Conference on Aging with Lifelong Disabilities
Monday, June 7, 2010Creative Roads to Inclusion
June 7, 2010
Holiday Inn Select, Koger South Conference Center
Richmond VA 23235-4756
Registration (8:00-9:00)
Keynote (9:00-10:30)
Honoring the Person WithinOne of the gifts of aging is that the experience of living, itself, makes us unique individuals. While this principle is also true for those who grow older with lifelong disabilities, it is the "disability" that often blurs our ability to see the life-chiseled person behind the label. Dr. Raia will frame the conversation for new ways to go beyond the label and honor the person within. He will focus on building emotional connections with those we care for, and care about.
Paul Raia, Ph.D., Vice President, Alzheimer's Association of Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Morning Breakout Sessions (10:45-12:15)
1. Cultural Competency: Person-Centeredness
Explore the foundations of and rationale for cultural competence and the Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS Standards). Learn how to integrate these standards into your agency and how these can enhance your overall operations.
Cecily Rodriguez, Director, Office of Cultural and Linguistic Competence , V irginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
2. The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), Past, Present, and the Future!
Learn basic information about this important Civil Rights legislation. The ADA affects the lives of one in five Americans with a disability, as well as business owners and State and Local Government Agencies. Many positive changes have occurred that make our lives more safe, comfortable, and convenient because of the ADA. Although, much has changed, there is much work to be done. It starts with one of us learning our responsibilities under the law.
Kelly Hickok, Community Advocate, Resources for Independent Living, Inc.
3 . Communication and Behavior: What's the Connection?Adults with lifelong disabilities may develop dementia. This session offers information on symptoms of Alzheimer's disease that affect communication and behaviors. Connecting with the person with memory impairment is important, so included are examples of communication styles.
Mary Ann Johnson , Alzheimer's Association of Greater Richmond
Afternoon Breakout Sessions (1:30-3:00)
4 . Finding the Fun: A Hands-On Session
a) Music therapy, Meghan Cummings
b) Humor therapy, Penny Rich Dorschel
c) Art on Wheels, Andrea Olson
5. Self-Advocacy for Those Who Missed It
Anyone who missed the inception of mainstreaming education and benefits of self-advocacy can learn through this sharing session. Individual panelists discuss successes in overcoming obstacles and personal life stories.
a) Katherine Olson, a self-advocate in Chesterfield
b) Jill Egle, an advocate with a developmental disability who is Executive Co-Director of Arc of Northern Virginia.
c) Frank Stephens, an advocate with intellectual disabilities, who travels with his father, John
6. Opening the Doors to Fun for All: A Panel of Best Practices
a) Hands-On Historical Programs for Students with Special Needs, Francoise Bonnell, U.S. Army Women's Museum at Ft. Lee
b) Positive Vibes Restaurant, Garth Larcen, Owner
c) Senior Connections Friendship Cafés, Missi Boyer, Senior Connections: The Capital Area Agency on Aging.
d) Volunteering Opportunities for All: The ElderFriends Approach, Colleen Wilhelm of ElderFriends
e) Get Up 'N' Go! Accessible Virginia Has It All , Cheryl Duke, Co-Founder and Co-Editor, AccessibleVirginia.org
Closing Plenary (3:15-4:30)
Inclusion Is a Reality...Isn't It?
Self-advocacy by people with disabilities and a growing awareness by policy-makers have combined to create some community environments where inclusion thrives. But...it doesn't happen everywhere. This session will identify the characteristics of non-inclusive communities and examine some strategies that have helped create inclusion. We will also celebrate some of the characteristics of truly inclusive communities, here people with and without disabilities live, work, play, socialize, and even argue together.
John McGovern, Co-founder of the National Institute on Recreation Inclusion, a professional in public parks and recreation since 1975, and chief of Recreation Accessibility Consultants, LLC, in Chicago.
Special Exhibit (Resource) Booths
a) Senior Navigator and DisAbility Navigator
b) Health Promotion for People with Disabilities
c) Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards
d) NewWell Fund
e) TUCP (Tobacco Use Control Project)
f) Senior Connections
g) Virginia Center on Aging
Creative Roads to Inclusion: For Persons Growing Older with Lifelong Disabilities
June 7, 2010
8:00 am-4:30 pm
Holiday Inn Select Koger Center, 1021 Koger Center Blvd.Richmond, VA 23235-4756
Costs : Conference fee is $35 a person (if received by June 1 st ) or $45 thereafter and includes materials, luncheon, and breaks. Scholarships are available, when needed, for family members who are caregivers.
Registration : Please make checks payable to Virginia Center on Aging .
Mail to: Virginia Center on Aging, Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 980229, Richmond, VA 23298-0229
Registration Form (One Form per Person)
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Agency or Home Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ____________________________________________________________________
E-mail Address: ______________________________________________________________________
Do you need special accommodations? Please specify
______________________________________________________________________________________
If you need special accommodations, please tell us before June 1 st .
Please check one: ____ Professional ___ Family member/caregiver ___ Other
Total amount enclosed: $____________
Qualifying participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance documenting 5.75 contact hours of education .
Sponsored By
Area Planning and Services Committee (APSC) on Aging with Lifelong Disabilities
________________________________
Edward F. Ansello, Ph.D.
Director
Virginia Center on Aging
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA 23298-0229
(804) 828-1525