms at the Doubletree Hotel which is located directly across the street. Please send me an email if you will need a room.
Check the NACDD website late this afternoon for an updated agenda!
If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time! Don’t forget to go to
www.nacdd2017.eventbrite.com. You can also go to
www.nacdd.org/annualconference for lots of information about the conference.
Have you already registered and are still deciding what else to do?? Well, there are a few things happening we want to share with you
1.
On Monday July 10th, from 8:00am- 4:00pm, The Utah DD Council is hosting a Celebration of Self-Determination. During this event, participants will hear from Jonathan Martinis, a national leader in supported decision-making;
listen to self-advocates and their supporters share success stories, and more.
Attached to this email is the flyer for the event and how to register.
2.
During the upcoming NACDD conference July 11-14 in Salt Lake City, one of our conference sponsors, Optum, is conducting focus groups and is looking for your valuable input. We know there are varying feelings and experiences around managed
care in the I/DD community, and Optum wants to hear your thoughts, and invites you to share your experiences during either of the two scheduled sessions. Meal/beverages will be provided for your participation.
Please be assured:
·
This is not a sales pitch
·
Participation is strictly confidential
·
Nothing shared will be attributed to participants
Your input is important. Please help us by sharing your opinions and viewpoints. We want to hear from all participants, people with IDD, family members, Council staff, and personal care attendants. All are welcome
to participate.
When and Where: TBD (either dedicated space at Hotel RL or at off-site restaurant). Potential days and times include Wednesday evening dinner (after welcome reception) or Thursday evening dinner. We will
determine both when and where once we get RSVPs.
We hope to have two sessions and each session will be limited to 20 people, including participants and personal care assistants. In addition, a representative from Optum will be on site at the Hotel RL if you
are not able to participate in one of the group sessions, and would like to still offer your opinions. We will provide the name, timing and location as we get closer to the conference.
Please respond to me, Robin Troutman at
xxxxxx@nacdd.org, if you are interested in participating
3.
We have another opportunity for a small focus group at the conference. Jennifer Tennican, an independent documentary filmmaker from Jackson, Wyoming, is looking for a small test audience to screen and provide feedback on a rough cut
of her work-in-progress, Hearts of Glass.
Participants will spend an hour watching the film and then another 30-45 minutes discussing various aspects of the film with the Director/Producer. The version of the film to be screened will be “rough” (i.e. temporary music or none at all, no
graphics, minimal transitions, no color correction, etc.). Comments and feedback are meant to provide perspectives from the disability advocacy world.
Hearts of Glass tells the story of the critical first year of operation of Vertical Harvest (VH), a highly innovative, but risky, experiment in growing crops and
providing meaningful employment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. VH is an urban farm on 1/10 of an acre at an elevation of 6,237 feet. The high tech hydroponic greenhouse is located in Jackson, Wyoming, a mountain town with extreme
seasonal fluctuations in weather, population and demand for goods and services. Hearts of Glass delves into perspectives both inside and outside this social venture and explores VH’s impact on the lives of its employees, its financial viability and
its potential for replication in other communities.
If you are interested in participating in this discussion please send an email to Jessica Misilo at
xxxxxx@nacdd.org. Time and date of this discussion group is still being worked out and may conflict with other activities planned at the conference.
4.
Don’t forget! If you are interested in heading out to see the Salt Lake City Bees, that game is also on Thursday evening.
If you are still interested in purchasing a ticket please send either Jessica or me an email.
Most importantly please register for the conference and Technical Assistance Institute! We can’t wait to see you all and look forward to all of the speakers and presenters.
Have a great evening
Robin
Robin Troutman
Deputy Director
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
1825 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
202.506.5813 Ext. 105 (Phone)
202.506.5846 (Fax)