Sport as a Tool for Independent Living
Presented by: Ann Cody
The “Sport as a Tool for Independent Living” poster session will provide frontline staff and consumers with information on how sports programs/activities can enhance independent living skills. CIL staff and consumers will receive information on the benefits of sports participation, using sport as a convening mechanism for delivering IL services and referring consumers to local sports programs. Newcomer.
Front Line Staff and Consumers
Assisting People with Disabilities to Obtain Assistive Technology: Making Use of Alternative Financing
Presented by: Patti Kraemer
People with disabilities cherish their independence. Assistive Technology (AT) is often needed to ensure this independence. Unfortunately, funding for AT is often limited or non existent. Alternative Financing Programs (AFPs) are one means of funding AT that allows consumer choice and consumer involvement. A panel of staff from various AFPs will share information about their programs and how the ILCs can become more involved to ensure all states have an AFP. Appropriate for all experience levels.
Critical Role of CILs for Aging and Disability Resource Center Networks
Presented by: Joseph Lugo, Kim Borowicz, and Maria Oquendo-Scharneck
This session is Part II of the conversation that started last year at the 25th Anniversary NCIL Joint Conference Luncheon, which hosted ADRCs and CILs from across the country. At this joint luncheon, CILs shared their experiences in developing, leading and sustaining productive collaborative partnerships between the aging and disability networks. Any staff interested in learning how CILs are playing an active role in ADRC networks could benefit from this session. Partnerships at the community level, which cut across aging and disability networks, are required to create a seamless experience when consumers access long-term care. The entities that have agreed to participate are actively involved in forming partnerships, are respected in both the aging and disability communities, and have had previous experience sharing their story to various audiences. Appropriate for all experience levels.
Movement by the Masses: Using Alternative Media to Speak Truth to Power
Presented by: Ryan Pinion, Anita Cameron, and Stacey Milbern
Interested in getting your voice heard by the masses? Why bother with mainstream media---create your own! Come see how you can create your online space for less than $20 and have it read by millions. By attending this workshop, activists will have the means needed to realize the potential of the internet and other forms of alternative media (blogs, video, zines). Once maximized, activists can use this media to voice truth in a world where disability is often misrepresented. This session is vital for NCIL members interested in viral communication, creating community space, and tapping into their full power. Newcomer.
Grassroots Women with Disabilities vs. Sexism and Ableism: Feminists Organizing for Power
Presented by: Amber Smock and Monica Heffner
Are you bothered by what happened to Ashley X, Terri Schiavo and Sharon Kowalski? Do you know women who have been discriminated against because they are women and they have disabilities? This workshop will look at how to organize grassroots women with disabilities against sexism and ableism. We will present the collective citizen organizing work of Feminist Response In Disability Activism (FRIDA) as a model, and ask the audience to brainstorm more ways grassroots women can take action on issues of sexism and ableism. Experienced. This session is also very appropriate for advocates and project directors.
The Roots of Power: How Your CIL Can Create Community and Move Beyond Advocacy
Presented by: Stacey Milbern, Everett Deibler, and Eleanor Canter
Creating “space”. Promoting disability culture. Moving beyond advocacy. Are you wondering how other CILs around the country are able to not only include members of the community (specifically youth), but have them sign up to actively serve in various leadership capacities? Attend this workshop to find out how to get back to the roots of people power. We will explain the need for building a community that is bigger than advocacy and awareness and how about you can go about doing so at your local CIL. Newcomer.
Using the Power of the ADA
Presented by: Marissa Johnson and Hannah Pitts-Gilmore
Are you looking for new (or new-to-you) advocacy tools? Unsure of how to use the Americans with Disabilities Act to its best advantage in your advocacy efforts? This highly interactive workshop will help you better understand the ADA and apply it to the advocacy situations you face each day. Get your questions answered, interact with the ADA and gain a better understanding of the civil rights law essential to your role as an advocate. Also, join this workshop to learn important resources and where to get more information. Newcomer.
Advocates and Project Directors
Organizing Our Communities for Change: A Best Practice for Grassroots Systems Advocacy in the Disability Movement
Presented by: Jason J. Beloungy
Each day, thousands of lobbyists fill the halls of capitol buildings throughout our nation, while millions of dollars are poured into campaign coffers. How can the disability movement compete and move forward to make our issues and policies a priority? This workshop will look at one CIL’s efforts to develop a network to educate and empower citizens to impact disability policy at the local, state and federal level. Jason Beloungy will discuss “Act Now, Network for Disability Advocacy”, an effort taking place in Wisconsin. Experienced.
My Polling Place or Yours:
Survey Tools for Accurate Accessibility Reviews
Presented by: Mark Derry
If you are working in your community to ensure polling place accessibility, or giving advice on accessibility, your credibility is your most valuable asset! Making sure you have the right survey tools, and knowing how to quickly get accurate answers to accessibility questions will build your credibility and value as a resource in the community. This training will include hands-on demonstrations of survey tools, from simple fish scales to electronic Smarttool Levels. Attendees will gain knowledge about the “tools of the trade”, where to get them, and how they are used effectively to document barriers to access. Time is spent on the importance of checklists and where to obtain them. An example Polling Place Checklist, and survey notes are provided to the participants. The experience gained assessing polling places in this election year can also be carried forward to other access issues within advocates’ communities! Experienced.
Nursing Facility Outreach - Countdown to Independence: 3… Getting In; 2… Getting Ready; and 1… Launch to the Community!
Presented by: Nancy Diehl
Come learn about practices currently successful at reaching out to nursing facility residents to tell them about the systems in place to assist them to move to the community. The audience will be introduced to the innovative methods Independence Now uses to outreach and achieve successful transition. Learn to contract with nursing facility survivors and those that still live in facilities to help with outreach. Learn how to conduct “happy hours” (non-alcoholic, with food and activities) at nursing facilities to talk to those who have expressed an interest in learning more. Learn to host Advocacy Movie Nights to improve advocacy skills and to host other community activities held in various fun locations, where consumers and nursing facility residents come together to socialize. Funding mechanisms will be explained. Experienced.
Assisted Suicide: Why Leading Disability Advocacy Organizations Oppose Its Legalization
Presented by: Marilyn Golden
The legalization of assisted suicide is a controversial issue. In the disability community, many people are strongly opposed to legalization, along with NCIL and ten other respected disability rights organizations. Others sometimes question that position. Many are simply uninformed about this crucial issue. This workshop will explain assisted suicide and provide a place for honest expression without criticism, attack, or judgment. Disagreement is expected and will be welcomed. Marilyn Golden of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund will describe the position of DREDF and many other disability organizations, and then open it up for a facilitated discussion. Appropriate for all experience levels.
High School/High Tech: Teaching Advocacy to Youth through a Career Framework
Presented by: Rebecca Hare
High School/High Tech helps youth make better, more informed decisions about careers and their futures and advocacy plays a role in this. It’s successful in reducing the dropout rate of youth with disabilities, increasing their enrollment in college, and improving their participation in employment-related activities. HS/HT programs develop and sustain youth-based partnership building strategies in order to help youth explore exciting opportunities and careers in technology; helps parents to watch their children become more independent; helps employers to gain access to a new, viable, and well-trained labor source; and helps CILs to train the next generation of disability community leaders. This workshop will feature youth with disabilities co-presenting on their experiences with the program alongside program staff. Experienced.
The Nebraska Agenda for Full Participation: Framing the Disability Discussion
Presented by: Brad Meurrens and Kathy Hoell
This workshop will discuss the Nebraska Agenda for Full Participation project and how advocates can and should employ a proactive approach to systems advocacy so their voices can begin to frame the public discussion of policies affecting people with disabilities rather than being purely passive participants. Experienced.
Collaborating for Systems Change in Education
Presented by: Amber Smock, Jose Ocampo and Veronica Martinez
Systems change that is by the people and for the people happens because people get together and demand it! Learn how a youth disability rights group and SEIU Local 73 worked together to stand up to the officials of the third largest school district in the country to demand teachers and staff support students with disabilities. Empower yourself by hearing a terrific story and seeing how grassroots organizing Tactics were used to prevent special education in Chicago from being “flushed down the toilet”. Experienced.
Responding to Community Need:
How One CIL Created an Alternative to the Community Mental Health System
Presented by: Dana V. Spinney, Jim Beck, and Rosalie LeBaron
Centers for Independent Living must respond to the specific independent living needs of their communities. More persons with TBI and psychiatric disabilities are looking to CILs on their personal path to recovery. In this session, participants will see an example of how a CIL can meet these specific community needs through the state Medicaid system while keeping in tune with organization mission and the independent living philosophy. Experienced.
Nursing Home Transition: Show Me The Money!
Presented by: Kevin Nale and Lydia Cosgrove
Nursing Home Transition could soon be the fifth core service for CILs. The work is necessary and important, but where’s the money going to come from? One CIL, covering both urban and rural areas, has identified non-traditional funding sources and collaborations that have resulted in more than $25,000 for nursing home transition expenses in three years. Hear directly from the Nursing Home Transition Coordinator and the grant writer who have made this happen, and are continuing to find money for the agency’s program. Newcomer.
Stepping Stones: How to Provide a Platform for Peer Mentoring for Nursing Home Survivors
Presented by: Monica Heffner, Tom Wilson, George Brimmage and Fran Madnick
This workshop examines the issues encountered as people transition to community living after a period of confinement in a institution. Access Living’s experiences in developing a peer mentoring group called Stepping Stones for nursing homes survivors will be shared in a way that will help centers learn from our peer mentoring model. We have found from working with peer mentoring nursing home survivors that participants tend to stay in the community and evolve into self advocates. Experienced.
The Right to be Healthy: Evidence to Support Individual and Systems Advocacy in HCBS
Presented by: Dr. Amanda Reichard, Dr. Glen White, and Martha Hodgesmith
This session will discuss the relationship between HCBS and health services, especially preventive and screening services. The discussion will be based on a Kansas study that reviewed the use of HCBS waiver services in correlation with healthcare usage. Participants will be able to describe how the health of individuals has improved, describe how the use of healthcare services has changed and improved, and identify what CILs and personal care attendants can do to help consumers and policy makers improve health outcomes for consumers with physical disabilities. Experienced.
Leveraging Your Voting Access Efforts
Presented by: Brad Williams
This workshop will explore a range of voting access efforts that led to successful results. Some examples include a voter-turnout PSA; a voting advocacy video; a state legislative bill to improve polling place access; the defeat of procedures to segregate countywide voting sites for voters with disabilities; the defeat of a proposed amendment that would have suspended accessible voting rights under HAVA in New York until 2010; and various litigation efforts and media impact. Experienced.
Executive Directors and Board Members
Leveraging the New Ticket to Work Program for Your Center for Independent Living or Statewide Independent Living Council
Presented by: Deb Cotter
SSA is listening, learning, and responding. Proposed changes to Ticket to Work (TTW) Program regulations create greater financial incentives and more flexibility for Employment Networks (ENs). SSA is re-launching the TTW Program based on these changes. Resources and tools were developed to make becoming and serving as an EN easier. Creative outreach strategies will increase the number of beneficiaries participating in the Program. Hear from a CIL that has been successful in getting beneficiaries to work under the TTW Program. With more than $11.6 million paid to over 450 ENs to date, wouldn’t your Center like to share in the success? Experienced. This workshop is also appropriate for advocates and project directors.
Supercharge Your Mission by Making New Partners!
Presented by: Burt Danovitz and Joann Marshall
The disability rights movement is stuck. Now, more than ever, there is a need to create new partnerships that will support Centers work in creating opportunities. This session will focus on why and how this can be done. Examples of who Centers can work with and how they can develop a plan for doing so will be presented in this highly interactive session.
Working Effectively with the Media: Basic Practices for Advocacy Using Media Relations and Fundraising
Presented by: Abbie S. Fink, Phil Pangrazio, Carol Voss, and Jim Moore
Join us as we help your ILC to “jumpstart” media relations and fundraising efforts to promote your advocacy initiatives. Learn about how awareness can help your ILC to raise funds. Hear about a success story that combines public awareness, media relations and fundraising to support an ILC. This workshop includes tips for writing effective news releases and story pitches, how to make friends with the media and how to make the most of an interview situation. Participants will have the chance to practice what they learn as part of this interactive workshop. Appropriate for all experience levels.
Managing Risk: Time for Change!
Presented by: Daniel Glass and Leon Williams, Jr.
“If it’s almost right, it’s wrong!” Have you ever faced this philosophy? What if it becomes a reality that places your organization in jeopardy? When your best intentions and efforts face the scrutiny of the EEOC, will you be prepared to defend yourself? Along with similar questions, Babb Incorporated will equip participants with the tools to manage their Risk. This session welcomes questions and challenges! Experienced. This workshop is also appropriate for project directors, advocates, front-line staff, and consumers.
|
