May 14 - 15, 2026
Workshop Sessions with Descriptions
Thursday 10:30 - 11:45
1
Mental Health: Working with Your Child’s Therapist to Improve Outcomes
Ellen Merker
Kids with disabilities don’t exist in a bubble. All systems interact with one another to improve or impede successful goals. Caregivers can help improve mental health outcomes by knowing how to select a therapist that is a good fit, collaborating with therapists, getting education around the process of therapy, and using therapeutic interventions at home, school, and in the community.
2
Planning with Purpose: A Parent’s Journey and Legal Pathways for Special Needs Futures
Janis Strutt & Dera Johnsen-Tracey
A mother shares her journey of raising a child with special needs and the lessons learned about the importance of preparing for the future. Following this, an attorney with expertise in special-needs planning explains key legal tools and strategies families can use to secure long-term care, protect benefits, and create peace of mind for their loved ones.
3
Employment Partners in Transition for Students: Roles, Data, Collaboration, and Resources
Sarah Kuehn-DWD, Alicia Reinhard- DPI, Bob Meyer – DHS/CLTS, Andrzej Walz-Chojnacki-DVR, Stacey Teegardin – DHS/IPS & Rachel Kramer -DHS
4
Communicating with My School Team when Things are Hard
Carlene Chavez & Heidi Lehman
This session helps families understand some basic components of the IEP, learn communication strategies, and leave with the confidence to collaborate effectively as members of the team, even when challenges or conflict arise.
5
Advocacy Starts at Home: Empowering Families to Raise Their Voices in Special Education Policy
Melanie Grosse & Tiffany Schanno
This session explores how families can transform their lived experiences into meaningful advocacy and build strong partnerships with professionals along the way. This interactive workshop highlights the “parent-to-policy pipeline,” how everyday experiences in IEP meetings, classrooms, and communities can grow into legislative change.
6
Early and Intentional Planning: Helping Your Child Thrive as an Adult
Lesley LaLuzerne & Kim Strayer
This session guides parents and caregivers on planning early and intentionally for your child’s successful adult life. Participants explore strategies for housing, daily living skills, friendships, leisure, and independence. Speakers are parents, self-advocates, and professionals who have navigated these transitions. Attendees will leave with practical tools, resources and insights to help their children thrive as adults.
7
Spanish Speaking Families Only
Llenando Tu Taza: Autocuidado para padres y Personas Cuidadoras
Elsa Diaz-Bautista
Un taller acogedor y dinámico diseñado para ayudar a padres y personas cuidadoras a explorar estrategias sencillas y prácticas de autocuidado. Aprende a priorizar tu bienestar, manejar el estrés y fortalecer tu resiliencia mientras cuidas de tus seres queridos. Porque cuidarte a ti mismo(a) también es una parte esencial de cuidar a los demás.
Thursday 1:15 - 2:30
8
Ability Ambassadors: Empowering Individuals with Diverse Abilities through Belonging, Connecting, & Inspiring Others
Lori Fatla & a Panel of Self Advocates
The Ability Ambassadors are self-advocate adults in their 20s to 40s who address community engagement, participation and work, and human connection as essential for our present and future independence, and stronger, supportive communities. This presentation combines storytelling, acting, and a warm, eager request for families and professionals to ask the questions they really want responses to on a deep level.
9
Using Medicaid HealthCheck and CLTS to Cover the Costs for Your Child’s Needs
Windsor Wrolstad & a Parent
We coach families on navigating past static periods in community supports by using both HealthCheck and CLTS systems together. This maximizes the likelihood their request for an item or service will be approved. We hear from a parent who has lived experience working through these systems, sharing their successes and the challenges they faced. Finally, we step through a packet that walks through this process, raises questions, and applies learned information.
10
Preparing Neurodivergent Learners to Overcome Barriers to Post-secondary Education
Chelsea Budde & Laura Edwards
Chelsea Budde’s children, Justus and Noey, have a primary diagnosis of autism, plus several other areas of neurodivergence. Post-secondary education wasn’t part of the clinicians’ or early educators’ narratives about them, their mom knew it needed to be. Through a collaborative IEP process, she teamed with educators like Laura Edwards and community providers to find the tools to put in everyone’s toolboxes to open options.
11
Independent Living in Your Community with the Self-Directed IRIS Program
Christine Schulz & Sam Margelofsky
This interactive session introduces the IRIS Program and how individuals use IRIS to design supports that reflect their goals, preferences and community connections. It includes a panel discussion with a self-advocate, their IRIS Consultant, and a family member, highlighting their journey in self-directing services. These stories demontrate trust, communication and shared decision-making, and encourage families to thrive. Participants engage in a community mapping exercise, a hands-on activity to identify local resources, relationships, and opportunities to connect.
12
Supported Financial Management: Overview of Special Needs Trusts, ABLE, MAPP, and Fiscal Agents
James Giese & Vicky Gunderson
We give an overview of financial management programs for individuals with disabilities. Attendees learn about: Financial Management Tools: Special Needs Trusts, ABLE Accounts, and the Medicaid Purchase Plan (MAPP); Futures-Planning tools that can interface with financial planning tools such as SNTs and ABLE Accounts; and the role of Fiscal Agents. An interactive Q&A session follows with real-world examples of how these tools can be used. Informational materials will be provided.
13
Filling Your Cup: Self-Care for Parents and Caregivers
Elsa Diaz-Bautista
A supportive and engaging workshop designed to help parents and caregivers explore simple, practical self-care strategies. Learn how to prioritize your well-being, manage stress, and build resilience while caring for your loved ones. Because taking care of yourself is an essential part of caring for others.
Thursday 3:00 - 4:15
14
Surviving Survival Mode: Finding Your Balance, Your Support, and Your Next Step
Pam Beron
We discuss ways survival mode comes into play for families and how it feels to exist in this space for extended periods of time. We talk about strategies, techniques and steps toward surfacing from survival and taking control where we can, to move forward. We learn how to ask for and accept help from others [paid/unpaid people in our network] to support us through our journey.
15
Imagining the Future: Reflections on Life as an Adult with a Disability
Felica Clayborne, Richard Brissette, Savanna Hawpetoss, Henry Hawpetoss & Ariana Nathan
A panel of adult self-advocates share their experiences, their paths to getting where they are today, what’s important to them and what they want parents and providers to know.
16
DHS Session for Professional Development
Presenters TBD
Topic will be shared at a later date.
17
It’s Never too Early to Prepare for Employment
Mallory Cornelius, Lizzie Schuettpelz & Brooke Stephany
Preparing for employment is a crucual part of the transition from school to adult life. There are activities you can do now at home, school and in the community, as a young adult to prepare yourself for success when you work with a service provider to reach your employment goals. We explore the activities and what organizations to connect with along the way.
18
Overcoming Health Coverage Denials: 5 Steps for Families and Professional Partners
Melissa Havermann
Led by a Health Benefits Counselor and Advocate from ABC for Health, this practical session explores the options for families working with professionals to appeal Medicaid, CLTS program, or private insurance plan denials. This session includes tips to empower parents to “say no to no.” We discuss what to expect, how to prepare for a hearing or appeal, and we include some family success stories.
19
Partnering for Meaningful and Inclusive IEPs
Andrea Ruppar
Design meaningful and inclusive IEPs to support meaningful student participation and progress in the general curriculum, especially for students with developmental disabilities. Participants learn the fundamentals of strength-based present levels and goals, aligning goals with grade-level standards, and embedding classroom supports that promote belonging and access. Participants use examples to apply inclusive principles to create IEPs that reflect high expectations and shared responsibility for all learners.
20
2 Hour Session
Parent to Parent of Wisconsin Support Parent Training: No Parent Should Feel Alone. Ever.
Irma Otero
P2P matches parents seeking support with trained Support Parents who have been through a similar experience with their child to help parents learn to cope, advocate for their children and improve outcomes for their children and family. We also connect families to other programs and resources that are beneficial to their child and family. Our session will introduce and train attendees to be Parent to Parent of Wisconsin Support Parents.
Friday 9:00 - 10:15
21
Decision-Making Rights, Guardianship, and Supported Decision-Making: Exploring Less Restrictive Alternatives
Mary Cerretti & Jenny Neugart
We explore the impact of full guardianship on individual decision-making rights and highlight the importance of least-restrictive alternatives on skill-building and decision-making. The session introduces Supported Decision-Making as an effective alternative. It features real-world examples of how young adults with disabilities use these agreements and offers practical guidance for parents and guardians to support decision-making skill development.
22
From Silos to Circles: Building Partnerships to Truly Support Families and Providers
Marla Kopecky-Penney & Abby Drover
What if the biggest barriers between families and professionals aren’t systems, but our perspectives, assumptions and judgments? In this engaging session, we explore how curiosity, reflection and shared ownership transform communication across schools, agencies and homes. Participants learn practical ways to listen with openness and curiosity before stepping into meetings, calls or emails, building circles of support rather than silos of misunderstanding.
23
Safe Today, Slay Tomorrow: Navigating Support for Your Teen’s Mental Health Concerns
Maddie Wrights & Connie Calderon
Join us in a discussion on challenging conversations with teens today. We talk about signs/symptoms, writing a safety plan, and how to de-escalate stressful moments from a place of caring. We talk about navigating mental-health symptoms in your teen’s life, and how to connect to resources that can help.
24
Special Education: What Families Need to Know
Cheri Sylla
This session focuses on equipping parents with the essentials of special education—specifically, their rights and key advocacy resources. Attendees will gain the knowledge necessary to step into their role as an effective, informed advocate.
25
Essential Elements of Successful Special Needs Financial Planning
Ryan McGuire
Explore the key building blocks families need to create lifelong financial security for loved ones with disabilities, including utilization of government benefits, special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, and coordinated estate planning. The session emphasizes collaboration among families, advisors, and advocacy professionals to ensure resources and supports remain aligned across every stage of life.
Friday 10:30 - 11:45
26
The Power of Connection: Peer Support for Families of Children with Special Health Care Needs
Jenny Huffman
This presentation utilizes a panel discussion to highlight the perspectives of family members who lead peer support initiatives, demonstrating how these connections help families overcome isolation, share common experiences, build resiliency, and learn from one another.
27
Teaching and Reinforcing Social Skills
Sarah Kolkman
This session will introduce the STEP (Start, Teach, Experience, Practice) model to teach social skills and to demonstrate how it can be used collaboratively across home, school and community settings. Participants explore real-life examples, practice applying the framework, and discover strategies to reinforce learning. Together, we take the “next step” toward improving outcomes by equipping individuals with the confidence and skills they need to thrive.
28
DHS Family Education Session
Presenters TBD
Topic will be shared at a later date.
29
Empowering Youth with Disabilities: Navigating the Transition to Adulthood with Interactive Online Tools
Jenny Gundlach-Klatt
This session showcases three dynamic online resources designed to empower youth as they transition from school to adulthood: Before Age 18, Explore-Work, and Transition Discoveries. We’ll highlight the unique features of each site, including career assessments, skill-building activities, and goal-setting resources, and demonstrate how they can be integrated into transition planning.
30
Smart Support: How AI Can Boost Independence and Inclusion
Sydney Badeau
We explore how artificial intelligence (AI) tools—like smart assistants, visual planners, and communication aids—can support disabled individuals in work and daily life. Through real-world examples and inclusive design strategies, participants learn how AI can foster independence, reduce barriers, and strengthen collaboration between families, professionals and self-advocates.