September 25, 2002 Work Group Meeting Minutes
The William S. Cohen Community Center, Hallowell, Maine
Present: Helen Bailey, Stirling Kendall (Muskie facilitator), Stephanie Crystal, John Baillargeon, Deb Parker Wolfenden (chair), Shirley Bastien, Kathryn Kazenski, Myra Champagne, Harriet Schultz (guest), Kate Brogan, Linda Jariz, Steve Hoad, Lora Perry, and Danny Westcott (Muskie staff)
Not Present: Tom Bancroft, Ron Welch, Cynthia Sudheimer, Jane Gallivan, Alice Conway, Christine Bartlett, Tonya Labbe, Shirley Bastien, Drew Bolduc, Debbie Rogers, Kate Brogan, Jonathan Connick, Peter Driscoll, Cary Gifford, Nat Hussey, Tonia Boterf, and Chris Zukas-Lessard.
The afternoon session began at noon with lunch. Deb
Parker Wolfenden was chair. Stirling Kendall facilitated the meeting
1. Check-in and Roll Call
Danny introduced Harriet Schultz, the communications specialist working on the video script.
2. Mission Statement and Vision
Statement
Deb Parker Wolfenden read the Work Group’s revised vision
statement: “All of us together, in community with equality in rights and dignity,
in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment.”
3. Meeting Minutes
The Work
Group approved the minutes of the August 28, 2002 meeting with minor revisions.
4. Review of Agenda
Deb Parker Wolfenden reviewed the agenda
and goals for the meeting: to review and approve recent revisions to the Roadmap;
to present for discussion a plain-language approach to summarizing the Work Group’s
recommendations; and to discuss the Public Communication Team’s strategy for
soliciting public input and raising public awareness.
5. Roadmap Revisions
The Work Group reviewed and approved
the latest revisions to the Roadmap and then approved this draft of the full
document as revised. The Work Group
also recommended adding a glossary and a state agency table of organization
to the final document.
6. Plain Language Approach to the Roadmap
Summary
Stirling explained the principles underlying the plain
language approach and provided a rationale for including an easy-to-read summary. In
the discussion that followed, the Work Group expressed concern that nuances
and key phrases could be lost in such a summary, but agreed that the advantages
of plain language outweigh these disadvantages. There was support for
a multi-layered approach consisting of different versions designed for different
audiences. It was agreed that any summary should make frequent reference
to the full document so that the strength of the specific recommendations and
their context are not lost. Once draft summaries are completed, the Work
Group recommends that the summaries be “audience tested”. Potential sources
for audience testing include the Disabilities Rights Center’s Advisory Council
and the Long Term Care Steering Committee.
7. Public Communications
Outreach Strategy
With the goal of considering in January the results
of public input, the Work Group discussed what materials to disseminate in
the fall, and to whom. To solicit input, the Work Group made a list
of 20 stakeholder groups ranging from statewide provider associations to
churches and municipalities. Work Group members volunteered to contact
these groups.
Outreach materials. Danny put forward the materials that have been prepared for Work Group members to use in outreach, including a brochure, poster, video, sample article, public service announcements, presentation outline, list of simplified recommendations, and media packet. Most of the materials point the reader to the full length draft of the Roadmap at these websites: “community.muskie.usm.maine.edu” and “mainepubliccomment.org”. The Work Group suggested some rewording of the public service announcements and recommended that the two websites be linked.
Video. Harriet Schultz presented the video script and invited comments and suggestions. To meet general concerns about accessibility, the Work Group recommended that the video be closed-captioned and include an interpreter; and that the narrator read all of the scrolling text.
8. Announcements
Danny announced that the Work Group will
no longer meet monthly; rather they will meet quarterly, beginning in January.
Steve announced that a group of people is working on establishing an international disability rights group within the United Nations.
Helen reported that the trial concerning compliance with the AMHI consent decree will begin on October 28th and could last more than a month.
9. Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,
January 22, 2003 from noon to 4:00 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Chair is
to be decided.