2008 Region 7 Issues Forum
April 16 - 18

2008 Issues Forum Logo
IT is Not Black and White…Coloring Outside the Lines

This year's theme may cause you to feel young, full of energy, creative and a bit frivolous, so be prepared to be challenged to expand your creative side. Coloring Outside the Lines - Finding Your “it” takes your unique ability to be creative and realize that taking that extra step outside today’s norm is necessary. Expanding our comfort zones, learning and applying new techniques and strategies are vital in order to create richer opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Below are two versions of the conference itinerary on this page- a brief version and a more detailed itinerary. Each version will have links to the powerpoint files and handouts (if any) for each presentation as they become available.

PHOTOS - Photos from the 2008 Issues Forum are available here.

BRIEF CONFERENCE ITINERARY

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Thursday, April 17th

Friday, April 18th

DETAILED CONFERENCE ITINERARY

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

  • 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
    • Opening Keynote – Personality Profiling - Jenny Nolen-Marko
      • This fun and interactive workshop will demonstrate how we all bring different skill sets, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors to the table. When we understand what drives our own behavior, we can better adapt to the behavior of others. Working together brings not only teamwork, but synergy! That is where Creativity can begin.
      • For presentation materials and information to please email the speaker directly at jenny@jennynolen.com
  • 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break
  • 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Who Do You Think You Are? - Jenny Nolen-Marko
      • This session is a personal inventory of your own reflection. Designed to help you discover ways you may sabotage your own creativity by believing untruths from those in your past, it will also help dissect those old messages and rewrite new and positive ones. Understanding that you live up or down to the expectations you hold for yourself, this workshop is designed to help start you on a path of rediscovering the uniqueness of who you are! Who do you think you are? Someone amazing...that's who!
      • For presentation materials and information to please email the speaker directly at jenny@jennynolen.com
    • CSI: Workplace Edition – Creative Strategies and Interventions - Judy Warth
      • Having trouble in the workplace? Who are you going to call? CSI of course! These situations require Creative Strategies and Interventions! What can we do to help workers learn and keep their jobs? The skills to help in many employment situations require many of the techniques used in crime scene investigation – keen observation, asking the right questions and trying other ways until you solve the mystery. This interactive session will focus on processes that we can use to help us uncover clues to help supervisors and their employees work together successfully. Bring some of your most challenging situations for us to play with during this fun and thought-provoking session.
      • PowerPoint file for Warth
      • PDF Handout for Warth
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint File
    • The ADA - Increasing Employment Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities - Rich Sternadori
      • This session will examine effective strategies for increasing employment outcomes for persons with disabilities. Confidently approaching employers about assisting their understanding of the ADA and positively marketing the opportunity of employing qualified workers will be shared with participants. Court cases will be discussed to assist the participants’ understanding. Universal Approaches will also be shared highlighting the employer’s need and matching individuals with disabilities to fill that need while the rehabilitation worker’s will becomes the conduit to opportunity. Learn the ADA is not to be feared but is a powerful tool when appropriately applied.
      • PDF of Slides for Sternadori
      • PDF Handout version for Sternadori
      • Text-only version of Sternadori slides
    • Improving Transition Outcomes: Assisting Youth Make the Connection - Sue Ann Morrow & Ruth Allison
    • TJ’s Thunder - T.J. Monroe
      • Eleven years he lived with abuse, neglect, ridicule and persecution in a state institution where he was called “3328”. But “3328” freed himself and fought back. Today, TJ has a full time job as a Security Officer and speaks to audiences across America and internationally about self-advocacy. Come hear our Nation’s first representative with a disability to sit on the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation and be inspired by the strength and power of TJ’s Thunder.
      • Promotional Flier, T.J. Monroe
    • Leadership is Different Than Management and, You Don’t Necessarily Have to be a Manager to be a Leader - Rick McAllister and Rob Hoffman

Thursday, April 17th

  • 8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
    • Keynote - 7 L’s of Leadership: Look, Listen, Learn, Laugh, Lean, Let-Go and Love - Jenny Nolen-Marko
      • As we go through the day to day routine of life, it is easy to find ourselves in a rut of familiarity. Staying in a rut over time will not only rob us of our creativity, it can easily become a grave. Although it is unproductive, we stay there because it is what we know. It takes courage to break out of the mundane and step into a new rhythm. This session is best described as a practical inventory for personal growth. It is a road map to overcome barriers to career and personal growth by dissecting the LESSONS OF LIFE. The Seven L’s to be covered include: Look, Listen, Learn, Laugh, Lean, Let-Go and Love.
      • For presentation materials and information to please email the speaker directly at jenny@jennynolen.com
  • 9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break
  • 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Humor and Creativity - Jenny Nolen-Marko
      • Humor is your greatest resource...especially when it comes to creativity! Children do not know how to be negative, prejudiced, or stressed! Why? Because they are full of joy, wonder, creativity, enthusiasm and fun. They are not burdened with the hurts of yesterday or the fear of tomorrow. They just are..... They know the correlation between humor, creativity...and fun. Come on...I'll show you!
      • For presentation materials and information to please email the speaker directly at jenny@jennynolen.com
    • CSI: Workplace Edition – Creative Strategies and Interventions (Repeat) - Judy Warth
      • Having trouble in the workplace? Who are you going to call? CSI of course! These situations require Creative Strategies and Interventions! What can we do to help workers learn and keep their jobs? The skills to help in many employment situations require many of the techniques used in crime scene investigation – keen observation, asking the right questions and trying other ways until you solve the mystery. This interactive session will focus on processes that we can use to help us uncover clues to help supervisors and their employees work together successfully. Bring some of your most challenging situations for us to play with during this fun and thought-provoking session.
      • PowerPoint file for Warth
      • PDF Handout for Warth
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint File
    • Immigration/Refugee - Martin Okpareke & Abdul Bakar
      • The changing faces of New Americans, who they are, where they are coming from, and how they get here: This session will discuss diversity in the workplace and effective employment support strategies when working with immigrants/refugees.
    • Improving Transition Outcomes: Assisting Youth Make the Connection (Repeat) - Sue Ann Morrow & Ruth Allison
    • T.J.’s Thunder (Repeat) - T.J. Monroe
      • Eleven years he lived with abuse, neglect, ridicule and persecution in a state institution where he was called “3328”. But “3328” freed himself and fought back. Today, T.J. has a full time job as a Security Officer and speaks to audiences across America and internationally about self-advocacy. Come hear our Nation’s first representative with a disability to sit on the President’s Committee on Mental Retardation and be inspired by the strength and power of T.J.’s Thunder.
      • Promotional Flier, T.J. Monroe
    • Cracker Barrel - "Where are the leaders of tomorrow?" - Rick McAllister and Rob Hoffman
      • The top national administrators of Community Provider agencies will be retiring in less than 10 years, and this creates urgency for new leadership. Where will they come from, how will they be cultivated, and who will they be? This session will create a dialogue on efforts to encourage new leadership and set some action steps on how to begin that process. We will also give a preview of Region 7 CRP-RCEP’s new Leadership Boot Camp in August 2008.
  • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Luncheon
  • 1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Career Development for Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - Mike McCarthy
      • Individuals with Autism are no different than anyone else when it comes to wanting a job and a career. The important thing to remember is that it is all about the identification of gifts, talents, preferences, and necessary supports. This session will examine how to identify gifts, talents, preferences, and environmental matches; it will examine how to support, when to support, who will support and what amount of support is needed. Participants will learn about ASD in general and leave with strategies that can be applied to increase successful employment outcomes for individuals with ASD.
      • PowerPoint File for McCarthy, Career Development
      • PDF Handouts for McCarthy, Career Development
      • Text-only version of McCarthy, Career Development
    • Project SEARCH: Increasing Employment Opportunities from a Business Perspective - Janet “Erin” L. Riehle
      • Winner of the 2004 New Freedom Initiative and the 2004 Ohio Governor’s Employment Award, Project SEARCH is a unique collaboration between a business, a community rehabilitation partner, and vocational rehabilitation. Rather than focus on the traditional “easy” jobs such as food or environmental services, Project SEARCH targets nontraditional “complex but systematic” jobs that allow people with significant disabilities to maximize their potential in independent work settings.
        This session will give an overview of the Project SEARCH model including business reasons for hiring people with disabilities, collaboration with community partners, single point of entry, deficit marketing, complex and systematic jobs, the Project SEARCH High School Transition program and accommodations and adaptations.
      • PDF file of Riehle PowerPoint (2 megs in size)
      • Text-only version of Riehle PowerPoint
    • Creating Outstanding Customer Interactions - Brenda Hatfield
      • Creating outstanding customer interactions is the goal of most organizations, yet many organizations do not understand what it takes to deliver outstanding services. This session will focus on: 1. Developing appropriate customer service measures that help your employees understand service expectations; 2. Developing a service mind set within your organization; 3. Understanding the differences between partners, customers and stakeholders; 4. Customer service recognition ideas.
      • PowerPoint File for Hatfield
      • PDF Handout for Hatfield
      • Text-only version of Hatfield PowerPoint
    • Self Directed Community Supports and Services - Paul Andrew
      • Community organizations, in partnership with individuals, their families, and funding sources, are redesigning their resources to embrace a self–directed community supports and services approach. To many individuals, this is one more significant and evolutionary step away from institutional settings.
        This presentation will provide an overview to establishing and managing a community organization’s services in the arena of persons served - control, planning and directing individual budgets. Specific details will be provided on roles of local community agencies, as they help both with individual budget management, as well as with setting up a system of support and services with the employer of record.
    • Getting Better Mileage from Your Job Development Efforts - Tyler Paris
      • Tired of putting more and more energy in your job development efforts without going very far? It might be time for a tune-up or maybe a complete overhaul! Find out how to install the right parts to get your job development efforts to really perform. Learn how to tune up your job development efforts for maximum acceleration without sacrificing drivability and mileage. This session will teach you how to diagnose your job development efforts, install the necessary performance parts, test drive your modifications and tweak your efforts for maximum performance. Don’t miss the chance to get revved up and re-energize your job development efforts.
      • PowerPoint file for Paris
      • PDF Handout for Paris
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint file
    • Ex-Offender Employment: Discussing Conviction Record with Employers - Maria Anderson
      • This workshop will focus on one of the biggest challenges facing ex-offenders: how to discuss their record with an employer. Many offenders want to lie. Some say things they shouldn't, while others don't say things they should. Learn a proven formula to increase client honesty and employment success rates. Lastly, discover the employer incentives available for hiring ex-offenders.
      • Handout 1 - Bonding
      • Handout 2 - Web Sites
      • Handout 3 - WOTC
  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Break
  • 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • The Need for Change: Where Our Past Meets Our Future - Dale Verstegen
    • Project SEARCH: Increasing Employment Opportunities from a Business Perspective (Repeat) - Janet “Erin” L. Riehle
      • Winner of the 2004 New Freedom Initiative and the 2004 Ohio Governor’s Employment Award, Project SEARCH is a unique collaboration between a business, a community rehabilitation partner, and vocational rehabilitation. Rather than focus on the traditional “easy” jobs such as food or environmental services, Project SEARCH targets nontraditional “complex but systematic” jobs that allow people with significant disabilities to maximize their potential in independent work settings.
        This session will give an overview of the Project SEARCH model including business reasons for hiring people with disabilities, collaboration with community partners, single point of entry, deficit marketing, complex and systematic jobs, the Project SEARCH High School Transition program and accommodations and adaptations.
      • PDF file of Riehle PowerPoint (2 megs in size)
      • Text-only version of Riehle PowerPoint
    • Promises to Keep: Helping People with Significant Support Needs to Get a Life - Mike McCarthy
      • “The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
        But I have promises to keep,
        And miles to go before I sleep,
        And miles to go before I sleep.”
        --Robert Frost
      • The promise of a real life in the community for everyone is not being kept. Those with the greatest support needs continue to be marginalized. They are at the greatest risk to be institutionalized or otherwise isolated and segregated. Even when receiving services in the community, people with the greatest support needs are more likely to lack community connections, to be unemployed, to lack the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to their community, to express preferences and choices, and are least likely to have a network of people in their lives. This session will explore with participants the reasons for this continuing isolation from the mainstream of community life from the perspectives of social role valorization and the framework for accomplishment. More importantly, we will explore a variety of strategies to support individuals in developing a life with meaning to them, as well as strategies to secure both paid and unpaid support and assistance, therefore enabling them to live a life which makes sense. If the phrase “inclusion for all” is to have real meaning, this is a promise we must keep.
      • PowerPoint file of McCarthy - Promises
      • PDF Handout for McCarthy - Promises
      • Text-only version of McCarthy - Promises
    • Self Directed Community Supports and Services (Repeat) - Paul Andrew
      • Community organizations, in partnership with individuals, their families, and funding sources, are redesigning their resources to embrace a self–directed community supports and services approach. To many individuals, this is one more significant and evolutionary step away from institutional settings.
        This presentation will provide an overview to establishing and managing a community organization’s services in the arena of persons served - control, planning and directing individual budgets. Specific details will be provided on roles of local community agencies, as they help both with individual budget management, as well as with setting up a system of support and services and the employer of record.
    • Getting Better Mileage from Your Job Development Efforts (Repeat) - Tyler Paris
      • Tired of putting more and more energy in your job development efforts without going very far? It might be time for a tune up or maybe a complete overhaul! Find out how to install the right parts to get your job development efforts to really perform. Learn how to tune up your job development efforts for maximum acceleration without sacrificing drivability and mileage. This session will teach you how to diagnose your job development efforts, install the necessary performance parts, test drive your modifications and tweak your efforts for maximum performance. Don’t miss the chance to get revved up and re-energize your job development efforts.
      • PowerPoint file for Paris
      • PDF Handout for Paris
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint file
    • Ex-Offender Employment: Discussing Conviction Record with Employers (Repeat) - Maria Anderson
      • This workshop will focus on one of the biggest challenges facing ex-offenders: how to discuss their record with an employer. Many offenders want to lie. Some say things they shouldn't, while others don't say things they should. Learn a proven formula to increase client honesty and employment success rates. Lastly, discover the employer incentives available for hiring ex-offenders.
      • Handout 1 - Bonding
      • Handout 2 - Web Sites
      • Handout 3 - WOTC

Friday, April 18th

  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
    • Staff Roles and Responsibilities in a Team Structure - Dale Verstegen
      • This session will explore the ways in which better defining staff roles and responsibilities in a team structure can improve consumers’ quality of life. The session will offer different ways to design a team to improve communication, coordination of services and focus on consumer’s implementation plans and outcomes. Changes in Team Structure of several provider agencies will offer examples of how they improved team performance.
      • PowerPoint on Teams for Verstegen
      • PDF Handout for Teams for Verstegen
      • Text-only version of Teams for Verstegen
    • When Values Collide - Everyday Ethics in Employment Services - C. David Roberts, Ph.D., CRC
    • Mental Health Recovery Including Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) - Darla Wilkerson, CRE
      • From the work of Mary Ellen Copeland, this session will present information about the 5 key concepts of Mental Health Recovery (Hope, Personal Responsibility, Education, Self-Advocacy, & Support) and including the Wellness Recovery Action Plan that so many people have found key to their wellness and recovery. Participants will be provided an introduction to the key concepts and steps in developing a WRAP plan.
      • Text-only Outline for Wilkerson
    • PATH to Success - Trina Almond
      • This session will highlight a pictorial mode of person-centered planning. It has been used as an alternative to traditional planning in order to expand a consumer’s network and provides a specific action plan for the achievement of a person’s dreams and aspirations. An interactive approach will be used where session participants will practice some of the basic concepts in small groups.
      • PowerPoint File for Almond
      • PDF Handout for Almond
      • Text-only version of PowerPoint file for Almond
    • Veterans Administration – How Employment Works - Robin Madson, Karl Pfanzelter & Michael Felt
      • Robin Madson - Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist for the Compensated Work Therapy Program, will discuss the new Compensated Work Therapy Program that is impacting Veterans. Karl Pfanzelter –Veterans Service Center Manager, will discuss benefits/services people who have experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are receiving.
    • Center for Medicare and Medicaid Supporting Employment…New Options for a New Age - Barbara Cotterman
      • Barbara Cotterman with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will facilitate a discussion on opportunities for State Medicaid programs to support workers with disabilities under the New Freedom Initiative, including: Money Follows the Person, Systems Transformation Grants, Independence Plus and others.
  • 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Break
  • 10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
    • Closing Remarks - Participatory Leadership: Your Future Their Lives - Dale Verstegen
    • This interactive keynote address will challenge participants to apply concepts they learned at this conference to the way they do their jobs and impact the lives of those they support. Principles of participatory leadership, customized services and organizational development will only improve consumer’s outcomes and quality of life through staff commitment, collaboration and creativity. Many ideas and examples of participatory leadership will be provided so that everyone can leave this conference with ways to improve how their staff works together.
    • PowerPoint file for Verstegen, Participatory Leadership
    • PDF Handout for Verstegen, Leadership
    • Text-only version of PowerPoint

Last updated May 7, 2008
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