2017 TASH Conference

Wednesday Workshops are short-course workshops that are delivered by teams of presenters around a particular topic in a scheduled room for 1.5-3 hours. Workshops allow attendees to dive into popular topics in more depth. Workshops will take place on Wednesday only.

Setting up guardianship or conserving a person with disabilities is demeaning and conflicts with current best practices. The outcome for the person is devastating and stigmatizing. We must rethink this common, but outdated practice and instead use alternatives and provide the supports, help and accommodations persons need to exercise choice, have the preferences honored and to participate in our communities as equal citizens.

This presentation aligns with the 2017 theme, "Still We Rise for Equity, Opportunity, and Inclusion", by developing a deep understanding of how to provide students with complex needs an equitable education. Equipping participants with curricular adaptation strategies strengthens the disability field and fosters the opportunity for all students to have access to the general education curriculum alongside their peers. Designing and providing curricular accommodations and modifications are essential to effective inclusive educational practices. With a focus on students with significant disabilities and support needs, this hands-on interactive workshop teaches a diverse community of stakeholders how to design curriculum that is accessible to all students. An understanding of universal design for learning and the importance of collaboration will be highlighted. Peer supports and technology supports will also be embedded. Collaboratively, participants will apply strategies in the following seven areas: differentiated content, accessible directions, streamlining the curriculum, individualized lesson objectives, assignment layouts, infusing individual goals, and classroom assessments. In order to ensure all students' needs are met in an inclusive setting, participants will understand the benefits of and learn how to use the following resources: a student profile, academic unit lesson plan, and an infused skills grid. Students have the right to a free and appropriate public education and this workshop will prepare participants with the knowledge and resources to provide all students with an equitable education.

Participants in this interactive and hands-on workshop will explore best practices for family partnerships in school-wide PBS, create predictable routines and a PBS home matrix as well as develop a strength-based family-friendly positive behavior support plan.

For nearly nine years, a group of ordinary people living across the state of Georgia have been actively learning together how to work for social justice and build opportunities for intentional and reciprocal relationships between people with and without disabilities. Drawing from approaches and philosophies such as Asset Based Community Development, Popular Education, Intersectionality, Person Centered Values, and Visionary Organizing, we have learned much about the conditions that encourage all members of a community to contribute and meaningfully participate in civic life, enhance social connections through collective action, and build more avenues to natural supports and relationships outside of human services. Our approach centers people who live at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, whether they have a disability and/or they are a person of color, LGBTQ, poor, an immigrant, a refugee, or have experienced homelessness or incarceration. We are finding ways to build solidarity and reciprocity across and among identity lines and are learning to become better allies with others working to overcome the injustice of social exclusion, whatever its cause. This workshop will include an in-depth overview of our work and approach through storytelling and interactive, experiential large and small group activities. Participants will be offered practical ways of how to take these ideas and use them back home.

As we all know, the demographic in the United States has been changing rapidly with an increasing number of families whose first language is not English. Navigating systems of care for these families is so daunting that many of these families do not know where to turn. This workshop is a panel from different professionals who live the lives who will share their unique perspectives on how to effectively work with families from culturally diverse backgrounds, to help bridge gaps in communication, cultural belief, disability attitude, social stigma, and increase the participation of parents from diverse backgrounds.

This Wednesday session is meant for you! Come meet each other and nationally-recognized professors and researchers with successful records as college and university faculty who are willing to share their strategies with you.

8:00- 8:30 AM
Establishing a Professional Identity Vicki Knight, Andrea Ruppar, and Virginia Walker

8:30- 9:15 AM
Session A: Developing and Sustaining a Research Agenda Vicki Knight and Fred Spooner
Session B: The Job Search  Jami Pettner-Arrey, Andrea Ruppar, and Amy Toson

9:15-10:00
Session A: Teacher Preparation Stacy Dymond and Donna Lehr
Session B: Promotion and Tenure  Marty Agran and Fred Spooner

10:00-10:45 AM
Grants and External Funding Bethany McKissick and Mary Morningstar

10:45-11:30 AM
Service and Professional Development Jacki Anderson

11:30 AM-12:15 PM
Publishing  Marty Agran, Susan Copeland, Stacy Dymond, Donna Lehr, and Fred Spooner

This panel will be comprised of AAC users, researchers, and advocates and will focus on how to move TASH's communication campaign forward. This panel will examine some of the myths and definitions of AAC and AAC users, researchers, and advocates will discuss ways to move TASH forward with some common definitions, goals, and purposes.

This session is part of TASH's "Communication for All" campaign.

Supported Decision Making (SDM) is being embraced throughout the country to help people gain and/or maintain control of their life. Used with both children and adults living with disabilities, it is a process whereby people get the assistance they need and want to understand the situations and choices they face, so they can make life decisions for themselves. Implementing this approach requires a change in thinking about how life decisions are made and how people are supported - starting with the acknowledgement that all people need and get help making decisions in the natural course of life - starting as early as possible. This session will look at the emerging trends and practices around supported decision-making (SDM) as an alternative to guardianship and as a strategy for helping people become better decision-makers over their life time. Presenters will share stories of how this has worked to assist children and adults with developmental disabilities retain and regain individual rights and life control from the professional, legal and family perspectives.

The International Chapter Workshop (group discussion) is intended to expand TASH's International Committee so that TASH will strengthen its international involvement, its connections, and its efforts as well as increasing members around the world who can share TASH's values and promote its activities and mission.

Individuals from various countries including international professionals, families and other community members, who play an active role in getting involved in issues impacting individuals with significant disabilities, will participate in the workshop (group discussion).

During the workshop (group discussion), the structure, major goal, specific responsibilities, policies, and activities of the International Chapter will be discussed.  The workshop (group discussion) will also give particpants an opportunity to speak about their experiences and challenges they face in their respecitve countries in advocating for human rights and inclusion for people with disabilities.

During this workshop, we will share strategies that are designed to embrace the principles of person-centered planning, self-direction and supported decision making, all of which increase opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy full citizenship and maintain choice and control over their long-term services and supports (LTSS). These strategies provide people, professionals, and caregivers with reliable techniques to re-imagine the possibilities for meeting increasing support needs and achieving individual goals. Just as the civil rights movement had leaders from varying backgrounds, true citizenship and community inclusion for people with different abilities is not possible without the efforts and partnership of individuals and organizations who have varying roles in the long-term services and supports system and the community as a whole. This engaging and interactive workshop will provide opportunities for attendees to learn how three Wisconsin partners - a self-advocate, a representative state advocacy organization Disabilities, and a long-term care self-directed service provider organization collaborate to advance true citizenship and community inclusion for people with disabilities. Attendees will learn from an individual whose resilience has created a life that has spanned early experiences in a state institution to her current leadership role as executive director of a statewide advocacy organization. They will hear from a representative of Wisconsin's Board for People with Developmental Disabilities about strategies to build grassroots advocacy networks that empower all individuals to be heard in their communities. The presentation team also includes representatives from an organization that operates one of the largest and most comprehensive self-directed long-term services and support programs in the country. Self-direction and advocacy put the person and their loved ones in the driver's seat to control where, when, and how supports are provided. We will show you ways to help facilitate that. Choice and control through self-direction benefits not only the person, but can produce tangible benefits for state programs as well. Individuals self-directing their long-term services and supports through the Wisconsin IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) program have, on average, spent 83% of their allocated budgets. You will learn how self-direction has engaged individuals, as well as their family and support networks, to implement real change. You'll also learn how to expand the capacity for services that sustain full lives and create valued roles in local communities. Approximately 90 percent of individuals live in a home that they own, rent, or share with family or friends, and less than two percent are disenrolled from the program due to placement in a licensed facility, including nursing homes.

"The colors of lifes journey should be bold and brilliant. Many people's lives are gray. People can be safe and happy, but gray. We bring bold color when we strive for opportunities." -Jeff Strully At KFI, we believe that paid and natural supports for people with intellectual disabilities must focus on full community participation, with opportunities to work, live and engage alongside neighbors. This is more than just a philosophy. It calls for a constant re-examination of our practices and outcomes. For the past two TASH conferences, KFI has shared some of the strategies we have learned that support all people, particularly people with challenging behavior, to live lives of full inclusion in their communities. After each of these sessions, our audience has asked for more information about how to engage support teams: staff, families, neighbors, friends, etc., in doing this challenging work. This Session will focus on facilitating the teamwork necessary to move beyond the mundane and engage people in meaningful lives. Our work builds on true person centered planning and requires a team that believes in the person and the community; a team that can see possibilities and build capacity for both. In our experience, this dream team does not just "happen". It requires thoughtful and emboldening leadership and communication. In a system where getting paid often means getting people "ready for life", it is too easy to get sidetracked with things like personal care routines, housework and laundry, meal preparation, and checkbook balancing. We don't necessarily look forward to doing these things; but they are precursors to work and leisure pursuits. This presentation will offer strategies to challenge teams to consider how the way they provide daily supports impacts how the person supported lives their life and contributes to their community. With positive proactive leadership, support teams can meet complex daily needs, at the same time they are doing the important work of building connections and supporting community life engagement.

Many person-centered planning approaches continue to lead people to service based lives, often known as having a good but paid life. Understanding the devaluation people with disabilities live with, the concepts of heightened vulnerability and interpersonal identification, in addition to the power of valued social roles, can assist advocates, family members, and service providers in supporting people to access the good things in life. Participants will gain an understanding of devaluation and the wounds people experience when they are cast into devalued status in society. We will think about heightened vulnerability and interpersonal identification as potent advocacy tools and will explore visioning that focuses on valued social roles. We know that valued social roles can greatly impact people's lives and will discuss supporting people to acquire, strengthen, and maintain valued social roles. Through the presentation, we will address the lack of authority people with disabilities often have over their lives and supports, and what valued social roles can offer. People with disabilities need those who care about them and work with them to use understand the depth of devaluation and how to combat it through valued social roles.

Pennhurst, the infamous Pennsylvania institution opened in 1908 and finally shut down in 1987, established a legacy of social equity and human rights in disability policy, advocacy, litigation, and laws. It stands as both an epicenter and a microcosm of America's Disability Civil Rights Movement in realms of education, fair treatment, and community life. Its story is especially germane to this year's threatened cuts to Medicaid funding for individual supports and services necessary to live in the community. Against the backdrop of twelve beautifully illustrated panels chronicling Pennhurst's history, our eyewitnesses will present a story of the human costs of this failed "institutional model of care" that prevailed across our nation and the world from the 20th century to the present day. Pennhurst taught all of us why segregating individuals with intellectual and severe disabilities was and continues to be so dehumanizing and so wrong. Ultimately, the famous Pennhurst Longitudinal Study, which has been replicated many times over, proved scientifically that people are much "better off" living in the community in terms of equity, opportunity, inclusion, and consequently quality of life. Since past is often prologue, this story must be retold to current and future generations ─ so that we discontinue and never repeat these mistakes again.

Agenda

2:30 - 3:00 - Introductions
Name, state/region, projects / goals / challenges / accomplishments of state / region chapter

3:00 - 3:30 - Ruthie & Ralph
Current state of TASH
Future Vision - Advocacy Teams
Role of Chapters

3:30 - 4:00 - Policy Update
Tia & Raquel
Inclusive Education Committee member TBD

4:00 - 4:45 - Activity Centers
Activity Centers (choose based on interest)

1. Website/Social Link Assistance - Donald - TASH login, social link & group access)
2. Existing Resources for Chapter Leaders - April - Google Drive resources - Making an annual plan
3. Membership & Engagement - Jean & Cal-TASH member TBD

4:45 - 5:00 - Wrap Up & Looking Ahead
Meeting schedule for 2018
Future topics - Advocacy Team Follow-Up, Summer Retreat
Conference Announcements

Recent laws, regulations, court cases and policies have included the requirement that people with disabilities be provided the opportunity to exercise informed choice in decision-making to promote inclusion and integration into society. These contemporary developments build on principles established in the early deinstitutionalization litigation, including rights to habilitation and to community settings as a remedy for unnecessary institutionalization. This workshop will present recent regulatory, legal and policy changes that can be utilized to promote competitive integrated employment. This will include discussion of Employment First initiatives, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Final Rule, two landmark Department of Justice (DOJ) court cases (Oregon and Rhode Island) regarding sheltered workshops, the Olmstead decision by the Supreme Court and recent interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.