Vermont APSE

Advancing Employment. Connecting People.

Burlington, VT 05405
ph: 802-656-1345

Vermont's Sheltered Workshop Conversion Institute

A Time for Change...

Sheltered Workshops have been a hot topic lately. Many realize it is time to change their workshops to community-based employment. We can help!

In 2002, Vermont closed its last sheltered workshop for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Former Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords noted, “As we close this chapter on work centers in Vermont, I hope that we encourage others to follow Vermont’s lead to a place where all of us work side by side.”

In this spirit we invite you to join us in Vermont this fall to continue the dialogue as we host our third sheltered workshop conversion institute. We'll examine the issues of policy change, training, and culture-shift needed to foster the conversion of sheltered workshops to community-based employment services. State policy makers, Developmental Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Advocates, and Families are encouraged to attend. State teams are encouraged!

Date: October 6 & 7, 2011 (9:00-4:00) Peak fall foliage season in Vermont!

Registration Fee: $400.00 per person (includes materials, meals, and Lake Champlain Dinner Cruise). Some scholarships may be available.

10% discount for members of APSE or CASE

Location: Hilton Burlington, 60 Battery Street, Burlington, Vermont, United States 05401 Reservations: 1-800-HILTONS (800-445-8667) Fax: 1-802-658-4659. Overlooking scenic Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, the hotel is walking distance to the Lakefront Boardwalk and Church Street Marketplace and many other Vermont Attractions, (see if you can spot the Flying Monkeys). We’ve secured a room rate of $169.00 per night. Ask for the Vermont APSE room block (Reservations must be made by September 14, 2011). Burlington International Airport is a 10-minute drive from the hotel (free shuttle).

For additional information: call 802-656-1345 or email: bryan.dague@uvm.edu

Space is limited, please register early.

Send Registration Form with check payable to Vermont APSE by September 22, 2011 to:

University of Vermont (Attention: Bryan Dague)
Center on Disability & Community Inclusion
Mann Hall, 3rd Floor
208 Colchester Ave.
Burlington, VT 05405-1757

FAX: 802-656-1357

EMAIL: Bryan.Dague@uvm.edu

REGISTRATION FORM (PDF)

REGISTRATION FORM (WORD)

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Richard Luecking has been President of TransCen since 1987. During his tenure he has written, directed, overseen dozens of projects that address school-to-work transition and employment services for people with disabilities. He was an original consultant in the development of the Bridges from school to work program of the Marriott Foundation for People with disabilities. He is the author of, "Working Relationships: Expanding Employment Options and Career Development for Job Seekers with Disabilities" and "The Way to Work: How to Facilitate Work Experience for Youth in Transition" as well as numerous journal articles.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Laura Owens, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of APSE, a national association focusing on the advancement of integrated employment for citizens with disabilities based Washington, DC. She is also an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the department of Exceptional Education and the Director/Founder of Creative Employment Opportunities, Inc. (CEO), an employment agency for individuals with disabilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Facilitator: Mike Reilly has more than 25 years leadership experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with a specialty in the start-up of new projects and the coordination of collaborative public and community-based initiatives. He coordinated the first Community Justice Center in Vermont, and previously directed multiple-partner projects in the fields of transportation, housing, and experiential education. Mike is a certified trainer of balanced and restorative justice processes, family/community group conferencing, and circle dialogues. He favors storytelling and open dialogue models for collaborative learning.

We'll have general sessions with small group work for an interactive and productive conference.

Presentations to include:

The Way to Work: Leading Edge Directions in Employment of People with Disabilities: Dr. Richard Luecking, TransCen, Inc. Rockville, MD

There’s a job for everyone who wants to work! No exceptions! This is the case regardless of disability label, the level of support required to find and succeed at work, or the economic vitality of the communities in which people live. The knowledge, expertise, and strategies exist to make this happen. With facts and anecdotes, Dr. Luecking will share features of employment services that are essential for facilitating integrated employment outcomes, contemporary innovations in implementing these services, and how wider scale adoption of effective employment services can contribute to self-determined, integrated and valued jobs and careers for people with disabilities.

People Prefer Integrated Employment: Dr. Alberto Migliore, Research Associate, Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The majority of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) would prefer integrated employment, and only a small number of them think that they would not be able to work outside of sheltered workshops. Data are from people with disabilities in sheltered workshops, their family members, and support professionals in the workshops.To sustain the choice of integrated employment, national and state policies and practices must shift funding and services away from facility-based day programs to integrated community employment.

Life after the Workshop: Presentation on the process of converting the last sheltered workshop in Vermont. Panel will describe the process of conversion, issues encountered, where they are now, and plans for the future.

Policy & Systems Change Panel: Representatives from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Services, and direct-service agency personnel will address issues of funding, leadership, policy and systems change, individualized services, self-employment, and life after sheltered employment.

Green Mountain Self-Advocates: We'll hear from self-advocates and their thoughts on community-based employment and services. The purpose of Green Mountain Self-Advocates is for people with developmental disabilities to take control over their own lives, make decisions, solve problems and speak for themselves.

World Café: To ensure plenty of opportunity for dialogue, we'll incorporate World Café sessions (the World Café is an innovative yet simple methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter) as well as the Dinner Cruise on Lake Champlain aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen III. We recognize that each state and system is different and we can all learn from each other. We welcome this opportunity to host this event as we create a culture of inclusion for all.

Burlington, VT 05405
ph: 802-656-1345