The Winners Cup ...Everybody Works! Everybody Wins!
APSE The Network on Employment
2008 Conference: Louisville, KY
Call for Presentations
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Submit your proposal online ***
The 19th Annual National APSE Conference will take place from July 9-11, 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky. The APSE conference is exclusively focused on employment of people with significant disabilities in the community, and is the forum for sharing knowledge and expertise on the latest developments and innovations in the field with APSE members from across the country. This year’s conference will have nine theme tracks:
- Best Practices – What gets you to the employment winner’s circle? Innovative and creative best practice strategies for achieving high quality integrated employment for people with significant disabilities, including planning, assessment, placement and support strategies, and effective program models.
- Job Development – Finding and creating jobs that truly fulfill dreams and aspiration. Job search strategies including marketing to employers and developing effective business partnerships.
- School to Career Transition – As you reach the backstretch in school, making sure you’re ready for employment when you cross the finish line. Facilitating integrated employment outcomes post graduation including transition planning, community work experiences during the school years, creating interagency partnerships, and working with families through the transition process.
- Public Policy – The thoroughbreds! Legislative, policy, and legal issues and trends, including how public systems can best support integrated community employment.
- Program Management – Operating an organization that’s a Gold Cup! Tools for program directors and managers to achieve quality outcomes, including such topics as managing a person-centered program, finding and maintaining a direct service workforce, data as an effective management tool, meeting the needs of diverse cultures, and staff supervision issues.
- Placement Support – Strategies for ensuring a smooth ride for long-term employment success. Support strategies such as job coaching, natural supports, benefits management, accommodations, assistive technology, behavior supports, and transportation.
- Family and Consumer Issues – Tools that are a sure bet for individuals and families to take charge. Strategies to empower individuals and family members including consumer-driven service strategies, person-centered planning, facilitating consumer choice, self-advocacy, individual control of funding, working with families, and overcoming resistance to employment.
- Customized Employment – Innovative strategies in customized employment. Includes such topics as negotiating individualized jobs with employers, the discovery process, self-employment, and braided funding strategies.
- Research to Practice – What’s the latest research and how it can help individual’s achieve employment that’s a triple crown? The latest research findings and their application to enhancing integrated community employment.
Suggested topics
Presentations are encouraged on a wide range of topics related to improving and expanding integrated employment opportunities, services, and outcomes for persons experiencing disabilities. Examples of possible topics include:
Natural supports; person-centered planning; effective assessment; organizational change; long-term placement supports; job coaching; consumer-driven service strategies; funding; marketing to employers; customized employment; positive behavior supports; meeting the needs of diverse cultures; managing for quality; working with One-Stop Career Centers; finding and maintaining a direct service workforce; self-employment; strategies for supporting individuals with specific disabilities; self-advocacy; ethics; legislative and policy issues; transportation; wealth and asset accumulation; benefits management.
Session Format and Length
Sessions may use a variety of formats, including lecture with questions and answers, panel discussion, and cracker barrel/open discussion. APSE encourages sessions that actively engage participants. Presentation guidelines and tips will be provided with session acceptance letters. Sessions can be either 60 or 90 minutes.
Presenter Requirements
All presenters must be current APSE members at the time of the conference. (Membership information is available at www.apse.org or by calling 804-278-9187.) Presenters must also register for the conference and pay all required registration fees. APSE is unable to pay travel expense or an honorarium to any presenter. Presenters are responsible for bringing or covering the costs of their audiovisual equipment.
Submission Instructions
To submit a presentation proposal, please complete the Call for Presentations on-line application. While submission of responses on-line is preferred, individuals may also complete the attached Call for Presentations response form, and submit the form by email or U.S. mail. Information to be included in the response:
- Session title, presenters, target audience, session format, length, theme track.
- Abstract for conference program (150 word limit). Please remember this is your marketing piece, and should be worded in a way that generates interest in attending your session.
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A list of 3 to 5 learning objectives. Examples of wording for learning objectives:
- Increase knowledge of approaches to disclosure and accommodation request.
- Identify effective placement strategies for individuals with more significant disabilities.
- Enhance strategies for ensuring that placements reflect individual interests and preferences.
- A session description (maximum 500 words) that expands the information in the session description. This description may include an outline of the information to be presented, ways the presentation supports expansion of employment in integrated settings for persons with disabilities, strategies for engaging the audience, and any other information you feel may be useful in evaluating your proposal.
- A resume, CV or a short biography – maximum 200 words, for each presenter.
If you are not submitting your proposal on-line, it may be emailed to: david.hoff@umb.edu or sent via U.S. mail to:
David Hoff
Institute for Community Inclusion
University of Massachusetts
100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125
If you have questions or need assistance in preparing your response to the Call for Presentations, please contact David Hoff at: 617-287-4308 (voice); 617-287-4350 (TTY); david.hoff@umb.edu
The submission deadline is February 22, 2008.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the proposed presentation, and the presentations support for APSE’s mission and values. The conference program committee will review all proposals and notify lead presenters in early March, 2008.