Compliance in Community Integration & Provider Practice: Insights from Individuals with Lived Experience

How can providers move from policy to practice? This session highlights the concrete actions Kansas I/DD providers took to strengthen HCBS Final Settings Rule compliance, grounded not only in regulatory expectations but also in direct feedback from individuals with lived experience. Their perspectives shaped every stage of the work—clarifying where policies felt supportive, where practices still created barriers, and what true autonomy and inclusion look like in daily life.

We’ll share what proved most effective across the grant cohort, including practical approaches that advanced community inclusion and protected key rights such as privacy, visitor access, and personal choice. By elevating the voices of people receiving services, the session distills these lessons into a clear, adaptable roadmap that any provider can use, with or without grant funding, to enhance autonomy, dignity, and integration within their own service models. Join our session to hear from advocates, the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD) and Sunflower Health Plan.

Presenters

• Whit Downing, Vice President of Policy and Programming, Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD)
• Ricardo Hernandez, Advocate, Entrepreneur and Member, KCDD
• Nanette Perrin, Senior Director of Long Term Care and LifeShare, Sunflower Health Plan
• Perri Spencer, Self-Advocate and Member, KCDD