Table of Contents
A Message from our
Mayor
Dear Fellow Washingtonians:
A fundamental measure of any great city
is how well it supports all residents to live successfully in thriving
communities. Everyone in the District of Columbia should be on a solid pathway
to the middle class, with real education, employment, and housing opportunities
paving the way.
For people with disabilities, making good on
this promise means ensuring access to a full slate of supportive resources;
responding to crises and needs with robust assistance; and strengthening
families, community organizations and technology, among other supports.
Our city has made significant progress
towards these goals. We have reduced to a bare minimum the number of
“institutional beds” we rely on, focusing instead on supporting people to live
fully integrated lives at home or in the community. This year, United Cerebral
Palsy ranked us eighth in the nation (and the most improved state) for how well
we serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In 2014,
AARP ranked the District 11th on its scorecard of states’ efforts to provide
long-term services and supports for older adults, people with physical
disabilities, and family caregivers.
But despite our successes, we still have some
work to do. In many areas, our performance is not where we want it to be, and a
history of limited data collection makes it hard to know with precision how we
are doing. The District’s “2015 Olmstead Plan” illustrates our legal compliance
with the vision and directives of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other
court orders. I want us to do even more.
To reach our goals we will rely on people to
leverage the support of family and friends. We will also need strong working
partnerships between government and the community – an inclusive effort in
which people with disabilities drive how the city does its work while also
holding us accountable for the results we all want. Our ethos must be to do
“with” and not “for.”
To that end, in August 2015 I created an
Olmstead Working Group to bring advocates, stakeholders and government together
to assess in detail where we are and where we need to go. I am proud to present
here the initial results of that work. This 2016 Olmstead Plan is our roadmap
to becoming a city that supports all of its residents living the robust and
independent lives they want and deserve.
To view the Olmstead Plan, please click here.
Laura Newland was appointed as Interim Executive Director
for the District of Columbia Office on Aging (DCOA) effective November 9,
2015. Prior to this position, she served
as DCOA’s Interim General Counsel and supported the agency on a broad range of legal
and policy issues as part of the senior management team. Before coming to the
agency, Ms. Newland served as Special Assistant for Community Living in the Office
of the Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services (DMHHS), where she worked
primarily on interagency long-term care and real property tax issues in the
District. She was the DMHHS liaison for DCOA, the Department of Health Care
Finance, the Department of Disability Services, and the Office of Disability
Rights.
Read Interim Executive Director Laura's full bio here.
 Hypothermia
season has begun. The District issues a Hypothermia Alert when the actual or
forecasted temperature, including wind chill, is 32 degrees or below. If you
would like to request shelter transport for DC residents who are homeless and
on the street during that time, contact the Shelter Hotline at uposh@upo.org,
(202) 399-7093, 311 or 1-800-535-7252.
 DC Office on Aging
in collaboration with Community Preservation and Development Corporation
presented its 3rd Annual Community Health and Wellness Fair on Monday,
November 30 at Overlook Apartments. DCOA Outreach staff, Ms. Alice Thompson
and Mr. Mark Bjorge presented helpful resources, pamphlets, and
information to District seniors. Seniors enjoyed delicious, catered
Mediterranean food, and the ABC Management fed over
85 seniors.
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 Winter is around
the corner and that means snow season is close. Mayor Bowser’s goal is
for the District to be snow-ready before winter weather arrives. Some of
our residents, including seniors and individuals with disabilities, are
unable to do their own shoveling. And it’s especially important that
ServeDC has cleared sidewalks and stairs, because they often need to get to
medical appointments. ServeDC is recruiting 2,500 volunteers to join
their DC Resident Snow Team and help our vulnerable neighbors with snow
removal. If you are interested in volunteering, please visit snowteam.dc.gov. And if you are a senior
over the age of 60, or if you have a disability and do not have someone in
your home who can shovel, please call 311 to register.
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