Posted on December 18, 2023

By Mary Kay Rizzolo, CQL President & CEO

The December edition of Capstone has become an annual tradition here at CQL. We devote the final article of the year to reflecting on some significant milestones and developments. We break things down by month and pull out just one significant moment to share. It’s so important to take a step back and appreciate your successes, so we use this time to – putting it in CQL terms – realize our goals! We would encourage all organizations to do the same.

January

A Bunch of New POM Resources

If you’re familiar with CQL, you’re familiar with our nationally-recognized person-centered discovery tool, the Personal Outcome Measures^® (POM).

In January 2023, we shared new resources about the tool including the 2022 POM Benchmarks report and a webinar titled ‘Get Answers To Your POM Questions!’ Throughout the year we released the POM Data Digest, an infographic data report in collaboration with MediSked, and a webinar about a hot topic ‘Everyone Communicates! Tips, Tricks, And Guidance When Using The POM.’ Later in the year, we also launched the ‘POM: Exploring The Fundamentals Webinar Series,’ which continues on in 2024.

February

Fresh Tools To Promote Your Accreditation

CQL Accreditation is a lot of work. But the impact of it is substantial – transforming your organization, improving your services, and enhancing the lives of people supported. That’s why promoting this accomplishment is so important. To assist organizations, CQL completely revamped the accreditation promotional kit and released it in February 2023. It includes new posters, social media graphics, press release templates, and more, along with a brand new CQL Accreditation logo. If you need help in accessing the promotional kit or using its materials, please contact Maddie Robin, CQL’s Communications Specialist.

March

All About The HCBS Settings Rule

March 17, 2023, was the deadline for compliance with the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule. We’ve produced numerous resources over the years, including articles, research, guides, webinars, and videos to help educate the field about the regulations and the implications for providers and people receiving services. In March 2023, we presented a webinar ‘Beyond Compliance: Embracing The Values of the HCBS Settings Rule’ and released a Capstone article ‘The HCBS Settings Rule: Insights & Next Steps After The Deadline,’ which featured perspectives from people supported and ACL’s Alison Barkoff.

April

Flourishing Conference Connections

Conference season really got into high gear in April. Throughout 2023, CQL connected with thousands of professionals, advocates, family members, industry partners, and other stakeholders at more than a dozen conferences. We were able to present, exhibit, and/or sponsor at many events in many locations including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington, along with a conference in Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada.

May

Kicking Off Our 2023 Accreditation Webinar Series

CQL’s been conducting an ongoing webinar series for years, all about CQL Accreditation. We continued it this year by presenting the first session of our 2023 Accreditation Webinar Series in May. Over the course of the year, we covered topics like understanding Factor 10 of the Basic Assurances^®, strategies for promoting your accreditation, the connection between accreditation and organizational culture, and a session addressing frequently asked accreditation questions.

June

The CQL Team Expands

Starting in June, CQL welcomed a number of new staff during the year to help meet the needs of our partners. Along with Courtney Kelly joining the team as our Vice President of State Initiatives, CQL also brought on new Quality Enhancement Specialists including full-time staff members Ann Dorsey and Laura Flynn, along with Colleen Bryson, Jennifer Dance, Deb Koop, Tina Lowry, Kelly Owens, and MaryBeth Witkop in part-time positions.

July

Let’s Celebrate Our Successes!

While in the human services system there’s a lot of focus on deficiencies and what’s ‘going wrong,’ it’s so important to highlight successes. Every year we share these stories by profiling our partner organizations.

One such story was sent out in July 2023 about Welcome House, Inc., a provider organization in Ohio that achieved CQL Accreditation. It’s one of many success stories that we’ve produced to draw attention to all of the great things that are happening in the disability services system.

August

Promoting Best Practices Across States

We were so proud to launch our free webinar initiative in August 2023, connecting state associations and state governmental agencies with best practices. These state groups can sponsor free webinars to stakeholders in their state. So far, we have had organizations from Maine, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, and Tennessee sponsor webinars. Many more are being scheduled for 2024!

September

Even More Effective DSP Programs

It’s an absolute honor to work with our friends from NADSP on the annual campaign to collect and disseminate information on programs that have a positive impact on direct support professionals (DSPs). Each year in September, we send out numerous articles from provider organizations who describe how they address issues like recruitment, retention, recognition, and career development – just to list a few. We were able to showcase 13 different programs in 2023, which are summarized in our September 2023 Capstone article ‘Effective Programs And Strategies To Confront DSP Workforce Issues.’

October

More Than 5,000 Webinar Registrants!

CQL makes a big investment into developing resources to benefit the human services field and help improve the lives of people with disabilities. One way we do this is through all of our free, public webinars. In October 2023, we completed our 2-part webinar series about Human Rights Committees – some of our most popular sessions of the year. Over the course of 2023, we were thrilled to have more than 5,000 total registrants for our various sessions!

November

Breaking Down The Data & Unlearning Ableism

Research and its resulting insights are central to CQL’s work. Our Director of Research Carli Friedman is exceptional not only in publishing so many studies and summary articles, but especially in making it digestible and relevant to audiences. Throughout 2023, a lot of different topics were covered including self-determination, technology, quality of life, and more. One area of Carli’s expertise is ableism. Numerous research articles were produced about the topic in 2023 and in November, ANCOR featured Carli on their Links podcast in an episode ‘Unlearning Ableism (with Carli Friedman).’

December

The CQL Team Is The Best, And We Want Everyone To Know It!

We hear it all the time from our partners. They just love the CQL staff that they get to work with, and we couldn’t agree more! That’s why we profile a different CQL staff member in our Monthly Staff Spotlight, sharing information about their background, passions, hobbies, interests, likes/dislikes, etc. In December, we sent out the final spotlight of the year, featuring Leanne Fenez, where she shared details about her experience in the field, an item on her personal bucket list, a trick to stay productive, and more.

Looking Ahead to 2024

Thank you for joining us on this walk down memory lane, exploring some notable CQL accomplishments in 2023! We hope that you all do the same, and take time to appreciate your achievements.

We have a lot of big developments on the horizon in 2024, including updates to CQL tools, the creation of brand-new resources, and identifying even more ways to connect with our partners. Have a happy holiday season, and an even happier New Year!