Sessions

An enlightening and transformative session as we delve into the heart of the critical shortage of Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and its implications for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. In this presentation, brought to you by New Era Golden Care, we will explore diverse cultural practices and innovative solutions from around the world, which can be instrumental in addressing the universal challenge of caregiver shortages. By comparing different global strategies with the case study focus on the Philippines, we can uncover unique insights and best practices that are adaptable across various cultural contexts and align with the increasing need for cross-cultural collaboration in healthcare and caregiving in our own region.

Minnesota is an Employment First State.  With this, the goal is to be able to move more people into Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE).  IN this session we will talk about the role that the residential services providers play in supporting the employment goals that those you are working with have.  We will also discuss the changes for Community Life Engagement Services, otherwise known as Day Support Services.  We will touch on the differences between Supported Employment Services, Non-Employment Day Services, Discovery Based Services, Customized Employment Services and how to be able to work in coordination with the teams to support these goals.

Panel Discussion that brings various perspectives on what makes for amazing advocacy efforts up at the Capitol during the session and during the "off-season" including ARRM providers, ARRM public policy staff, legislators, and committee/legislative administrator(s). 

Kit knows about depression and anxiety. Most recently, she experienced a dramatic upheaval in her private and professional life which forced her to seek out resources and teachings to not only deal directly with depression and anxiety in the moment, but also to change her lifestyle both inwardly and outwardly to improve and sustain her mental and emotional health long term. Join Kit as she trains you to use new tools and techniques to better yourself and your teams, to start to think more positively and work together through difficult times.

It seems as if we are getting busier and busier than ever before! Our list of responsibilities and to-do's can feel overwhelming and that we never get the chance to just breathe. Our society has a new condition called "Hurry Sickness." This session will cover what this is, recognizing its signs, understanding its causes and impacts, and how we can combat it. We are individuals who have amazing impacts on other people to improve their quality of life. Come and learn how we can improve OUR quality of life by not giving in to "Hurry Sickness."

We're all on a journey to become future versions of ourselves that are better than our current versions; Our influence as leaders has the ability to make people feel great about themselves or terrible about themselves; Seeing yourself as others do reveals both blind spots and super powers about yourself that everyone else sees but you; Understanding of why self-awareness, humility and empathy are the most important traits of successful leaders; Tips on how to better communicate with and understand others in your professional and personal lives.

Many in our industry have made the timely assertion that Minnesota’s approach to human services is at a turning point. We will present how this turning point towards person-centered, self-directed services impacts people supported and what options are available. Specifically, we will discuss Minnesota’s new housing support model, Life Sharing (also known as Host Homes), and Accord’s leading work being done alongside a coalition of other Life Sharing providers across the state. We will also discuss another Accord self-directed program, Family Support Services, and the advancements and improvements we have made that we believe can act as a starting point and model for other organizations. Overall, our presentation seeks to provide a deeper understanding of person-centered and self-directed approaches to human services, as well as offer in-depth looks at tangible, established, and emerging examples in Minnesota.

Let’s talk about the other F-word – FEAR. We all experience fear. If your intention is to be a better leader, then fear is part of your life, and you and your team have to get comfortable with it. None of us can eliminate fear from our lives. But, we can reduce its power over us. We can change the way we relate to fear, understand how we experience it and how it deflates us, so that we meet it head on and fast forward through the worst of it. Fear is not the enemy, and Cate will share her F.E.A.R Framework and how it can help inspire you on your leadership journey.

This presentation will discuss the importance of providing ongoing dating and relationship resources by highlighting research conducted with both professionals in the disability-field and people with disabilities in the areas of dating and relationships. The research addresses common barriers encountered by people with disabilities encounter in dating and maintaining healthy relationships, as well as professionals in supporting people with disabilities in this important area.

This research shows that people with disabilities tend to be successful in relationships when they are supported by staff and/or family. Research reflects the main challenges people with disabilities experience primarily in dating include lack of skills surrounding healthy relationship development, lack of information, and attitudinal barriers. The data also shows that professionals experience difficulty supporting people in these areas due to insufficient funding, lack of resources, and limited opportunities to educate and support around issues in dating and relationships.

Did you know the use of support technology, like Assistive Technology and Remote Support, is the premier promising practice identified through research to assist with the ongoing workforce shortage? 

Discover how Assistive Technology and Remote Supports provide increased individual independence and can help with the workforce shortage. During this session you will meet with a representative from MN DHS, Technology Experts from around the state and see live examples of technology. We will also engage in discussions to determine how technology can be applied to help yourself or the individuals you support. You will also learn the ins and outs of Remote Support so you can feel confident knowing when and how you can utilize it to help promote more independence.

Since funding is always one of the biggest questions and potential barriers to utilizing technology services, you will get to hear directly from DHS about their support and encouragement for providers to start using technology, and how it can be funded through an individual's waiver.

Following this session, you should feel comfortable knowing how to start implementing technology and remote supports, so you can continue to provide the top level of support you have always strived for. This session is open to everyone, and we encourage you to come and learn, so we can all move forward together.

As a leader, you want to be effective – to get results and empower your team. You want to be friendly and approachable...but also authoritative and respected. You try to lead on a macro level, but find yourself slipping into micromanagement from time to time. You want to be relational and yet hold people accountable. If you’ve experienced these tensions, you’re not alone. Dealing with these leadership tensions is a necessary part of developing your leadership style and increasing your self-awareness. The more you recognize the natural tensions that go along with your leadership role, the better off you will be relationally with your team and you will accelerate your ability to make efficient and effective decisions.

In this session, we will discuss the importance of maintaining healthy relationships. This will involve discussing what an unhealthy relationship looks like compared to a healthy relationship while looking at red/green flags in relationships. We will also talk about what boundaries are and how to maintain them. Then we will talk about the importance of healthy communication and how it is most effective. Throughout the workshop, there will be multiple activities to provide hands on learning for participants.

In this session, we will discuss the importance of self-advocacy and what it means. We will discuss the various traits of a self-advocate and the benefits of being one. We will have some self-advocates share their experiences as they navigated their self-advocacy journey and why they are happy they did! We will then help folks do some self-reflection on themselves and how they want to be stronger self-advocates including helping them create their own plan/journey to do so. Participants will leave this session feeling empowered and excited to becoming a stronger self!

When: 10:30am - 11:30am

Speaker: Kate Napolitano

Description: Typically, an Individual with I/DD and those who support them want the best life possible for that Individual. This includes safety and happiness when it comes to matters of dating, romance, sexuality and family life. There can be lots of anxieties and challenges though, about how to support an Individual to find that fulfillment. For example: What is appropriate for me to say or do regarding sexuality, according to my professional role? Is there a difference between what I feel or think personally about sex, and how my agency might need me to talk about sexuality? As a staff person, can I get fired if I try to help? Could it be misunderstood as sexual abuse? What if the individual's parents tell me not to talk about it? What are subjects I’m ok helping folks with, and what are subjects I feel uncomfortable helping them with?

In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to talk about sexuality - with Individuals, families, and fellow coworkers. We'll review aspects like: tips for handling it emotionally, how to deal with it when the subject suddenly comes up as a surprise, scripts on what you actually can say (and probably shouldn't say!), the differences between professional and personal talk about sexuality, role appropriate-ness, how to protect yourself as well as the Individuals you serve, and more!