Minutes – Shenandoah Valley Inclusive Wellness Coalition
January 29, 2019 – Harrisonburg City Hall, 12:30-2:00 PM
Note takers: Dr. Danette Gibbs
Attendees: Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham (Heather Denman); Training and Technical Assistance Center, Shenandoah Valley Autism Partnership (*Amanda Randall); JMU Office of Disability Services (*Valerie Schoolcraft); Brain Injury Connections of the Shenandoah Valley (*Tamara Wagester and Sheryl Dean); Futuro Latino Coalition (*Boris Ozuna); Harrisonburg City Parks and Rec (Sarina Hartman and *Ali ?); Camp Light (Kelly Troxell); Waynesboro YMCU (Sue Clark); RMH Wellness Center (Emily Sherrill); Speech and Language Center (Courtland Meyer); Universal Design Project (Sarah and Caroline Pruett); Overcoming Barriers and Special Olympics (Teresa Martilik); Harrisonburg Rockingham Parents of Children with Down Syndrome (Kathleen Gibson); SVIWC Team (Daniel Barnhart, Amanda Campbell, Jill Lassiter, Tom Moran, Danette Gibbs, Scott Pruett, and Taylor Lavin); Individuals with Disabilities and Family Members (Mona, Abdel, and Zeinab Rabie)
*=first-time attendee
Welcome and Introductions of New Attendees
Meeting Dates
- When Is Good poll identified both our Friday afternoon time as well as today’s time (Mondays from 12:30-2:00) as optimal. We originally intended to stick with our Friday time for consistency’s sake (though had to have a Monday meeting this month due to a scheduling conflict.) However, after hearing feedback from meeting attendees and realizing that changing the time would result in a wider variety of people being able to attend at least some of our meetings, the project team has determined that we will alternate between the two meeting times, pending availability of meeting space.
- ACTION STEP – Future meetings will alternate between Mondays (12:30-2:00) and Fridays (3:30-5:00), pending availability of meeting space. A tentative schedule for future meetings is at the end of these minutes. Additionally, announcements will be sent out each month confirming the date, time and location.
Coalition Self-Assessment
- Call for participation and link sent out week prior to this meeting, reminder to be sent in coming week
- Takes 5 minutes to complete, option to be entered in drawing for gift card for participating
- Information needed from all coalition members / attendees to get feedback on progress of coalition, what we are doing well, and areas for improvement
- ACTION STEP: Please complete the coalition self-assessment if you have not yet done so!
Scholarships
- Still a number of scholarships available for individuals with disabilities and financial need to try out a new wellness opportunity
- As a point of clarification – “financial need” is broadly defined. It can be simply that the family has to spend a large amount on medical expenses or equipment and so does not have enough expendable income for extracurricular activities, or it can be that the family lives on a fixed income or receives public assistance. Anyone who sees finances as a barrier to participation should be encouraged to apply.
- Very limited number of applications have been submitted – looking for new ways to advertise
- ACTION STEP: Request to wellness organizations – We want to provide ideas of programs in which individuals might want to consider enrolling in marketing materials included with the application form. If you are willing to promote an opportunity at your organization, please talk to Dr. Tom Moran.
Events on Website
- Anyone can post inclusive-oriented events on our website, which we will then also strive to share on social media.
- ACTION STEP: Please post events at your organizations that may be of interest to people related to the coalition or individuals with disabilities.
Guest Speaker on Strategic Planning: Boris Ozuna from Futuro Latino Coalition and the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services at James Madison University
- Boris outlined the seven strategies for action that can be used by any coalition to accomplish its goal(s). These included strategies targeted at both individuals and the greater environment/culture. In order to effectively accomplish our goals, we should strive to use most or all of these strategies. These are outlined at the end of these minutes.
- Strategies also need to target the various segments of the population, including: youth, parents, community leaders, social services, and other institutions.
- The group then worked on brainstorming ideas of specific actions we could take as a group that fall under each of the action steps. The ideas generated, as well as descriptions of the seven strategies, are at the end of these minutes, as well as on a Google doc – link provided below.
- Ideas should align with our mission statement: “To work together to identify needs, provide training, and increase opportunities for individuals with disabilities to engage in wellness activities and sports throughout the Shenandoah Valley.”
- These ideas generated will be used to develop our strategic plan and area(s) of focus for 2019.
- Once the strategic plan is established, we will prioritize and determine when we want to accomplish each goal, who will be in charge of each action item, what the next steps are, and how we intend to accomplish each goal.
- ACTION STEP: We invite anyone interested to add ideas to this Google Doc.
Member Announcements:
- Camp Light applications are being accepted, and weeks are filling up. Attendance is free. Open to individuals with medical, physical, or behavioral conditions and other special needs, including at risk youth. www.camplight.org
- Community Connections Resource Fair for individuals with disabilities is from 10-1 PM on March 16th at Smithland Elementary. This is a collaboration between Precious Times, the Down Syndrome Association, and the Special Education Advisory Committee. The flyer (English and Spanish versions) is on our website (http://inclusivewellness.org/calendar). On-site inclusive childcare will be provided.
- Virginia Department of Education will be hosting the I’m Determined Youth Summit for youth with disabilities ages 13-21 on June 12-14. This is open to youth from across the state. We especially want more representation from the Harrisonburg area, as very few have attended in the past. Attendance is completely free – all transportation, meals, and lodging are provided. Applications are due March 8. https://www.imdetermined.org/
- JMU Nursing and Shenandoah Valley Autism Partnership hosts a monthly Teen Social Night for individuals with autism and/or other disabilities. Next one is March 15. (http://inclusivewellness.org/calendar or https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyAutismPartnership/)
- The Shenandoah Valley Autism Partnership hosts a monthly Lunch Bunch from 11:30-1:00 PM. Check out their facebook page for specific dates. Bring your own lunch. Parents of children with autism can come to learn about services. Community organizations serve as presenters. (https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyAutismPartnership/)
Next Meeting: Friday, February 22, 3:30-5:00 PM at City Hall, Rms. 11 and 12
Additional Spring Meeting Dates:
- Friday, March 29, 3:30-5:00 PM
- Monday, April 29, 12:30-2:00 PM
- Friday, May 31, 3:30-5:00 PM
Ideas generated by coalition members are in gray boxes.
7 Comprehensive Strategies |
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Strategy | Description & Example | Example |
Provide Information | The goal is to change knowledge and beliefs. Raise awareness of a problem and what the community is doing about it. | Op eds, flyers, discussions, Info session, social media campaign, debates, individual meetings |
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Build Skills | The goal is to give people new abilities to take action. | Trainings, practice opportunities, training on how to speak to the media, become familiar with organizing tools, professional development opportunities, advocacy skills |
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Provide Support | Most of us are more likely to take action if someone encourages us or participates with us. | Funds, volunteer time, consulting or advising, adding efforts to a local organization, mentoring one-on-one |
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Enhance Access or Reduce Barriers | Ensure there are no barriers to the behavior or action we want people to engage. | Improve or provide transportation, scholarships, legal aid, improve language capabilities, interpretation, and change of location |
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Change Consequences/ Provide Incentives | Providing incentives or increasing / creating consequences has a strong effect on individuals and institutions. | Examples of Incentives: Public acknowledgements, awards, discounts
Examples of Consequences: Interruptions, bad press, penalties, or even protests. |
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Change the Physical Design | “Studies show that if a city has good sidewalks available, if they connect places people want to go, if they are safe, people would walk more…” | Improve infrastructure, build or renovate a building, art work, monuments |
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Change Policies, Practices, and Procedures | The goal is to ensure that policies and procedures promote a positive behavior. Policies and procedures should guide and transform our culture. It is almost impossible to achieve community-level objectives without addressing some aspects of local policy. | Pass a city ordinance, change a law, improve, change, or implement operational procedures.
Note: be careful of unintended consequences! |
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