Questions and Answers
Real Choices System Change Grant
Hawaii REAL CHOICES Partnership Project:
Accessibility for Consumer Choice Entry Support System (ACCESS)
What is the Real Choices Hawaii grant?
The Hawaii State Department of Human Services (DHS) has received a federally
funded $1.3 million grant to design and implement a new statewide
Internet-based information system that will provide people easy access to look
up and contact the resources for all the long term care and disability services
in Hawaii.
This innovative new grant is a partnership among persons with disabilities
and long-term illness, state and private agencies, and the Center on Disability
Studies, University of Hawaii.
The Real Choices ACCESS project will provide choices about services,
products, and resources for community-based living for people of all ages with
disabilities and long-term care needs.
The major goals of the Real Choices ACCESS Project
Design and implement a web-based multi access information
system that:
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Is user friendly
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Provides information about existing services statewide
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Matches consumer needs with existing services
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Addresses continuous quality assurance
Provide statewide training to consumers, family members and
agencies about how to use the Web-based information system
Establish a consumer-driven committee with industry representation to
continually review the project’s evaluation information and promote policies
that will enable people to remain in their home or other community based living
options.
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Who is in charge of this grant?
The grant was submitted as a partnership with the Department of Human Services
(DHS) - State of Hawaii, Persons with Disabilities and Long-Term Illness, State
Department Programs and Private Agencies, and Center on Disability Studies -
University of Hawaii. Dr. Susan M. Chandler, Director, DHS is the Principal
Investigator and Mark Obatake, Executive Director of Hawaii Centers for
Independent Living is the Co-Investigator. The Center on Disability Studies at
the University of Hawaii at Manoa is facilitating all aspects of the
implementation of this grant.
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What will the Web-based system look like?
The information site will employ the latest computer networking and Web
technologies in order to provide the following consumer-friendly features:
- Interactive self-assessment processes that will help people
identify and access services, products and resources for which they are
eligible.
- A myriad of information related to community-based living, including
long-term care services offered by the state, the counties and private
organizations, vendors of service and products, housing and transportation
information, different financial resources, etc.
- Web site links to the agencies participating in the Real Choices ACCESS
project.
- Quality assurance features allowing consumers to provide feedback about the
system and services.
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How will we make sure it is user-friendly?
A statewide collaborative team process will be used to ensure a user-friendly
system. A Governing Council will have directive authority over major aspects of
the design and implement of the information system. Workgroups comprised of
consumers, interested individuals and representatives from public and private
organizations will work together to ensure the Web-based system addresses
choice, access, and self-determination issues.
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What are the responsibilities of the Governing Council? Who
is on the Governing Council?
Information on the Governing Council can be found at the
Governing Council page.
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How will people on the neighbor islands be involved in the
Real Choices ACCESS Project?
Individuals living on neighbor islands have much of the same opportunities for
involvement as individuals living on Oahu. Since first launching the project in
January 2002, we have held at least one Community Meeting in every county.
These meetings provided important perspectives on the concerns, needs, and
desires of individuals statewide.
The Governing Council has five members (15%) from the neighbor islands, and the
committees they are involved with will drive the creation of the Web-based
system and the additional support services, such as training and quality
assurances.
Additional opportunities for participation are in the planning stages, and
events will be posted on the Community Meetings page of this website as soon as
they are finalized. We also welcome electronic feedback and can be reached at [email protected]. Please register with us if you would like to receive e-mail updates about upcoming events and meetings.
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What were the results of the Summit?
The Summit served as a kick-off to inform the general public about the
project's vision for a useful Web-based information system that increases
access to services for people with disabilities and long-term care needs. The
Summit successfully brought consumers, service providers, and other interested
individuals together to participate in creating the foundation for the Real
Choices ACCESS Project website. To find out more about what the Summit Work
Groups accomplished, please visit our Workgroup
Notes page.
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How can people be involved in this project?
There are several key ways individuals can become involved with the project,
short-term or long-term. One option is to participate in a Community Meeting to
provide input into what is being developed, and help to drive the direction of
the work. For those who can devote some time to this effort, we also are
soliciting people to serve on work groups which will meet regularly (probably
at least monthly) to discuss key issues and provide ongoing feedback to the
staff developing the system.
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How will people be informed about the Web-based system?
We are making every attempt to spread the word about the ACCESS Project through
service providers and community outreach. However, as we are still in the
planning stages, we do not have a website that provides even a fraction of the
information or services that we hope to make available in the future. The
official unveiling of the website is planned for February 2003 at the PacRim
Conference, a major event that brings together individuals from around the
Pacific Rim that are committed to increasing awareness of the need for
communities to fully accept and support persons with disabilities. This event
will provide the project with considerable exposure and will play an important
role in spreading the word about the website.
Another component of the project is to provide information and training on the
use of the Web-based system to consumers and providers so that it becomes a
regularly used resource. The Center on Disabilities Studies - University of
Hawai`i will be responsible for the development and dissemination of the
training materials.
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