2024 TASH Conference: Full Schedule

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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10:00am CST

Peer to Peer Bridging The Gap Through Self Advocacy Curriculum

Friday December 6, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 10

Activating Change and Envision Illinois brings Peer to Peer Bridging the Gap through Self-Advocacy Curriculum is a curriculum it is a 26-week class for self-advocates to know how to help people who discloses domestic violence and/or sexual assault to them! The curriculum has four tracks: The Basic, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and the Criminal Justice System. This overview will explain those tracks, how to get involved in this curriculum, see the online portion, look at suggested learning activities. One of the goals of this curriculum is that the self-advocate knows that the victim make their own decisions about how to heal and to seek justice. The people who take this class are given the tools and knowledge to help victims. Another goal is that once the self-advocate goes through this curriculum, they can teach the same thing to other self-advocates.

Moderators

Mary Hettel

Friday December 6, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 10 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Self-Determination
Key Words Self-Advocacy, Self Determination, Stop Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault to People with Disabilites
Presentation Type General

10:00am CST

Talking to Doctors: Their Beliefs and Your Rights

Friday December 6, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 12

Doctors present themselves as experts on the human body, and we live in a culture that venerates medical professionals for their specialized training. However, that training has limits, particularly as concerns those whose bodies differ from the norm at baseline. There, preconceived biases about capacity, intelligence, and quality of life can and frequently do dominate medical decision-making. Moreover, while the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) theoretically guarantees disabled Americans equal rights in a variety of settings, people may be unfamiliar with their rights in hospital and clinical environments. In this talk, a brief overview of medical education as it relates to disability and its limitations will be provided, followed by information on patient rights and recommendations on how to access and preserve those rights in interacting with doctors and other healthcare professionals.

Presenters

Algernon Lutwak

Northern Light Health

Friday December 6, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 12 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Self-Determination
Key Words Self-Advocacy, Medicine, Hospitals, Doctors, Ableism
Presentation Type General

2:15pm CST

Celebrating that I AM at the center!

Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 5D

Evan Barnwell is an 11 year old stroke survivor, autistic child who shares what is important TO him: his favorite activities, friends, dreams, and projects. His mom, Viviana, then explores the crucial impact of person centered thinking and language in the pursuit for inclusion and respect for people with disabilities. The difference between the terms "important to" and "important for", the evolution in the perception of disabilities, and how to create a one-page profile will help participants not only hear about the experiences of a self-advocate and a family member, but also, leave the presentation with concrete tools and materials to use for themselves, the people they care for, or those they work with.

Presenters

Evan Barnwell

The YOUNGEST presenter at this year's Tash Conference! Evan is an 11 year old boy with multiple developmental disabilities and a fierce advocate for person centered practices and for the acknowledgment of what is important TO him as a person, beyond his needs and supports. Along with... Read More →

Viviana Barnwell

Founder, DEAR: Disability Education, Advocacy, and Resources

Former Council Member of the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. State-wide leader, educator and Advocate of people with disabilities and English Language Learners, with focus on person-centered and inclusive practices. DEI and disability activist. Instructional... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 5D Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Person Centered Practice
Key Words Person Centered, People-First, Autonomy, Self-Advocacy
Presentation Type General

2:15pm CST

Closing the Gap: Developing Systems That Work for Everyonel

Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST

2ND Floor - Foster 1

State developmental disability systems provide critical supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. But, many people with autism and medically fragile children may not qualify for services. Hear how North Dakota is partnering with self-advocates and families to redefine their approach to supports through the lens of the All.

Presenters

Erin Leveton

Director, Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector Services, LLC

Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST
2ND Floor - Foster 1 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Community Living
Themes of Interest Systems Change
Key Words Self-Advocacy, Supporting-Families, All, Cross-Disability, Systems-Change
Presentation Type General

3:25pm CST

Prepare With Us: Self Advocates Educating Teacher Candidates

Friday December 6, 2024 3:25pm - 4:20pm CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 11

This presentation will describe study results from a recent research project. The purpose of this study was to examine how teacher candidates were impacted by learning from individuals with disabilities through a Self-Advocate Guest Presenter Series. After attending the semester-long Presenter Series, 17 teacher candidates shared their perspectives through semi-structured interviews. During this presentation, we will share the main themes that resulted from our analysis as well as future implications for research and practice.

Presenters

Amy Andersen

Associate Professor, Winona State University

Julia Snider

Assistant Professor, Grand Valley State University

Julia is an assistant professor at Grand Valley State University. Julia’s passion is in promoting the meaningful inclusion of students with extensive support needs within the general education classroom through planning and preparing instruction. Her current research examines the... Read More →

Friday December 6, 2024 3:25pm - 4:20pm CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 11 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Post-Secondary Education
Key Words Self-Advocacy, Teacher Preparation, Anti-Ableism, Perceptions
Presentation Type Research

3:25pm CST

Youth Leadership and Families: Getting Youth in the Driver's Seat

Friday December 6, 2024 3:25pm - 4:20pm CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 5A

Federally funded parent centers across the country have been emphasizing youth leadership for students with disability labels for the past several years. This presentation describes one state parent centerâ€™s youth and young adult leadership initiative. MPACT (Missouri Parents Act) is Missouriâ€™s federally funded parent training and information center and our leadership programming includes a youth and young adult leadership council, professional development for all staff on youth leadership, and youth leadership strategies infused throughout our transition training materials. Audience members will learn about the value of leadership programming, leadership strategies and resources from parent centers, and strategies for making organizations more supportive of youth leadership. Youth who take on leadership roles now will later be empowered citizens working towards a more equitable and inclusive society.

Presenters

Zach McCall

MPACT (Missouri Parents Act)

Friday December 6, 2024 3:25pm - 4:20pm CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 5A Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Autonomy
Key Words Youth Leadership, Parent Centers, Self-Advocacy
Presentation Type General

4:35pm CST

Strategies for Opening the Glass Door To Employment Through Employer Engagement

Friday December 6, 2024 4:35pm - 5:30pm CST

2ND Floor - Foster 2

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.

Moderators

Megan Ketchell

Project Manager, Disability Employment TA Center, The Lewin Group, Part of Optum Serve

Presenters

Diana Caldwell

Vice President, The Lewin Group

Jonathan Taylor

Arkansas Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities

Friday December 6, 2024 4:35pm - 5:30pm CST
2ND Floor - Foster 2 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Employment
Themes of Interest Competitive Integrated Employment
Key Words Employment, Self-Advocacy, Collaboration, Partnerships, Employer Engagement
Presentation Type General

5:45pm CST

Poster #3: Navigating Advocacy: Youth with Disabilities Share Their Experiences and Perspectives

Friday December 6, 2024 5:45pm - 7:15pm CST

3RD Floor - Storyville Hall

Self-advocacy is an essential component of transition planning for youth with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) mandates students with disabilities are included in transition planning to the greatest extent possible. Additionally, the Workforce and Innovation Act (WIOA, 2014) requires specific pre-employment transition services, one of which includes self-advocacy training. Despite federal requirements, youth with disabilities often report not being active members of their transition planning and self-advocacy is often tied to school and work-based settings. Our research team investigated self-advocacy experiences of transition-aged youth with disabilities through one-on-one interviews led by researches with and without disabilities. Key findings highlight youthsâ€™ advocacy experiences across settings, how they are empowered to advocate, and their suggested improvements to special education for other students with disabilities.

Moderators

Megan Best

PhD Student in Special Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champagin

Presenters

RaeAnne Lindsay

Coordinator for Section 504 project, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College

I am a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Illinois. I received a Masters Degree from the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I am a Disability Advocate and the reining Ms. Wheelchair USA 2024-2025. I currently work at Vanderbilt University in... Read More →

Zach Rossetti

Associate Professor, Boston University

Zach Rossetti, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Teaching and Learning Department at Boston University's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. His research examines the social belonging and participation of people with intellectual and developmental... Read More →

Oscar Hughes

Postdoctoral researcher, University of Massachusetts Boston

My research supports self-advocacy and self-determination, examines the experiences of LGBTQ+ people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, and promotes access to sexuality education.

Friday December 6, 2024 5:45pm - 7:15pm CST
3RD Floor - Storyville Hall Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Poster Presentations

Primary Topic Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Self-Determination
Key Words Self-Advocacy, Transition-Aged Youth, Transition Planning, Empowerment
Presentation Type Research