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Quarterly Meeting Notice

The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities (GCPD) will hold our quarterly business meeting on January 27th and 28th via Zoom. GCPD welcomes public comments pertaining to topics of importance for Texans with disabilities. Members of the public are encouraged to participate in this process by giving public comment during the designated time at the meeting or providing written testimony to GCPD in advance by emailing gcpd@gov.texas.gov. If you connect via Zoom and intend to give public comment, use the chat feature to provide your name and state "I wish to provide public comment." If you connect via telephone and wish to give public comment, please email gcpd@gov.texas.gov with the subject line "telephone comment" or leave a voicemail by 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 26th with your name and phone number. 

In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, the GCPD meeting agenda is posted on the Secretary of State’s website and has been placed below for your convenience.

MEETING AGENDA

Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities

January 27, 2021, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
January 28, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
Videoconference Meeting Access via ZOOM. Registration is required. 
Register for Day 1
 Register for Day 2 

If you have trouble registering, call 512-463-5739
Meeting Materials Available January 20 at GCPD's website

In accordance with section 418.016 of the Texas Government Code, Governor Abbott has suspended various provisions that require a quorum or a presiding officer to be physically present at a specified meeting location. It is the intent of the Committee to have its members join from separate locations. Members of the public will have access to a live audiovisual stream of the meeting. The Committee will record the video and audio of the meeting and make the recording available upon request. For questions, contact (512) 463-5739 or email gcpd@gov.texas.gov.

                                                                Day 1 - January 27, 2021

1. Call to Order/ Roll Call/ Introductions – Aaron Bangor, PhD, Chair
2. Approval of Committee Member Absences as Submitted (Discussion/Possible Action)
3. Approval of October 22-23, 2020 Summary Minutes (Discussion/Possible Action)
4. Public Comment (3 min. limit per presentation)
5. Guardianship Reform, Crisis Standards of Care and Medical Decision-making Workgroup – Belinda Carlton, Workgroup Chair; Dennis Borel, Coalition of Texans with Disabilities; and Bob Kafka, ADAPT of Texas (Discussion/Possible Action)
6. Executive Director Report and Recommendations to 87^th Texas Legislature – Ron Lucey
7. Texas Education Agency’s Digital Accessibility Curriculum Advisory Committee Report and Survey of Local Education Agencies, Dominick Robinson, Department of Special Education Programs (Discussion/Possible Action)
8. Policy Development based on the Committee’s Issue Areas (Discussion/Possible Action)(Access, Communications, Education, Employment, Emergency Preparedness, Health, Housing, Recreation, Transportation, and Veterans)

DAY 2 – January 28, 2021

9. Reports from Invited Exofficio Agency Representatives, includes follow up topics from previous meetings (Discussion/Possible Action)

• Texas State Independent Living Council (TxSILC)
• Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)
• Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)
• Texas Dept. of Licensing & Regulation, Architectural Barriers (TDLR)
• Texas Education Agency (TEA)
• Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)

10. Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities’ Policy Priorities and Advisory Council on Postsecondary Education for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), Beth Stalvey and Scott Daigle (Discussion/Possible Action)
11. Mental Health Access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Texans, Dr. Courtney Harvey, Health and Human Services Commission (Discussion/Possible Action)
12. Occupational Skills Training for Individuals with IDD Report, Jonas Schwartz, Texas Workforce Commission (Discussion/Possible Action)
13. Continuation: Policy Development based on the Committee’s Issue Areas (Discussion/Possible Action) Draft Policy Proposals available on the GCPD’s website at: https://gov.texas.gov/organization/disabilities/committee-meetings

• Adult Protective Services Complaint Follow-Up with a Legally Authorized Representative
• Certified Sign Language Interpreters for HHSC/Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Interagency Contracts
• State Board of Educator Certification Rule on K-12 Certified Sign Language Interpreters

14. Member Reports on Community Outreach (Discussion/Possible Action)
15. Future Meeting: April, 2021 (Discussion/Possible Action)
16. Adjournment – Chair Aaron Bangor

Notice of Assistance at Public Meetings
Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) will be provided. Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who may need assistance, such as American Sign Language interpreter or materials in an alternate format, contact the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities at least seven (7) working days prior to the meeting. 512-463-5739. Use the Relay Option of Your Choice. E-mail: gcpd@gov.texas.gov

Quarterly Meeting Registration

The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities provides GovDelivery updates for informational purposes on a variety of disability related issues for a diverse audience. Updates may include information provided by external sources. The inclusion of this external information does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the Committee or the Office of the Governor of any information, policy, product, or service offered by an external source.

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