Approved 9/9/11
Minutes
SILC Quarterly Meeting
Friday, June 3, 2011 • 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Portland Doubletree • 100 NE Multnomah • Portland, OR


INTRODUCTIONS
Attendees: Ann Balzell (Chairperson), Sherry Stock (Vice Chairperson),
Randy Samuelson, Stephaine Parish Taylor, Dodie McKenzie, Jackie Hovey,
Barry Fox-Quamme, Cindy Campbell, Dean Westwood, Mike Volpe, Susan
Melero, Angel Hale and Janet Lowther.
Note: Barry Fox-Quamme arrived at 8:45 and did not return after the lunch
break; Dean Westwood arrived at 9:05 and stepped out from 10:30 to
10:55; Stephaine Parish Taylor arrived at 10:00; Angel Hale left at 11:10.


Staff Present: Tina Treasure, Shelly Emery, Joette Williams, Mark Beasley


for Cascade Sound and Judy Hunter, CART transcriber.
Guests Present: Joan Claypool (OVRS), Tony Ellis (applicant), Ted Wenk
(Client Assistance Program, CAP), Frank Mount (President of Oregon
Association for the Deaf, OAD), David Campbell, Angie Butler (Confederated
Tribes of the Siletz), Arlissa Rowan (Confederated Tribes of Siletz and the
Confederated Tribes Warm Springs), Margi Morgan (OAD) and Jay Johnston
(Lewis and Clark Law School student).


Applicant Introduction: Tony Ellis is from Medford. He has started a
spinal cord injury support group at both hospitals in that area. He was
paralyzed in 1995. He has done volunteer work at the local hospitals, at
Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and at Legacy Emanuel. He
talks to people that have become recently paralyzed, to let them know that
there is a good quality of life they can lead. He recently got involved with
hand cycling and took second place in his most recent race. He is going to
compete in the Hood to Coast run this year.


AGENDA REVIEW


Ellen Pinney’s presentation will be shifted to 1:30 p.m. The Blanche Fischer
Foundation presentation will move to 11:45. Staff reports will be at 9:30.
Angel Hale asked that the Membership Committee make their
recommendation and vote on Tony Ellis’s recommendation to the Governor
during the Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) Agency report, since
some members will not be present during the afternoon.
ACTION • Motion by Stock, second by Hovey to accept the agenda as
modified. In favor: Campbell, Fox-Quamme, Hovey, Lowther, McKenzie,


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Melero, Samuelson, Stock and Volpe. Dean Westwood was not present for 
this vote. No opposition or abstentions. 

SILC GENERAL ACTION ITEMS 

March 3, 2011 SILC Meeting Minutes 
ACTION • Motion by Samuelson, second by Hale to accept the minutes as 
submitted. In favor: Campbell, Fox-Quamme, Hovey, Lowther, McKenzie, 
Melero, Samuelson, Stock and Volpe. Dean Westwood was not present for 
this vote. No opposition or abstentions. 

Second Quarter Financial Report (1/16/11-5/15/11) 

The financial report shows 41 percent of the budget has been spent as of 
May 15. At this point in the year the SILC would be at a 58 percent 
spending level. All budget categories are spending below budget. There has 
been difficulty planning for personnel costs because of the fluctuation in 
furlough days and increased health benefit costs. There is a balance of 
$250,368.68. 
ACTION • Motion by Stock, seconded by Samuelson to accept the financial 
report as submitted. In favor: Campbell, Fox-Quamme, Hovey, Lowther, 
McKenzie, Melero, Samuelson, Stock and Volpe. Dean Westwood abstained. 
No opposition. 

AGENCY REPORTS 
DSU/IL Coordinator • Joan Claypool 

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has released a projected 
budget for next year, which shows no significant change for the next fiscal 
year. Some American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds that 
were added to the budget were to be released in two ways according, to 
the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL). Some of the funds were to be 
used for the IL grants and the rest were to be used for special projects. 
Three special projects were approved and are already complete or in 
progress. After paying for the proposed special projects, there is an ARRA 
fund balance of approximately $28,000. The SPIL partners agreed that 
these funds should be used to pay Independent Living grants to CILs in the 
current fiscal year, as they need to be spent by September 30, 2011. 

State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) • Sherry Stock 

The SRC report was in the SILC meeting packet. No verbal update was 
given. Tina Treasure wondered if there is anything in the Vocational 
Rehabilitation state plan being worked on that the SILC would need to 
comment on. Sherry did not know of any. Ann Balzell noted that public 

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comment has been taken. There may be more information shared at the 
next SRC meeting. 

Oregon Commission for the Blind (OCB) • Angel Hale 

Angel is vacating her current position at OCB as the Assistant Director of 
Vocational Rehabilitation to move into another OCB position. The 
Commission hired an internal recruit to take half of that position and will be 
doing an external recruit to fill the other half of the position. They are 
having to do some leveraging to maintain their staff. Due to budget 
tightening, the office in Lincoln City is being closed, with the case load 
being disbursed to other counselors. 

Oregon Disabilities Commission (ODC) • Tina Treasure 

In addition to her written ODC report, Tina Treasure included in the 
meeting packet some letters that the Medicaid Long-Term Care Quality and 
Reimbursement Advisory Committee (MLTCQRAC) submitted to the 
Legislative Assembly. 

Sherry Stock noted that ODC will host a Day at the Capital on June 6 to 
answer questions of legislators and the public. The SILC will be one of the 
groups staffing a table at the event. 

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS) • Stephaine 
Parrish Taylor 

The budget cuts that OVRS has been required to make due to the State 
budget shortfall will not be passed on to the IL program. The Department of 
Human Services (DHS) is actively involved in realigning itself, since the 
Oregon Health Authority (OHA) was established. Currently, program 
administrators are serving as cabinet for the DHS Administrator. OVRS has 
brought on new managers and new staff. They are continuing to work on 
job development and engaging employers. They are continuing to work on 
Project Access in the Eugene area and Project Employee in the Beaverton 
area. 

STAFF REPORT & UPDATES • Tina Treasure 
The written report submitted in the packet included the position papers 
developed by the SILC on Health System Transformation. 

Oregon’s Money Follows the Person Project (On the Move) has had some 
trouble in the past year, which resulted in the resignation of the project 
administrator. Tina spoke to Jeannette Burkett about Money Follows the 
Person, as Oregon has been a leader in transitioning people out of nursing 
homes. There has not been a decision at DHS on whether or not this 
program will continue. 

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CIL PRESENTATION • Barry Fox-Quamme, ILR 
Barry Fox-Quamme is the Director of Independent Living Resources (ILR). 
ILR can trace its roots back to 1957. It originally started as a volunteer 
project, called Volunteer Braille Services, by Temple Beth Israel. This was a 
transcription program mainly for text books during the sixties and seventies. 
In the early 1970s, that project became a non profit organization. It was 
also about that time the Independent Living Movement was starting to 
grow. The non-profit organization became aware of these dynamics and 
values and embraced them. Eventually, in the 1980s, their name was 
changed to Vision Resources for Independent Living. There were other 
Centers for Independent Living (CILs) in the area and in the early 1990s 
one of the other centers, Access Oregon, merged with Vision Resources for 
Independent Living to become Independent Living Resources (ILR). 

ILR was housed in two other buildings before moving to its current location 
in 2010. 

ILR’s mission is similar to other non-profit CILs in Oregon. Their mission 
states, “We seek to promote the philosophy of independent living by 
creating opportunities, encouraging choices, advancing equal access and 
furthering the level of independent living for all people with disabilities.” 

ILR is a cross-disability organization serving people of all ages. It is 
consumer directed and consumer controlled. The consumer directs what 
independence means for them and works to develop an Independent Living 
Plan that meets their goals for achieving appropriate independence in their 
life. 

ILR provides the four core services of information and referral, peer 
counseling, IL skills training, and both individual and systems advocacy. The 
current special projects going on at ILR are Work Incentive Network (WIN), 
a statewide CIL project funded by DHS; the STEPS Training Program, 
funded by the Home Care Commission; the Community Living Project, 
which is a county funded partnership between ILR, Multnomah and 
Washington Counties; the transcription program; Healthy Lifestyles 
Workshop; and Access Recreation, funded by State Parks and in 
collaboration with State Parks and Recreation Divisions around the state. 
ILR also has community education and outreach programs. For the past five 
years, ILR has had an awareness program called A Roll in the Park. 

Currently ILR has thirteen full time equivalent employees and two full time 
equivalent managers. ILR is a training site for Seniors Make Sense, for 
people 55 and older, often with disabilities, who are going back to work. 
There have been as many as six trainees at ILR at any given time. 

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Currently, there are three. They are trained in reception, account clerking, 
basic filing and administration work. 

One problem for consumers is affordable housing. Lina Bensel is an IL 
specialist with expertise in accessing public and Section 8 housing. She is 
certified to teach Rent Well, which is a curriculum-based program for people 
with barriers to housing. They work over an eight week period to develop a 
portfolio that provides tools for effective communication with landlords, 
which hopefully overcomes some of these barriers. Successful program 
completion is essentially an insurance policy for the landlords, indicating the 
person will likely be a successful tenant and if they are not, the landlord can 
be reimbursed for any damages. 

Mike Burwell has been involved with ILR for about six years. He volunteers 
approximately 20 hours a week doing their audio transcription; collating, 
folding and sorting of Braille materials, and repairing Braille equipment. 
Mike also teaches individual and group cooking classes. 

May Altman is the Associate Director of Programs at ILR, and assists with 
peer counseling. 

Dr. Ryan Skelton, a consumer and peer counselor in the mental health field 
shared that he is developing a psychology practice in the Portland area. As 
a person with Cerebral Palsy, he has had many barriers in getting started 
and understanding the level of advocacy that is required, while dealing with 
challenges as a practitioner with a disability. If you have physical issues that 
make it difficult to fill out the form and respond to their requests in a timely 
manner, it then becomes difficult to pursue a life long dream despite all of 
the hard work you have put in. May has been assisting Dr. Skelton in both 
coordinating resources that are more long term solutions and supplying 
short term support to get the forms filled out to help Dr Skelton get up and 
running in his practice. 

Patricia Keppler is the recreation coordinator at ILR, and has worked at ILR 
since 2002. The goal with the recreation program is to build confidence, 
social skills, to help people find out what they want to do, and to help build 
independent living skills. She partners with local organizations to do all this. 

Todd Ray is a consumer and volunteer, teaching some independent living 
skills. Todd is a volunteer Braille instructor and has started helping others 
with computer training. 

Maliea Yakymi, is one of two Work Incentive Coordinators at ILR. Maliea 
started as an intern through Portland State University’s Vocational 
Rehabilitation Program. She is a certified Work Incentive Coordinator (WIC) 
through the Work Incentive Network, which is a publicly funded program, 

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through OVRS and serves OVRS consumers. This program has been around 
for over three years and provides for ongoing benefits counseling to 
individuals. The program will be funded another two years. 

PUBLIC COMMENT 

Angie Butler is a member of the Confederated Tribe of the Siletz. The Tribe 
received funding in December, 2010 for a vocational rehabilitation program. 
She is a coordinator/counselor for their VR program. The new program has 
11 counties in their service area and will be starting to see clients on July 1, 
2011. 

Arllissa Rowen is a job developer/counselor for the Siletz Tribe, and is a 
member of the Warm Springs Tribe. They are observing to seek ways to 
improve their work in the tribal vocational rehabilitation program. 

OREGON MEGACONFERENCE 

The MegaConference has been in operation for three years. The purpose of 
the MegaConference is to bring people with disabilities, their families, 
advocates and professionals together to learn, to network and to encourage 
each other. The MegaConference is still evolving; learning exactly where it 
fits within the disability community. The dates for the MegaConference are 
September 29 through October 1. The first day will be a technology fair. 
There will also be technology sessions among the breakout sessions on the 
next two days. A call for sponsors has been distributed. In the past the SILC 
has been a sponsor at the $5,000 Platinum level. Last year the SILC also 
contributed an extra $3,000 to help make up a deficit when the total 
numbers dropped and the hotel was unwilling to work with the 
MegaConference in making adjustments. The sponsorship levels were 
provided. Barry Fox-Quamme volunteered to contact Safeway about being a 
corporate sponsor. Does the SILC want to be a sponsor this year? 
ACTION • Motion by Fox-Quamme, seconded by Melero to sponsor the 
MegaConferance at the platinum level. In favor: Campbell, Fox-Quamme, 
Hovey, Lowther, McKenzie, Melero, Samuelson, Stock and Volpe. Votes in 
opposition: Dean Westwood. No abstentions. 

BLANCHE FISCHER FOUNDATION – Kirt Toombs 

Kirt is the Executive Director of Eastern Oregon Center for Independent 
Living (EOCIL), but today is speaking as the President of the Board of 
Directors for the Blanche Fischer Foundation. The Blanche Fischer 
Foundation is a small foundation, located in Portland. It was established in 
1981 through a trust from the late Blanche Fischer. The mission of the 
Foundation is to provide direct grants on behalf of individuals with physical 
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disabilities, to foster independence. Since 1981, the Foundation has 
provided over 1.2 million dollars in grants to individuals with disabilities, 
residing in Oregon. In 2010, the Foundation established a new Board of 
Directors, through a complete reorganization. Since October 2010, the new 
Board has reviewed over 500 applications and approved over $9,000 in 
grants. The maximum grant amount is $1,000. 

2011-2013 SPIL PROGRESS & COMMITTEE REPORTS 
Executive Committee (EC) 

The Executive Committee did not meet for the last two months. There is an
outline of things that the Executive Committee has been working on
enclosed in the packet. The EC is planning to discuss criteria for dealing
with information sent to the SILC for dissemination. There has been a
complaint that this information is sometimes one sided. Ann Balzell asked
the Council for ideas on this issue. Currently, a disclaimer is sent with the
information. Individuals may opt out of receiving this type of information.


SPIL Committee (SC)


The SC has two work groups under way; the Needs Assessment Work
Group and the Monitoring and Evaluation Work Group. Right now the SC is
collecting information to help guide them in writing the next SPIL. They are
working on how to put together a statewide needs assessment, including
who to partner with. They may be using conferences to facilitate focus
groups.


Collaboration Committee (CC)
The CC has helped to develop strong collaborations with various grant
partners. One of those grants, which has received approval of its letter of
intent, will create veterans support staff and peer support at ILR. Another
grant request has been sent in to do the same at HASL. The people hired in
the paid positions at the CILs will be disabled veterans. The CC has been
working with Oregon Paralyzed Veterans and with mental health partners,
including David Oaks. Another project the CC is overseeing is completion of
the IL training video providing information on CIL services to Vocational
Rehabilitation Counselors.


Membership Development Committee (MDC)
ACTION • Frank Synoground, brought a recommendation in the form of a
motion, on behalf of the Membership Development Committee, to submit
Tony Ellis’s name to the Governor’s office for appointment to the SILC;
seconded by Hale. Tina Treasure clarified that Tony is not currently involved
with a CIL. In favor: Campbell, Fox-Quamme, Hovey, Lowther, McKenzie,


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Melero, Samuelson, Stock, Volpe and Westwood. No opposition or 
abstentions. 

Ann Balzell asked SILC members to consider joining the Membership 
Development Committee, as it needs additional members. 

OREGON HEALTH AUTHORITY OMBUDSPERSON • Ellen Pinney 

Ellen is the first Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Ombudsperson. Before 
coming to OHA, she directed a non profit organization called the Oregon 
Health Action Campaign. They advocated for health system reform, 
coverage for all people as well as the responsiveness of the Oregon Health 
Plan to the needs of all people who utilized their services. 

The main role of the OHA Ombudsperson is to review complaints and 
grievances brought to the Governor’s Advocacy Office, and bring attention 
to problems that may require a systems wide response. This is to ensure 
that people eligible for or receiving publicly supported health services get 
the right care, at the right time and in the right place. 

It is estimated that by 2014 about 60 percent of the people living in Oregon 
will be eligible for or will be receiving publicly supported health services. 
Ellen noted four areas she believes require the vigilance of an 
ombudsperson. One is the application and eligibility determination process. 
Another is whether people who get into the publicly supported healthcare 
system know how to use their healthcare card to get the help they need. 
The third is system accountability and assurance that venders are fulfilling 
their contracts. The last is management of chronic disease. 

Ellen asked the SILC members to suggest three things they believe would 
make the Oregon Health Plan operate better -to the right care, at right 
time, in right place. If you had control of the Oregon Health Authority for 
one month, what would you do? 
Sherry Stock -Going back to when every community would have a clinic -
some place to take your kids in to get shots or things like that -there was a 
lot of prevention and it was available for everyone, not just people on the 
Oregon Health Plan. It is a very small, inexpensive thing to do to make 
these available to everyone. I think that would break down some of the 
barriers and the stigma that comes with being on the Oregon Health Plan. 
Stephaine Parrish Taylor – I think that something short of a nurse 
coordinator needs to be in the system to 1) help people negotiate how you 
use your insurance as well as 2) help them to negotiate non-medical 
situations that would impact their ongoing health. 

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Another thing, there are three demonstration projects funded, with 
employment included as a service attached to health care. These had some 
very exciting results. 
Dean Westwood – I would like to concur with what I think has been 
talked about here, which is a holistic approach to wellness – employment – 
social inclusion – meaningful activity -all those things. As an individual with 
a disability, who works with a lot of individuals with disabilities who 
experience secondary conditions, I am constantly amazed at what is not 
covered that would prevent those secondary conditions. This is a medical 
issue that, because they are not medical devices or it’s not seen as a 
medical necessity, has resulted in exponentially large amounts of money 
being spent on secondary conditions and issues that could be precluded if 
some common sense would be applied to providing medical services to 
individuals with disabilities who inherently are going to have secondary 
conditions that aren’t seen as being addressable. You’re broken because 
you have a spinal cord injury. They’re going to try to fix that, but if they 
can’t fix it they are going to band-aid all the secondary conditions -when 
skin ulcers are preventable by letting somebody have the appropriate 
mattress or the appropriate foods or the appropriate whatever. And these 
are usually things that cost less money than the medical interventions of a 
year spent in wound clinics. I would develop a task force or board that 
looks at these unconventional ways of addressing secondary conditions so 
that it would reduce the cost and increase the wellness of individuals living 
with disabilities who can live quite successfully, except for when these 
secondary issues occur and you are right back to square one. It would be a 
huge step in the right direction. 

One more thing, whenever possible and wherever possible, you proliferate 
the access to nurse practitioners. There are inherent barriers in trying to 
communicate with someone who is trying to fix you as opposed to someone 
who wants to partner with you so that you have holistic wellness. 
Tina Treasure – One thing we have to watch really carefully is, when you 
start working with the Home Care Commission on coordinators (I like to call 
them guides on the side), they need to know how to help people access 
what they need in the community regardless of what it is. In IL it usually 
takes someone that “has been there, done that” or “walked that path” 
before, so they know how to help you walk it and not have to go down 
fifteen roads that don’t lead you anywhere. You need a guide on the side or 
a peer to help you navigate the health care system. When you start talking 
to the Home Care Commission, you have to be really be careful that they 
don’t look at the body of people they now provide training to (home care 
workers) as that guiding entity, because that then the relationship that 

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home care worker has with the employer with the disability. I went through


some hearings where some legislators were talking about that 
“coordinator”, and how they could tell you when you weren’t eating right, 
exercising, when you need to go to the doctor and all that. That’s not the 
job of somebody you employ. That could change the dynamic of our long-
term care system, if we give too much of that involvement to people in that 
work force already. It is almost like we want to change what they do -to 
put them more in charge. They could have a dual role. They could work for 
one person in as a coordinator and for another as an attendant, but if you 
are employing that person as an attendant, you are not employing them to 
watch dog you. 
Mike Volpe – I would like to add that if someone like myself goes in the 
hospital for whatever reason, the personnel in the hospital that assist 
people lack the knowledge to help with my daily needs, yet it is against the 
rules for the people that work for me on a daily basis to come in and assist 
me while I’m in the hospital. If they were allowed to help, they would 
prevent the secondary conditions Dean was talking about, and would allow 
me to discharge from the hospital earlier, with improved health. 
Tina Treasure – Your home care worker doesn’t get paid while you are in 
the hospital, so if you are in there very long, you could end up losing your 
home care worker because they could be faced with losing their insurance. 
So they may have to look for another job. 
Stephaine Parrish Taylor – The other thing that people may think is a 
non issue, but it bothers me to no end, is the design of medical facilities. 
They know they have people coming in wheelchairs and they put in wrap 
around benches. There are space issues, getting people in and out of exam 
rooms, even getting into some restrooms in medical facilities. I just think 
there needs to be greater awareness of making an environment that’s 
receptive to people with mobility issues, visual issues and auditory issues. 
Tina Treasure – Not to mention when you get in the exam room, but can’t 
get on an exam table. 

RECESS – Members visited the ILR site. 

ADJOURN -Next Meeting • September 9, 2011, Keizer, OR 

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