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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1982-07-12-HSC-min.pdf HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE Minutes of the Meeting of July 12, 1982 Present Steve Baran, Stan Finkelstein, Tom Zarle , Nancy Zarle, Judy Zabin, Howard Reynolds ; Bea Phear, Staff; Kelly Bates, observer; Joan Danziger, Heller School student Minutes The minutes of June 28, 1982 were accepted as ammended Add Several times during the meeting the committee expressed its appreciation for David Enamn' s coming in to discuss handicapped affairs with us Muzzey Steve announced that the Selectmen would be discussing Muzzey later this evening, and that Howard would go as planned as the committee' s representative Steve read the Planning Board' s letter to the Selectmen to members of the committee The committee agreed to support the process of refining the charge and request for proposal statements prior to going out to solicit bids or advertizing Howard will say that more time is required for us to provide input either in preparing the charge or in providing data Steve would also like to see the committee review the need for a senior center, as well as other human service needs It is incumbent upon us to determine what information and input should be Intern Steve welcomed Joan, who is considering being an intern She said her interests were in evaluation, as she was now in the management training program, and she would like to work on the suggested CMARC evaluation and perhaps expand that to looking at a variety of services for the mentally retarded She had worked at a sheltered workshop in San Diego prior to coming to Heller Roberta had thought Joan might also be interested in handicapped affairs Joan was concerned about her time constraints, and wanted to see what she could do before committing herself Nancy mentioned that perhaps a nurse training in rehabilitation would be interested in handicapped issues Joan will talk further with Steve and Bea, and will start in the fall , Mystic Valley Stan distributed a revised draft, which was discussed by the committee and amended slightly after input from from the committee Stan plans to wait another week, for comments from the Selectmen and Manager, and then procede with the process for signing Stan said it looked like they would need about $7, 000 for emergency services and get $3,000 for early intervention Judy wondered if they knew they woudl only need $7, 000 when they first applied Stan thought ves, probably, but some funding had been up in the air There was discussion about Stan attending MVMH Board meetings in order to be able to offer more constructive suggestions Handicapped Affairs Bea distributed a proposal from David Ehman for an Advisory Committee appointed by the Town Manager The committee felt that the proposal was much stronger in structure than they had expected, and the committee asked Bea to speak with David to determine if that° was what he intended The Human Services Committee is reluctant to make a recommendation to the Selectmen to form a new committee until a demonstrated need showed that a sub-committee was insufficient It was decided to ask Bea to give David the message that we are supportive of the concept, and definitely interested in having some group, but can' t move until we get more focus on the committee structure issue in general Meanwhile, David should go ahead and begin the planning steps to begin work - expand the needs assessment concept and his idea of an accessibility study The Human Services Committee, through Steve, will also talk about this with Jim Crain Muzzey Howard reported on the Selectmen' s meeting The Planning Board presented their letter Howard said he thought 30 days would be a reasonable goal for input The manager proposed that each group provide a written proposal by August 9 , with data for input in order to draft a charge The period from August 9 - 23 will be used to review and synthesize these with chairmen from each board By Aug 25 a charge will be drafted and a committee appointed, still aiming at a special town meeting in December Prior conversion committee members will be invited to participate again What statement does the Human Services Committee want to make? 1 Are there agencies interested in or able to locate in Muzzey, and their space needs? 2 Comment on the senior center issue Next Meeting Monday, July 26 Review of senior center needs and space report Bea bring inventory of space requests from agencies Sub-committee structure Respectfully submitted, Beatrice Phear ih7 July 12, 1982 TOIL, of tom" tp TO Robert M Hutchinson, Jr FROM. Bea Pheax "' RE Handicapped Affairs For Your Interest Attached is a brief proposal written by David Enman regarding establishing a committee on Handicapped Affairs David approached the Human Services Committee two weeks ago, to request that they create a new sub-committee He proposed that this sub-committee, under the charge to the Human Services Committee of identifying gaps and educating citizens , would perform a needs assessment, study accessibility of buildings and routes throughout Lexington as a public service, explore compliance with section 504, and set some priorities for action and recommendations The Human Services Committee was very supportive of the goals and asked him to write a brief proposal so they could then discuss possible structures, considering the potential advocacy stance and funding needs A A sub-committee of the Human Services committee, created by the Human Services committee B A totally independent citizens group that occassionally talked with Town boards and committees and might apply for town funding, but was not part of the town structure C An ad hoc committee somewhere in between, with a Human Services committee liaison and charge from the Human Services committee D A separate town committee established by you or the Selectmen The Human Services Committee will be discussing this issue tonight, along with a broader discussion of sub-committees in general, and will probably be making a recommendation I will keep you informed 00,00 MOPkNe 1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE LEXINOTON. MASSACHUSETTS 02173 TELEPHONE (617) 662-0500 t M6St* f i c. PROPOSAL TO THE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE The Advisory Committee on Handicapped Affairs would be r.ardated by the Town Manager to act as a centralizing force in -be Town of Lexington and the community relative to all handicapped _ssues The Committee ' s functions would include but not be II .ited to the following providing information, referral, guLdanoe , coordination, and technical assistance to public ager. es and private persons , organizations, and institutions engaged in activities and programs intended to enhance the well- being of persons with handicaps ; promoting attitudinal awareness ar tg members of the general public as to the needs and abilities of persons with handicaps ; serving as liaison between Lexington ' s hardicapped residents and employees, and the Town government ; and insuring that appropriate regulations are adopted and enforced pursuant Lo the implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as other legislation upholding and advancing the right of individuals with handicaps The At isory Committee on Handicapped Affairs would be com- posed of residents of Lexington who are handicapped ; parents , friends , or other persons interested in the handicapped; and at least two representatives of Town government, one of whom currently serves on the Human Services Committee Each member• would be appointed by the Town Manager Individuals who have already consented to be nominated for appointment to the Committee include Daysd Enman, Dan Murphy, and Nancy Schock In establishing such an Advisory Committee , Lexington would a growing network of cities and towns across the state and a, throughout the country which have formed similar committees to address the concerns of what has been recently recognized as the rat_on ' s last minority group -- the handicapped Within Massachusetts • say% committees haze been organized in Auburn, Beverly, Boston, • Bra_rtree , Brookline , Cambridge , Danvers , Fitchburg, Framingham, ,_oucester , Holyoke , Lawrence , Lee , Lynn, Lynnfield, Marblehead, cd`ird, Needham, Newton, Northampton, Norwood, Peabody, Pittsfield, ca_es Saugus Springfield, Stoneham, Westwood, and Worcester In keeping with Lexington ' s tradition of commitment to personal f: eedom, it Seems appropriate that an Advisory Committee on rardicappcd Affair:, be establ1 hed in the immediate future