EVENT INFO

Time: 7:00 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Presenter(s): Dalmys Sanchez
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Blackbird

In this interactive session, participants will learn about the ADA and the protections that it grants people with disabilities to have equal access. Participants will also learn about Disability Rights Tennessee (DRT) as the Protection and Advocacy (P&A) agency in the state of Tennessee. The training is designed for people with disabilities. Family members and caregivers are encouraged to participate.

Presenter(s): Susan Carr, Lexi Shelnutt, Molly Anderson
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Gold

This presentation will focus on maintaining a social life after high school. There will be an activity that will brainstorm and build social activities from a person’s preferences. Examples will include kayaking, going to the gym, having peer support, learning how to navigate the community, and being active citizens in the community.

Presenter(s): Martha Summa-Chadwick, DMA
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Lyric

Biomedical music protocols have opened a new paradigm of how music can provide greater inclusive opportunities for improving the lives of those affected with motor, speech, and cognition challenges. This session will include discussion and scientific analysis of music and rhythm in the brain, hands-on demonstrations, and videos showing positive therapeutic results for persons who have utilized these science-based techniques.

Presenter(s): Megan Hart, M.Ed.; Linda Brown
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Southern Ground A

Empowerment begins with knowledge of and access to resources, so become empowered. Attend this interactive session to gain hands-on experience navigating Pathfinder’s website. Being able to search for community services, save searches, bookmark resources, view archived webinars, submit updated and new information, and other features make Pathfinder’s website a valuable tool for accessing information available to meet individuals’ unique needs.

Presenter(s): John Shouse, Janet Shouse, Emma Shouse Garton, Brendan Shouse
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

When Evan Shouse was diagnosed with autism at 2, the Shouse family’s world changed forever. Join them as they share the story of the astounding, humorous, challenging, often fun and sometimes downright difficult journey with Evan over the last 25 years. They will share stories of parenting and being a sibling to a remarkable young man with significant challenges.

Presenter(s): Hope Armstrong, Leah Burgess
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Southern Ground B

Transition Tennessee’s website provides comprehensive and free resources on a variety of transition topics. These resources are available to educators, Pre-ETS providers, outside agency providers, families, and students. After this presentation, participants will have more in-depth knowledge about how Transition Tennessee’s resources can support students and families in their transition to employment, postsecondary education, and independent living.

Presenter(s): Ivanova Smith
Time: 9:45 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Time: 11:15 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Presenter(s): Erin Turner, Allie Cole, Caroline Bell, Emma Hodges, Lilly Tyson
Time: 12:45 pm
Room: Blackbird

Learn about our team’s multi-year research project focused on enhancing social communication, engagement, and peer relationships among elementary-aged students with complex communication needs and their peers without disabilities. Participants can expect to gain practical tools to promote engagement, interaction, and relationships among students with and without disabilities, including students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Presenter(s): Maulik Trivedi
Time: 12:45 pm
Room: Southern Ground A

A specialized telehealth solution focused on individuals with disabilities can greatly improve quality of life and provide high-quality medical care. These services allow this often-neglected population to receive medical care from the comfort of their home setting. With 24/7 access to doctors trained in the population’s needs, individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) will see improved health outcomes.

Presenter(s): Maggie Evans, LMSW; Naveh Eldar; Mandy Johnson
Time: 12:45 pm
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Employment Community First CHOICES is a program in TN that empowers individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to be more independent in their community. Learn more about this program and what services are available from representatives from BlueCare, UnitedHealthcare, and Amerigroup.

Presenter(s): Heather Henderson, Billy Worsham, Cat Freeze, Emily Whitson, Hal Baker, Theresa Smisor
Time: 12:45 pm
Room: Gold

What drives a DSP to get up in the morning? Why do special education teachers juggle IEP’s and accommodations instead of teaching the general education classes? Why do advocates answer phone calls at 2 am from clients who just want to say “hi?” Understanding what motivates someone can be a powerful tool to help tap into their passion for their work. In this session, you will hear from advocates who with a wealth of experience working with people with IDD. The panel will share what motivates a person to enter this field and build a career within it.

Presenter(s): Dr. Stacey Dixon, Ellen Levin, Michele Palmer
Time: 2:00 pm
Room: Blackbird

Behavioral Crisis Prevention, Intervention, and Stabilization Services for individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities is a System of Support developed in collaboration with Tennessee’s Division of TennCare and the state’s MCOs. The service was developed for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are experiencing significant behavioral challenges which impact quality of life, and result in high-cost crisis services with little long-term value.

Presenter(s): Angella Broussard-Chrisman, Alli Beth Freeman, Regan Kleinendorst
Time: 2:00 pm
Room: Southern Ground

Learn about different types of enabling technology that may be used for each phase of the employment pathway… from skills development all the way to on-the-job supports.

Presenter(s): Blake Shearer, Anthony Wesner, Caleb Jones
Time: 2:00 pm
Room: Southern Gound B

Have you heard someone say VR or Vocational Rehabilitation, but you’re not sure what all that means? This session will use a customer success story to illustrate the journey and many different programs and services that are provided through VR that lead to successful employment.

Presenters: Tennessee Office of Economic and Community Development
Time: 2:00 pm
Room: Lyric

Members of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will lead an open discussion with attendees to learn more about the current barriers to accessing the internet, including challenges around affordability, accessibility and digital skills. Participants will be given an opportunity to offer feedback and contribute to the state digital opportunity planning.

Presenter(s): Tonya Bowman, Sara Scott
Time: 2:00 pm
Room: TBA

In this interactive workshop, attendees will learn the basics of building and maintaining authentic inclusion in groups, organizations and other spaces.

Presenter(s): Carolyn Naifeh, Jordan Collins, Jacob Webne
Time: 3:15 pm
Room: Blackbird

Living on Your Own – What’s it REALLY Like? Meet the team that runs Our Place Nashville and some of the residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities who live in their Friendship Houses. What’s easy? What’s hard? What do they wish they’d known ahead of time? Listen to the REAL experts: individuals with IDD who living in their own homes.

Presenter(s): Shelly Smitherman
Time: 3:15 pm
Room: Southern Ground A

This session will provide an overview of the Tennessee Silver Alert Program and the law enforcement response when a Silver Alert is issued. It will also inform attendees on Silver alert criteria and useful ways to assist when a person goes missing.

Presenter(s): Matt Moser, Cindy Gardner
Time: 3:15 pm
Room: Southern Ground B

Learn about estate planning, first and third party special needs trusts, conservatorships, ABLE accounts, SSI, SSDI (DAC), Letters of Intent, financial planning, insurance, and much more.

Presenter(s): Andrew Braach, Kara Kemp, Angela Braach, Chris Braach
Time: 3:15 pm
Room: Lyric

Andrew Braach, musician, voice actor and self-advocate will lead a panel discussion with his performance coach & parents about being an entrepreneur with autism in the entertainment and voice acting industry. Together they will share his story from hiding behind a door for his first singing performance to recording his first professional voice acting demo. Andrew will share some of his challenges, successes, and supports. Q & A to follow.

Presenter(s): Lindsey Morrison, Amanda Brewer
Time: 3:15 pm
Room: Gold

Advocates in Motion (AiM) is a one-day workshop on advocating during the person-centered planning process. Intended for persons supported, the training teaches advocates how to develop a person-centered plan. AiM is a workshop ready to help people grow as a self-advocate, help people know their rights, help people gain confidence to speak up and speak out, and learn the skill needed to develop their own person-centered plan.

Presenter(s): Penny Johnson, Jolene Sharp, Susan Carr, Molly Anderson
Time: 3:15 pm
Room: Symphony Ballroom

The choices we make can impact every area of our life. Getting support with making decisions can help someone achieve better outcomes. Come be inspired by two self-advocates as they share their stories of how support with decision-making helps them to “achieve their best life?” This session will include practical tips and tools for increasing decision-making skills and support planning.

Time: 7:00 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Presenter(s): Kathleen Basham, Susan Carr
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Blackbird

Learning self-advocacy should start very early for students with disabilities. In this presentation and discussion you as a parent, your child, and your students can learn the importance of speaking up for themselves, their wants, what helps, what doesn’t, and their dreams. This can begin as they speak up and learn to lead their IEP. The positive ways to include students leading their own IEP, the advantages and self confidence for themselves, the family and the community begin with opportunities. Helping students learn about their own path to their own future begins in their IEP meetings as they learn to speak up.

Presenter(s): Anna Lea Cothron
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Lyric

TennCare continues to support workforce development efforts to address workforce challenges for direct support professionals (DSPs) in Tennessee. These workforce development programs and partnerships are supported through collaboration with multiple partners including Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), advocacy agencies, and other state departments. This presentation will provide updates from this multi-year comprehensive effort.

Presenter(s): Kimberly Best
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Gold

There are numerous necessary decisions to be made regarding aging, illness, and end-of-life issues, but many people evade the topic entirely while others simply do not have the tools or knowledge to plan effectively. This leaves families and loved ones with the weight of making decisions that are literally life and death, and opens the door to regret, guilt, and conflict. Drawing from the book How to Live Forever: A Guide to Writing the Final Chapter of Your Life Story by Kimberly Best, this session will walk participants through necessary conversations regarding legal decisions, health care plans, relationships, celebration of life planning, and leaving their story as their legacy.

Presenter(s): Robin Wilmoth, Billy Worsham, & DSP Workforce Advisory Groups
Time: 8:30 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Tennessee’s Direct Support Professionals are the backbone of services and supports to Tennesseans of all abilities. This session seeks to explore the challenges and solutions of the DSP workforce shortage as guided by a Whitepaper report of the excellent work of the DSP Workforce Advisory Groups across the State. We explore the following topics from the DSP perspective: What is a DSP? What are their roles? How do we recruit great DSPs? What are the strategies that we can implement to carry out the mission and vision of a DSP? Finally, as we look into the future of DSPs in Tennessee, this session will launch two brand new DSP initiatives that will multiply the value of Tennessee’s DSPs.

Presenter(s):
Time: 9:45 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Presenter(s): Jeremy Conner
Time: 11:00 am
Room: Blackbird

Presenter(s): Anna Lea Cothron, 
Time: 11:00 am
Room: Lyric

TennCare and DIDD is working to promote System Transformation initiatives. We believe these efforts will help achieve a broader culture transformation where people with disabilities are better supported to enjoy the rights, valued roles, and quality of life that other citizens are afforded. This presentation will provide updates on Capacity Building Pathways including Employment First, Tech First, and Person-Centered Practices.

Presenter(s): Michelle Bagby
Time: 11:00 am
Room: Gold

The presenter will share information and outcomes for Tennessee START Assessment & Stabilization Teams (TN START) – a statewide mental health service in Tennessee for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have complex behavioral or mental health needs. TN START is a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) and the National Center for START Services. START (Systematic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources & Treatment) is a comprehensive, community-based crisis prevention and intervention model of service supports that optimizes independence, treatment, wellbeing and community living for individuals with IDD who have co-occurring behavioral or mental health needs.

Presenter(s): Jason Camperlino
Time: 11:00 am
Room: Symphony Ballroom

Tennessee’s recently implemented Medicaid Alternative Pathways to Independence (MAPs) program focuses on providing Technological supports and resources as a primary solution to the goal of achieving independence. By equipping transition aged persons with the tools and resources available to make that transition to adulthood, individuals will be able to live a lifestyle that could prevent the inadvertent reliability on long-term services and supports. This presentation will highlight components of the MAPs program by informing the audience how technology is not only the first considered support, but how it is evaluated at each turn of the program!

Time: 12:00 pm
Room: Symphony Ballroom