The “Innovation Think Tank” for Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) brought together people who receive services, family members, advocates, provider agency staff, Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living staff and other state partners and stakeholders to share ideas about the future of developmental disabilities services in Vermont. A one-day retreat was held on May 2, 2018 to gather information on a variety of topics related to service delivery. The information obtained will help the Department, working in collaboration with stakeholders and partners, to focus efforts and resources on initiatives that will help us to achieve our mission and that are in line with our shared values. (Developmental Disabilities Services Division Core Values)
The next steps from the retreat are to summarize the information gathered and then review the ideas and recommended priorities with the DAIL staff, DDS State Program Standing Committee, DDS Directors and Green Mountain Self-Advocates. These groups will then make additional recommendations regarding priority initiatives for the system to pursue. Once the priorities have been narrowed to a few top areas, DDS will convene relevant stakeholders and partners to begin working on them. This section of the website will include ongoing updates.
Retreat May 2, 2018 at Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee - A retreat with representatives from the list above met to brainstorm about the most important things to preserve, improve, and develop in the system of support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.