COCO is a coalition of consumer and related legal and advocacy services organizations. Our mission is to work towards community inclusion of all people with disabilities in California – through implementation of the Olmstead decision. Membership criteria are:
¨ The organization must have a mission statement which is consistent with the expressed values of COCO.
¨ The organization must affirm that they engage in activities that support voluntary community services and does not support the continuation of large congregate institutions. Examples of activities must be included.
¨ The organization must primarily be involved in the provision of advocacy services and not the provision of other direct services.
COCO is committed to working with other organizations including those who provide direct services in furthering the implementation of the Olmstead decision.
COCO VALUES
Our values are:
That anyone who is living in an institution, or is at risk of living in an institution, should be provided with the services that will support them living in the community, such as housing, support services, work and leisure opportunities.
The empowerment of people with disabilities through means which include consumer directed services.
That money and other resources need to be moved from institutions into community options.
Also, we believe in the Community Imperative, which states:
In Terms of Human Rights:
All people have basic human and legal rights
These rights must not be taken away just because a person has a mental or physical disability
Included in these basic rights is the right to live in the community
In terms of education and support services:
All people are valuable
All people have strengths and abilities
All people have the right to services in their lives that support these strengths and abilities
These supports are best provided in the community
COCO OPERATING STATEMENT
COCO will operate as a coalition through consensus decision-making. COCO membership meetings are held approximately every other month.
The meetings are for members and invited presenters only. COCO, also, maintains a members only list-serve.
A steering committee of six individuals will be chosen by the membership to facilitate organizational decision-making. The Steering Committee shall be made up as follows:
- one representative of CFILC
- one representative of PAI
- one representative for each of the following constituencies: seniors, people with psychiatric disabilities and people with developmental disabilities
-
one at-large representative
The functions of the Steering Committee include:
1) Reviewing applications for membership in COCO.
2) Organizational decisions can be referred to the Steering Committee at meetings and in the time between meetings. The committee itself or its designated membership representatives will seek consensus or in the absence of consensus arrive at a decision based on a preponderance of support.
3) In seeking consensus COCO will rely to a large extent on its membership list-serve. Requests for input will be posted for response.
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