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.

10:00am CST

Elevating Person-Centered: Intersectionality, Identity, and Inclusion

Thursday December 5, 2024 10:00am - 12:00pm CST

2ND Floor - Foster 1

When organizations conduct Person Centered Plans and approaches, they historically only focus on the individual's strengths and weaknesses, skills and abilities, and similar characteristics. But what are we missing? What other nuances and complexities are we leaving out? How are we developing and evolving the conversation and the work? This session will explore intersectionality and identity of the individual to fully embrace a Person-Centered Approach. There will be conversations in a world cafe style that will give participants the opportunity to have discussions on ideas and strategies to be more person-centered with a DEI lens.

Moderators

Wally Tablit

Thursday December 5, 2024 10:00am - 12:00pm CST
2ND Floor - Foster 1 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Day 1 Intensive Workshops

Primary Topic Diversity and Social Impact
Themes of Interest Person Centered Practice
Key Words Intersectionality, Diversity and inclusion

10:00am CST

Case Study: Creating A Culture of Radical Person Centeredness

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

3RD Floor - Ballroom: Celestin G

This presentation is a case study on an organization named SEEC that is implementing a best practice and research based framework to infuse the principles of person centeredness into the culture of the organization but to do so in a radical way. A shake up to the status quo. The framework has five main components: People, Collaboration, Values, Culture of Learning, and Continuous Quality Improvement to drive person centeredness into all aspects of the organization. This case study is part one of what we hope to be a two-part TASH presentation over the course of one year. In part one, we want to share with attendees how the framework was developed, discuss the various components of the framework, the assessment that was used to determine â€œcurrent stateâ€ with self-advocates, families, and internal team members, and how we used that assessment to develop a project pl

Moderators

Nicholas Burton

N. Burton Consulting

Presenters

Karen Lee

CEO, SEEC

Friday December 6, 2024 10:00am - 11:00am CST
3RD Floor - Ballroom: Celestin G Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Diversity and Social Impact
Themes of Interest Person Centered Practice
Key Words People, Person Centeredness, Culture, Equity, Values
Presentation Type General

11:15am CST

Seeking Inclusive Futures: (Best) Practices in Transition Programming

Friday December 6, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 11

This qualitative research uncovers current and best inclusive practices in school-based transition programs for 18-21 year-old students with significant disabilities. Document analysis of published curricula, results of a mixed-method survey, and 24 semi-structured interviews offer multiple perspectives on the current status of transition programs as well as practices that uphold inclusivity, which are more likely to lead to inclusive adult life experiences. Findings show that many students expressed discontent with segregative aspects of transition programs and parents worked tirelessly to cobble together unique programs. Professional perspectives reveal that low-expectations often guided program decisions that led to segregative practices. Examples of promising and inclusive practices are also uncovered in the study. A review of the literature on inclusive transition programming and disability studies theoretical lens contextualize research findings.

Presenters

Monika Tiwari

Jessica Bacon

Montclair State University

Friday December 6, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 11 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Transition
Themes of Interest Person Centered Practice
Key Words Transition, Person-Centered Practice, High Expectations, Inclusion, Anti-Ableism
Presentation Type Research

2:15pm CST

Celebrate Together: Empowering Transitions with Student-Led IEPs!

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

3RD Floor - Ballroom: Celestin B

In this presentation, we advocate for student-led Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for transition-age adults with intellectual disabilities (ages 18-21). Transitioning from school to adulthood is critical, and empowering these individuals to participate in their IEPs is essential. Research highlights the importance of self-determination, self-advocacy, and engagement for better outcomes in education, employment, and independent living. Our approach includes providing direct instruction for self-advocacy skills, fostering collaboration between students, families, educators, and community agencies, and enhancing communication to improve participation. The presentation includes a student from a post-secondary transition program who adopted a person-centered IEP approach.

Moderators

Graciela Copes

Presenters

Huaiyue Zhang

Talisa Bates

Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST
3RD Floor - Ballroom: Celestin B Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Transition, Self-Advocacy
Themes of Interest Self-Determination, Person Centered Practice
Key Words Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Collaboration, Person-Centered Planning, Self-Determination, Transition to Adulthood, IEP, Transition, Advocacy, Empowerment
Presentation Type Research, 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

Viviana Barnwell

Parent/CAC - ViceChair, SELPA IV

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

5:45pm CST

Investigating the Disability Training Experiences of Pediatric Residents in Michigan

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

3RD Floor - Storyville Hall

This study will utilize a mixed-methods design (i.e., survey with follow-up interviews) to explore the training experiences of pediatric residents and their perceived self-efficacy in caring for children with disabilities and children with medical complexities. The goal of this study is to identify the needs, resources, and gaps in training and preparation for pediatric residents to work with children with disabilities (including CMC).

Presenters

Emily Jensen

Sarah Douglas

Associate Professor, Michigan State University

Dr. Sarah Douglas is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University where she directs the RADD lab (Research on Autism and Developmental Disabilities). Her work focuses on paraeducator supports, augmentative and alternative communication, children with extensive support needs... Read More →

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 Human Rights
Themes of Interest Person Centered Practice
Key Words Medical Education, Healthcare, Health Equity

8:45am CST

Looking at Quality Services - How Do We Know?

Saturday December 7, 2024 8:45am - 9:45am CST

4TH Floor - Imperial 8

How do we know the services we are providing are what people really want? How do we know people are getting not just what they need but what they want? TLC has embarked on a quest to answer these questions. We have invited an independent team to come and spend a week with the people receiving services investigating these questions. Using a mixture of mediums (art, observation, story telling, group chats and 1:1 discussions), the team will "interview" people. TLC is interested in truly understanding how effective we are in supporting people to live the lives they need and want. This information, along with surveys of staff and families will be a part of our planning for the future of the agency. We are excited to share our process, how it went and what we learned. Representatives from TLC and the independent team will share their experiences.

Moderators

Jennifer Lengyel

Executive Director, Total Living Concept

Presenters

Nanette Vanderford

Total Living Concept

Sheldon Schwitek

Co-Founder/ Consultant, In the Company of Others

Sheldon Schwitek has been supporting individuals with complex behavioural needs in the United Statesb and in Canada for over decades. He was introduced to the founding members of the Marsha Forest Center in 1990 and became a facilitator of the person-centered processes of MAPS, PATH... Read More →

Saturday December 7, 2024 8:45am - 9:45am CST
4TH Floor - Imperial 8 Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113

Breakout Sessions

Primary Topic Community Living
Themes of Interest Person Centered Practice
Key Words Quality Assurance, Person Centered, Community Living, Listening Service Provision
Presentation Type General