Summary
- The Governing Rules and Regulations for the 2026 Cuyahoga DD Policy Manual was adopted unanimously, with a few minor changes to policies (public comment limits, superintendent contract and power to increase their own salary) discussed and implemented during the meeting. To my knowledge, this document is not yet readily available to the public. [Editor’s note: The agency posted the policy manual online at least as recently as Jan. 29.]
- A presentation on the implementation of AI at the Cuyahoga County Board of Development Disabilities (CCDD) was given. It specifically advocated for future use of generative AI. Future uses for these technologies, and the current usage, were discussed.
- Board Member Lisa Hunt retired from the board after 12 years serving in multiple roles, including board president. The county has promised to put a new candidate on the board in her place by the next meeting in February.
Follow up questions
- What exactly does the IT department want to implement in terms of future AI usage, and what is already implemented? I found the presentation unclear on what types of technologies were actually in use and what future investment into expensive generative AI programs would actually be for.
- I was also unsure of where the IT department was in this process. Are they waiting for AI policies to be passed by the board? Are these policies the IT department themselves get to set? Is the 2026 AI plan set in stone? The board’s IT director, Mike Lively, commented that all images in the presentation were generated by AI; were the charts?
- Will the 2026 DD Policy Manual be made available to the public? Many changes to the manual, including changes to early intervention and intellectual or developmental disability evaluation policies, were not discussed in the meeting. [Editor’s note: The agency posted the policy manual online at least as recently as Jan. 29.]
Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities
This meeting took place between 5:30 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. Two to three members of the public were present.
Board roll call:
- Stephen Scheidt, board president
- Allison Frazier, board vice president (excused absence)
- Mozelle Jackson, board secretary
- Board Members Lisa Hunt, Alaina McCruel, Cynthia Schulz, Sara Steimle
Amber Gibbs, superintendent and CEO of CCDD, also attended.
Nomination and election of officers: Scheidt, Frazier and Jackson were reelected to their positions listed above.
2026 Meeting Schedule: Approved unanimously.
Donation and financial statements: Approved unanimously. To my knowledge, these are not readily available to the public, but details about equipment donations and December 2025 revenue and expenses were discussed.
Announcements (Amber Gibbs, superintendent and CEO):
Gibbs thanked and honored Lisa Hunt, who is retiring from the CCDD Board. Gibbs said Hunt has been a fantastic part of the board and the education community of Cuyahoga County, a kind and supportive leader who, both on the board and as a family engagement specialist for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District, has served as a community advocate for children, families and people with developmental disabilities.
Hunt was gifted a plaque commemorating her service and a painting by Kira Weber, a local artist with developmental disabilities. She was accompanied and supported at the meeting by her son Jordan, who has attended and participated in these board meetings for years.
Hunt thanked the board for the gifts and the wonderful past 12 years working for CCDD. She expressed gratitude for working with great people who she said truly want to help others and improve their communities.
News and events:
The Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation published a case study based on the success of recent programs at the CCDD. It first published the article online last December. CCDD community development employees Janet Keeler and Christopher Carpenter, along with researchers from Cleveland State University, conducted research about the CCDD’s Community Workforce Development program and the Employment Collaborative of Cuyahoga County (ECCC), concluding that it has succeeded in increasing employment for individuals with developmental disabilities.
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AI plans at Cuyahoga County agency
CCDD’s Mike Lively, director of Information Technology, and Quishann Johnson, manager of Information Systems, presented. Lively began by celebrating the success of the IT department this year at CCDD, which includes upgrading systems and security, closing around 3,000 internal maintenance tech tickets, and building a stronger technology foundation for the whole organization.
Lively said many cities and states were quick to adopt stringent AI policies; he advocated for a simple, flexible policy (unlike other places that put in strict ones, then had to undo them later as technology advanced/improved) that will begin to implement generative AI, like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. He emphasized the importance of data privacy, HIPAA compliance, ongoing training, and trust from the public with their information. IT departments should need to approve all AI policies before their implementation, he said. He mentioned that helpful new technologies should be implemented, but not “technology for technology’s sake.” Traditional or “rule-based AI” is already fully implemented at CCDD, and the use of generative AI is being piloted.
Johnson explained that rule-based programming is already being used to almost entirely automate documentation processes. Things like sending emails, compiling waiting lists, and processing applications for services have been partially or entirely automated by this technology for the past decade. In the past couple of years, Family Support Services has seen a 79% increase in applications, but CCDD has managed to keep up with the demand without adding additional staff because of the use of Hyland Software’s OnBase.
Johnson explained that humans ultimately assign the support administrator, or SA, who is the main point of contact for people receiving services. Humans can be brought in to review documentation as needed, but how this process occurs, and other spots in the process for human intervention, was only briefly touched upon. The “Eligibility Process” slide lists the steps of the process that are fully automated.
Gibbs mentioned that the CCDD has tightened its eligibility process with the use of OnBase. She also explained that sometimes individuals, especially those in times of hardship or crisis, would take months or even years to complete their applications due to issues in their lives, and automation should be able to help with this, not only making the process quicker but by repeatedly reaching out to these individuals (email, phone calls) and sending application updates.I found the presentation vague about what the generative AI emphasized earlier in the presentation would actually do. One specific use was meeting transcription; another was using software like Copilot to ask questions about CCDD policies or procedures, which it would then explain or summarize (for example, “How does somebody apply for X program?”). On the other hand, some of the proposed uses of future AI technologies did not seem generative, including eligibility document review, quality assurance, and performance management. Lively mentioned that data analysis and reporting would also hopefully be performed by generative AI in the near future, but he mentioned that the human team at CCDD is currently faster and better at it.
New business
A: 2026 Annual Plan (Adoption of Governing Rules and Regulations – 2026 Cuyahoga DD Policy Manual): Some of the proposed changes to the plan were discussed at length earlier in the meeting and revised on the spot. The manual was approved unanimously near the end of the meeting, despite minor conflicts over some specific sections earlier.
The changes to the plan were generally described by Gibbs as: Changes to ethical conduct language, the listing of superintendent responsibilities and duties, rules about audio/video recording in the workplace, the duplication of records, and procurement cards/bidding/contracts. Policies relating to early intervention updates and intellectual or developmental disability evaluation were also mentioned. Some language changes were made so that the manual correctly reflects CCDD practices, Gibbs said.
Some changes were made during the meeting. Board Secretary Jackson argued that a proposed policy reducing the amount of time given to public commenters (from five to three minutes per speaker) should not be implemented, as the board has never had problems with too long/too many public comments, and a shortened time for comment could especially hurt people with developmental disabilities who want to make comments, as some may not be able to speak as fast. Scheidt, Schulz and Steimle all spoke up in agreement, and the five-minute policy was reinstated.
A bullet point in section 3.1.1N was revised to emphasize that the superintendent can sign official documents necessary for the operation of the agency with review of the board as required by the manual.
Section 3.1.4B included language authorizing the superintendent to approve cost-of-living increases for all CCDD employees. It also stated that such increases would equally apply to the superintendent, which Gibbs said is past and current practice. Jackson took issue with giving the superintendent power to set their own salary, and the board added in a phrase that maintains its authority to determine any such increases.
3.2.2 (Building Use Fees) was discussed. Schulz argued that mentioning in the policy manual that CCDD can waive fees for nonprofits to use CCDD-owned buildings would encourage groups to try to push for waived fees when unnecessary, cutting into the CCDD’s budget. Gibbs argued the opposite: This power to waive fees needs to be mentioned in either the policy manual or fees documentation to give that power to the board and provide transparency, but since fees documents are sent directly to organizations when negotiating, placing that power within the bill statement would encourage this practice more than if it is left in the policy manual. Everyone but Schulz agreed, and it was left unchanged.
B: Family Transportation Agreements: Renews contract for transportation program through March 2027 for $16,000. Passed unanimously.
C: Renewal of AT&T internet services: Renews purchasing of internet; no longer includes a phone plan as it did previously. Passed unanimously.
D: Waiver Match Payments: Pays a matching share (up to $89 million) to the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to pay for IO, Level One, and SELF Waivers that support people with developmental disabilities.
E: Security Guard at Michael A. Donzella Administration Building: Authorizes superintendent to pay $71,499 to hire (continued, I believe) unarmed security at aforementioned building. Passed unanimously.
These notes are by Documenter Carly Elliot.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.