Teens-j0443992-e1419024680569Marlborough, MA, September 27th, 2019. Registration deadline for the conference is September 14, 2019. The Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council MASILC Conference is an opportunity learn about the latest available Independent Living services, and to strategize better ways to achieve common goals.
*Conference participation is free, however space is limited.
* Priority is given to staff from the 10 Independent Living Center staff, board members and appointed members of the Massachusetts Statewide Independent Living Council. 

Workshops Topics:

  • Keeping It Moving: Physical Activity and Exercise for People With Mobility Disabilities
  • Independent Living for a Lifetime: How Age-Friendly Communities Advance Independence
  • Transition Planning: Preparing for College
  • Outreach and Marketing: Getting Your ILC Noticed
  • Finding and Using Community Transportation, and Advocating to Fill Transportation Gaps
  • Basic Overview of Social Security Disability Benefits
  • Census 2020: Counting Everyone
  • TAP – Transition to Adult Hood Program by invitation
  • ADA Updates in 2019
  • Affordable Housing 101
  • Massachusetts PCA Quality Improvement Project: Addressing Recruitment and Retention for Personal Assistance Users Receiving 40 or More Hours/Week

To register  contact Voice/TTY: 508-620-7452 or email sadie@masilc.org

2019 CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS Speaker & Workshop Descriptions:

Keeping It Moving: Physical Activity and Exercise for People with Mobility Disabilities -Nassira Nicola and Kimberley Warsett MA Department of Public Health, Office of Health Equity
* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leading health advocacy organizations recommend regular exercise to reduce the risk of chronic disease and pain, improve muscle and bone health, and
boost mood. This is especially important for people whose disabilities already involve pain and reduced mobility – and yet a new data analysis from the Health and Disability Program shows that people with mobility disabilities are less than half as likely as nondisabled people to get the recommended amount of exercise. Furthermore, when people with mobility disabilities don’t get enough exercise, they’re much less likely to describe themselves as feeling healthy. This workshop will discuss some of the barriers to exercise for people with mobility disabilities (hint: it’s not laziness!), the unfair impact of these barriers across particular segments of the disability community, and ways that ILCs, local health and planning departments, and individual consumers can work to remove these barriers in the community and their own lives.

Independent Living for a Lifetime: How Age-Friendly Communities Advance Independence – James Fuccione Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative and Bill Henning Boston Center for Independent Living
* Massachusetts is home to 50 Age-Friendly Communities designated by AARP and the World Health Organization, and one of three statewide designations in the country. With this movement gaining momentum, there is opportunity to create inclusive social and physical environments in cities and towns that work for all residents. The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC) is working with local, regional and statewide organizations to promote and support this Age-Friendly movement and will provide an overview of activity, data, and progress. MHAC will also inform attendees how they can get involved to add their own important voice to this process. The Boston Center for Independent Living is a member of the MHAC Executive Committee and will further explain and emphasize the
opportunity and overlap of this movement with current independent living efforts.

* Transition Planning: Preparing for College -Nancy Mader, Leslie Leslie federation for Children with Special Needs. This workshop discusses the change in law from high school to college and how to prepare students with disabilities for college life. Topics include self-determination and disability disclosure; documentation needed for accommodations; resources outside of college disability services and more.
1. Understanding the change in laws (from IDEA to ADA and 504)
2. Developing self-determination skills
3. Disability disclosure (what, when, and who)
4. Choosing the right school (4 year or 2 year)
5. Other resources

*  Outreach and Marketing: Getting Your ILC Noticed  -Deborah Barber, Tina Moroney, Patricia Cox Disability Resource Center.
– This workshop will focus on the outreach and marketing tactics that will help you get your ILC noticed! To start, we will briefly talk about our recent re-branding, including our change of name and change of logo. We will briefly go into the importance of creating a clear and attractive brand. Tina will present different social media/online marketing platforms and how you can expand your consumer outreach online. This will include how to manage your Google listing, how to manage an email list, how to make events and sync it with Facebook, how to make an impactful flyer and graphics, and how to make consistent social media posts. Deborah will talk about how to network in your community including looking for groups and community events to connect with, where to distribute materials, and the essentials of tabling and what “swag” is effective. Patricia will talk about how to write an effective press release, and how to find media contacts to share it with and connect with in general.

*  Finding and Using Community Transportation, and Advocating to Fill Transportation Gaps
Rachel Fichtenbaum MassMobility, EOHHS and Joe Bellil Easterseals MA.
–  Access to reliable, affordable transportation is a critical component of independent living. This session will provide a brief overview of transportation services available in communities around Massachusettsand introduce tools and resources to help individuals and providers find local options. Then we’ll highlight strategies for filling in the gaps. Joe Bellil of Easterseals Massachusetts will discuss a project in Worcester that has received federal funding to promote inclusion of riders with disabilities in transportation planning. Three rider groups have come together under a common coalition to advocate for themselves and for each other’s transportation access. Joe will share the activities and strategies advocates are pursuing, and highlight lessons learned about transportation advocacy. Then Rachel Fichtenbaum of MassMobility will share information on funding opportunities that may be available to ILCs or other organizations looking to launch transportation initiatives. The presentation will be conversational, with attendees encouraged to share their own strategies as well as their questions throughout the discussion – so please bring your ideas, questions, and stories!

*  Basic Overview of Social Security Disability Benefits – Brian Forsythe Work Without Limits Benefits Counseling
– This training addresses common myths around work and Social Security disability benefits (SSI and SSDI), while providing an overview of work incentives that counter such myths. Participants will review the major
differences between SSI and SSDI, how work earnings affect cash benefits and public health insurance (Medicaid and/or Medicare).

* Census 2020: Counting Everyone – Marlene Sallo Disability Law Center
– This workshop will outline the importance of outreach to people with disabilities and how to encourage their participation in Census 2020. In particular the workshop will cover:
1) Why counting everyone is important
2) The role advocates can play in ensuring outreach efforts are inclusive of people with disabilities
3) Provide information to the attendees so that they can then inform the disability community about the importance of Census 2020

TAP – Transition to Adult Hood Program by invitation

* ADA Updates in 2019 – Jason Angel and Stacy Hart New England ADA Center
Please join us for our annual update on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The principle, all people including people with disabilities have the right to participate, seems simple enough. However, even though the ADA was
passed 29 years ago, implementation has been spotty and many parts of the law are still unclear. We will discuss recent settlement agreements from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the
Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as emerging case law. We will review resources from the US Access Board and the New England ADA Center. There will be plenty of time for your questions.

* Affordable Housing 101 – Courtenay Loiselle Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission
Affordable Housing 101 provides information on affordable housing resources in Massachusetts and how to access them. We will talk about common affordable housing terms, and project- and tenant-based housing
options. The workshop will also talk about tools to use when doing housing search and best practices to complete a successful search.

*  Massachusetts PCA Quality Improvement Project: Addressing Recruitment and Retention for Personal Assistance Users Receiving 40 or More Hours/Week -Lisa Marschke, Louise Gorham, Linda Long Commonwealth Medicine/UMass Medical School and Michelle Byrd EOHHS/PCA Workforce Council.
– The MassHealth PCA program is one of the oldest Personal Assistance Services programs in the United States and now serves over 35,000 MassHealth members of all ages. In a recent survey, PCA users who require at least 40 hours of support per week reported significant difficulties in recruiting enough staff to meet their needs. We completed telephone interviews with 22 individuals who are authorized for at least 40 hours of personal assistance services per week about the challenges they experience in recruiting staff. We will share the common themes that emerged from these interviews and brainstorm strategies to overcome these challenges in the future.

*  Elements of Transition Planning – Annette M. Hines, Esq Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PC
– Decisions regarding transition are very difficult to make, and the planning requires time and a strong support team. In order to achieve a successful transition to adulthood, an individual’s transition plan must look at many elements of adult living including employment opportunities, vocational and post-secondary education, where to live and with whom, independent living skills, recreation, leisure activities, social relationships, self-advocacy, health and safety, financial benefits and income planning.

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