2019 Annual AAPPD Conference

Partnering with Employers to Create Community Integrated Employment Services

As Arizona employment services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities moves towards more community integrated and competitive employment, agencies/service providers must be able to create a network of employers that will engage with the I/DD community.

Hear from employers that have gone through the process - from learning about the abilities of individuals with I/DD to hiring an individual as their own employee. What can we learn from their experiences to help grow more opportunities in our communities?

Networking Reception

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 1 – Why Do I Have All of These Requirements? - Understanding Our DD System

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Why is this changing again?” or “I can’t believe there are even more new requirements and I wish I understood how this was going to help my members”? With all of the requirements that DD providers, families and members must meet, have you ever wanted to better understand why and where they come from?

Hear from Beth Kohler, a former AHCCCS Deputy Director, former staffer for Governor Brewer and all around health and human services and Medicaid expert about why our system is the way it is. How does federal policy dictate what type of DDD services we have? What role does AHCCCS play in dictating our DDD services and how the program operates? Why is DDD considered an MCO? What is an MCO? What do we have to look forward to?

Presenter: Beth Kohler, Principal Consultant - Beth Kohler Consulting LLC

Breakout Session 2 – Serving Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Co-Occuring Behavioral Health Conditions: Challenges that Must be Addressed in Integrated Health Care Reform

People with co-occurring Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and behavioral health (BH) conditions (e.g. anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorders) are frequently referred to as a special population. It is important to recognize that this group makes up approximately one-third (32.9%) of the total number of individuals with I/DD served by state developmental disability (DD) agencies nationwide.

Similar data on these individuals served by state MH agencies are not known, but a prevalence rate of emotional disorders of up to 50% has been reported for children with intellectual disorders and, anecdotally, individuals with mental disorders are known to have a high prevalence rate of co-occurring intellectual disorders. This group should not be considered as a special population, but as a core constituency in both health and human services settings.

With the implementation of “integrated healthcare” in Arizona the service provider community has an opportunity to make considerable progress in the development and implementation of innovative and cost-effective resources for people with co-occurring conditions.

This presentation outlines the opportunities and challenges for providers to 1. Reassess the needs of the members they currently serve or hope to serve; and 2. Build and/or improve the resources to successfully meet these needs.

Presenters: Ken Whelan, Principal Consultant- Ken Whelan Consulting Services Dave Harvey, Principal Consultant- Vantage Point Behavioral Resources

Breakout Session 3 – 7 Ways to Prevent a Crisis

Many people labeled with “challenging behavior” spiral into crisis through actions and events that could have been avoided. Many crises are caused – unintentionally – by the system, the team or the behavior plan. When people are lonely and disconnected, when life is dull, when a “home” does not feel like home, when a place where someone spends the day is not a good match – the likelihood of unwanted behavior increases. This is not a session about techniques, but rather about how paying attention to quality of life relates to crisis prevention.

Peter Leidy is a consultant, teacher, songwriter, and speaker with a background in support and inclusion for people with disabilities. He works with families and organizations throughout the US and abroad and frequently speaks at conferences. He uses humor and music in interactive sessions. Among his passions are: improving workplace communication, building relationships, employee support and retention, and practicing and teaching mindfulness and stress-reduction. He also officiates (and celebrates!) weddings and other ceremonies. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife of 35 years, Betsy. www.peterleidy.com

Presenter: Peter Leidy

Breakout Session 4 – Transforming Employment Services to Integrated Community Settings - How to Get Started, Tips and Tools

Is your agency thinking about how you will move your employment services into the community but not sure where to begin? Do you have center-based employment services and are considering a move to or have started focusing more on community employment? Hear about important key steps your agency should think about as you consider the move to integrated community settings for your employment services. Learn about tools and strategies to help you and your agency through this process.

Jennifer Baier, Senior Program Manager for Vocational Services at VALLEYLIFE and Vice President of AZ APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First), has successfully helped VALLEYLIFE make this transition and will be sharing what she has learned in their path to integrated community employment services. VALLEYLIFE has created numerous successful employer partnerships which have allowed many of their center-based employment services members to make the successful transition into community integrated employment. As a provider of services to DDD, VR, and Mercy Care funded members, VALLEYLIFE placed over 120 individuals into community integrated employment during the last year.

Break

Breakout Sessions

Breakout Session 1 – Why Do I Have All of These Requirements? - Understanding Our DD System

Presenter: Beth Kohler, Principal Consultant - Beth Kohler Consulting LLC

Breakout Session 2 – Serving Individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities and Co-Occuring Behavioral Health Conditions: Challenges that Must be Addressed in Integrated Health Care Reform

Presenters: Ken Whelan, Principal Consultant- Ken Whelan Consulting Services Dave Harvey, Principal Consultant- Vantage Point Behavioral Resources

Breakout Session 3 – 7 Ways to Prevent a Crisis

Presenter: Peter Leidy

Breakout Session 4 – Transforming Employment Services to Integrated Community Settings - How to Get Started, Tips and Tools

Presenter: Jennifer Baier

Luncheon & DSP Recognition Award Ceremony

Keynote Address: Touching the Heart of Our Work – Peter Leidy

Think of a time when you felt “YES! I love my job!” or “Today was a great day at work!” Chances are, these emotions did not come from filling out forms.

While paperwork, regulations, and layers of bureaucracy may have necessary places in our work, let’s admit it: This is not why most of us do what we do!

The heart of the work is relationships and valued social roles. The heart of the work is helping people live a good life that has meaning. The heart of the work is making someone’s day, and having your day made by them. The heart of the work is sharing your gifts and receiving the gifts others bring to the relationship. We need to keep the joy, the love, the HEART in our work!

In this interactive session we will acknowledge with intention what this means in our own work, on our own team, in our own workplace. We will be inspired by each others’ stories and experience. Peter will also share examples of specific strategies and practices that help us find the heart and profound joy in our work.

Peter brings to this not only many years of being in direct support roles, but also supervising and supporting DSPs to bring their best selves to the job/relationship. Now, in his consulting work, he works with organizations to support joy and meaning in the relationships between DSPs and those they support.

Closing Remarks