When my son Cody Sullivan (AKA Coach Cody), was born with Down syndrome, I knew he would make a great difference in the world. This has rung true for the past twenty-two years, culminating on April 28th, 2018 when he became the first person with Down syndrome to graduate from higher education.
Cody was included in general education from kindergarten through grade 12. He wasn’t shoved into a secluded classroom where they took trips to the park to pick up litter or wipe down tables in the cafeteria. Cody learned alongside his peers – and just by being included – he taught people that having a disability isn’t scary.
When he was a high school senior, Cody’s friends were delightfully sharing where they were going to college. This inspired him to seek the same. Concordia University Portland agreed to have Cody attend classes and work toward earning a certificate of achievement in elementary education. We have been part of the West Coast Think College Coalition, which is focused on creating opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities to attend higher education.
On December 11th, 2018, the Oregon Office of Developmental Disabilities Services sent the following message to Personal Support Workers statewide:
This message is to notify Personal Support Workers about the latest news with Electronic Visit Verification (EVV).
A new federal law requires that states implement an electronic way for verifying attendant care services, called Electronic Visit Verification (EVV).
EVV is required for all Medicaid personal care services and home health services that require an in-home visit by a provider.
EVV is a new way to collect information in eXPRS. It will record these federally-required items in real time:
Personal Support Worker (PSW) name
Person receiving services
Type of service
Date of the service
Time the service begins and ends
Location of the service
The Office of Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) will be making changes to eXPRS that will allow it to be used for EVV.
A pilot for EVV in Oregon will take place in early 2019. EVV will be required of all PSWs in Oregon by 2019. Information will be sent to PSWs regarding full implementation in spring 2019.
EVV will work on smart phones and tablets that can access the eXPRS website. eXPRS will be changed to have a website made especially for phones and tablets. There will be trainings to help PSWs learn how to use this new part of eXPRS.
For PSWs who do not have a smart phone or tablet with Internet access, there will be an exception process. You will get more information about this before EVV is required.“
For more information and to subscribe to get the latest updates:
