Free and open to Pennsylvania parents of young children with disabilities and young adults with disabilities. Three Training Modules:
January 14 — Module 1: Self-Determination and Models of Disability
January 15 — Module 2: Introduction to Inclusion in School and Community
January 16 — Module 3: Inclusion Through Life's Transitions
Learn about communication and healthy relationships with guest speaker Donnie Denome. Donnie is a nonspeaking autistic AAC user. They hold a Master of Public Health degree with a focus on health education for people with disabilities. Donnie is passionate about health communication, and they have presented widely on topics surrounding relationships, sexuality, and self-advocacy in the context of AAC.
Sponsored by The PEAL Center and the PA Parent and Family Alliance for Overcoming the Social Stigma of Mental Health. Seventy-five percent of mental illness occurs before a person turns 24, but when we think of someone with a mental challenge, we rarely picture a child. Join us to learn more about mental illness and its effects on 1 in 4 people, including our children. In the session, attendees will:
Learn facts to dispel myths and misinformation
Learn how to be an ally to those living with mental health challenges
Understand what mental health recovery means
Learn about mental health supports available for school-age children both in and out of schools
Introduction to Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) is designed to present learners with an overview of the CtLC person-centered framework. It will provide a general awareness of the guiding principles and tools presented by a Certified CtLC Presenter. This training is designed for anyone who is interested in learning about the CtLC Framework and will be led by Lisa Meyer and David Forbes.
After the CtLC training, participants will be able to:
Define the core belief of the CtLC Framework.
Identify how CtLC principals and tools can enhance decision making, problem solving and self-advocacy in individuals.
The Community Living Equity Center (CLEC) announced a new interactive data dashboard. The dashboard contains three main sections that demonstrate: who needs Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), who receives Medicaid LTSS, and disparities that exist in accessing Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). Users can navigate the data by filtering by factors like type of disability, age, race, gender, socioeconomic status, language spoken, and more.
A growing number of states are leveraging new opportunities to cover services and supports that help people find, obtain, and maintain their housing. In 2024, the Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC), in a collaborative effort between the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development, launched the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator (HSPA) to accelerate innovative state strategies to provide housing-related services and supports (HRSS) to Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities and older adults who are at risk or experiencing homelessness. This initiative has helped eight states and the District of Columbia strengthen collaboration across Medicaid, housing, aging and disability (social care), and behavioral health systems, resources, and programs.
This webinar will highlight select 2024 HSPA states’ innovations and cross-sector collaborations built throughout the 12-month opportunity to serve as examples of successful models for other states seeking to build coordinated systems for delivery of HRSS. It will discuss how these collaborations can improve the coordination of housing assistance and wraparound services and supports as a cost-effective approach to assisting people with disabilities and older adults to transition from homelessness, exit or avoid institutional settings, and live stably in the community. Webinar participants will learn:
Details of the HSPA opportunity and HSRC resources that will assist in the planning, development, and implementation of HRSS
Best practices and lessons learned by the states that participated in the 2024 HSPA opportunity on creating sustainable cross-sector partnerships to improve service delivery
What partners are essential to building a dynamic system to provide coordinated services and supports in housing, health, and social care services
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on joining the webinar. The event will include real-time CART captioning and ASL interpreting. If you need additional accommodations to participate or have questions, please email HSRC@acl.hhs.gov.
Learn about communication and healthy relationships with guest speaker Donnie Denome. Donnie is a nonspeaking autistic AAC user. They hold a Master of Public Health degree with a focus on health education for people with disabilities. Donnie is passionate about health communication, and they have presented widely on topics surrounding relationships, sexuality, and self-advocacy in the context of AAC.
This webinar will go over how to get information from the Health Risk Screening Tool (HRST) that can drive quality assurance initiatives, improve the quality of care, and support agency outcomes. This webinar is designed for provider agency leadership, supervisors, and anyone responsible for quality assurance or health outcomes. We will look at reports to monitor compliance and identify areas of highest health risks for the people you support. We will also cover HRST reports related to performance-based contract standards and customize reports to get what you are looking for quickly!
Please note the following:
This is supplemental training with no prerequisites.
IntellectAbility does not provide certificates of attendance.
No CEUs are being offered for attending this training.
All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).
**When registering, if you do not see your agency name under the "client" section - look for your state, and then your agency name will appear in the "provider agency" section. **
The Link Center's Shared Learning Groups are an opportunity to dive into important topics together, sharing resources, information, and ideas to better support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Led by members of The Link Center’s steering committee and project partners, the January group sessions will focus on navigating the justice system. Participants will discuss touchpoints where support can be offered, ensuring individuals get the resources and understanding they need. The sessions also will cover how to help people successfully reintegrate into society by connecting them with community resources and support networks.
Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided during all live webinars. Registration is required. There are four sessions on the same topic for different target audiences. Please register for the session most relevant to you or whichever best fits into your schedule.
The Link Center's Shared Learning Groups are an opportunity to dive into important topics together, sharing resources, information, and ideas to better support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Led by members of The Link Center’s steering committee and project partners, the January group sessions will focus on navigating the justice system. Participants will discuss touchpoints where support can be offered, ensuring individuals get the resources and understanding they need. The sessions also will cover how to help people successfully reintegrate into society by connecting them with community resources and support networks.
Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided during all live webinars. Registration is required. There are four sessions on the same topic for different target audiences. Please register for the session most relevant to you or whichever best fits into your schedule.
The Link Center's Shared Learning Groups are an opportunity to dive into important topics together, sharing resources, information, and ideas to better support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Led by members of The Link Center’s steering committee and project partners, the January group sessions will focus on navigating the justice system. Participants will discuss touchpoints where support can be offered, ensuring individuals get the resources and understanding they need. The sessions also will cover how to help people successfully reintegrate into society by connecting them with community resources and support networks.
Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided during all live webinars. Registration is required. There are four sessions on the same topic for different target audiences. Please register for the session most relevant to you or whichever best fits into your schedule.
This webinar will focus on the individualization of supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and highlight tools for person-centered planning and practice. The goal of our free 30-minute Lunch Break webinar series is to help service providers across the country develop and improve supports that lead to meaningful CLE outcomes. These webinars will center around storytelling, peer learning, and information sharing.
CLE in Action is a partnership between ANCOR, the Institute on Disability at UNH (IOD), and the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at UMass Boston.
The Link Center's Shared Learning Groups are an opportunity to dive into important topics together, sharing resources, information, and ideas to better support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Led by members of The Link Center’s steering committee and project partners, the January group sessions will focus on navigating the justice system. Participants will discuss touchpoints where support can be offered, ensuring individuals get the resources and understanding they need. The sessions also will cover how to help people successfully reintegrate into society by connecting them with community resources and support networks.
Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided during all live webinars. Registration is required. There are four sessions on the same topic for different target audiences. Please register for the session most relevant to you or whichever best fits into your schedule.
As states build robust 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline systems, there is a growing recognition that siloed service delivery systems often contribute to a lack of access to trauma-informed clinical and support services for individuals experiencing a crisis who have intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, or cognitive impairments. This lack of access can lead to adverse outcomes, such as hospital emergency department use or admissions into settings that may exacerbate already difficult circumstances.
ACL and The Link Center, in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, convened a state policy academy to build strong, collaborative service systems that enable states to effectively support individuals in crisis regardless of disability and/or communication differences. Join this webinar to hear from individuals who have experienced crises and learn how their states are building inclusive crisis response systems available to everyone.
Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided during this webinar. Contact TheLinkCenter@nasddds.org for any questions about the event. No advanced registration is required.
Join ACL for a webinar where national and state leaders and leading subject matter experts will share successes, lessons learned, and strategies for initiating, scaling, and sustaining change amid shifting policies and budgets. Discover how 14 states are transforming their direct care workforces to support the provision of home and community-based services (HCBS) through the Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Strategies Center’s Peer Learning Collaboratives(PLCs).
During this webinar, participants will hear about how state teams, made up of representatives from across agencies, have come together through the PLCs to share best practices, brainstorm strategies for tackling common barriers and challenges, and achieve meaningful milestones toward building a more robust HCBS direct care workforce. States will share how the benefits of peer-to-peer learning with a small group of states, focused on similar priorities and accessing national subject matter experts, have helped them achieve measurable progress toward strengthening this essential workforce.
Whether you’re a policymaker, HCBS program implementer, or workforce leader, this session will inspire and equip you to drive meaningful change in your state. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about strategies for shaping the future of HCBS direct care.
Registrants can note accommodation needs — such as captioning or sign language — on the registration page. The webinar will be live captioned. Webinars are recorded and posted with supporting materials on the DCW Strategies Center website. Contact DirectCareWorkforce@ncoa.org with questions.
These meetings will be held for all Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) providers and Support Coordinators (SC) providing AAW services. Pam Treadway and Heather Easley will facilitate them, with the intent to provide updates on incident and risk management-related activities, share AAW data, inform providers of any upcoming changes, review ODP expectations, and more. Providers will be able to network with one another and ask questions directly to the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP).
The upcoming meeting will discuss risk mitigation activities. Behavior Support Services can be an effective means of mitigating risks, so we strongly encourage Behavior Specialists to participate.
Multiple staff members from a provider may attend but should register separately. A link to the meeting will be sent before the scheduled meeting date.
Description: Both the Early Detection Screen for Dementia (EDSD) and Life Story are powerful tools that can help gather and structure salient information about the person who is living with dementia. What are they? Using the EDSD and Life Story, the co-facilitators will first discuss these tools with which participants can gather valuable information regarding individual lifestyle and sensory preferences and needs in order to tailor person-centered interventions that provide support, a sense of safety & well-being to enhance quality of life for individuals with IDD who are living with dementia, their family and other caregivers.
Presenters:
Dr Lucille Esralew is a neuropsychologist who specializes in brain-behavior connections in clinical settings, focusing on dementia and IDD and mental health disorders and IDD. Dr. Esralew obtained her doctorate in psychology from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University (1999) and her certification as a Clinical Neuropsychologist from Fielding Graduate University (2009). She currently serves on the NTG Board and serves as co-chair of the Advisory Body and co-chair of Applied Research and Clinical Health (ARCH).
Kathryn Service RN, MS (gerontological nursing), FNP-BC, CDDN has been working in the field of intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) since 1976 and, from 1979-2016, as a nurse practitioner for the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) until retirement. She continues to consult on aging, caregiving, and dementia in people with I/DD at DDS and is a recognized Dementia Care Specialist Advanced Practice Provider (GAPNA & UCLA); currently on a CDC Healthy Brain Initiative grant with the University of Illinois/Chicago team. She has nationally and internationally served on advisory boards, consulted on federal and foundational grants and presented sessions and has written and peer reviewed articles, text chapters, and educational modules on the topics of aging, dementia, loss and grief, and caregiving of individuals with I/DD.
This annual statewide conference offers an opportunity to learn and engage with nationally recognized presenters, as well as colleagues from across the state, highlighting effective instructional strategies and interventions designed to make an educational difference for all students. Limited scholarships are available for parents with an application deadline of January 3, 2025.
Everyone deserves fair and equitable health care, yet people with disabilities face many barriers to receiving this kind of care, including bias from providers, accessibility of space and materials, and cost of care. FISA's report, A Far Cry from Fair: Health-care Access for People with Disabilities, highlights the persistent barriers that people with disabilities experience in navigating the healthcare system, combining published research with local voices to call for systemic reforms that ensure equitable care for all. This report is part of FISA's larger initiative, Access to Healthcare for People with Disabilities. Join us for a webinar presented by Dr. Josie Badger discussing the findings from A Far Cry from Fair and next steps. A Zoom link will be sent to you after registering.
This event is one of the only conferences in the country specializing in children, adolescents, and transition age youth. It’s geared toward parents and caregivers, mental health professionals, educators, and students. The conference provides information on the newest research, innovative supports, and best practices to assist and advance the mental health needs of youth. The event will feature keynote presentations, workshop sessions, and an exhibitor hall.
