Welcome to the official website for the 2024 TASH Conference!
Each year, the TASH Conference brings together our constituents to share resources and success stories, learn about field-driven best practices, and network within a community engaged in shared values. The Conference is attended by passionate leaders, experts, and advocates from every corner of the disability community. Conference attendees are influential in their fields and communities, and play an important role in the provision of services and supports for individuals and organizations around the world; and include professors and researchers from leading institutions; those involved in local, state, and federal governments and public policy; special and general educators, and school administrators; self-advocates, adult service providers; students, family members, and many others. This year’s conference theme is Celebrate Together: Let the Good Times Roll!
Click on the "Registration and More" tab for additional information about our Conference location, registration, reserving a guest room, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more! The full Conference schedule is now available for viewing. Registered attendees will receive an invitation to log in and create a personalized schedule.
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Most state rehabilitation agencies collaborate with community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) to provide job placement and support services, including supported employment (SE) and customized employment (CE). Despite efforts from CRPs to provide services and supports to individuals with disabilities for the demands of employment, competitive integrated employment (CIE) rates for individuals with disabilities, especially those with more significant disabilities remains poor. One way to improve employment outcomes is to ensure that those providing comprehensive supports are competent in knowledge and skills necessary for their job. The purpose of this presentation is to review result of a study that validated key knowledge and skill competencies essential for job coaches. We will provide a review of the competencies used in the study and review methods, results, implications. We will provide a review about how competency-based training and TA is being implemented in one state.
Director of Research and Training, Utah State University
Tim is the Director of the Research and Training Division at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice with an appointment as research associate professor in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah State University. Tim has 30 years of experience... Read More →
Assistant Professor, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Magen is an assistant professor of inclusive education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Her research focuses on the inclusion of students with significant support needs in work-based learning experiences.
Friday December 6, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am CST
3RD Floor - Ballroom: Celestin BHyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
Catalight Research Institute has developed Compass Work. This self-paced program offers participants a unique set of tools to help them find a position that fits their strengths and sets them up for lifelong career success. It is person-centered, strength-based, assessment-driven, and career-focused. It consists of over 30 training elements, including skills assessments, resume building, interviewing, accommodation requests, handling rejections, accepting job offers, and creating a 100-day plan for when they start a new job. It launched in February 2023 and is used by over 100 job seekers, advocates, career coaches, and employment service providers. We will present the program design and the successes candidates and advocates for these candidates have accomplished. We will share how they use the tool and the feedback generated along the way. We will share critical feedback from candidates and advocates. We also plan to give TASH attendees free access to the tool.
Senior Director, Clinical Excellence Planning and Development, Catalight
As the Clinical Excellence Planning and Development Leader at Catalight, I have led new strategies for employment services for neurodiverse adults since December 2021. With over 20 years of experience in process improvement, mentoring, and organizational support, I am passionate about... Read More →
Friday December 6, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 10Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
In August 2022, federal policy makers collaborated on a joint policy concerning the utilization of Community Engagement services to assist individuals with significant support needs in securing and maintaining employment. Job seekers with limited community life experience often face disadvantages in their quest for employment as they struggle to articulate their passions and strengths. By leveraging Community Engagement alongside the four guideposts of Community Life Engagement developed by the University of Massachusetts Boston Institute on Community Inclusion, providers, job seekers, and their families can chart a part towards employment. This session aims to share anecdotes and strategies illustrating how CE is deployed to aid individuals supports needs who have been isolated or lack experience with community employment in their journey to work. Additionally, the presentation will delve into concepts of the utilization of Community Life Engagement as a wraparound service.
Senior Workforce Development Professional with over 18 years of experience in the development/planning, implementation, operation, and evaluation of adult education, vocational training, work preparedness and workforce development programs. Additional expertise in labor development... Read More →
Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST
3RD Floor - Ballroom: Celestin HHyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
Join this session to learn about an innovative partnership between the LEAD Center and Parent 2 Parent USA (P2P USA), harnessing the input from parent advisors to craft resources to promote employment and career outcomes for their family members with disabilities. Families also identified resources through which they can access essential supports and services. Hear from family leaders and employment subject matter experts from LEAD Center about the pivotal role families play in envisioning and supporting the people with disabilities in their lives across their lifespan as they journey towards competitive integrated employment.
Marsha Quinn is the Co-Executive Director for Parent to Parent USA and brings nearly 30 years experience in non-profit marketing and management to its 40 member organizations across the nation. She works to ensure access to peer to peer emotional support for ALL families of individuals... Read More →
Paraprofessionals are increasingly serving as job coaches at community-based work sites. In this session we share findings from a study that explored the qualifications and responsibilities of job coaches who are employed by schools, the training these job coaches receive to perform their job, and the role of school professionals in directing the activities of job coaches. Discussion will focus on how we can continue to enhance the role, training, and supervision of job coaches who are employed by schools to improve employment outcomes for students with extensive support needs.
Stacy Dymond is professor of special education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on curriculum issues related to educating secondary and transition-age students with severe intellectual disabilities in inclusive school and community settings... Read More →
Assistant Professor, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Magen is an assistant professor of inclusive education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Her research focuses on the inclusion of students with significant support needs in work-based learning experiences.
Friday December 6, 2024 3:25pm - 4:20pm CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 5DHyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
Work experience, whether paid or unpaid, enables students with disabilities to learn job skills in the real world and clarify their career path. Despite the benefits of work experiences, many educational programs struggle to provide work experiences in the community due to issues surrounding transportation. In this session we will share 12 creative strategies for transporting students with disabilities to community-based work sites and provide tips to consider when selecting strategies. Come join us to discuss this important topic and share your creative solutions for obtaining transportation!
Stacy Dymond is professor of special education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research focuses on curriculum issues related to educating secondary and transition-age students with severe intellectual disabilities in inclusive school and community settings... Read More →
Training Specialist, Illinois Center for Transition and Work - UIUC
I am a training specialist for the Illinois Center for Transition and Work at the University of Illinois. My background is mostly in transition to work for people with significant disabilities. I am passionate about finding paid employment for youth with disabilities where they can... Read More →
Training Specialist, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Jessica Sipovic is a training specialist for the Illinois Center for Transition and Work through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She has over 15 years of experience working with children and adults with diverse needs in school, home, and community settings. Most... Read More →
Too often, qualified workers with disabilities struggle to find work because the organizations that support them focus primarily on them. We must focus equally on preparing employers to successfully source, onboard, and retain employees with disabilities. Join the Administration on Disabilities (AoD) Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC) and Jonathan "Jon" Taylor, Executive Director of the Arkansas Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, to discuss employer engagement and outreach to advance competitive integrated employment (CIE) for people with disabilities. Jon Taylor was previously a retail field manager with a decade of successful experience in CIE. In this session, Jon will recount his experiences and offer practical tips for how DD Councils, job developers, self-advocates, and other stakeholders can engage with employers to advance CIE and economic outcomes for people with disabilities. The session will review the philosophy of Employment First, emphasize the importance of partnerships, and share DETAC resources.
This session will review a Career and Technical Education (CTE) microcredential pilot project in Indiana in both Early Childhood and Automechanics Pathways. These microcredentials were created using industry standards so that they can be utilized so students with disabilities can earn microcredentials of skillsets. The microcredentials can be utilized by students as part of portfolio requirements for the Indiana alternate diploma and to obtain future employment, as the student will be able to list the microcredentials on their resumes and present them to future employers. We will discuss literature that supports microcredentials for students with disabilities, the microcredential design process, and future steps.
When it comes to securing competitive integrated employment (CIE), families may be an integral part of the process. Family members often provide support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across a variety of domains, including employment. For families to establish effective partnerships and help promote CIE outcomes, the field needs a more in-depth understanding of the current state of family involvement and its relationship with accessing and supporting employment outcomes. To fill this knowledge gap, a scoping review was conducted. The review revealed facilitators (i.e., advocacy, knowledge of supports and services, family expectations, contributing to obtaining employment, building a support network, and family member working), barriers (i.e., lack of family support, socioeconomic status, lack of knowledge, perceptions on abilities, and family challenges), support needs, and overall familial perspectives on employment outcomes.
Transitioning from childhood to adulthood is a major life event. For parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) the process may seem especially challenging. As parents consider their child’s support needs, they may have concerns and questions about post-school options, including options related to employment. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team therefore plays an important role in helping to connect parents with the information they need to support their child’s transition to adulthood.
Friday December 6, 2024 5:45pm - 7:15pm CST
3RD Floor - Storyville HallHyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
The proposed presentation will discuss the results of a study on interagency collaboration in Illinois. Linkages and relationships among disability providers are the main focus of the study. The study will utilize collaboration mapping highlighted in Frey et al., 2006. The visual representation of collaboration will be a useful aid to see how many linkages exist between disability providers and the strength of those linkages among the disability providers. The baseline data in the study collected will be utilized to determine how effective interventions are at improving collaboration among disability providers. The primary focus will be disability providers that provide employment-related services, including schools that provide employment-focused training.
Policy requirements and incentives emphasize interagency collaboration (IDEA, 2004; WIOA, 2014). Despite evidence of interagency collaboration improving postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities, there are noted challenges in collaboration (Saleh et al., 2019). Difficulties exist despite the prevalence of conceptual interagency collaboration models (Kwiatek et al., 2023). Reconceptualizing research on interagency collaboration to emphasize collaboration theory will provide new insights into the process of interagency collaboration that may better address barriers to interagency collaboration (Thomson & Perry, 2006; Wood & Gray,1991). An exploratory qualitative study was conducted using collaboration theory. Vocational rehabilitation counselors in Central Illinois were asked to describe the process of collaboration in the provision of school-to-work employment-focused transition services. The results of the exploratory study are discussed.
