2007 Issues Forum Logo
2007 Region 7 Issues Forum, May 9 - 11

The theme of the 2007 conference was Still Debating the Future. The opening keynote focused on the progress the nation has made in creating inclusive living, educational, and working opportunities for people with disabilities over the past 20 years. The second keynote focused on the changes in leadership and what individuals need to do to become strong leaders. The closing speaker gave attendees a framework to guide them to where the disability field is going in the future and gave information on where to get support and services to develop a plan.

Below are two versions of the conference itinerary - a brief version and a more detailed itinerary. Each version has links to the powerpoint files and handouts (if any) for each presentation.

PHOTOS - Photos from the 2007 Issues Forum are available here.

BRIEF CONFERENCE ITINERARY

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Thursday, May 10, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007

DETAILED CONFERENCE ITINERARY

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

  • 1:00 p.m. – Opening Keynote – Reflections on Times Past, 20 Years of Community Rehabilitation - Karen Flippo
    • The keynote address will track the progress the nation has made in creating inclusive living, educational and working opportunities for people with disabilities over the past twenty years, which is also the life span of the Region 7 Issues Forum. She will also reflect on lost opportunities and the reasons why we have not been able to grab the “golden ring”. As a result of this session, you will be able to answer these questions, “Are people with disabilities better off than they were in 1986? Why or why not?”
    • Reflections on Times Past PowerPoint
    • Text-only version of PowerPoint
  • 2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Break
  • 2:45 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Think Tank Breakout Session: "Just Do It": Strategies for Changing Community - Karen Flippo
      • Using the keynote address as the catalyst for discussion, participants will share ideas about taking advantage of past gains and losses and strategize together on creating a better and more powerful future for children and adults with disabilities. You will be challenged to develop a personal plan for making positive change in your own organization and community.
    • Take Charge: A Self-Determination Curriculum At Work - Jennifer Benson and Kelsey Kendrick
      • This session will provide instruction on forming successful job clubs in the high school special education classroom. This course will include how-to's on partnering with school districts and local career centers, forming relationships with area businesses, and implementing the "Take Charge" curriculum. This curriculum focuses on career planning at the high school level, but also addresses friendship, education, and daily life.
      • Take Charge Powerpoint
      • Text only version of Take Charge
    • Facilitating Successful Job Matches: Changing the Role of Employment Consultants - Amy Burns
      • Successful employment outcomes are best achieved when planning teams work together efficiently. The role of the Employment Consultant is shifting from the traditional model of a service provider to a role of team facilitator. Organizing key support people, maximizing existing networks, and creating meaningful action steps are critical components of a successful job search. This session will provide an overview of facilitation skills as well as tips for identifying and utilizing personal networks.
      • Facilitating Job Matches PowerPoint
      • Richtext version of Facilitating Job Matches
      • Amy Burns Bio
    • Values/Philosophy: Self - Determination, Changing Culture of Dependency - Alan Zavodny
      • We will take a look from theories to real life experiences and how to put the pieces in place to go through organizational change. The challenges are great but the rewards are better. We will take a look at how changing culture is a continual process and very necessary.
    • Job Development - Thoughts, Questions and Considerations - A Facilitated Discussion - Rick McAllister
    • Positioning for Inclusion - Pat Cottingham, Carrie O'Brien, Dana Shaw and Carl Wisehart
      • This session will present a leadership training curriculum developed for the purpose of helping people with developmental disabilities learn the skills they need to sit on community boards. Carrie, Dana, and Carl will talk about their experiences teaching the class and Pat will discuss the process involved in developing and instituting the program. Barriers to inclusion will be discussed along with strategies to overcome the barriers.
  • Opening Reception 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
  • 8:30 a.m. - Keynote - Leadership at All Levels: It's Yours for the Taking! - Doug D. Whittle, Ph. D.
    • Leadership: It's a word with many interpretations. The traditional view of leadership is something that is given to you when you get promoted, and carries with it a job title, a business card, an office, and a cadre of people reporting to you. However, these positions of formal leadership are becoming scarce, and therefore the title becomes a limited opportunity for a chosen few.
      We will examine today the extension of the leadership role to every individual within an organization. It has nothing to do with hierarchy or seniority. Every employee today has both the opportunity as well as the responsibility to be a leader
      Many of our leaders in the past became leaders by accident-they were simply at the right place at the right time. Today, we'll take a look at how you become a leader by design-where you take responsibility for creating and reaching your personal leadership vision. We will examine the changing definition of leadership in the workplace and the need for organizations and individuals to embrace a new perspective on what they can do to become strong leaders.
    • Leadership Keynote PowerPoint
    • Text-only version of PowerPoint
    • Leadership Levels Handout (Word File)
    • Leadership Levels Diagram (PDF)
    • Text version of Diagram (richtext)
  • 9:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Break
  • 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Job Development and Support Strategies for People with Psychiatric Disabilities - Laurie Ford
      • Are you interested in learning more about job placement and supports for people with psychiatric disabilities? Would you like to learn strategies for developing job opportunities and effectively working with employers? Do you want to know how to deal with issues around disclosure and job accommodations, and how to assist people in managing the symptoms of mental illness on the job? If you answered yes to these questions, you will want to attend this session! You'll come away with a better understanding of the issues and practical strategies for addressing them.
      • JD for Psychiatric Disabilities PowerPoint
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint
      • Handout on Impact of Psychiatric Disabilities (Word file)
    • Developing Integrated Services (not separate residential and vocational) - Alan Zavodny
      • For years now, the lines between what was considered "residential" and what was "vocational" have been blurred. This session will discuss strategies or examples of what we need to do to get people we support, families, and staff all on the same page.
    • Sexuality and Disabilities - Fact or Fiction? An Intimate Self Disclosure - Katie Rodriguez Banister
      • This presentation is for fun and knowledge. People with disabilities are often looked at as asexual- genderless and androgynous. Katie shares a theater piece dispelling such nonsense. A frank and open discussion will address self image, pregnancy, and your questions on this taboo subject. Don't be embarrassed. We all think about it!
      • Sexuality and Disabilities Handout (richtext file)
    • Leadership Think Tank: Developing Your Leadership Legacy - Doug D. Whittle, Ph.D.
      • This session is intended as a personalized follow-up to this morning's keynote on "Leadership at All Levels". After reviewing the concepts presented in the morning, you will now have the opportunity to explore what this means to you personally in your leadership journey. Take advantage of this "time out" from your busy schedule to give serious thought to the type of leader you want to become and how you will get there. Leaders are known for the differences they make in the lives of others. What will YOUR leadership legacy be?
      • Leadership Think Tank PowerPoint
      • Text-only version, Leadership Think Tank PowerPoint
      • Eight Questions for Leaders (richtext file)
    • Maximizing Social Capital - Amy Burns
      • In successful civil rights movements, employment has been the great equalizer. Yet many people we support still experience isolation within their communities. This session will look at ways in which residential and vocational staff can support people in services to maximize their social capital. Fundamental principles of supported employment will be reviewed along with strategies for applying these techniques to whole-life planning that will lead to more inclusive outcomes.
      • Maximizing Social Capital PowerPoint
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint
    • Job Development - Thoughts, Questions and Considerations - A Facilitated Discussion (Repeat) - Rick McAllister
  • 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Luncheon
  • 1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Whole Agency Job Marketing - Rick McAllister
      • This is an exploration of common practices and processes within employment service agencies, and the impact of those approaches on the functional outcomes of job development and job matching. Strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of job matching efforts by measuring process outcomes will also be presented.
      • Whole Agency / Job Development PowerPoint
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint
    • Interagency Collaboration: Easier Said Than Done! - Caren Sax
      • Legislation and common sense require that school systems collaborate with agencies that support young adults with disabilities after they exit K-12. Unfortunately, it's not always easy to bring interagency teams together to collaborate effectively. This session will provide examples of how the Point of Transition Model has been implemented in a number of states to facilitate the seamless transition of students with disabilities to adult life. Strategies for beginning useful dialogue and designing productive partnerships will be highlighted.
      • Collaboration PowerPoint
      • Richtext version of Collaboration presentation
      • Magic of Dialogue handout (richtext)
    • Quality Counts: Hard Work on Soft Skills - Marty Miles
    • Debate: Sheltered Employment vs. 100% Community Employment - Alan Zavodny and Don Harkins
      • An age old debate - do people prefer working in sheltered workshop environments or community employment situations? This session offers two perspectives. Participants can expect to hear pros and cons from both sides. Some main debate issues include: sub-minimum wages, maintain dual day services and funding large buildings.
    • Supported Education Emerging Best Practices Initiative - Anna Collins
      • At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: Identify emerging best practice activities / programs at the University of Kansas School Social Welfare's Supported Education Group, describe a national implications and efforts to increase supported education best practices, define 12 principles / items for measuring fidelity in supported education programming, review the KU Supported Education Fidelity Scale and it's components, describe Supported Education Intensity Measurement tool and it's use, identify salient aspects of the development and purpose of the Supported Education Leadership Team and recognize how program evaluation findings can be used to enhance the effectiveness of supported education programs.
      • Supported Ed PowerPoint
      • Richtext version of Supported Ed persentation
    • Everyday Ethics in Employment Services: Real Life Dilemmas - Laurie Ford
      • For employment professionals, ethics encompass morals, values, and legal issues. As we attempt to honor ethical principles like beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficent, fidelity, and justice, there are times when we have to choose between two courses of action and either choice will have significant potential consequences. Join us for a lively presentation of everyday ethical dilemmas (and solutions) involving values conflicts, cross-cultural issues, personal relationships, confidentiality, families, employment law, systemic issues, and more.
      • Everyday Ethics PowerPoint
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint
      • Handout on Ethics
  • 2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Break
  • 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Skills Training: A Route to a Career - Pat Steele and Maria Walker
      • Individuals with disabilities still experience high unemployment rates; even those who are employed often find themselves stuck in low-paying, part-time employment with little hope for advancement. What can be done to change this picture and help people with disabilities enjoy career mobility? Education is one of the keys in this presentation. Information will be provided on developing and implementing skills training programs that can help attack the chronic unemployment and under-employment problem of people with disabilities. This session will also include information on an employment scorecard; a tool used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of organizations providing employment services to people with disabilities.
      • Skills Training PowerPoint
      • Richtext version of Skills Training presentation
    • Vocational Assessment and Career Planning - Mike Ahlers
    • Good Stories Aren't Enough - Marty Miles
    • Where Did Everyone Go? Ensuring a Smooth Workforce Transition Through Succession Planning - Doug Whittle
      • We've known for years that a major transition in our workforce was coming-the "Baby Boomer" generation is ready to pack its bags and head south! But who will be there to keep the wheels going and to carry our organizations into the future? Many organizations are just now realizing that we can't postpone succession planning any longer. This session will take a look at some of the critical steps you can take to ensure a smooth transition as today's senior members of the workforce leave and the "younger" generations step in. We will examine a roadmap for how to build a succession plan that addresses the skills and competencies needed as well as how to inventory current skills. We will also examine the impact of the different generations in today's workplace and how that will impact our succession plans.
      • Succession Planning PowerPoint
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint
    • Personal Care Attendants; How to Find and How to Be a Good One - Katie Rodriguez Banister
      • Author Katie Banister has written The Personal Care Attendant Guide (Demos Medical Publishing Fall 2006). The relationship between those who need help and those who provide it can be difficult to balance, but it can be maintained and even fun at times. Katie's unique book will equip people with disabilities, as well as those managing caregivers for family members, with the skills to successfully find, interview, hire, train, and supervise their personal attendants. The guide includes information and stories from a caregiver's perspective as well.
      • Attendant Care Outline (richtext file)
    • Assistive Technology: Thinking Beyond High School - Caren Sax
  • Social and Dance 7:00 p.m. - Midnight
Friday, May 11, 2007

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