Title
Authorizing the Committee on People with Disabilities and Special Needs to hold hearings regarding the Community Autism Peer Specialist program, also known as CAPS.
Body
WHEREAS, When compared to other individuals with disabilities, individuals on the autism spectrum have lower rates of employment, are more likely to be living at home with their parents, and are less engaged in the community; and
WHEREAS, To address these disparities locally, the Philadelphia Autism Project, the ASERT (Autism Services, Education, Resources and Training) Collaborative Eastern Region, and the City of Philadelphia's Community Behavioral Health, a division of the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbilities Services ("DBHIDS"), partnered to create the wellness-oriented collaborative program Community Autism Peer Specialist ("CAPS"), which pairs individuals on the autism spectrum who have completed a peer support training program with other individuals on the spectrum to achieve their personal wellness and community participation goals; and
WHEREAS, In addition to the lead organizations who partnered on the development of CAPS, the success of CAPS would not have been possible without the work of the Steering and Advisory Committees, the voices and direction from self-advocates and family members, especially contributions by Aliki Koumenis, Valerie Paradiz, and Mary Kay Tuohy, and the leadership from both Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services' Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations, in the Office of Developmental Programs, and the Bureau of Policy, Planning and Program Development, in the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; and
WHEREAS, Launched as a pilot in September 2019 through Mental Health Partnerships, a leader in peer-delivered services, the CAPS program is designed to fill a much needed gap in supports that are essential for living a life in the community, using a person-centered approach tailored to the speci...
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