OHSU UCEDD Hosts Transition Town Hall

February 25, 2019

On January 29, community members came together to have conversations, share best practices, and learn from one another about how to best support young people with disabilities through one of life's most crucial stages. The UCEDD at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Institute on Development and Disability hosted a community town hall to highlight transition resources available for families, professionals, and providers. This event was in partnership with Autism Speaks and Autism Society of Oregon, and included sponsorship from the Tiffany Foundation. Beginning with a resource fair and hors d'oeuvres, the evening featured a panel of 7 experts who engaged in a rich discussion and Q&A session about their experience with the transition process in Oregon. The panel included a 22-year-old college student on the Autism Spectrum, a parent, two OHSU providers from the Lifespan Transition Clinic, a Community Transition Specialist, a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, and a county developmental disability Case Manager. Topics of the evening spanned employment, health care, housing, education, and more. Panel members emphasized the importance of ensuring young people have a sense of belonging in their communities, and working together with that goal in mind. Feedback was successfully collected from nearly 60 attendees and was largely positive. Many attendees shared their thanks and appreciation for the event and enjoyed the diverse perspectives of the panel, especially the lived experience of a young adult with a disability and a parent. They commented that they enjoyed the combination of personal experiences "piggybacked by professionals' thoughts on problem solving." The success of this event, the community partnerships, and eager engagement of the participants generated more energy for future conversations to be had.

Link to recording: https://echo360.org/media/fd975553-48d7-4ab1-8daf-c474a351fa74/public