2020 TASH Conference - Virtual Edition

Day 1 Intensives: Employment & Transition Track

11:15-11:30 AM EST: Welcome and Keynote Address: The Power of Competitive Integrated Employment in Achieving Equity and Opportunity for All
Presenter: Jennifer Johnson

11:30 AM-12:30 PM EST: Promoting Inclusion to Increase Employment for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities
Presenters: Kathleen Woodward, Kristin Corcoran, Montrel Tennessee, Sandy Jordan, Kelie Hess
Employment remains a critical part of community inclusion for people with disabilities (Administration on Community Living, 2019). This presentation will share how the Administration on Disabilities' Partnerships in Employment grantees formed a group of stakeholders to improve employment outcomes for youth and young adults with disabilities by creating and supporting programs and policies that promote inclusion. Participants will hear from the national evaluator and grantees from DC, South Carolina, and Utah on how they promote inclusion of youth and young adults with disabilities through self-advocacy programs, parent and family engagement, and career and technical education. Presenters will also share success stories of how their states' have involved students with the most significant disabilities in employment opportunities. The presentation will conclude with a discussion on the importance of inclusion of youth and young adults with disabilities in competitive integrated employment.

12:45-2:00 PM EST: Building an Inclusive and Resilient Workforce: Recruitment, Retention and Innovation
Presenters: Susan Brooks, Dale Verstegan
The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the fragility of the Direct Support Professional workforce, and increased the already too high unemployment rate of people with disabilities. Now, more than ever, innovative ideas are needed to tackle these critical issues. The DSP Academy is a training program that certifies people with disabilities as DSP's supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It starts with high expectations and uses principles of customized employment and universal design to prepare people with disabilities for success as a Direct Support Professional, supporting others to achieve their dreams. We will also share our learning from adapting to provide a large portion of the DSP Academy curriculum in a virtual environment. Staff development is most often accomplished through external training organizations. The DSP Academy is a great example of provider organizations adopting and reinforcing the training curriculum. While external training trainers and events should be valued, this approach does not ensure the development of staff skills, competency and improved employment outcomes and presents challenges with sustainability as well.

2:15-3:30 PM EST: Supporting Employment through Supported Decision-Making
Presenter: Erin Leveton, Joan Christopher, Morgan Whitlatch
Talk with DC and MO about how they are braiding the National Supporting Families Community of Practice principles and tools with learning from the National Supported Decision-Making CoP to support self-determination and employment. Hear the national perspective on what's happening to launch and grow supported decision-making and promote self-determination, inclusion, and competitive integrated employment. We will share experiences in MO and DC and then have you share what's happening in your state. Next, we will do a deep dive with family members about how supported decision-making works in practice. Finally, we will facilitate a conversation to share promising practices in engaging self-advocates and families to not only help them envision and plan a good life for themselves and their children, but also to better inform state systems changes through deep engagement with families and to successfully advocate for those changes.

3:45-5:00 PM EST: The Power of Leading a Self-Determined Life Through Person-Centered Planning
Presenters: Kelie Hess, Tricia Jones-Parkin, Aubrey Snyder
As the Utah School to Work Interagency Transition Initiative enters its 5th year of the project, we have identified a need for building self-advocacy skills and focusing on strengthening individualized opportunities and aligning service plans prior to work experiences and going through the process of discovery. The school to work project is introducing person-centered planning tools and the process with students entering their first year of post-high with the goal of 1. Students directing IEP and person-centered planning meetings 2. Aligning goals across service systems and life domains 3. Development and exploration of individualized work and community-based experiences to inform and strengthen the Discovery and Customized Job Development process.