Blogger's Note: Normally, I wouldn't post something that only pertains to families in one state. But when this letter was posted on a local listserv it caught my eye for more than just the information about Georgia's Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waivers. Dr. Hall has painted a very optimistic future for adults with developmental disabilities. I found his letter encouraging and energizing. And I thought other parents of special kids might as well. I'm sorry for the length of the letter. Had it been posted on the internet somewhere, I would have just provided the link.


An Open Letter to Families who have School Children with Developmental
Disabilities, from Steve Hall, Georgia State Director of the Office of
Developmental Disabilities

Beyond this date, April 25, 2006, please widely distribute to families
that have children of any age with developmental disabilities in
Georgia's public schools. This memo should be given to parents. It
contains important information for families to think about and to
begin planning for when their son or daughter becomes an adult.

Significant and rather magnificent changes are coming that will have
great impact on people with developmental disabilities. The State
Office of Developmental Disabilities is writing new Medicaid Waivers
that will give each person an individual budget of financial resources
based on his or her exact needs. These resources must only be used to
purchase services or supports of significant benefit. But let me back
up a bit, introduce myself, and the reason I am writing this letter to
you. I would like to explain what a Medicaid Waiver is and why it is
important to you.

I am Steve Hall and I am the Georgia State Director of the
Office of Developmental Disabilities. I lead a team of folks that are
dedicated to the health, safety, well-being, and the realization of a
meaningful life for everyone in Georgia that has developmental
disabilities. Over the past several months we spoke at dozens of
public forums and conferences statewide about the coming new Medicaid
Waivers for Developmental Disabilities.

At those meetings, time and time again, families of children who
currently attend public school in Georgia would come to me and say,
"Steve, this is so important. Few families are even aware of what
you are talking about." Sometimes special education teachers said
the same thing. Medicaid Waivers are how States "waive" or change
the federal Medicaid rules in a manner to better serve their citizens
with developmental disabilities. Before there were Medicaid Waivers, most of these federal Medicaid funds were used by each state to run their government institutions. A more proper name for the Medicaid Waivers is Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waivers.

What happens to your children, teenagers, and young adults
during their public school years is very important to me and the
citizens of Georgia. What happens in school makes all the difference
in the world. I have been a school teacher, school administrator,
have taught teachers going back to the university for their masters
degrees, and have worked as an executive leader for almost two
decades. Based on these experiences, I must share three best
practices with you that I learned along the way:

1.Good Special Education greatly reduces the need for supports and the taxpayer cost of supports throughout the person's life. Good Special Education supports the student in the regular classroom. Good Special Education provides community-based instruction outside of the classroom to better prepare the child for an adult life in the community.

2.The best special education services occur in the regular kindergarten classroom, elementary classroom, middle school classroom, junior high classroom, and high school classrooms that are located where the other children in your neighborhood are in class.

3.For most children with developmental disabilities, the Individual Education Plan (IEP) should be written to include non-school building instruction in work and other community environments during the school day, beginning by at least age 14.

To be continued...