May ICOIL Meeting - Dont Blink

Indiana Statewide Independent Council (ICOIL) May 9, 2007 Meeting

Document Prepared By Ramona Harvey - The People's Secretary and found at
http://www.onecandream.com/documents. Video online at
http://everybodycounts.org/icoil/may2007icoil.htm
	
Prior To the ICOIL Meeting.

Ramona Harvey who used to serve as ICOIL's Secretary and is concerned
resident of Indiana with a disability, placed at every council members
seat an official request for the council to please address specific
concerns she has as a person with a disability about newly passed HB 1001. 
She has large print copies available for council members Dee Ann Hart, and
Carol Roe. 

Beginning Approx. 20-30 minutes prior to meeting

Ramona talked directly with chair Dee Ann Hart and apologized for not
being able to have a Braille copy, but offered to read the request to Dee
Ann as an accommodation and tried to give Dee Ann a large print version. 

Dee Ann turned down the large print version and the offer to have the
request read. She stated that regular print was fine.  She then left the
room for quite a while. 
  
Secretary Al Tolbert came into the room. Ramona Harvey pointed out the
official request to him.  Al Tolbert acknowledged. 

Audience members and council members start arriving.  Prior to the meeting
Dee Ann Hart spoke extensively with council member and center director
Dave Nelson, and then also conferred with center directors Teresa Mager,
Melissa Madill, and Pat Stewart. 

May 9, 2007 ICOIL Meeting

Council members present: Keith Coros, Danny Grissom, Dee Ann Hart, Al
Tolbert, Melissa Madill, Teresa Mager, Dave Nelson, Richard Simmers, Carol
Roe, Pat Stewart. Ex Officio Member: Carol Baker Representing the state
DSU

Meeting called to order

Dee Ann Hart called the meeting to order as chair and asked Al Tolbert to
take roll call.  Before he does that she acknowledged that a Braille copy
of the agenda, an assistive listening device if anyone needs it, and sign
language interpreters were available

During these announcements Carol Roe arrived. Ramona Harvey raised her
hand and tried to get the council's attention to give Carol Roe the large
print version of her official request, but the council ignores her.  Jodi
James noticed this was occurring and hand delivered the large print
document on Ramona's behalf. 

Al Tolbert quickly takes roll call and declares a quorum.

Approval of Agenda 

Dee Ann Hart asked for approval of the agenda sent to the council by
e-mail. 

Pat Stewart makes a motion to amend the agenda as follows: Item 1) The
approval of the January Minutes, Item 2) Approval of Mission Statement
Item 3) The DSU report.  Someone Seconded

After the chair asks for discussion regarding amendment of the agenda,
audience member tried to tell the council that they were not able to hear.
The chair of the council cuts the audience member off.  Dee Ann stated she
heard no discussion from council members. The council ignores Audience
member. 

Dee Ann Called for a vote and motion passes while several members of the
public try to get clarification, and request important issues be placed on
the agenda.  The council ignored them and the motion passes. 

Dee Ann Hart moved on to approval of January minutes. 

Audience member asked if the council is going to be discussing HB 1001 and
the problems with it? 

Another audience member asked the council if it was going to discuss the
official request that can be found at www.onecandream.com/ICOIL/documents. 

Both audience members are ignored and interrupted.

Al Tolbert makes a motion to approve the minutes for January and someone
seconded. January minutes are approved. 

Audience member tried again to get clarification on whether or not the
council was going to talk about the most important legislation having to
do with Independent Living.  Audience member was ignored. 

Dee Ann Hart stated the next item on the agenda is the approval of the
mission statement

Audience member noted that she was just trying to make sure that the
council was not going to discuss the important legislation.  She was
ignored

Another audience member asked to at least have an acknowledgement of her
official request and was ignored. 

Dee Ann reads the mission statement discussed at the training the public
was not allowed to attend.  Mission Statement: to effectively lead a
statewide Independent Living Movement which empowers people with
disabilities. 

Audience members with disabilities try to communicate to the council that
they are not feeling empowered, and they are ignored. 

Richard Simmers made a motion that the mission statement be adopted Pat
Stewart Seconds. 

Dee Ann Hart asked if there is any discussion. 

Audience member Jodi James stated she has something to say, but that the
council won't empower her to say it.  She is ignored. 

Dee Ann called for a vote and the motion passes.

DSU Report Carol Baker

While Audience member sat in the back of the room with hand raised Carol
Baker reads very brief report. 

1) Reports on Video Remote interpreting system. 

2) Briefly mention gathering statistics with regards to the 5 million
dollars given in the form of maintenance of effort grants. 

3) Announced the 1st basic training academy that is going to happen in the
summer. 

Teresa Mager makes a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Someone seconds, and
meeting is adjourned. 

Multiple audience members who took time out of their busy schedules to be
there were confused, and asked the council not to adjourn, but to have a
discussion and address the concerns facing the disability community.  They
were ignored. 

After Meeting which lasted no more then 15 mins Audience in shock Audience
members asked repeatedly why the meeting was being adjourned.  They were
ignored.  The President of the board of Directors of Everybody Counts
handed out the official statement she had come to read to council members
as they were leaving the room.

Jodi James and Ramona Harvey went and talked directly with Dee Ann Hart to
find out why the meeting was adjourned and why the council did not
acknowledge the official concerns. 

The only answer that was given as to why the meeting was adjourned after
only minutes was that the items on the amended agenda had been discussed. 

When Jodi James asked if the council was going to address the issues
surrounding HB1001 she was told that this bill which allocated 2.5 million
to IL in Indiana was not the councils concern.  Jodi asked Dee Ann to
please read the laws and state plan again.

When Ramona asked if the council was at least going to acknowledge and
address her official written concerns Dee Ann stated that she had not had
time to review the document.  Ramona stated that she would have read the
document too Dee Ann if she had not b een so quick to adjourn the meeting. 

Dee Ann Hart leaves the confused audience members to try and figure out
what happened. 

The President of the Board of Director's of Everybody Counts, who came to
read her statement to the council, was forced instead to read it to a
video camera. 

Everyone was in shock. 


Watch the video of this meeting online at
http://everybodycounts.org/icoil/may2007icoil.htm or go to
http://www.onecandream.com/ICOIL for more info.