Membership Meeting Minutes

Date: April 11, 2003
Location: Central Connecticut State University - Marcus White Living Room
Chair: Jill Angotta, in the absence of John Jarvis

2002 - 2003 Executive Board
President: John Jarvis
Vice President: Jill Angotta
Secretary: Carol Young
Treasurer: Barbara MacKay

Treasury Report

• Barbara MacKay reported that the current balance of the budget is $1630.12.
• Of the 45 (approx) colleges in Connecticut, twenty-five colleges have participated in membership this year.

Business Meeting/News

• Update on the Proposed Interagency Agreement: Reporting for John Jarvis, Carol Young informed the membership that a meeting was held in March between the CSU Chancellor, Dr. Cibes, and John. While there was progress with the specific language in the Agreement, there remain a few unresolved matters. The Department of Higher Education Commissioner, Dr. Jane Carliglio, will call the next meeting once the revisions have been made and forwarded by Dr. Cibes. It is hoped that the next meeting will involve Vocational Rehabilitation representatives John Halliday, Dick Carlson, and Brian Sigman, as well as Dr. Cibes, Dr. Carliglio, and John Jarvis, and will result in a working document that will be used by the CSU System.

  Due to political reasons beyond the control of CT AHEAD, it does not appear as though there will be one Interagency Agreement for all Connecticut Institutions of Higher Education as previously thought. Instead, it is predicted that the Connecticut Community College System and the private institutions will likely create their own Interagency Agreements shaped after the CSU System document. John Jarvis has agreed to remain in pursuit of a resolution to this matter, serving as Ex-Officio during the upcoming year.

  Laurie DiGalbo, of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS), indicated that Dick Carlson will be retiring soon. Therefore, beginning in June 2003, she will take his place in the development of the Interagency Agreement. Additionally, she responded to rumors that the Board of Education Services for the Blind (BESB) and BRS would be merging. She noted that BESB will likely be joining BRS under the umbrella of the Department of Social Services. A merger is not certain.
  Download the proposed interagency agreement
  

• Review of Association Bylaws: Carol Young presented a final draft of the Association Bylaws for a vote and it passed unanimously. The Bylaws will be available upon request and will remain on file with the Secretary.
• Electronic Communication Devices: Members report that the listserv is working well for their needs. A CT AHEAD web site is desired by the membership and will be a project for the upcoming year.
• 2003-2004 Executive Committee Officers: John Jarvis will be stepping down as President after an unprecedented two-year term. His dedication and kind spirit will be missed. Pamela Starr has offered to take the post as President for the upcoming year. Jill Angotta will also be moving on and David Ryan-Soderlund has agreed to step in as the new Vice President. Barbara MacKay and Carol Young, Treasurer and Secretary respectively, have agreed to retain their posts.
• Topic Ideas for Next Year:
  1. Accommodations for students with Psychiatric Disabilities at the graduate level.
  2. Accommodations for students with chronic health issues, especially with regard to physical space and environmental factors. For example, when is it appropriate to allow a student to take a course as an independent study due to extensive absences?
  3. Transition initiatives, including recent movement to involve special education population on college campuses.

Presentation: Asperger’s Syndrome

Jane Thierfeld Brown, Ed.D, the Director of Student Services at the University of Connecticut School of Law and Coordinator of Disability Services for the School of Social Work, has worked in Disability Services in higher education for 24 years. Jane has done research on Asperger's Syndrome for seven years and has presented widely on college students with Asperger's Syndrome. Jane defined the Syndrome, and described some of the challenges presented for students with Asperger’s and the professionals who are responsible for providing services and accommodations. Handouts are available upon request to Carol Young.

Important reminders to all members:

• Carol Young is compiling a current list of member’s e-mail addresses. Please be sure to notify her if you are having difficulty receiving emails or if your email address has changed. Forward concerns or changes to Carol at youngc@ccsu.edu.
• The Steering Committee will meet on May 15, 2003 at Central Connecticut State University. This will also serve as a planning meeting for the upcoming year. All members are invited to participate.

In attendance: Mark Brown, Linda Copney-Okeke, Roseann Dennerlein, Lauri DiGalbo, Lynne Golden, Karen Halliday, John Jarvis, Lynne Langella, Linda Larkin, Barbara MacKay, Kathleen Moran Doskos, Laurie Novi, David Ryan-Soderlund, Beth Sharkey, Pamela Starr, Jane Thierfeld Brown, Carol Young

Copyright © 2003 CTAHEAD. All rights reserved.