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.
This presentation delves into community-based instruction (CBI) training for direct support professionals engaged in home and community-based services (HCBS). It sheds light on developing and implementing a train-the-trainer (T/T) model designed to enhance the skills of HCBS providers, support compliance with the Settings Rule, and foster meaningful community involvement. Through a collaborative effort, project staff, HCBS providers, and family advocacy organizations have crafted a curriculum that addresses CBI's core needs and objectives. The presenters will discuss the systematic framework and the built-in fidelity measures of the T/T model, encompassing both trainer and learner competencies. Participants will leave with a comprehensive understanding of the projects foundation, its collaborative development process, and the impactful outcomes of the training initiative, thus paving the way for improved service delivery and community participation among HCBS providers.
Hi! I'm Aubrey Snyder. First and foremost, I am a twin sibling to a brother who has Down syndrome and hearing impairments. As a sister, I am incredibly passionate about working within the disability community to improve the services and supports, systems, and society that we work... Read More →
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 →
A multidisciplinary approach involving speech-language pathologists, educators, occupational therapists, and other professionals leads to improved communication outcomes for individuals using Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) systems (McNaughton & Light, 2013). Despite this knowledge, AAC training opportunities for school staff often focus only on SLPs and less frequently on the direct support professionals assisting students on a daily basis. Our session focuses on the benefits of a multidisciplinary training approach, which facilitates the generalization and maintenance of communication skills across different settings and communication partners. This collaboration promotes communication and inclusion in a wider range of contexts (Millar et al., 2019). Multidisciplinary collaboration provides valuable opportunities for professional development and knowledge exchange among team members, enhancing AAC service delivery in educational settings (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013).
Lisa Mihalich Quinn, M.A / M.Ed. is a licensed special educator with more than 15 years of experience making academic content accessible for neurodiverse students and learners who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). She is a former Public Schools teacher and the... Read More →
Friday December 6, 2024 11:15am - 12:15pm CST
Imperial 8Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
Although nearly all law enforcement officers (LEOs) report responding to calls with autistic individuals, as few as 9% of officers receive training specific to autism. To address this issue, in 2022, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) began designing Interaction with Neurodiverse Citizens: Training Effective Response And Communication (INTERAC), an autism-specific training, in collaboration with a local police lieutenant. Based on prior research on essential content for autism-specific training for LEOs and three rounds of feedback from the lieutenant, the team launched the training during shift debrief meetings for LEOs. INTERAC includes didactic presentation, body camera footage and scenarios, and resources, and was delivered by the MDT, which includes two Autistic adults. This presentation at TASH will share the process for the development and implementation of the training, the perspectives of all trainers, including the Autistic adults, and results and input from the LEOs.
Preparing teachers to effectively support students with extensive support needs and complex communication needs who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) necessitates collaboration with speech pathologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, parents, and families. Training should cover AAC methods, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and practical experiences and should be taught through coursework and meaningful clinical experiences. Collaborative partnerships ensure educators gain insights into best practices and access resources, and ongoing professional development keeps teachers aware of current best practices. Cultivating a school culture that values diversity in communicative expression is crucial for creating inclusive learning environments where all students can thrive academically and socially.
Friday December 6, 2024 2:15pm - 3:10pm CST
Imperial 11Hyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
This session includes a collaborative presentation with a self-advocate and a teacher educator. The session will begin with a first-hand account of the educational experiences of a non-speaking and Autistic individual in both inclusive and self-contained settings, in both a specialized school and in public schools. These educational experiences have informed a list of suggested practices for general educators, special education teachers, and paraeducators on how to best include and challenge students with complex communication needs in the general education classroom. The session will conclude with information on how to leverage voices from the local disability community by inviting self-advocates to present in university courses that are aimed to prepare inclusive-minded educators.
Katie McCabe is an Assistant Professor in the Exceptional Education Department at Buffalo State University, with a Ph.D. in Special Education and a minor in Qualitative Research Methods from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A former special education teacher in rural Upstate New... Read More →
The direct support workforce continues to be in crisis, struggling with high retention rates and resulting in an unstable system of support for people with disabilities. Many employers and states nationwide are trying innovative techniques to keep their workers and stabilize the workforce. During this presentation, we will explore the vital role of a stable and well-trained direct support workforce in supporting the lives of individuals and give some techniques and tips for stabilizing your workforce. We will discuss the importance of a well-trained, retained workforce and the status of the workforce nationwide. You will learn of recruitment, selection, training, and retention techniques to build committed and well-trained direct support professionals and hear from an organization that has implemented these strategies with success. Join us to reflect on your current workforce and make a plan to continue to engage your workforce to result in highly skilled, highly retained workers.
