Where What When December 2009 Table of Contents Service Coordination - News for Disabilities Population© By Eli W. Schlossberg Over the past few months, members of the Jewish and Orthodox communities have been meeting with Service Coordination, Inc., to develop working relationships and help people with developmental disabilities access state and private services. The agency operates several offices in the greater Baltimore area, including offices in Pikesville, the Rotunda Building, and Woodlawn. Service coordinators in the Pikesville office have been leading the effort to work more closely with Baltimore's Jewish population.Service Coordination is a nonprofit agency contracted by Maryland's Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) to help link people with intellectual and physical disabilities such as Downs Syndrome and cerebral palsy with the services and assistance they need to lead quality lives. In addition, Service Coordinators help people become participants in their communities and assist them with reaching their life goals. They also make recommendations to the DDA regarding a person's eligibility for state-funded services, such as in-home support, employment, and residential services. Some of the things Service Coordination has helped people achieve are meaningful employment, in-home support services, and home ownership. Service coordinators have helped people register to vote, attend college, reconnect with family and friends, and become involved in volunteer work. In 2008 to 2009, Service Coordination found community-based services for over 150 people living in the Rosewood Residential Treatment Facility, after Governor O'Malley announced that it would be closed. Representatives from Jewish Community Services, Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund, the Center for Jewish Education, and other agencies have been working with Service Coordination on ways to become more visible in the Pikesville area, and how it can be more responsive to the needs of the Jewish and Orthodox communities. One of the main objectives of the meetings has been to have more people in these communities know what is available to those with disabilities. Another goal is to have Service Coordinators become more knowledgeable of the cultures and traditions of Baltimore's Jewish community. Future initiatives of this collaboration include a presentation on Jewish and Orthodox traditions by Eli W. Schlossberg of Ahavas Yisrael Charity Fund to service coordinators from the Pikesville office. In 2010, informational meetings between Service Coordination staff and religious and community leaders will be arranged. If you have any questions regarding Service Coordination, developmental disabilities, or how to access state-funded services, please feel free to contact Chris Russo or Lisa Scott, at 410-486-1582. Copyright © December 2009 Where What When |
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