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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #476 |
| Provision for Case Management/Counseling Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Citizens of Pinellas County. |
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| Requester: |
Holliday Lisowski |
Organization: |
Deaf and Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay, Inc. |
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| Project Title: |
Provision for Case Management/Counseling Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Citizens of Pinellas County. |
Date Submitted |
1/3/2008 2:05:40 PM |
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| Sponsors: |
Jones |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| To enhance the lives of the deaf and hearing in the State of Florida. |
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| Recipient: |
Deaf and Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay, Inc. |
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Contact: |
Holliday Lisowski |
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7821 Seminole Boulevard |
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Contact Phone: |
(727) 399-9983 |
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Seminole 33772 |
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Contact email: |
hlisowski@dhctb.org |
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| Counties: |
Pinellas |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| The Deaf and Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay, Inc. (DHC) provides services annually to more than 13,000 deaf, hard of hearing and late-deafened residents of Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties and their families. The agency also works with many other community service providers and businesses that serve these individuals to help them become accessible to the needs of deaf and hard of hearing people and also to provide the services that help these individuals to be independent, productive members of society.
Florida has no designated entity within state government to fund and facilitate sufficient and uniform quality services to deaf and hard of hearing people, similar to the Division of Blind Services, Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Program, Mental Health Program, Developmental Disabilities, or Children�s Medical Services.
Funding for programs offering deaf and hard of hearing support services in local communities is becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain as is reflected by the number of Deaf Service Centers forced to close due to fiscal constraints in recent years. As a result, the availability of support services in some Florida communities is decreasing or nonexistent.
Case Management services to deaf and hard of hearing Pinellas County residents ages 18-59, are currently funded through the Florida Department of Children and Families Community Care for Disabled Adults Program, but it is anticipated that this funding (already having received cuts) will be discontinued. In July 2005 DCF shifted to a statewide waiting list for CCDA clients and this procedural change has proven to hinder the deaf and hard of hearing clients because they do not necessarily have a high level of impairment with the activities of daily living, but do have a number of other critical case management needs.
Because of the specialized communication needs of individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, they are not getting adequate access to the programs funded by traditional funding streams that provide case management services. These individuals come to the Deaf and Hearing Connection for case management and counseling because there are deaf professional case managers and counselors able to communicate with them using American Sign Language at the agency. Although the services are available to them, these citizens cannot access services provided by other local agencies like Suncoast Community Mental Health Services, Neighborly Community Care and Gulf Coast Community Care, because they have a lack of ample communication.
In the past, case managers at the Deaf and Hearing Connection have attempted to refer clients to other local non-profit agencies, but faced a breakdown in communication because intake is done using the telephone, and written English (via tty). This is simply an ineffective way of obtaining complete and accurate information from these individuals. When they met with case managers and other professionals, an interpreter needed to be hired at great expense to the agency ($65 per hour with a two-hour minimum.)
Rather than pay for interpreting services every time case management, information and referral, and mental health counseling services are required for these individuals, we feel it would be much more cost effective to provide funding to the Deaf and Hearing Connection to provide these services using deaf professionals or hearing professionals who are fluent in American Sign Language.
Through this funding, one case manager and one client assistant would be hired to work with citizens Pinellas County. Counseling services, provided by a deaf licensed mental health counselor who is on staff at the Deaf and Hearing Connection, would be contracted on an hourly basis. In addition, community education and advocacy services would also be made available to all Pinellas County residents who are experiencing hearing loss.
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| According to the National Association of the Deaf, there are approximately 28 million people in the United States with some degree of hearing loss. In the Tampa Bay area, the number of deaf and hard of hearing persons is estimated at over 165,000. There are various degrees of deafness ranging from mild to profound, which can affect not only a person's ability to hear volume, but also the ability to process sound. Deafness can be congenital or caused by illness, tumors, trauma, environmental factors (loud music, machinery, etc.), or aging.
� Every family has a 75% chance of being affected by hearing loss.
� 1 in 3 people will experience hearing loss by the time they are 65.
� 1 in every 10 people currently experience hearing loss.
� 64 used to be age when you started to experience hearing loss.
� 46 is when hearing loss starts now.
� Among our seniors, hearing loss is the third most prevalent, but manageable disabling condition, behind arthritis and hypertension.
People with hearing loss are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and paranoia and are less likely to participate in organized social activities. It affects not only the person experiencing the hearing loss, but also their family, friends and everyone who needs to communicate with them.
The Deaf and Hearing Connection for Tampa Bay, Inc. (DHC) serves deaf, hard of hearing and late-deafened residents of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and those with whom they communicate. In the Tampa Bay area, the estimated number of deaf, hard of hearing and late-deafened residents is over 150,000.
All programs of DHC are completely accessible to deaf, hard of hearing and late-deafened individuals and their families, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of this population through both the expertise of staff and accommodations of physical facilities. Many of the employees have experienced hearing loss themselves and/or hold professional certifications and educational backgrounds in deafness. Facilities are appropriately modified for maximum communication through the use of adaptive equipment. DHC is the only agency of its kind in the Tampa Bay area. For the past 29 years DHC has served between 6,500 and 7,500 in the Tampa Bay area annually.
DHC programs include:
Telephone/Equipment Distribution
The Deaf and Hearing Connection is the Florida Telecommunications Relay, Inc. Regional Distribution Center in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Specialized telecommunications equipment including amplified telephones, audible and visual ring signalers, text telephones, hearing carryover and voice carryover telephones are offered on loan to qualified Florida residents at no charge. Call for additional information.
Hearing Equipment Sales
A wide variety of Assistive equipment is available for purchase including: TTYs, amplified telephones, flashing smoke detectors and alarm systems. Also available: books, videotapes and novelties related to hearing loss, speech- reading, sign language, and interpreting.
Hearing Help Center (HHC)
A licensed hearing aid specialist provides hearing screening and testing, hearing aid fitting and sales, and hearing aid repair at the Deaf and Hearing Connection. His primary goal is to help clients gain the most possible gain from their hearing instrument -not to make the biggest possible profit.
Mental Health Counseling
The DHC has one of the only deaf Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LHMC) in the area that specializes in working with people affected by hearing loss and their families. Individual and group sessions are available and many different insurance plans are accepted.
Advocacy
Deaf and Hearing Connection staff members educate the community on accessibility and requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act relating to deafness and hearing loss. Staff members also serve as advocates for individuals in situations involving lack of accessibility, Assistive Listening Devices, interpreters, real-time captioning and other accommodations.
Work Success
A new program of DHC designed to provide education and counseling to deaf and hard of hearing individuals to help them to get and keep jobs, which will reduce their dependence on government subsidies. Work Success also promotes success and longevity on the job through �On the Job� support and advocacy for this population for three months beyond the 90-day period they are followed through Vocational Rehabilitation. Work Success Case Managers and Employment Specialists work to raise awareness of the challenges that deaf, and hard of hearing individuals and their hearing co-workers face on a daily basis because of communication difficulties in the workplace, and suggest strategies for more effective communication between deaf and hard of hearing employees and their potential employers and coworkers.
Community Education
A number of classes are available including sign language, communication strategies, independent living skills and deaf sensitivity training. Staff members are available for community presentations on a number of topics relating to hearing loss. A specialized library provides free community resources including books, videotapes, periodicals and a vertical file of materials relating to hearing loss.
Information and Referral
Assistance is provided to households with deaf, hard of hearing or late-deafened members. DHC Staff can help link individuals in locating and accessing government agencies, service providers, educational resources and other community resources.
PROGRAM OUTCOME OBJECTIVES MATRIX
Program Goal: To assist deaf and hard of hearing adults to remain in their homes and live independently in the community through the provision of case management services.
Objectives
Include both process and outcome objectives as appropriate to your program
(qualitative and/or quantitative, please show #�s & % ) Outcome Indicators
How will we know when the objectives are achieved? Status of Last Year�s Objectives*
Only list those that are comparable to this year
(For first-year program-leave blank)
1. 95% of clients served will agree that DHC provides access to available home and community based services, which allows them to live independently in the community.
2. 85% of deaf and hard of hearing clients are provided adequate communication access with social service agencies, businesses and government programs.
3. Assistance is provided to 50 businesses, government and non-profit agencies to ensure they understand their responsibility under the ADA with regard to deaf and hard of hearing people and to educate them on sensitivity so they are able successfully to work with this population.
4. 80% of clients served will respond that they agree or strongly agree that they learned tools and techniques to feel empowered to become more independent and self-sufficient.
1. Documentation tracked on �Care Plans� and transferred in to monthly reporting.
2. Results tracked on quarterly Client Satisfaction Survey.
3. Documentation of Presentation Requests, on rosters for each presentation and with monthly service logs.
4. Results tracked on quarterly Client Satisfaction Survey. 1. New objective
2. New Objective
3. New Objective
4. New Objective
* A review of last year�s rating forms indicated some weaknesses in our objectives, so
new objectives were developed this year to be more specific and measurable.
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$100,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$163,178 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
Local |
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Cash Amount |
$10,000 |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$100,000 |
To Fund: |
Operations |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
LRPP, Agency Needs Assessment |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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Yes |
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Hearing Body: |
Legislative Delegation (scheduled for November 15, 2007) |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
