Jacqueline Kish, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Elise Olsen, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Bridgette Schram, Old Dominion University
Dr. Allen Heinemann, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab & Northwestern University

• Describe key attributes of successful HCBS providers including organizational characteristics, leadership approaches, and services that promote person-centered care.
• Identify effective solutions across barriers faced by HCBS organizations and highlight strategies used to overcome them, including organizational adaptations and innovative service delivery methods.
• Apply research findings to improve HCBS person-centered practices including actionable recommendations for service providers, advocates, and policymakers to enhance person-centered services and drive systemic improvements.

Achieving high-quality, person-centered services is a critical goal for organizations providing Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and is required by the Final Settings Rule set forth by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This presentation shares key findings from a case study project that examined exemplary HCBS providers, identifying organizational attributes, challenges, and effective practices that support person-centered service delivery.

Using an implementation science framework, the study analyzed how leadership, direct service providers, and individuals receiving support from the organizations influence person-centered service success. We will highlight organizational structures and strategies that enhance communication, foster strong partnerships, and promote service approaches that prioritize individual choice and autonomy. Additionally, we will explore external factors such as policy changes, funding structures, and community engagement that impact HCBS organizations.

Attendees will gain actionable insights into how successful organizations navigate challenges, implement best practices, and sustain a culture of person-centered care. The session will conclude with a discussion on translating research findings into strategies for service providers, advocates, and policymakers. Participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback on how these insights can support ongoing advocacy and improvement efforts in HCBS. We will facilitate a discussion on strengthening HCBS through real-world case studies, ensuring that individuals receiving support can live self-directed lives within their communities.

Syard Evans, Arkansas Support Network
Andrea Palmer, Awake Labs

• Challenges in Traditional Support Planning – Current processes are time-consuming, resource-intensive, and often result in inadequate, impractical plans with poor implementation strategies.
• The Need for a Values-Driven Approach – Arkansas Support Network developed a planning model that embeds organizational values into all aspects of daily services, ensuring meaningful, person-centered support.
• Introducing Visioning an Empowered Life (VEL) – VEL transforms support planning by centralizing information, focusing on strengths and aspirations, and adapting to individuals’ evolving needs.
• AI-Powered Personalization & Implementation – VEL leverages AI-driven insights to generate customized action plans, link goals to real-world opportunities, and provide practical implementation tools for caregivers.
• Empowering Individuals & Support Networks – By enhancing Direct Support Professionals’ effectiveness and fostering community engagement, VEL ensures people with disabilities have the resources to live fulfilling, self-directed lives.

Support planning for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) takes up a large amount of time and resources, often produces extremely inadequate results, and almost always lacks quality resources for implementation. After decades of struggling with the challenges of developing and empowering truly person-centered support plans AND wrestling to try to implement those support plans, Arkansas Support Network developed a planning process that anchors the agency’s value doctrines and infuses those values and support goals into all aspects of day-to-day services, creating an effective and efficient tool to ensure high quality plans and practical plan implementation.

Visioning an Empowered Life (VEL) overhauls traditional disability support, which often suffers from scattered information and a focus on limitations and deficits. VEL leverages AI and collaborative planning to create a holistic, person-centered system. It centralizes information, prioritizes individual strengths and aspirations, and adapts to changing needs across the lifespan. Key features include AI-driven insights that connect goals to real-world opportunities, and the generation of customized action plans and implementation resources. VEL empowers individuals to lead meaningful lives, fosters community participation, and provides direct support professionals, natural supporters, and other service providers with the tools and training to provide effective, values-driven support.

Kellie Smith, KenCrest
Gregg Kelinson, KenCrest

• Learn about the importance of accessibility and technology.
• Explore how technology can support independence at home, in the community, and through employment services.
• Receive a first-hand look at KenCrest’s fully functional smart house.

Are you ready to use innovative technology to promote independence, foster personal growth, and reach a new level of knowledge? This session shares a firsthand look at KenCrest’s journey in building an enabling technology department and developing a fully functional smart house – a groundbreaking model for innovative living.

Attendees will gain practical insights and proven strategies from actual real-world implementation, rather than just theoretical concepts. Presenters will showcase success stories, challenges overcome, and tangible results, making it highly relevant to people looking to improve services and quality of life through technology. You’ll leave this session with tools for pioneering change, integrating smart technology into care models, and transforming the future of support services.

Sean Switzer, Access: Supports for Living
Thomas Schacor, New York Families for Autistic Children

• Conducting POM interviews as a key component of program-level planning for supports and goals.
• Analyzing POM outcomes to influence key performance indicators on a broader scale.
• Integrating POM outcomes into the strategic planning process for continuous improvement.
• Implementing actionable steps, including interview frequency, vetting, staff training, and benchmarking, to drive measurable results.

While many organizations understand and utilize the Personal Outcome Measures® (POM) to set goals and measurable outcomes for the people they support, does the process end there? While individual POM interviews are a crucial part of program-level planning regarding supports and goals, how many organizations analyze these outcomes to influence key performance indicators on a broader scale?

This presentation will showcase this approach in action. We will highlight our comprehensive process, which begins with conducting POM interviews and extends into our strategic planning efforts. Additionally, we will share real examples of actionable steps we have taken to drive measurable results in the outcomes of the people we support. These steps include the frequency of POM interviews, the vetting process, staff training and ongoing education, and benchmarking.

Nora Buckley, MHDS, Inc.

• Explore how technology can be useful for everyone, not just the obvious “low hanging fruit”
• Learn about different desired personal outcomes and how technology can be used across all ability levels
• Discover the financial, emotional, and mental benefit to the agency and person.

An idea started for our agency while picking up someone from jail who had been incarcerated for 45 days for assault. For 26 years, this person had told anyone who would listen, “I want to change but I just can’t.” She had lived in 6 foster homes, 4 Supportive Living homes, numerous psychiatric facilities, and been jailed 3 times for over 30 days. The medication changes were too numerous to count. On that drive home from jail, we finally listened and really heard what she had been saying all along. She wanted and needed to live alone, to be in better control of her life and emotions.

We had 5 other people who were so mismatched due to housing cost and staffing needs that their homes had ongoing behavioral issues. We had them hire one employee they wanted to work 50 hours a week in their home. They made the schedule for how the hours would be provided and detailed the description of the technology that was put in their home. They both now have jobs. One no longer receives SSI benefits. She works full-time and pays her own way in life. They use public bus services along with staff support when desired.

We have 30 homes across the agency where technology in daily life has been implemented. When a behavioral or medical event happens, we always assess if technology could have helped in regard to prevention, such as how people use Amazon Echo Dots, Amazon Echo Shows, smart locks, and Ring doorbells.

This session will challenge you to really decide if your agency is person-centered. If you are, there are ways to give people the services they want, in a way that they are safe and happy, without losing money. Attendees will find inspiration from our efforts to be creative and find what might work for someone at your own agency!

Gretchen Block, CQL
Katherine Dunbar, CQL
Elizabeth Sites, CQL

• Receive insight into CQL Accreditation
• Learn about the tools, process, options, and more
• Find out how it transforms agencies and lives
• Share your accreditation questions with CQL staff

Join us for an enlightening breakout presentation covering how CQL accreditation amplifies organizational excellence! We’re sharing what you need to know about CQL Accreditation – the options, approaches, process, impact, and more. From getting prepared before your first visit to leveraging our tools throughout your accreditation term, you’ll discover how to make this partnership a meaningful and beneficial experience for your agency and those you support. You’ll learn how it can elevate your services, transform people’s lives, and provide you a with a roadmap for ongoing transformation. In this interactive session, we’ll also answer any attendee questions you have about CQL Accreditation.

Kristine Foss, University of MN Institute on Community Integration

• Find out how data can be leveraged to drive meaningful action at the employer level.
• Learn about effective data collection and evaluation strategies that inform policy and workforce practice decisions, support workforce planning, and the implementation of practical and effective solutions.
• Explore how workforce data plays a critical role in shaping strategic and evidence-based solutions to reduce costly turnover, stabilize staffing, and enhance workforce retention.

A stable and qualified direct support workforce is essential for delivering quality services. Without a strong and reliable workforce, individuals who rely on these services face uncertainty, disruptions in care, and even the possibility of going without essential support. High turnover and constant cycles of recruitment to fill vacancies in direct support is costly to organizations, and affects their ability to deliver quality services for those receiving support today, and to those waiting for essential services.

Effective change starts with having a clear understanding of workforce trends, the employee experience, and the factors driving turnover and retention. Workforce data plays a critical role in shaping strategic and evidence-based solutions to reduce costly turnover, stabilize staffing, and enhance workforce retention. Data can also tell a story that informs strategic and evidence-based workforce strategy and solutions.

This session will illustrate how data can be leveraged to drive meaningful action at the employer level. Attendees will learn about effective data collection and evaluation strategies that inform policy and workforce practice decisions, support workforce planning, and the implementation of practical and effective solutions. Actionable tools and resources will be shared to demonstrate how organizations can use workforce data to tailor their approach based on their unique challenges and strengths to drive effective recruitment and retention efforts. Examples of successful data-driven initiatives will be provided, highlighting the positive impact of integrating workforce data into decision-making, and the implementation of sustainable strategies that support the direct support workforce, ensuring consistent and qualified services.

Desiree Loucks Baer, NADSP
Dan Hermreck, NADSP

• Receive insight into a university-based certification program reaching DSPs across Alaska.
• Learn about a multifaceted New York certification pilot which incorporates non-profits, state workers, and a statewide university system.
• Explore a Tennessee certification pilot that involves managed care organizations.
• Learn about a Pennsylvania program that ties certification to increased provider rates.
• Review common themes and lessons learned.

In this session, NADSP shares how Alaska, New York, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania have implemented direct support professional certification at a state level. This presentation will discuss both the differences and similarities in these various initiatives, and how they have been adapted to each state’s unique needs. The impact of certification and the challenges that exist for participating DSPs and provider organizations will also be discussed.

Bob Sattler, Support Development Associates, LLC
Courtney Kelly Chapman, CQL

• Facilitate plans that address what is “important to” and “important for” people
• Explore strategies for developing meaningful outcomes with people
• Capture ‘quality of life’ and ‘quality of care’ data
• Differentiate between goals and outcomes

Case managers and providers play pivotal roles in creating and delivering truly person-centered services for individuals receiving Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). This session is designed to build your capacity to develop, implement, and monitor person-centered plans with outcomes that are both regulatory-compliant and personally meaningful.

With the increasing clarity and expectations outlined in the 2014 HCBS Settings Rule and the newly released 2024 Access Rule, the requirements for Person-Centered Planning have never been more defined or more important. Yet, reviews by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) show a persistent gap between regulatory intentions and everyday practice. This session bridges that gap.

Grounded in the principles of The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices (TLCPCP), we’ll focus on the integration of “Important TO” and “Important FOR” in planning conversations, outcome development, and documentation. You’ll learn how to facilitate plans that support both what matters most to someone – such as relationships, routines, and personal purpose – and what is needed to support the person to be healthy, safe, and valued.

Through a mix of practical guidance, real-world examples, and compliance-focused strategies, participants will gain:

• Clear understanding of what the HCBS Settings Rule and Access Rules require – and what they really mean for your work.
• Guidance on how to facilitate plans to reflect the person’s voice and support meaningful outcomes in the most integrated community setting.
• Clarification on key compliance elements like updating plans, the role of authorized representatives, and functional reassessments.
• Best practices for reporting, including numerator/denominator data, exclusions, sampling, deduplication, and aggregating data across programs..
• Strategies to reframe planning practices to honor both quality of life and quality of care

This session is ideal for case managers and provider organizations ready to move beyond compliance checklists and into meaningful, person-centered practice. Let’s not settle for either/or – let’s get better at doing both.

Stephanie Behlke Leigh, Trinity Services
Anne Ward, Trinity Services

• Learn how to implement a structured 6-month, weekly, 90-minute positive psychology group that can be applied within your own organization.
• Gain an understanding of the basic principles of positive psychology and how to implement them in organizational settings.
• Hear firsthand experiences from direct support professionals, people receiving services, and other professionals who have benefitted from participating in these transformative groups.

This interactive, presenter-facilitated session explores how leveraging shared organizational values can enhance relationship-building, using concepts from the field of positive psychology. Attendees will discover tools for cultivating deeper connections and creating meaningful moments in the workplace. Key foundational principles such as PERMAH (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement, and Health), gratitude, and values will be introduced.

Through experiential learning, participants will engage in exercises that exemplify how these techniques can be practically applied. This session, designed for entry-level attendees, will provide a blueprint for employing positive psychology interventions that enhance meaning and well-being in both personal and professional life. Those who participate can expect to leave with actionable tools to foster greater job satisfaction, a sense of purpose, and stronger interpersonal bonds. Research shows that individuals who practice these skills often report increased job retention, heightened gratitude, a stronger sense of belonging, and improved overall engagement.

Tommy Heller, AHRC NYC

• Explore how disability justice goes beyond basic inclusion to reshape organizational culture, leadership, and impact.
• Learn how AHRC NYC has created meaningful roles for people with disabilities as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and aligned equitable compensation for their contributions.
• Hear how restructuring leadership teams and committees has opened space for shared power and authentic participation.
• Leave with practical steps and motivation to integrate disability justice into the core of your work – not as an add-on, but as a path to deeper equity and transformation.

People with disabilities are often present in our meetings, programs, and communities – but presence alone doesn’t guarantee meaningful inclusion. Too often, accessibility and inclusion are treated as a box to check. But inclusion isn’t just adding more seats to the table; it takes rebuilding the table to fit and support everyone.

What would it look like if we moved beyond simply inviting people with disabilities into the room, and instead created environments where their voices, perspectives, and leadership are actively centered? This isn’t just a nice idea – it’s a transformative practice that can reshape your organization, enhance service delivery, and drive meaningful, lasting change.

In this session, we will share how AHRC NYC has implemented disability justice principles to create a more inclusive, just, and empowered organizational structure.

We’ll walk you through the steps we’ve taken to make this happen, from creating unique opportunities for people with disabilities as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), aligning equitable compensation streams for these roles, and restructuring leadership roles and committee functions. Learn how these efforts have empowered people with disabilities to lead organizational change and launch the AHRC NYC Self-Advocacy Circle – a bi-monthly gathering of hundreds of advocates focused on learning community-organizing tactics, building a mutual aid network, and driving collective action.

This isn’t just about ticking boxes – it’s about integrating disability justice into the very core of our work. When we center disability justice, we create stronger, more impactful organizations that serve everyone. And here’s the best part – it’s not as hard as you might think!

Join us as we dive into how we can build a culture of leadership, fight against ableism, and create truly inclusive spaces where everyone belongs. Let’s work together to build organizations that stand for liberation, justice, and solidarity for all.

Gerald Bernard, Charles Lea Center Inc.

• Integrate person-centered thinking with the principles of enabling technology
• Create greater independence and control through effectively using enabling technology
• Understand the difference between supporting personal outcomes for people supported and organizational goals, when implementing enabling technology
• Align enabling technology and with CQL principles and standards
• Move from traditional service models to non-traditional service models, by embracing technology first.

This session will focus on providing a blueprint about how to effectively use and implement enabling technology to support people with disabilities to achieve their personal outcomes. By blending person-centered thinking with the effective use of enabling technology – through a thoughtful and structured planning process – we can achieve better personal outcomes for the people we support. This session will provide a step-by-step process for creating a technology first program aligned with the person-centered thinking approach.

Specific information will include and cover:

• Flow-chart for the planning process (integrating technology with person-centered thinking).
• Techniques for flushing out personal goals and connecting them with appropriate technology supports.
• Discussion on important distinctions of personal goals vs. organizational goals when implementing technology and pitfalls that can occur when too much focus is on organizational goals.
• Case study examples of successful implementation of enabling technology.
• Understanding the differences between remote supports, smart home, environmental controls, electronic prompts, etc.
• Shifting culture from traditional service models to non-traditional options.
• Funding challenges you may face.

Attendees will learn how to align the enabling technology movement with many of the core principles of CQL, particularly around choice, self-determination, decision-making, and human rights.

Monica Mesa Alvarez, The National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities

• Gain practical strategies to align leadership actions with sustainable, rights-based service delivery.
• Examine findings from a national study on leadership’s influence on human rights practices in IDD services.
• Learn how to identify and address gaps between organizational priorities and real-world practices.
• Discover how leadership development impacts community inclusion, autonomy, and control.

Historically, leadership in the disability field has served as a catalyst for cultural change and the advancement of human rights. This session presents findings from a national study examining how leadership priorities directly influence the implementation of human rights practices in organizations providing IDD services. Attendees will learn how leadership decisions shape not only policies but also the lived experiences of people receiving services. You will explore how organizations can bridge gaps between strategic priorities and on-the-ground practices through strong teams, inclusive decision-making, and effective communication across roles.

The session will present data from a cross-sectional survey examining the impact of leadership priorities on human rights practices within organizations that provide services for people with IDD across the United States. It will feature data from 380 field professionals of 230 organizations across 40 states, with a diverse representation of leadership perspectives in IDD service organizations. Respondents include professionals in various leadership roles, ranging from executive directors to program managers and frontline supervisors, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of the influence of leadership on human rights practices. The session will highlight gaps between what organizations claim to prioritize and what occurs in practice in areas such as autonomy, inclusion, participation, and decision-making of people with IDD.

The session will provide empirical evidence on how leadership practices shape the extent to which organizations implement human rights practices. By highlighting these relationships, the findings offer actionable insights for session participants, including organizational leaders and advocates seeking to strengthen human rights-based service provision. Participants will leave with a practical understanding of evaluating leadership priorities, addressing implementation gaps, and fostering a culture of dignity, respect, and inclusion that “go the distance.”

Joana Weaver, Liberty Healthcare Corporation
Victoria Blankenship, Liberty Healthcare Corporation
Amber Rose, Liberty Healthcare Corporation

• How do you use data? – Recognize your current role in data.
• Real-life examples – Look at sample data in easy-to-understand ways.
• Hands-on data activity – Interpret data and create an action plan.
• Simple steps for action – Learn an easy process to use data for improving services.
• Helpful handouts – Take home guides to make data easier to share and use.

Data can help make real changes, but only if people can understand it, access it, and use it. This session will show how people receiving services, leaders, direct support professionals (DSPs), and others can make sense of data and use it to improve services and outcomes.

Through a hands-on activity, participants will work with real-life examples to talk about how data can guide decisions, improve services, and build a culture of continuous learning and improvement. We will also share simple steps for using data to create action plans – figuring out what the data says, making a plan, putting it into action, and checking if it works.

Attendees will leave with practical ways to make data more useful and easier to understand at all levels of an organization.

Michelle Sparling, Networks For Training And Development
Charlotte Wroton, Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services

• Review the history of employment in Philadelphia in support of individuals with disabilities.
• Identify the importance of dedication and commitment towards Employment First.
• Explore a model for employment planning.
• Access replicable resources and activities to promote Employment First.

Philadelphia has a longstanding commitment to advancing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. For over three decades, the Employment First Steering Committee has played a pivotal role in sustaining and energizing this movement. Their success stems from the dedicated efforts of workgroups that set clear goals, take initiative, and implement strategic plans.

This session will showcase key initiatives that have driven employment growth, including robust data collection, targeted marketing strategies, accessible website resources, job fairs, conferences, and strategic planning events. Attendees will gain valuable insights, practical resources, and actionable ideas to enhance their own employment initiatives and events.

Sue Shaw, St. Louis Arc
Georgia Kuss, St. Louis Arc

• Using a “My Human Security” lens, attendees will learn to define trauma and moral injury and how they affect people with IDD and the staff who support them.
• Using a “Positive Services and Supports” lens, attendees will consider how engaging in a multi-pronged approach to being trauma-informed can help support healing (including DEI work; building connection; empowering staff; implementing robust HR and management practices; implementing strong policies and practices around abuse, neglect, and rights; and enhancing safety).
• Attendees will learn to recognize the difference between behavior responses and possible trauma responses, increasing their ability to provide positive behavior supports in a strong, ethical manner.
• Attendees will learn about how we often silo IDD, Mental Health, Culture, DEI, and Trauma, and how that keeps us from growing and healing, as well as the ways agencies can own their organizational culture.
• Attendees will leave with ideas of concrete action they can take to become more trauma-informed.

Trauma informed work is increasingly recognized as an important component in supporting people in the IDD community. Children and adults with IDD are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing trauma than the general population. Staff who support persons with IDD also experience high rates of secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, and moral injury, and many caregivers carry trauma from their personal lives. Historically, our field has viewed “behavior requiring intervention” as a phenomenon tied to a person’s disability – however, often these behaviors could also (or instead) be categorized as trauma responses and approached from a trauma-informed lens.

This session will walk through the St. Louis Arc’s 3.5-year journey of implementing trauma education and trauma-informed supports for both people we support and staff. It will outline the path we have taken to expand beyond “phase one” education, to equip staff to recognize trauma responses (in people they are supporting and in other staff members), support agency culture, support one another, and break down silos.

The session will connect trauma work to Basic Assurances® and Personal Outcome Measures® Factors, with a focus on “Positive Services and Supports” and all 7 indicators of “My Human Security.” It will include basic trauma education, covering topics like ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), abuse & neglect, moral injury, secondary traumatic stress, and resilience/protective factors. It will also include strategies the St. Louis Arc has used in its multi-pronged approach to becoming more trauma informed, like general trauma trainings, management-specific trauma trainings, HR initiatives (ex., interest-free staff loans), trauma surveys, rights education, Mental Health First Aid trainings (for which the St. Louis Arc received a national grant from The Arc of the United States), and ongoing work in DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).

Marian Frattarola-Saulino, Values Into Action

• Find out how to build an alternative management model based on freedom, trust, and autonomy.
• Learn about aligning organizational purpose, culture, and structure.
• Explore how humanity, simplicity, and practicality, above all else, result in better outcomes for all.

The world has changed, and we must be prepared to not only adapt but to use this as an opportunity to create a new approach to provision of services in the HCBS system. Now more than ever, practices must be built on the mutual respect and trust of all stakeholders and a more equitable payment system for people doing the most important work, alongside the most important stakeholders.

Throughout two decades of providing HCBS, our organization has consistently engaged in new and innovative practices – some more successful than others – but all have created momentum toward realizing the ideals of the HCBS system: autonomy, choice and control. This session will provide information about a current initiative: building self-managed teams at the local level to ensure more humanistic, less bureaucratic, and more effective services and supports.

Elizabeth Garretson, Opportunities for Positive Growth
Lora Barlow, Opportunities for Positive Growth

• Leverage data to balance individual rights and risk management, ensuring that restrictions are meaningful, relevant, and tailored to individual needs.
• Integrate restriction data into behavior plans, risk plans, and Individualized Support Plans (ISP) using practical tools such as a structured grid to ensure consistency and compliance.
• Shift the mindset from “It’s always been this way” to a growth-oriented approach, addressing guardian and team concerns with data-driven justification for any restrictions.
• Share effective tools and real-life examples to guide best practices, promote individual rights, and ensure compliance, ultimately enhancing quality of life for those supported.

This session focuses on the practical application of time-limited restrictions, helping attendees bridge the gap between policy requirements and real-world implementation. While HCBS and CQL guidelines establish the framework, this session will explore how to apply these principles effectively in everyday practice.

Through real-life examples, data-driven strategies, and interactive discussion, participants will learn how to set meaningful restrictions, document them effectively, and ensure they are truly time-limited. By connecting ideas to actionable steps, attendees will leave with practical tools to facilitate compliance, promote individual rights, and navigate common challenges.

Katie Kemp, Associated Catholic Charities/Gallagher Services
Megan Sweat, Associated Catholic Charities/Gallagher Services

• Better define culture and tradition
• Learn from Gallagher’s transformation milestones
• Identify strategic drivers and how it relates back to a leadership challenge
• Explore the transparency of Gallagher’s transformation and lessons learned
• Discover the shaping of Gallagher’s inspired culture

There are many tools available to providers to support the evolution towards greater quality, opportunity, and choice for people using supports. Gallaher Services started slowly, with the advent of the HCBS Settings Rule, pursuing CQL Quality Assurance Accreditation, and then embracing change using tools offered by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP), and Frontline Supervisor training curriculum. The presenters will share how making steps toward system compliance resulted in a complete organizational transformation.

Crystal Hicks, Emory Valley Center

• Recognize the need for behavioral health services in IDD communities.
• Explore measurable impact & success stories.
• Find out how you can advocate & expand services.
• Understand the role of enabling technology in mental health support.

Behavioral health services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have long been overlooked, leaving many without the critical mental health support they need. Emory Valley Center is changing that narrative.

Join us for an insightful session where we explore how tailored behavioral health services are making a profound impact on people with IDD. Learn how our individual therapy, psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR), and applied behavior analysis (ABA) programs, have led to significant reductions in crisis behaviors, hospitalizations, and law enforcement interventions.

Discover the role of enabling technology in promoting independence, how our innovative programs foster life skills and community integration, and why a 289.5% increase in people served is only the beginning. Whether you’re a provider, advocate, or policymaker, this session will equip you with actionable strategies to support and expand behavioral health services in your own community.

Let’s work together to ensure that mental health is accessible to everyone.

Bridget M. Cariello, AHRC Nassau
Susan Gill-Orange, AHRC Nassau

• Leveraging data to drive strategic planning
• Reviewing themes and key initiatives for the upcoming year
• Interpreting and using outcome indicators to measure success
• Aligning organizational goals with person-centered outcomes
• Best practices for continuous improvement and quality assurance

Join us for this fun and interactive session, where we’ll explore how to effectively use data to strategically plan for success in the year ahead. This insightful workshop will provide you with the tools, knowledge, and frameworks needed to assess key themes, initiatives, and outcome indicators that drive the delivery of high-quality, person-centered experiences and initiatives at your organization. AHRC Nassau, the largest provider of services on Long Island and an organization that achieved Person-Centered Excellence Accreditation With distinction, will share how they have utilized their data to create agency-wide initiatives to highlight the Personal Outcome Measures® and its benefits.

Laurie Campbell, CHI Friendship
Jessica Aasand, CHI Friendship
Garret Miller, CHI Friendship

• Explore the impact of empathy in the day-to-day lives of people with disabilities.
• Reflect on new ways you can use the Personal Outcome Measures® (POM) to improve services today.
• Walk away with easy-to-replicate ideas that can change the way services are provided at your agency.

Are there quality of life differences between the staff and the people supported at your agency? If you answered, “yes,” this session will break down the “why?” Why are people with disabilities often viewed and treated differently? What can you and your agency do to bridge this gap? Until we view people with disabilities as truly equal, our services will continue to reflect inequalities. Explore how our perception of people shapes our services at the point of contact.

We’ll take a look at the Personal Outcome Measures® through the lens of the people we support. Find out how a simple empathy tool like GEM (Good Enough for Me) can be applied to the Personal Outcome Measures® to transform not only our mindset but our actions. You’ll learn from real-life examples on how using GEM can improve the quality of life for the people you support. This session looks to reimagine what it means to treat people like we want to be treated.

Sarah Baier, AHRC NYC
Tommy Heller, AHRC NYC

• Gain perspective to create a culture where feedback is welcomed, fear is reduced, and meaningful change is driven from the inside out.
• Learn about AHRC NYC’s multi-tiered approach to feedback that includes micro, mezzo, and macro tools that gather qualitative and quantitative data to capture a full picture of experiences across the organization.
• Use person-centered planning to transform feedback into a collaborative, ongoing conversation rather than an interrogation.
• Explore how feedback is used not just to solve isolated issues, but to identify patterns and drive systemic improvements.

Feedback often feels like a distant knock in the attic – something we know is there, but we feel we have to ignore it because… what’s that?? Oh my! There’s a fire burning in the kitchen!

Organizations are often caught in a cycle of responding to urgent challenges – everything from surprise audits to incident management. While these tasks are undeniably important, they tend to be rooted in assurance processes rather than reflecting the lived experiences of people with disabilities within the organization. By focusing solely on transactional feedback and assurance-based work, we risk overlooking the transformative opportunities that can drive real improvements in service quality. When we prioritize quick fixes over deeper insights, we miss the chance to create higher-quality support and, ultimately, stronger organizations.

At AHRC NYC, we’ve worked to embed feedback loops as a tool that drives our work. From satisfaction surveys and listening sessions, to hotlines and on-the-ground visits gathering input in real-time, we’ve built proactive, accessible channels that let people with disabilities lead.

This session will show you how feedback, when gathered the right way, can give you a clear pulse on your organization and build solutions that address concerns both individually and systemically. We will highlight how we use all feedback – positive, neutral, or critical – to shape our work for the better.

Join us to learn how to take fear out of addressing concerns and use it to power a more connected, responsive, and forward-thinking organization.

The film You.Sleep.Stay. invites audiences into the world of Fred, a deaf, intellectually and developmentally disabled senior who has spent over 70 years at a state institution in rural Pennsylvania. When the facility is slated for closure, Fred faces leaving the only home he has known since he was a young child, and his brother John must navigate bureaucracy and come to terms with the traumas of the past as he searches for new place to live.

More than just an observational portrait, You.Sleep.Stay. offers a deeply felt exploration of what it means to communicate, to care, and to bear witness. Through a rich cinematic approach that prioritizes presence and empathy, the film challenges audiences to reflect on the ways we build institutions, forge family bonds, and show up for our communities.