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Saturday, September 29, 2012
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
The Hogan Campus Center at the College of the Holy Cross
CLICK HERE FOR EXHIBITOR
& SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
A full day of motivation, showing families how to BUILD A
HOME and LIFE for their loved ones with disabilities giving
them interdependent full lives in their community. This
conference will give you an opportunity to network and meet individuals
who are making it work.
UPDATE: The Building a Home conference was a huge success
with more than 300 participants attending. Gail Fanjoy, our keynote
speaker, inspired and motivated families to help create BIG lives
for their family members in their communities. This message was
reinforced in the seventeen (17) amazing array of informational
workshop sessions. Many of the presentations and resources provided
can be found here on the MFOFC website. Gary Blumenthal wrapped
up the day with a Legislative Call to Action: It is the responsibility
of us all to make sure our legislators know how their votes and
budget decisions affect our family.
Conference
Schedule of Events
8:00 – 9:00 AM Registration ~ Networking ~ Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 9:10 AM Welcome ~ Susan Nadworny, MFOFC Chairperson
9:10 – 9:20 AM Remarks ~ Commissioner Elin Howe, DDS
9:20 – 10:20 AM Keynote ~ Gail Fanjoy "Housing as part
of an overall Good Life"
Ms. Fanjoy is the Executive Director of KFI, a community- based
provider agency in Millinocket, Maine. KFI supports individuals
with disabilities to have typical homes, competitive jobs, valued
relationships...CHANGED LIVES!
Keynote
Address PowerPoint Presentation - .ppt [7.3 MB]
10:30 AM-12:00 PM Session One Workshops
12:00 – 1:20 PM Lunch ~~ Visit the Resource Fair
1:30 – 2:45 PM Session Two Workshops
2:55 – 4:10 PM Session Three Workshops
4:15 – 4:50 PM A Legislative Call to Action!
4:50 – 5:00 PM Evaluations ~~ RAFFLE
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE WORKSHOP
DETAILS & SCHEDULE
Conference
Flyer 
Conference Supporters
This conference has beengenerously supported by the Niel M.Wreidt
2003 Revocable Trust, Attorney Donald Freedman, Trustee. Sponsored
by Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change (MFOFC) ~ Co-sponsored
by the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC),
Shepherd Financial Partners, Special Needs Financial Planning, Advocates,
Inc., Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts PC, and Seven Hills
Foundation in collaboration with Riverside Community Care, Arc of
Massachusetts (Arcmass), Arc of Greater Haverhill and Newburyport,
EMARC, DDS Statewide Advisory Council (SAC) and The Federation for
Children with Special Needs (FCSN). Click
here for information about conference supporters.
Workshop
Information 2012
Please note: this information
may change
Session One 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
#1) Working Together for Individuals with Disabilities
An overview will be given on the collaborative work that is beingdone
between the Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS)
andthe Department of Housing and Community Development to increase
theopportunities for funding housing options in the Commonwealth.
This willbe a brief presentation with time for questions and discussion.
Presenters: Karen Langley,Director of Assistive Technology
and Community Support Programs, EOHHS and AaronGornstein, Undersecretary,
Dept. of Housing & Community Development
Making
Homes that Work - A Resource Guide - .pdf - [4.6 MB]
Working
Together for Individuals with Disabilities - .docx [20 KB]
#2) Person-Centered Planning ~ Focusing on Outcomes
Person-centered planning is a "toolbox" of methods and resources
used to help individuals with disabilities choose their own pathways
to success. Using their strengths, desires and interests, the focus
is on the individual’s vision to identify opportunities to make
the vision real.
Presenters: Kerry Mahoney, Support Manager, Arc of Greater
Haverhill-Newburyport (The Arc of CHN) and Christine Shane, PhD,
Behavorial Sciences Dept., Fitchburg State University
#3) Help! Which agency door opens to what? How
do you know where to go?
For many families it is often challenging and frustrating to understand
where to go for information, resources, support, and services for
their loved one with a disability and their family. This is particularly
true in transitioning from public education at 22 years old, when
there is an emergency or a change in the family situation becomes
more complex. Questions arise such as, “Who should I call first?
What is the eligibility criteria for DDS? DMH? MRC? What services
can I get from Mass Health? What is priority #1? What are the funding
limitations? This workshop will be interactive and answer these
questions and many more. You will leave armed with detailed and
practical information a better understanding of next steps in accessing
services.
Presenter: Jeff Kielson, Senior Vice President, Advocates,
Inc.
#4) Big Picture Planning
How do you sustain a lifetime of support utilizing both your personal
and government benefits, while protecting those benefits at the
same time. How do you estimate the costs, and pay for a lifetime
of supports to create a great life? This workshop will discuss various
personal planning strategies that address the lack of adequate government
resources to provide all families with residential services. Both,
legal considerations as well as an example of a financial planning
process will be discussed to help families develop their own strategies.
Presenters: Cynthia Haddad CFP, John Nadworny CFP, ChFC, Special
Needs Financial Planning and Donald N. Freedman, Attorney, Rosenberg,
Freedman & Goldstein LLP
The
Big Picture Planning - .ppt [376.0 KB]
#5) 101 Housing Ideas
Let's explore the variety of housing and support options available
and how they work. Apartments, home ownership, in law, shared living,
Adult Foster Care (AFC); the list goes on.
Presenter: Pat Pakos, Support Broker, The Arc of Massachusetts
(Arcmass)
Housing
Options - .doc [26 KB]
Housing
Workshop PowerPoint Presentation - .ppt [1.4 MB]
#6) Partnering with the Department of Developmental
Services (DDS)
How can a family enter into partnership with DDS to create a successful
living arrangement? Yes, it can be done! DDS representatives from
three different locales who are working closely with families on
creative living situations will share best practice examples to
prove it.
Moderator: Larry Tummino, DDS Deputy Commissioner
Panelists: Rick Kalish, Area Director, Metro North Area Office;
Adele Gillis, Service Coordinator Broker, Greater Boston Area
Office; Amy Pratt, Service Coordinator Supervisor, Plymouth Area
Office
Vision
- .pdf [169.KB]
Session Two 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
#7) "Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without
Them"
Living well depends on matching qualified, compatible room/housemates,
and staff to the individual who needs support. This is true regardless
of the model of residential arrangements you choose. This presentation
will discuss the criteria for determining complementary personalities,
negotiating expectations, and emphasizing strengths, interests and
talents.
Presenters: Dafna Krouk-Gordon, President, TILL, Inc., and
Jeff Kielson, Senior Vice-President, Advocates, Inc.
#8) Allocating the Resources
What are the differences between Traditional agencies, Agency with
Choice and the Public Private Partnership when spending Department
Developmental Services (DDS) allocations.
Presenters: Michael Andrade, Executive Director of Northern
Bristol County Arc; Tara Himmel, Senior Program Manager, Public
Partnerships, LLC and Greg Carey, Business Analyst, Public Partnerships,
LLC.
Developing
and Implementing Self-Directions Programs and Policies Handbook
- .pdf [1.5 MB]
Self-Direction
and the MA DDS Participant Directed Program (Tara Himmel &
Greg Carey) - .ppt [2.0 MB]
#9) Working with your School for Successful Transition
What are the skills needed to live as independently as possible
and access your community? How can you make sure you maximize the
IEP? We will discuss the IDEA and special education law, transition
assessments, community based work and independent living. Strategies
will include writing individualized measurable goals that access
a full and meaningful life based on the student's vision.
Presenter: Terri McLaughlin, Transition Specialist, Federation
for Children with Special Needs (FCSN)
#10) Housing Choice Voucher Program available through
Local Housing Authorities
Section 8 Housing is a federal assistance program that helps low-income
Massachusetts residents pay for their housing. Section 8 rental
vouchers help Massachusetts tenants pay their rent; Section 8 homeownership
assistance helps pay mortgage loans; and project-based Section 8
subsidies help keep rents low in specific private housing developments
in Massachusetts.
Presenter: Stephen Merritt, Executive Director, Norwood Housing
Authority
#11) Family Panel ~ How They Made it Happen
Why did you choose this model? How is it being funded? How will
it be sustained? Family members will share their action plan that
helped build a home and life for their loved one.
Moderator: Pat Pakos, Support Broker, The Arc of Massachusetts
(Arcmass)
Panelists: Carol Bird, Leia Brown, Deborah Smith-Pressley, Deborah
Flaschen, Sandy Slavet
Session Three 2:55 PM – 4:10 PM
#12) Friendships ~ A Life without Friends and Love
is no Life at all.
We ALL need people who care about us. Be sure that when you are
planning, you do everything that you can to encourage relationships
wherever you live, learn, work and play. And be careful to not accidently
create unnecessary roadblocks.
Presenters: Jim Ross, Coordinator-Northeast/Metro Boston/Southeast
Region and Mary Ann Brennan, Coordinator/Central & West Region
for The Real Friends Project
Abstract
- The Real Friends Project - .doc [360.5 KB]
Draft
Dual Purpose Letter to Programs about New England Index -
.doc [363.0 KB]
#13) Top Ten Actions You, As Parents, Can Take
Today
Learn top ten tips on actions parents can take to help their daughters
and sons live an inspiring life.
Presenter: Gail Fanjoy, Executive Director of KFI – A Community
based provider agency in Millinocket, ME
Living
an Inspiring Life - .ppt [135 KB]
#14) AFC Shared Living Nonotuck - Sharing a Home
This workshop will explore the development of a shared living home
shaped by the vision of the family and their son or daughter where
choice and control are shifted from the agency and larger system
to the family. The workshop will also explore the support options
that the Adult Family Care (AFC) program can provide to families
who continue to care for a loved one at home. Presenters will provide
information on the qualifying criteria for participation as well
as the nursing and case management supports.
Presenters: Nonotuck Resource Associates - George Fleischner,
Executive Director; Fred Bona, Parent and President of the Board
of Directors; Angela Procopio-Rahilly, Director of Special Projects
and Kitty Curtin, Director of AFC Services & Nursing
#15) Family Panel – How They Made it Happen
Why did you choose this model? How is it being funded? How will
it be sustained? Family members will share their action plan that
helped build a home and life for their loved one.
Moderator: Pat Pakos, Support Broker, The Arc of Massachusetts
(Arcmass)
Panelists: Janice Bourque, Gary Vacon, Denise Miglorini, Julia
McCarthy, Susan Sternfeld
#16) Surveying the need for Housing Supports for
Individuals with Disabilities
Autism Housing Pathways conducted a survey of the housing needs
and resources of Massachusetts individuals and families impacted
by autism. The results of the survey from 240 responses will be
shared, including levels of support necessary, desired environmental
adaptations, available resources and supports.
Presenter: Catherine Boyle, President of Autism Housing Pathways
AHP
Survey Results - .ppt [13.1 MB]
#17) The Tremendous Potential and Pitfalls of Families
Working Together
Learn strategies and cautions as you consider the options that might
be available to successfully create a home for your loved one. The
presenters will use their own experiences and experiences working
with other families for discussion on the successes and challenges.
They will also share written guidelines that can be of help for
families as they go into the business of partnering with each other
and possibly collaborating and partnering with the state and human
service provider agencies.
Presenters: Jeff Keilson, Senior Vice President of Advocates,
Inc. and Susan Senator, Writer, Activist and Parent
BUILDING A HOME
TOOLKIT
Resources from the Building a Home Conference 2010
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