Membership Meeting Minutes

Date: October 3, 2003
Location: University of Hartford
Chair: Pamela Starr

2003 - 2004 Executive Board
President: Pamela Starr
Vice President: David Ryan-Soderlund
Secretary: Carol Young
Treasurer: Barbara MacKay

Treasury Report

• Barbara MacKay reported that the current balance of the budget is $1760.
• There are reportedly five new members for the 2003-2004 year so far.
• Members are encouraged to mail in their completed 2003-2004 membership forms along with payment as soon as possible. The form, which includes membership fee information and mailing instructions, is attached.

Business Meeting/News

• Introduction of New Executive Board Members: Pam Starr introduced herself to the membership as the new CT AHEAD President for the 2003-2004 year. She also introduced David Ryan-Soderlund as the new Vice President.

• Web Site: Steve Robillard of Southern Connecticut State University is developing a CT AHEAD Web Site at no charge to the Association. Several items have been forwarded to Steve for inclusion, such as the membership list, meeting minutes, and the Bylaws. A progress update will be provided to membership at the upcoming meeting.
• Update on the Proposed Interagency Agreement: John Jarvis reported that there has been little progress on this matter since the summer. At present, the State University System Chancellor and Attorney General are reviewing the Agreement. John has made a commitment to remain in the pursuit of a working Interagency Agreement, serving as Ex-Officio during this year. Laurie DiGalbo reported that Dick Carlson is still the Interagency Agreement Liaison at the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services through December 2003. She will take over after that point in working with CT AHEAD on the Agreement.
  Download the proposed interagency agreement
  
• Transition Programs: Karen Halliday, Education Consultant at the Special Education Bureau of the Department of Education, was invited to provide members with a basic overview of the age-appropriate transition programs for students with disabilities that she is involved with, in preparation for a discussion at the next CT AHEAD meeting. She described it as an evolving five-year project that offers a “give and take” opportunity for its participants. There are currently nine programs operating throughout the state. Karen indicated that representatives from three of the programs, Wesleyan University, Southern Connecticut State University, and Gateway Community College, will be requested to participate in the discussion in December. They will describe how they became involved and what their actual day-to-day activities are. She added that liability is a common concern for colleges, but assured members that this responsibility falls on the referring high school.

Presentation: Programmatic Considerations for Students with ADHD

Presenter, David Parker, doctoral candidate in Special Education at the University of Connecticut, addressed documentation issues, reasonable accommodations, and the importance of multimodal services in relation to serving post-secondary students with the complex disorder of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. His presentation materials, including a power point handout and a list of resources, are attached.

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.
• Steering committee meetings are held immediately after each membership meeting. The executive board invites all interested members to stay and participate in discussions around the focus and direction of the Association.
• The following is the membership meeting and presentation schedule for the remainder of the 2003-2004 year. While the location of the meetings is yet to be determined, all meetings will be held on Fridays, from 8:45 am – 12:15 pm, approximately.

  December 5, 2003: Transition Programs in age-appropriate environments, Karen Halliday
  February 6, 2004: Assistive Technology, Amy Norton
  April 2, 2004: TBA

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

Steering Committee Notes

• Barbara MacKay agreed to send David Parker a $100 honorarium for today’s presentation.
• John Jarvis agreed to speak with Steve Robillard about expansions to the CT AHEAD Web Site and possibly presenting the web site’s unveiling to the membership in April 2004.
• Lynn Golden of the University of Hartford agreed to arrange a meeting room for the December 5, 2003 meeting on her campus.
• Pam Starr agreed to contact Amy Norton to request her to present to the members in February on the topic of Assistive Technology.
• David Ryan-Soderlund informed the committee that the cost of becoming a Chapter Affiliate with AHEAD (national) is a one-time fee of $25. Benefits include a 15% savings of AHEAD membership for dual members, use of the AHEAD logo, an affiliate web page/link, and opportunities for co-sponsored workshops. He will investigate the benefits/cost of non-profit status.

In attendance: Linda Copney-Okeke, Lauri DiGalbo, Lynne Golden, John Jarvis, Barbara MacKay, Laurie Novi, David Ryan-Soderlund, Pamela Starr, Carol Young

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