Oregon – For families trying to understand when and how transportation can be used for a child receiving developmental disability services, the rules have not always felt clear. Oregon officials now want to hear directly from the people navigating those questions.
The Office of Developmental Disabilities Services, known as ODDS, will hold two virtual public meetings at the end of July to explain its children’s transportation policies, discuss concerns raised by community members and gather ideas for possible improvements.
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The conversations are expected to be especially relevant to teenagers receiving in-home supports, parents and guardians of children who receive those services, and anyone interested in how children’s transportation is handled.
ODDS said it scheduled the meetings after hearing from parents and community partners who were confused about the current transportation policy. Officials want to better understand what is working, where families are running into problems and what changes could make the system easier to use.
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During the meetings, ODDS leadership will explain the existing policy and describe transportation challenges previously reported by community members. Participants will then have an opportunity to share feedback, suggest solutions and discuss their own experiences.
That input will not end when the Zoom sessions close. ODDS plans to review the policy after the meetings and consider whether changes are needed. Once a decision is made, the agency said it will inform the community about the action it is taking and explain why changes were approved or rejected.
Two meeting times are available, and participants only need to attend one. The evening session will be held July 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. PDT. A morning session is scheduled for July 31 from 9 to 11 a.m. PDT. Both meetings will take place through Zoom, with access information sent by email after registration.
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English live captioning will be provided. Participants may also request Spanish interpretation, American Sign Language interpretation, other languages or additional supports at no cost when completing the registration form.
The meetings will follow the “World Cafe Method,” a large-group discussion format designed to give everyone who wants to speak an opportunity to participate. ODDS plans to provide a clear summary of what it learned by the end of each session.
Questions about the meetings can be sent to [email protected].
