We are excited about the 2021 CtLC Showcase!
We hope you will join a/our network of people united around our core belief that “all people have the right to live, love, work and play in the community.”
This virtual event will bring together advocates, family leaders, professionals and other stakeholders that have joined us on the journey of learning, sharing and networking around the Charting the LifeCourse framework and tools.
We hope that you take full advantage of connecting with different presenters, attendees and sponsors to hear the many exciting ideas and innovations happening with CtLC around the country (and in other parts of the world). The CtLC Showcase is an opportunity to share, develop, implement, and discover promising practices that support the achievement of a “person-centered good life” for individuals and their families.
The CtLC Showcase is the annual event hosted by the CtLC Nexus, which is housed at the UMKC Institute for Human Development. The name “nexus” was chosen because it is defined a central place that connects or links groups, things and ideas together. The CtLC Nexus is national center that supports the “intersect of Charting the LifeCourse ideas, collaboration and transformation.”
The Showcase is designed to:
Enhance your skills and confidence!
Celebrate, Rejuvenate and Inspire!
Connect and Share with Others!
2021 Showcase Award Recipients
Innovation in Self-Advocacy and Family Networks
Family Resource Network of Ohio
Tracey Manz and Celia Schloemer
Innovation in Education
Debra Fiasco
Special School District
St. Louis, MO
Innovation in Employment
Massachusetts Partnership for
Transition to Employment
Margaret Van Gelder
Innovation in Person-Centered Practices
The Columbus Organization –
Delaware Community Navigators
Carlos Hernandez, Shenika Kirby,
Daniel Guidice, Jacque Pulling
Front Door to Supports
Bob Weir
Oregon Office for Aging and
Physical Disabilities
Innovation in Quality Supports and Services
Liberty Healthcare – Indiana
Janet Delehanty
Innovation in Policy and System Transformation
South Dakota Division of
Developmental Disabilities
Julie Hand
Front Door to Research
Rebecca Salon
National Disability Institute
Distinguished Contributor
National Center for Advancing Person-
Centered Practices and Systems
Alixe Bonardi, Bevin Croft
Showcase At-A-Glance
| 8:30 am - 9:30 am (CST) | Spotlight Presentations: Grab your coffee and listen to your peers share how they are using CtLC and the impact it has made in the lives of those theysupport. These “one slide spotlights” will showcase the many different waysthat CtLC is being used in education, disability and aging services and supports, employment, and many other settings. |
| 9:30 am - 10:30 am (CST) | Opening Keynote: Kick off the day with us by celebrating the passion, commitment and dedication of the LifeCourse community to supporting “good lives for all.” Sheli Reynolds, PhD will share how the framework and tools continue to evolve to respond to the ever changing landscape of what is happening in our lives, our services and supports and in the world. |
| 10:30 am - 12:00 pm (CST) | CtLC in Action Innovation Breakout Sessions: Join your peers in this interactive breakout session that best fits on how to use the tools in your everyday life and work. Each room will be facilitated by CtLC Coaches and Ambassadors that will share their innovative ideas for implementing the frameworkand tools within that specific practice area. Attendees will have the opportunity to share and ask questions throughout the session. CtLC in Action conversations will continue virtually throughout the year for those interested. Choose one of the following below: |
 | Moving Beyond the Plan: Integrating CtLC into Direct Service Providers: CtLC is integrated in the planning process but now it needs to be implemented into day-to-day services and supports. This session will focus on how direct support professionals and providers are integrating CtLC into all levels of change. Hear examples from your peers and participate in small group discussions with others in similar roles to share and learn with one another. Innovation Area: Direct Service Provider |
 | Pebble in the Pond: Using CtLC for Person Centered Planning: Hear how others have integrated CtLC to impact the lives of people and families of various life stages, as well as to impact agency and system practices for person-centered planning. Participate in hands on practice using the trajectory tool to think about YOUR role in person-centered practices, and how we can collaborate to continue to share and learn with others who are “tossing pebbles into their ponds!” Innovation Area: Person Centered Planning |
 | Navigating the Front Door of Supports: Explore how Front Door organizations and staff are using CtLC for problem-solving, planning and navigation. Hear directly from person-centered options counselors, information and referral staff, peer navigators and more in this interactive session. Innovation Area: Front Door to Supports |
 | Promoting Employment and Meaningful Days with CtLC Tools and Strategies: Competitive employment and meaningful community connections can be the cornerstone of a person's "good life". This session will highlight innovative ways the CtLC framework has been used to refocus expectations and service delivery. This includes the creation of Massachusetts parent training resources for raising family expectations, Indiana’s Vocational Rehabilitation focus on transition-aged students and specific examples on restructuring day services to offer more choice for how individuals spend their days. Innovation Area: Employment and Meaningful Day |
 | 3 R’s and a Star – Improving Educational Outcomes using CtLC: This CtLC in Action style session will be an interactive conversation with other innovators who are implementing CtLC in educational settings. Our panel will get start the discussion with highlights on how they are using the framework and tools with students, in team meetings and to drive formal planning. Be ready to share your own successes, challenges and ideas, and give input and feedback on a new education focused tool! Innovation Area: Education |
 | Self-Advocacy and Family Leadership Across the Lifespan: Join us for conversations and examples on the many unique ways in which the LifeCourse principles and tools are changing lives and impacting the family and self-advocacy movements. Personal stories will be shared, followed by opportunities to engage with and explore these applications across a lifespan. Innovation Area: Self-Advocacy and Family Leadership |
| 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm (CST) | Break |
| 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm (CST) | “Chat and Chew” with the LifeCourse Nexus Team: What’s New with LifeCourse?Grab your lunch and chat with the LifeCourse Nexus team about what is happening with “all things LifeCourse.” This your chance to ask questions, give feedback and find out about new opportunities and resources. Questions can be submitted live during the session or prior to the Showcase. |
| 1:15 pm - 2:15 pm (CST) | CtLC Practice Areas: Breakout Sessions: The afternoon breakout sessions are designed to provide how-to examples, present new ideas and spark conversations to address “frequently asked questions”around specific CtLC practice areas. Choose one of the breakout sessions below: |
| Nothing About Us, Without Us! Self-Advocates Share their Experience with CtLC: Join us to learn how self-advocates are using CtLC in their own lives, in their jobs as trainers and for helping their self-advocacy chapters. They will provide concrete examples and tips to help you when working with self-advocates and open it up for others to share what is happening around the country. |
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| CtLC Strategic Planning for Transformational Change: The CtLC framework can be applied in many ways and at many levels. This session will highlight using the principles and tools for organizational and strategic planning, including examples of the process organizations and systems have used to support them in specific project design and implementation. |
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| Growing and Sustaining LifeCourse in Your Organization, Region, or State: Are you a CtLC Champion looking to create opportunities for others to join you on in the journey? Come to this session to hear about the different ways the LifeCourse Nexus can help you engage others and how you can start a LifeCourse Chapter in your own region or state. |
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| “Just throw the Dart:” Getting Started with Charting the LifeCourse at your Organization: Are you wondering where to start with LifeCourse? Not sure how to incorporate CtLC into your day to day practice or at your organization? This session is for you! Sharon Spurlock will share the journey of the St. Louis Arc from introduction to full adoption of the Charting the LifeCourse principles and give you a variety of concrete examples to build your own team of “super participants.” |
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| CtLC for Supporting Families Across the Lifespan: Family leaders will share how they are using CtLC in the their own lives and for working directly with families. They will highlight the CtLC tools specifically designed for families, such as the CtLC Family Perspective tools and the CtLC Respite Guide and different outreach strategies. |
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| 2:15 pm - 2:30 pm (CST) | Break |
| 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm (CST) | Closing Plenary and Award Ceremony: End your day being inspired by a panel of speakers that will share how CtLC impacted their lives and lessons they have learned over the last few years and celebrating the winners of 2021 CtLC Innovation Awards. Recipients have championed the principles of Charting the LifeCourse, through innovation in their practice and by serving as a leader in the movement for transformative change. |
Showcase 2021 Innovation Areas
The Showcase agenda is designed to:
Enhance your skills and confidence!
Celebrate, Rejuvenate and Inspire!
Connect and Share with Others!
Self-Advocacy and Family Leadership
Network with other advocates and family leaders that are integrating CtLC Into their self-advocacy or family organizations for such things as, running meetings, navigation and peer support, self-advocacy training, leadership development and more.
Innovation Area Lead: Yvonne Carpenter
Education
CtLC is being integrated into educational settings starting in early childhood through higher education. Join other teachers, transition specialists, administrators, job coaches and professors to explore how the framework and tools are enhancing self-determination, self-advocacy and problem-solving skills and supporting the formal IEP and transition planning processes.
Innovation Area Lead: Jane St. John
Employment and Meaningful Day
Interact with secondary transition educators, vocational rehabilitation counselors, employment specialists and day habilitation staff and learn how to integrate CtLC in providing competitive employment and meaningful day opportunities. Particular attention will be paid to using CtLC to help families envision employment, to assist school and employment programs to maintain a focus on competitive employment, and to support students and individuals to express their own employment and community living goals.
Innovation Area Lead: Sean Roy
Person Centered Planning
Support coordinators, case managers, their supervisors and others who facilitate person-centered planning are encouraged to attend this interactive session on how CtLC is being integrated into problem-solving and planning discussions and utilized to meet federal and state service system requirements.
Innovation Area Leads: Shae Dotson, Lesley Blecharczyk, Barb Sapharas
Front Door to Supports
This newly formed Innovation area is focused on enhancing the information, problem-solving and navigation of formal and informal services and supports at the front door of systems or prior to entering a formal system of supports. Join other options counselors, intake specialists, navigators, information and referral staff to explore how CtLC is being integrated into practice at the front door.
Innovation Area Leads: Sheli Reynolds and Miranda Schultz
Direct Service Providers
Learn how direct service providers are supporting individuals with problem-solving and planning for achieving personal goals and outcomes, enhancing staff recruitment and training, quality assurance and evaluation and organizational decision making and strategic planning using CtLC. Join with other direct support professionals, supervisors, administrators, managers, training and quality assurance staff, therapists and board members.
Innovation Area Lead: Roy Gerstenberger
Our Sponsors
— Platinum Level —
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Become a Sponsor of 2021 Showcase
The LifeCourse Nexus will host over 500 self-advocates, family members, direct support professionals, service coordinators, teachers, transition coordinators, service provider executives, leaders of state human service disability agencies, and other stakeholders at a virtual event on May 20, 2021.
Sponsoring during the annual Charting the LifeCourse Showcase will provide your organization with the opportunity to share and network with a national audience of innovators and change agents, who are using Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) to enhance practices, policies, and procedures with the goal of supporting good lives for all.
We invite you to celebrate your partnership with the LifeCourse Nexus and demonstrate your commitment to exchanging knowledge, building capacity, and engaging collaboratively.
