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DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES WAIVER SERVICES
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Max
Allowed |
DD Waiver
Services & Descriptions |
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No Max |
Day support is training in intellectual, sensory, motor, and
affective social development including awareness skills,
sensory stimulation, use of appropriate behaviors and social
skills, learning and problem solving, communication and self
care, physical development, transportation to and from
training sites, services and support activities, and
prevocational services aimed at preparing an individual for
paid or unpaid employment.
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No Max
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Supported employment will consist of training in specific
skills related to paid employment and provision of ongoing
or intermittent assistance and specialized supervision to
enable an individual to maintain paid employment provided to
developmentally delayed individuals.
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No Max
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In-home residential support is support provided in the
developmentally disabled individual's home which includes
training, assistance, and supervision in enabling the
individual to maintain or improve his health, assistance in
performing individual care tasks, training in activities of
daily living, training and use of community resources,
providing life skills training, and adapting behavior to
community and home-like environments.
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1 consult
per month per discipline |
Therapeutic consultation is provided by members of
psychology, social work, behavioral analysis, speech
therapy, occupational therapy, therapeutic recreation,
physical therapy disciplines or behavior consultation to
assist individuals, parents and family members, residential
support, day support and any other providers of support
services in implementing a plan of care.
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No Max
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Personal care services include assistance with personal
hygiene, nutritional support, and the environmental
maintenance necessary for individuals to remain in their
homes and in the community.
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720 hours
per year |
Respite care (agency and consumer-directed) is a services
provided to eligible individuals who are unable to care for
themselves that is provided on an episodic or routine basis
because of the absence of or need for relief of those
persons residing with the individual who normally provide
the care.
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No Max
PRN |
Skilled nursing services will be provided for individuals
with serious medical conditions and complex health care
needs who require specific skilled nursing services that
cannot be provided by non-nursing personnel. Skilled nursing
may be provided in the individual's home or other community
setting on a regularly scheduled or intermittent need basis.
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PRN, but not 24 hours per day
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Attendant care is long-term maintenance or support services
necessary to enable the mentally alert and competent
individual to remain at or return home. The individual will
be responsible for hiring, training, supervising and firing
the personal attendant. For individuals 18 years of age and
older, they must be able to manage their own affairs without
help, be mentally alert and have no cognitive impairments
and not have a legal guardian. If individuals receiving
services are under 18 years of age, the legal guardian or
parent will act on behalf of the minor.
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70 hours per year
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Family and caregiver training will training and counseling
services provided to families of individuals receiving
services in the DD Waiver.
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No Max PRN |
Crisis stabilization will provide intervention to persons
with developmental disabilities who are experiencing serious
psychiatric or behavioral problems, or both, that jeopardize
their current community living situation.
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$5,000 per year
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Environmental modifications are physical adaptations to a
house, place of residence, vehicle or work site, when the
modification exceeds reasonable accommodation requirements
of the Americans with Disabilities Act, necessary to ensure
individuals' health and safety or enable functioning with
greater independence when the adaptation is not being used
to bring a substandard dwelling up to minimum habitation
standards and is of direct medical or remedial benefit to
individuals.
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$5,000 per year, $1,500 can be a
computer |
Assistive technology consists of specialized medical
equipment and supplies including those devices, controls, or
appliances specified in the plan of care, but not available
under the State Plan for Medical Assistance, which enable
individuals to increase their abilities to perform
activities of daily living, or to perceive, control, or
communicate with the environment in which they live or which
is necessary to the proper functioning of such items.
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PRN
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Personal emergency response system (PERS) is an electronic
device that enables certain individuals at high risk of
institutionalization to secure help in an emergency.
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1
telephone visit per month, minimum |
Support Coordination (A form of case management) is the
assessment, planning, linking, and monitoring for
individuals referred for the IFDDS Community-Based Care
Waiver. Support coordination (i) ensures the development,
coordination, implementation, monitoring, and modification
of consumer service plans; (ii) links individuals with
appropriate community resources and supports; (iii)
coordinates service providers; and (iv) monitors quality of
care. |
STAFF BIOGRAPHIES
Jill Jacobs,
President and CEO
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The President & CEO of Ability
Unleashed, Inc., Jill Jacobs founded
the company in 1996 and incorporated
in 2001. Jill’s background includes
both a personal and professional
history
with disability and health
issues.
Jill has a great deal of personal
experience with disability; she is
the mother of three children, two of
whom have Cerebral Palsy. Jill was raised by a person with a
disability; her father had
quadriplegia as a result of a spinal
cord injury. In addition, as a
college student at the University of
Arizona, Jill roomed
with, and
worked as a personal care attendant
for, a young woman with a
disability.
Professionally, Jill has been
working in the disability community
since 1994. Jill spent two years as
the Director of Development and
Public Relations for
United Cerebral
Palsy of Washington and Northern
Virginia, and has acted in a
consultant capacity for many
organizations. These include; TASH,
the National SpinalCord Injury
Association of America, the National
Organization on Disabilit On A Roll
Radio, Ability Magazine, JobAccess,
United Cerebral Palsy (National),
and United Cerebral Palsy of North
Carolina.
Amongst Jill’s awards and
accomplishments, she finds those
that come from her work in two
categories to be most rewarding;
those related to achieving freedom,
independence, and recognition for
people with disabilities, and those
related to her support of members of
the United States Army and their
families. Jill’s awards and
recognitions include:
·
The Commonwealth of Virginia Parent
Education, Advocacy & Training
Center (PEATC)
recognized Jill’s efforts as a
parent advocate in 1998 by
honoring her with the
‘Making a
Difference Award’. The award was
given specifically to honor Jill for
the key advocacy role she played in
campaign to ensure a
statue depicting President
Franklin
Delano Roosevelt (FDR) seated in his
wheelchair was included at his
memorial in Washington, DC.
·
The United States Department of the
Army awarded Jill the
Dr. Mary E. Walker Medal in 2002 for
her work with military dependents
with disabilities.
·
The American Business Women’s
Association
awarded Jill two
scholarships (1991 & 1992) that
assisted her in obtaining her degree
in Social Work.
·
The University of Central Texas
Social Work Association
awarded Jill a scholarship (January
1991) that assisted her in obtaining
her degree in
Social Work. In
appreciation for the support, Jill
subsequently served as President of
that association (September 1991 –
August 1992)
Jill has been appointed to numerous
committees and has served on the
Board of Directors of a variety of
agencies, to include:
-
Mobility International USA
- American Delegate to Germany,
1998
-
National Organization
on Disability - United
Parcel Service National
Community Awards Selection
Committee, 1998
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The World Association of People with Disabilities
- Board of Directors –
1998-present
-
United Cerebral Palsy of Washington & Northern Virginia
- Board of Directors – 1998
-
University of Central
Texas Social Work Association
- President – September 1991 –
August 1992
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Timothy W. Barney has worked in the
areas of sales, marketing, and
customer service for the past ten
years. He is a dynamic and
effective leader with the proven
ability to mentor and motivate
teams. Tim has been known in the
companies that he has worked with as
a customer-oriented professional
with an exceptional commitment to
quality service and follow-through.
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Tim has managed budgets and revenues
in excess of $4.2 million annually
and has been responsible for
recruitment, hiring, training, and
development activities for his
employees. He has created
division-wide training programs
aimed at increasing positive culture
and work environment. Tim has
consistently been in the top 25% of
management in the area of employee
retention and has been honored with
the distinction of receiving one of
only five awards given company wide
in the area of customer service.
Tim’s father had Quadriplegia and
struggled throughout his life to
live at home, in his community and
avoid long term
institutionalization. Due in large
part to this very personal
experience with disability, Tim has
had a lifelong goal to advance the
cause of independence for
under-served populations. Tim brings
to the table his personal experience
with disability combined with his
skills in analyzing needs,
developing realistic priorities and
plans, monitoring follow-through,
and encouraging performance.
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Teresa Champion came to Ability
Unleashed in 2003 but she has been
an advocate in the disability
community since 1997 when her son
was diagnosed with
autism. She received her J.D. from
the University of Louisville in
1983. She practiced law and was a
lobbyist in Kentucky.
She married her husband in 1986 and
moved to Washington State
where he was stationed with the
Navy. In between duty stations in
Japan, Rhode Island, Massachusetts
and Virginia, she practiced law in
Washington and her last job was as a
prosecutor.
After retiring from the Navy, she
and her husband moved to Northern
Virginia with their daughter and son
in 2000. She has been very active in
the autism community in Oak Harbor,
Washington and in Springfield,
Virginia starting autism support
groups at elementary schools,
organizing seminars, attending
conferences and advocating for
children with autism in school
districts. Supporting other parents
of children with autism is very dear
to her heart.
Her favorite quote: “Today’s mighty
oak is just yesterday’s nut that
held its ground.”
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Cheryl Dyer is a Virginia Board Certified Registered Nurse who possesses the multi-state nursing privilege.
Ms. Dyer has many years of nursing
experience in combat, clinical, social
service, and community based care settings.
Ms. Dyer worked in clinical and combat
settings while on duty with the United
States Army where she attained the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel.
In her civilian career, Ms. Dyer has
held many nursing positions. Among her most
rewarding are those in which she had the
opportunity to provide direct respite care
to support military families whose children
have disabilities. Ms Dyer also held the
position of Nurse Case Management Supervisor
for a TriCare-approved Home Health agency
where she was responsible for coordinating
and monitoring home based care provided to
children with disabilities under the US
Army’s Exceptional Family Member Program and
Program for Persons with Disabilities.
Ms. Dyer has worked with Ability
Unleashed in one capacity or another since
1999.
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Andy Iwanski has been a
consultant for Ability Unleashed
since 2000 and currently works for
the Valley of the Sun YMCA in the
greater Phoenix Area as Regional
Director for
Youth Sports. He has
worked for the YMCA since 1987 where
he has dedicated himself to the
Human Services Field.
His experience is vast developing
many skills in the past 20 years in
organization & planning, budget
management, supervision of staffand
a true
passion for working with
people. Andy is a strong leader who
knows how to get things done in an
efficient, precise manner.
Some of Andy’s major accomplishments
include securing a $190,000
community development block grant
for the construction of an outdoor
hockey
rink for the YMCA of Tucson
as well as securing donations and
grants from the City of Phoenix,
United Way, and the Arizona
Cardinals to provide
funding for
programs. Currently Andy works in
conjunction with the Phoenix Suns
to
deliver the YMCA Jr. Suns program to
over 6000 kids annually.
In closing, Andy has many
years experience working with people
and has a long track record of
success building programs
and developing
relationships in the community.
Andy’s skill set will always fit
very well in an environment
dedicated to
serving people.
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Sarah
Jacobs has played an administrative support
role in the Human Services field for two
years. She has provided hands-on support to
people with disabilities in terms of
personal care, community integration, and
skill building for four years.
Because of her
personal connection to disability through
her siblings, Sarah has been a lifelong
advocate on issues related to people with
disabilities. At the age of ten Sarah
testified at hearings held by the United
States Department of Interior on the
controversial issue of including a statue
depicting President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt in his wheelchair at his memorial
in Washington, DC. Among the hearing
attendees was Vice President Al Gore. Vice
President Gore was so impressed with Sarah’s
testimony that he subsequently requested to
use her words as part of his own speech at
an Independence Day celebration at the FDR
Memorial. Sarah and her family were invited
to the event as VIP guests and Sarah was
acknowledged and honored for her efforts by
Vice President Gore.
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Paul Jacobs has been providing sub-contracted Information & Technology (IT) support to Ability Unleashed since the company was founded in 1996.
As Ability Unleashed has grown, Paul has provided the skills, training, and expertise that has allowed the company to meet it's expanding IT needs, not only on-site, but also in terms of identifying, developing, and implementing the networking and other systems that give Ability Unleashed staff members the option to telecommute when necessary.
Paul has a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Computer Sciences from the University of Central Texas, and earned his Master of Science in Information Resource Management from Central Michigan University.
Paul served twenty-two years in the United States Army in the fields of Aviation and Military Intelligence, and retired in August 2004. Paul is currently a Senior Military Analyst with an L-3 subsidiary, SY Coleman, in Crystal City, Virginia.
Paul's interest in the disability field stems from his personal experience as the father of three children, two of whom have Cerebral Palsy. He has expanded his knowledge in disability issues, services, and programs not only through his personal experience, but also as the Exceptional Family Member representative in many of the Army units in which he has served.
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Dana’s
involvement in disability issues is
multi-faceted. In her professional life, she
has provided community based support
services to people with disabilities since
January 2003, when she took a job providing
personal care and community integration
support to a child with a Developmental
Disability.
In that role Dana learned not only the
specifics of hand-on care, but also became
extremely well-versed in accessibility,
resources, and service delivery systems for
people with disabilities and their families,
particularly in the Virginia, Washington, DC
and Maryland region.
Dana has worked as a para-professional,
facilitating the inclusion of a middle
school student in a special education
setting and has provided support and
guidance to ensure appropriate inclusion in
parks and recreation programs.
Dana has become familiar with the concepts of human and civil rights
via hands-on participation in policy and
civil rights efforts that impact Ability
Unleashed clientele.
Dana
obtained her Bachelors of Science degree
from Virginia Commonwealth University, and
has been accepted to nursing school. She
will begin classes in Autumn 2007.
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Mindy J. Miller, MSW, LCSW holds a
bachelor’s degree in Criminal
Justice Administration, from
Missouri Southern State University.
She worked as a Deputy Juvenile
Officer in
Jasper County, Missouri
for over ten years. While working in
this capacity, she spent a great
deal of time working with abuse and
neglect
as well as juvenile offenders and
their families. Desiring to work in
a more preventative role, she sought
and received a Masters of Social
Work from
Missouri State University in 2003
with an emphasis in family health.
Mindy has served as the Director of
Social Work at Heartland Hospital,
which is an adolescent psychiatric
and residential
treatment facility in Nevada,
Missouri. She developed, marketed,
and eventually staffed a program for
adolescent females
with mental
retardation or developmental
disabilities.
The majority of these
clients had been originally removed
from homes in
innercity St. Louis and had
previously been unsuccessful in
other placements
due to their
personal struggles. Many had been
removed from their families of
origin due to a lack of parenting
skills and/or resources within their
communities. Prior to
Mindy leaving the facility, many of
these young women were able to be
placed in less restrictive
environments or back with
their families due to independence
they had gained in this program.
Mindy has been in private practice
since 2004 at Applied Psychological
Services. She has worked extensively
with clients who have developmental
disabilities, mental illness, and
behavioral difficulties. She is a
strong advocate for these
individuals and their families and
has a desire for them to succeed in
all areas of their lives.
Mindy’s desire to advocate for
families and individuals with
disabilities stemmed from very
personal experiences. She was raised
with her younger brother who has
cerebral palsy and saw first hand
the commitment that her family made
in order to locate resources and
provide the best services
that were
available
at the time. Due to her experiences,
she understands the importance of
community supports in maintaining
balance in the family system in
order to promote healthy development
of all members.
The concepts of freedom and
independence are the heart and soul
of Ability Unleashed. Mindy’s focus
is to ensure our team members embody
these concepts by
utilizing person-centered,
independence-driven service delivery
models in every facet of our
operations, whether clinical or
administrative.
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Tracy
Rizzo came to Ability Unleashed in
2002 and was promoted to Vice
President of the company in 2003.
Tracy started her own agency, Access
& Inclusion, Inc. in March of 2005
and now acts as a consultant to
Ability Unleashed.
For the past fourteen years, Tracy
has been helping children with
disabilities and their families
access the most appropriate services
available in their
area.
While living on a military base in
Germany, Tracy's oldest son Dakota
was diagnosed with a rare syndrome
that affects every
facet
of his life. Because
of the lack of
support and information available to
families overseas, she organized a
monthly support group.
The group provided parents of
children with disabilities the
opportunity to network, exchange
ideas and share
information with
each other.
During her time spent as a military
wife, she served as a volunteer
advocate for the Army's Exceptional
Family Member Program assisting
families
tackle the complex special
education system.
Tracy is currently active with
Northern Virginia Special Olympics.
Tracy serves as a Disability Merit
Badge Counselor for the National
Capital Area, Colonial District, Boy
Scouts of America. For the past 4
years she has served as treasurer
and committee member for Troop 1851,
a
Boy Scout troop
that provides
scouting opportunities for teenage
boys with varying disabilities.
Tracy lives in Northern Virginia
with her finance Eric, her two sons,
Dakota and James and their boxer
Taz.
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Leona is originally from Liberia,
West Africa. She obtained U.S.
Citizenship in 2002.
She obtained her undergraduate
Degree in Business & Public
Administration from the University
of Liberia (1977). She became the
Executive
Assistant/Office Manager
to the Office of the Chief Executive
Officer at the John F. Kennedy
Medical Center, the only teaching
and referral Hospital in Monrovia,
Liberia (1978-1990). She fled her
country from a civil was in 1990 to
seek sanctuary in the United States.
She became the Executive Assistant
to the Vice President of Standards
Development at the Association for
the Advancement of Medical
Instrumentation in Arlington, VA
(1992-2006).
Leona decided to change careers to
do something that she is very
passionate about because of the
personal tragedies in her life –
caring for the elderly
fand disabled.
She lost a son to Sickle Cell, a
husband to brain cancer, and has a
grandson with Cerebral Palsy. In
2005, she trained at the Northern
Virginia Community College and was
certified as a Nurse Assistant. She
is listed on the North Carolina
State Registry.
Leona relocated to Durham, NC, in
March 2006. She applied for and
obtained licensure in December 2006
from the Department of Health and
Human Services, NC, to operate her
Home Health Agency (Mindful
Caregivers). Leona is highly
experienced in executive level
office management and staff
supervision as well as a very caring
and compassionate caregiver. Leona
is a mother and grandmother. |
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Following her
graduation from Coronado High School in El
Paso, TX, Michelle attended a two-year
medical program in Northern Virginia.
She has spent
her entire adult life in the medical
community where she has become a highly
skilled medical assistant and phlebotomist
with many years of experience in both
hospital and clinical settings, to include
three years working in the medical office of
a Developmental Pediatrician in Falls Church
Virginia coordinating services for patients.
In addition, Michelle worked for five
supporting numerous law enforcement agencies
and DUI Task Forces.
Michelle’s primary role at Ability Unleashed
is direct consumer support which includes
client intake, the identification and
dissemination of resource information, and
creation, implementation, and monitoring
individual plans of care. Michelle is also
highly involved in the development of new
Ability Unleashed programs that will expand
our outreach to people with disabilities,
their families, and the organizations that
support them nationwide.
Michelle’s personal experience with
disability has come from providing hands-on
and emotional support to her niece and
nephew, who have significant Developmental
Disabilities.
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Joshua
Wilson is an experienced web page designer
in Richmond, Virginia. He has cerebral
palsy, a developmental disability that
affects muscle control. Joshua has limited
use of his hands but is able to master
technology through the assistance of a head
pointer.
In 1997, Joshua began his career as an
Internet Technician at Virginia Commonwealth
University. He provided technical support to
faculty and staff by developing web pages
with audio and visual effects, virtual chat
rooms for long distance teaching, and links
to relevant web sites. He also explored and
reviewed websites to determine accessibility
for individuals with significant
disabilities.
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DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES WAIVER SCREENING FROM
If
you would like to see if the Developmental Disabilities
Waiver is for you
please download and print out the screening form.
Note: you will
need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the screening
from.
You can download your free copy at
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© 2007,
Ability Unleashed, Inc.
All Rights
Reserved
Web site
design by Josh Wilson/Kathy Carano
For
corrections or inquiries about this web site
Please Contact Josh
Wilson, Webmaster
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