Vermont APSE

Association of People Supporting Employment First

Burlington, VT 05405
ph: 802-656-1345

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You are cordially invited to attend the 8th National Organizational Change Forum: Sheltered Workshop Conversion to Community Employment to take place October 20-21, 2015 at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington, Vermont. Join us for this dynamic event focused on employment for individuals with disabilities. Hear from leaders who have aligned federal, state, and local systems and agencies to move from sheltered work to offer exceptional community-based employment supports.

Sheltered Workshops Many realize it is time to change their workshops to community-based employment but aren't sure how. In 2002, Vermont closed its last sheltered workshop for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Former Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords noted, “As we close this chapter on work centers in Vermont, I hope that we encourage others to follow Vermont’s lead to a place where all of us work side by side.”

In this spirit we invite you to join us in Vermont this fall to continue the dialogue in partnership with the National Organizational Change Forum to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities. We'll examine the issues of policy change, training, and culture-shift needed to foster the conversion of sheltered workshops to community-based employment services. State policy makers, Developmental Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Advocates, and Families are encouraged to attend. State teams are strongly encouraged!

Dates: October 20 & 21, 2015 (9:00-4:00)

Registration Fee: $350.00 per person includes materials, meals, and Lake Champlain Dinner Cruise (additional dinner cruise guest: $50.00) Scholarships may be available.

10% discount for members of APSE or CASE

Location: Hilton Burlington, 60 Battery Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401 Overlooking scenic Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, the hotel is walking distance to the Lakefront Boardwalk and Church Street Marketplace and many other Vermont Attractions

Room Rate of $159.00 per night. Click here for the Vermont APSE room block. Room reservation must be made by September 25, 2015. Burlington International Airport is a 10-minute drive from the hotel (free shuttle).

For additional information: call 802-656-1345 or email: bryan.dague@uvm.edu

Speaker: Allison Wohl, MBA, Executive Director of APSE: Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst. Allison received her MBA from the College of William and Mary. After sixteen years in corporate America, working at a big four consulting firm in their federal practices and also at GE, she decided that she wanted to take her experience to the nonprofit sector. Allison was the Executive Director of the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination (CPSD) in Washington DC, a coalition of twenty-two national organizations that advocates for the kind of comprehensive, innovative public policy reform that presumes the competence of all citizens with disabilities. She is a prolific writer and is passionate about Employment First. She is the mom of three boys, the youngest of whom has Down syndrome.

WOHL Presentation

Speaker: Bryan Dague, Ed.D. is a Research Associate at the University of Vermont-Center on Disability & Community Inclusion. In 2006, Bryan earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont. His dissertation entitled “Sheltered Employment, Sheltered Lives: Navigating the New Realities of Community Employment” focused on the last sheltered workshop in Vermont and the impact the conversion had on the families and participants. An article in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation summarizes the study. Bryan has been involved in the conversion of sheltered workshops to community-based employment in Syracuse, New York as well as Vermont.

DAGUE Presentation

Facilitator: Mike Reilly has more than 25 years leadership experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with a specialty in the start-up of new projects and the coordination of collaborative public and community-based initiatives. He coordinated the first Community Justice Center in Vermont, and previously directed multiple-partner projects in the fields of transportation, housing, and experiential education. Mike is a certified trainer of balanced and restorative justice processes, family/community group conferencing, and circle dialogues. He favors storytelling and open dialogue models for collaborative learning.

REILLY Presentation

We'll have general sessions & breakout sessions with small group work for an interactive and productive conference.

Download Summary Agenda HERE

Download Full Agenda HERE

Getting Started-How to Develop Effective Community-Based Employment. Macey Chovaz, APSE Director of Programs

Supported and customized employment strategies can be used to assist individuals with disabilities become part of the community-based workforce. This session will review the basics to start an effective integrated employment program.

CHOVAZ Presentation

Policy and Fiscal Decisions to Promote Employment in Vermont. Jennie Masterson, Developmental Disabilities Services Division, Joe Nusbaum, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bill Ashe, Upper Valley Services

Representatives from the Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities Services Division, and direct-service agency personnel will address issues of funding, leadership, policy and systems change, individualized services, self-employment, and life after sheltered employment.

MASTERSON Presentation

From 300 to Zero, Our 10-Year Story- “What a difference a decade makes." Tibisay A. Guzmán & Avery Valins, Arc of Westchester, New York

Arc of Westchester opened its first workshop in 1966 in the suburbs outside of NYC. At it’s peak it employed over 350 people. Over the course of 10 years the management employed various strategies, development of an integrated business model and techniques to decrease and ultimately close its shelter workshops. The process was completed in December 2014. While this session will tell one provider’s story of how it transitioned people to competitive employment and community experiences, it will also be an opportunity for attendees to engage in discussion with the presenters about the real challenges and opportunities involved in transitioning from a segregated to a more inclusive environment.

GUZMAN/VALINS Presentation

Managing Employer Engagement: Dale Verstegan, TransCen, Inc. and Hugh Bradshaw, Creative Workforce Solutions

This session will address the process and strategies for approaching and facilitating long term working relationships with employers in your community. This interactive session will also discuss how Provider Organizations can coordinate employer outreach, provide better support to employment staff and assess the quality of the employment services over time.

VERSTEGAN Presentation

Looking Back: Family & Participant Perspectives on Sheltered Work.

Parents and participants who experienced sheltered employment reflect on how they navigated the systems change to community employment and how they feel today.

PARENT (Dottie) Video

Purely Patrick Video

Where Are They Now? Life After Sheltered Workshops. Lisa Culbertson, Upper Valley Services, Michelle Paya, Champlain Community Services, Nancy Taylor, Northwestern Counseling & Support Services.

Vermont's last sheltered workshop was closed in 2002. This presentation will highlight current employment services in the state of from Vermont from various supported employment providers.

CULBERTSON Presentation

Implementing the Rhode Island Consent Decree to Increase Access to Employment in Integrated Settings Charles Mosely, Ed.D.; Federal Court Monitor, Andrew McQuaide; Consent Decree Coordinator, Tony Antosh, Ed.D.; Director, Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities (UCEDD) 

This session will provide an overview of the activities that have occurred to implement the consent agreement between the State of Rhode Island and the United States Department of Justice to facilitate increased access to employment in integrated settings. A synopsis of the intent and key provisions of the agreement will be used to illustrate the core issues. Discussion will include (a) roles and responsibilities of the State of Rhode Island and the state agencies named in the agreement – Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities; (b) efforts of the provider organizations and advocates; (c) activities of the Conversion Institute; and (d) data trends that will further illustrate issues and needs. Opportunity for questions and discussion will be provided.

MOSLEY Presentation

ANTOSH Presentation

Leadership for the Future: Building Your Organization for the Future Karen Flippo, Institute for Community Inclusion

For most community-based organizations, the construct of service delivery, financing and staffing is based on a construct that is over 40 years old. Civil rights legislation bolstered by new federal and state legislation, regulations and legal rulings such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Olmstead and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid are influencing and shaping new models of delivering services to people with disabilities. Several organizations around the country have successfully transformed their organizations to be individually centered, flexible, and outcomes focused. The presenter will facilitate an interactive discussion with participants about the values, principles, staffing, funding, and supports and services constituting the community based organization of the future.

FLIPPO Handout

Ohio's Project Transformation: Systems Change from Facility-Based Services to Integrated Employment Michael Beasecker, Superintendent of Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities 

Ohio’s Employment-First initiative is sponsoring “Project Transformation” for selected provider agencies to successfully transform their business model from facility-based services to integrated employment. This presentation will outline the plan and progress of Darke County's work on Project Transformation with collaboration and consulting from the University of Vermont. Presenter will outline the barriers, strategic planning, progress and obstacles encountered so far.

BEASECKER Presentation

Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program. Richard Davis, Office of Disability Employment Policy

ODEP recognizes that many states desire to align their efforts to support individuals with disabilities toward an Employment First approach, but may not yet possess the capacity, experience or technical resources necessary to lead and facilitate such change. To address this need, ODEP has initiated the Employment First State Leadership Mentoring Program (EFSLMP), a cross-disability, cross-systems change initiative. The presenter will give an overview and update of EFSLMP.

DAVIS Presentation

State of the States. John Butterworth, Institute for Community Inclusion, U-Mass Boston

Presenter will provide a national perspective of states systems change efforts. Discussion will include changes in policy, accountability, strategy and training, and technical assistant investments.

BUTTERWORTH Presentation

World Café: To ensure plenty of opportunity for dialogue, we'll incorporate World Café sessions (the World Café is an innovative yet simple methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter) as well as the Dinner Cruise on Lake Champlain aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen III. We recognize that each state and system is different and we can all learn from each other. We welcome this opportunity to host this event as we create a culture of inclusion for all.