2010 DSPs to DC

Hosted by ANCOR's National Advocacy Campaign

 As a Direct Support Professional, you are invited to:

Monday, September 13

9:30 am - 5:30 pm

Registration open - foyer, lower level

11:15 am

Walk to Capitol Hill for "Hill Briefing" - hotel lobby

ANCOR staff and volunteers will meet in the lobby and lead the way.

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Hill Briefing: Developing a DSP Workforce - Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-340

Lunch to be served. Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) and workforce experts invited by ANCOR will present Congressional staffers on Capitol Hill with a snapshot of life as a DSP and key findings from the ANCOR 2009 Wage Survey that have strong implications for the development of a sustainable DSP Workforce.

During the briefing, the presenters will discuss the impacts of providing a living wage on the sustainability of the DSP workforce and how the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009 would give states the opportunity to develop their workforce.

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

What Makes a Professional - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level
Joseph M. Macbeth, Assistant Executive Director, New York State Association of Community & Residential Agencies (NYSACRA) & Board Member, National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals

What does it means to be a Direct Support Professional?  Do you sometimes feel that what you do is a job and NOT a career?  How are Professionals recognized?  Do you feel you need more education and training to improve your direct support practice?  Do you want to have an improved identity as a Direct Support Professional?  What is a professional membership organization and what do they do for their members?  What professions have a Code of Ethics and why do they have them?

If you have asked these questions then this session will be meaningful to you - devoted to dive into what it truly means to be a PROFESSIONAL. This session will discuss the five aspects that characterize every profession and prove to you that Direct Support is indeed a PROFESSION.

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm

The NADSP Code of Ethics; Live and In High Definition Full Color! - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level
John Raffaele, Director of Staff Training, New Hope Community

This session will include ALL participants so they may discover and use the NADSP Code of Ethics. In this large group "encounter" John will breathe life into the NADSP Code of Ethics and use irreverent role -play, humor, self-disclosure and drama in order to illustrate the power and mandate to utilize a code of ethics in direct support practice. This session is rated PG-13...

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm

Break

4:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Community Supports and Skills Standards - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level
John Raffaele, Director of Staff Training, New Hope Community

A helicopter will arrive at the Washington Court Hotel heliport and will be full of cash and governmental officials. This session will help participants understand the importance of knowing the Community Support Skills Standards using a humorous and energetic approach. The Standards are the core foundation and competencies that Direct Support Professionals around the country need to adopt, embrace and practice. This session is lively, raucous and will include debate and competition in order to help DSPs have an epiphany about the vitality and sophistication of their beloved profession. There WILL be a helicopter and cash... be prepared...

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm

National Apprenticeship Program
Regis Objiski, Executive Director, New Horizons

Registered Apprenticeship programs meet the skilled workforce needs of American industry, training millions of qualified individuals for lifelong careers. The ANCOR/NADSP National Apprenticeship Standards is the first of its kind in the field of human services, providing a practical and sound training system that will meet training requirements to develop individuals into skilled professionals. These Standards were developed in accordance with the basic standards recommended by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, as a basis from which an apprenticeship training program that meets the particular needs of a state or a region within a state can be developed.

Join us to hear more about this groundbreaking opportunity to raise the professionalism and quality of the direct support workforce—the critical basis we need to build wage increases and incentives.
 

Tuesday, September 14

8:15 am - 8:45 am

Continental breakfast - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level

Have a bite to eat and network with your colleagues from around the country!

8:45 am - 9:00 am

NADSP President's Welcome - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level
Lisa Burck, President, National Alliance of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP)

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Nurturing an NADSP Chapter - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level
Kim Opshal, Vice President of External Affairs, Smart Partners Alliance
Amy Hewitt, M.S.W., Ph.D., Training and Project Director, Research and Training Center on Community Living
DSPs tba

What can your state association do for you? This panel will discuss promising practices for collaboration between NADSP state chapters and state associations. Examples of how NADSP state chapters and state provider associations have worked together will be discussed.

10:00 am - 11:00 am

DSPs Influence Congress: What to Say and How to Say It - atrium ballroom, mezzanine level
ANCOR Staff

Use your voice!  What do your Congressmen and women want to know?  Learn from Washington insiders how to best influence your representatives and prepare for your meetings on the Hill.  This session will focus on issues of interest to DSPs.

11:00 am - 11:15 am

Break

11:15 am - 12:00 pm

Joint session with Governmental Activities Seminar: You Need to Know Me. I'm a DSP - Ballroom I, II, III, lower level
Jeff Britt, Vice President, Grassroots Issue Management, McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC

Get the latest information on ANCOR’s National Advocacy Campaign (NAC) and continued efforts to advocate on behalf of increased wages for the DSP workforce as a means to reduce turnover within the profession, and promote community living for millions of Americans with disabilities.

Plus, join us as we honor all winners of ANCOR’s 2010 DSP of the Year Contest! The DSP of the Year Award recognizes the stars of the direct support workforce, while affording ANCOR and its members an opportunity to showcase the direct support workforce, its good works and the ongoing challenges its faces. Applicants for this esteemed award were judged on such criteria as how well they help the people they support build social capital, foster independence, establish ties with the person served and their families, as well as the level of creativity the nominee exhibited in performing their duties. Join us in honoring our DSP Class of 2010!

12:00 pm

Capitol Hill visits

Registration and Requirements

• ONLINE REGISTATION HAS ENDED. You may register in person at the conference.
• No registration fee!
• Must be sponsored by a registrant of the 2010 Governmental Activities Seminar