2025 Workshop Sessions with Descriptions
Thursday, 10:30 – 11:45
A1
Supported Decision Making: The Youth Perspective
Jenny Neugart and Jennie Rojas
Supported Decision-Making is a growing option allowing people with disabilities to keep their rights while still getting support on making decisions in the areas of life they choose. This session gives you the basics of SDM, ideas to work on decision-making skills, and a fresh perspective from young adults about their participation in the process.
A2
Overcoming Barriers to Financial Planning (Session 1): Family and Children’s Long-Term Support Services and Financial Management
Claire Keyes and James Giese
This session focuses on legal and financial programs for children and young adults. We start with the CLTS Program, cover guardianship and other legal options, and then move into estate planning, special needs trusts and ABLE Accounts.
A3
Partnering with Schools on Behavior and Discipline for Students with IEPs
Carlene Chavez and Heidi Lehman
Did you know students with IEPs are subject to disciplinary actions based on school policies? There are some protections through IDEA (federal law). Learn how school policies and procedures may impact your student/child and who can support you through this process.
A4
Mapping Resources in Your Community
Allison Lourash
In this interactive session, you learn in small groups about tools to visually map out resources in your community and connect with families and professionals from your area of the state. (For those who attended this session in 2024, we build on what was covered.)
A5
Creating More Peaceful and Satisfying Conversations
Robin Schnitzler
It’s challenging to stay emotionally and physically connected with your partner in parenthood and it is extra challenging when caring for a child with a disability. Learn specific tools to immediately improve your conversations. Get back on the same team AND the same page with your greatest ally—your partner.
Thursday, 1:30 – 2:45
B6
Finding Your Voice: Use Your Personal Strengths to Build Your Advocacy Skills
Molly Cooney and Cheryl Funmaker
This session is about advocacy from different perspectives. You’ll hear about how communities and cultures advocate differently and leave with an increased understanding of your own advocacy, ways to strengthen your advocacy muscles, and the value your voice brings to conversations where decisions are made.
B7
Overcoming Financial Barriers (Session 2): Exploring Adult Long-Term Supports and Dispelling Myths
Jamie Champine, Vicky Gunderson, Lakisha LaGrant-Heart and Paul Mross
We focus on the long-term service and support program options in Wisconsin, and how to begin when you transition from a children’s program to an adult long-term services program. We explore Family Care, the Managed Care Organization, and IRIS (I Respect, I Self-Direct) and the IRIS Consultant Agency. Finally, attendees we talk about fiscal employer agents and how they work with adults to self-direct their services.
B8
Finding Your Way through the Transition Planning Process
Cheri Sylla
Families of a child with a disability have a unique journey to travel as they prepare their child for what comes after high school. We share strategies and stories of how families have navigated the process, overcome challenges, and found their way.
B9
Resilience in Overcoming Barriers as Caregivers: A Panel of Parents Share Their Experiences
Robin Schnitzler, Facilitator; Panel members: Jeanine Nugent, Jennifer Hinze, Joclyn Cooks, Melissa Custer and Tiffany Schanno
A panel of parents and family members share their journey of overcoming barriers in caring for and supporting their children with disabilities. Come be inspired. You will hear about the resources, people and programs these caregivers used, found, and/or created to help their children forge ahead.
B10
Everyday Choices: Children Building Choice-Making Skills
Molly Murphy
Choice-making is a learned skill – a skill that children with disabilities may need intentional practice at an early age. This presentation focuses on how choice making supports positive behavior, how parents can share choice making strategies with their child’s providers, and how to individualize opportunities for choice making practice for all family members.
Thursday, 3:00 – 4:15
C11
Social Security and SSI Cash Benefits Planning for Children and Young Adults
Ron Konkol
Learn which child cash benefits are available before age 18 and how advance planning for adult benefits, starting at age 18, may last for a lifetime.
C12
I Could Go…If Only I Had a Caregiver: Finding, Hiring and Retaining Direct Caregivers
Wendy Heyn and Pamela Hencke
I could go…if only I had a caregiver. Haven’t we all said this? The shortage of caregivers continues. This interactive session will help families build ideas, resources and strategies for finding and utilizing caregivers so that families can survive AND thrive!
C13
Work Is for Me: Overcoming Barriers Transitioning from School to Work
Christine Schulz, Paul Mross and Self Advocates
In this session, you will hear from self-advocates about their employment success stories and from employers who have successfully hired individuals with disabilities. We will share how TMG supports individuals on their path to employment and our keys to success. You will also have the opportunity to share your school to work transition stories and build connections with others.
C14
Securing Futures Together: A Non-Profit’s Mission and Legal Strategies for Long-Term, Special Needs Care
Janis Strutt and Liam Gilhooly
A mother who lost my daughter, Morgan, shares the challenges of navigating long-term planning for her care, with an emphasis on the importance of ensuring loved ones with special needs are supported even when parents are no longer here. An attorney with expertise in special needs legal planning will explain tools and resources to start the long-term planning process.
C15
Using the Grief Process to Educate, Empower and Engage in Your Child’s Education Journey
Janis Strutt and Liam Gilhooly
This session explores grief and how it impacts your journey as a parent of a child with special needs. Learn how to use the grief process to positively empower and engage others to reach your child’s educational goals and leave with specific resources and tools.
Friday, 9:00 – 10:15
D16
Negotiating Adulthood: Moving Together on the Journey
Tim Markle and Hunter Markle
People with disabilities want and deserve to live the life they want to live – a Self-Determined Life. Tim and Hunter, father and son, are working together to learn how Tim can support his son in the way that respects Hunter and who he wants to be. Hunter is working to learn how to communicate his desires and his frustrations in a way that respects his father. They believe “independence” is a myth and we need others to be able to live our best lives.
D17
Understanding the Sibling Experience
Tessa Lewis
At Wisconsibs, we understand the important role siblings play in the lives of individuals with disabilities. This session focuses on the significance of supporting and empowering the brothers and sisters of people with disabilities on their lifelong journey.
D18
Using Medicaid HealthCheck and CLTS to Cover the Costs for What Your Child Needs
Windsor Wrolstad
This session coaches families on navigating the static periods in community supports, using the HealthCheck and CLTS systems together to maximize the likelihood that their request for an item or service will be approved. A parent with lived experience working through these systems, shares their successes and challenges they faced. We will break into small groups to address a few common obstacles and compile a list of strategies that parents can take forward!
D19
Is College Right for You?
Kate Dvorak and others
With Inclusive Postsecondary Education programs popping up across the nation, another option after high school for students with intellectual disabilities is the college experience program. Learn about inclusive college programs and how to decide if they’re the right option for you. Information about Lakeland University’s Life and Career Studies program will be shared.
D20
Elevating Caregiver Voices: Storytelling to Change the Conversation
Kristin Voss and Kristin Litzelman
This is an interactive workshop geared towards caregivers but open to anyone to understand how storytelling and art can be used as both self-care and advocacy tools. We explain the history of using stories and art from both a social justice and therapeutic lens while sharing examples focused on the caregiving experience. There will then be time for participants to use postcards and visual mediums to capture moments focused on joy, struggle and gratitude from their lived experience.
Friday, 10:30 – 11:45
E21
Future Planning: Keeping the Whole Family in Mind
Harriet Redman
Break through the barriers that often get in the way of planning a future when you have a child with disabilities. Included will be basic future planning information and resources, steps to take now to ensure future success, and how to use a FREE Letter of Intent to get your future planning started.
E22
Finding the Good: A Path to Resilience and Caregiver Mental Health
Chris Bivins
Maintaining your mental resilience as a caregiver can be daunting while providing good care to your family members. Using two evidence-based resilience trainings, participants will be led through a variety of exercises to assist them in building their own mental strength and resilience.
E23
Transforming Challenges into Triumphs: From Negative to Positive Experiences in Special Education
Angie and Jessen Koch, Heidi Lehman and Wendy Simonis
This insightful presentation explores the transformative journey of a parent navigating the complexities of special education for their child over a span of five years. The discussion highlights the challenges faced initially, showcasing how a series of negative experiences led to a pivotal turning point.
E24
(Presented in Spanish)
Ideas creativas para practicar la lectura en el verano
Creative Ideas for Summer Reading Practice
Alejandra Loeza
Leer durante el verano es una buena forma de evitar que los niños pierdan terreno de lo que aprendieron durante el año escolar. En esta sesión exploraremos, las diferentes maneras en que los miembros de la familia pueden apoyar la lectura de sus hijos con discapacidades en casa y conversaremos además; cómo elegir el libro “correcto” para tener una lectura exitosa.
Reading during the summer is a good way to prevent children from losing ground on what they learned during the school year. In this session we will explore the different ways that family members can support the reading of their children with disabilities at home, and we will also learn how to choose the “right” book for successful reading.
E25
Introduction to DHS/BCS Programs: Birth to 3 Program, CLTS and Others
Emily Brach and Rachel Lettner
We discuss children’s programs, their eligibility criteria and how families can access them. We cover the Birth to 3 Program, the Children’s Long-Term Support (CLTS) Program, Children’s Community Options (CCOP) Program, Care 4 Kids, Children with Medical Complexity and Katie Beckett Medicaid.