ACCSES 2018 Winter Summit

Working Agenda

Updated 12.20.17

Monday, January15

8:30am – 9:30am
Studio Foyer / Summit Registration and Light Continental Breakfast
9:30am – 9:35am
Studio / Welcome and Introduction to What the Summit Has in Store
Robert Hutt – Chair; ACCSES Board of Directors
9:35am – 9:45am
Studio / State of the State
Terry Farmer – CEO; ACCSES
Learn how far ACCSES has come and how we are continuing to grow to achieve our members’ needs.
9:45am – 11:00am
Studio / Federal Policy Update
Kate McSweeny – VP of Government Affairs & General Counsel; ACCSES
Review the successes of 2017, and the work yet to be done. This session will focus on where we are and where we plan to go in 2018 with the Administration and Congress.
11:00am – 11:15am / Break
11:15am – 12:00pm
Studio / How Law is Made and Amended and Our Role in the Process
Hon. Steve Southerland – Senior Vice President; Capitol Hill Consulting Group
Congressman Southerland (R-FL; retired) is coming to the Winter Summit to share his insights on the 115th Congress as well as on our important issues. Congressman Southerland also will talk with us about how laws, regulations, and guidance are made, amended, and, sometimes, repealed. We know from experience the number of hands legislation goes through – but what happens during that process? How does guidance reflect – or not reflect -- congressional intent? How do we make sure our voices are heard? Congressman Southerland will provide us the answers to these and myriad other questions!
12:00pm – 1:30pm
Rooftop / Networking Lunch
1:30pm – 2:30pm
Studio / Who Are Our Allies?
Kate McSweeny – VP of Government Affairs & General Counsel; ACCSES
Hon. Steve Southerland – Senior Vice President; Capitol Hill Consulting Group
Join us in a strategic discussion of who are allies are, and how we can expand that list. This will be your time to shine. You have been building relationships with your representatives for years, and we want to hear about your experiences. There is so much for all of us to accomplish in 2018; “finding our allies” will frame the strategic discussion of our collective goals and how we accomplish them. This promises to be one of the most significant sessions of the Summit for our 2018 public policy goals.
2:30pm – 2:45pm / Break
2:45pm – 3:15pm
Studio / Mobilizing our Forces: Engaging the National Agenda through Social Media
Jack Delaney – Public Policy Assistant; ACCSES
Learn how the importance of social media can shape the political landscape. This session will highlight strategies for engaging your audience and conveying your message through different social media channels, the use of analytical tools to gauge audience engagement and scope, and the relevancy of community engagement in relation to promoting the national advocacy agenda.
3:15pm – 3:30pm / Break
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Studio / Conference Session
5:00pm – 7:00pm
Rooftop / Reception
Join ACCSES for a networking reception and thank you to those who have made a difference in our work in 2017.
Light hors d'oeuvres and cocktails will be provided.

Tuesday, January16

8:00am – 9:00am
Studio Foyer / Networking Opportunity and Light Continental Breakfast
9:00am – 9:30am
Studio / CSARV Vision2020
Rita Martin – Deputy Director; CSAVR
Join us for this session to get an update on the Council of State Administrations for Vocational Rehabilitation’s (CSAVR) Vision2020. This national initiative focuses on the mission and importance of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. Ms. Martin also will provide insight into what is happening with the VR program at the state level.
9:30am – 12:15pm
Studio / Facing and Embracing the Future
Rick Christman – CEO; Employment Solutions & ACCSES Employment Committee Co-Chair
Maureen Stokes – CEO; Witco, Inc. & ACCSES Employment Committee Co-Chair
Pat Dowse – Vice President of Business Development; New York Alliance for Inclusion & Innovation
Lincoln Burr – Executive Director; Rehabilitation for Wisconsin in Action & ACCSES Board Secretary/Treasurer
ACCSES stands for keeping a full array of options available. That always will be integral to our messaging. But there is no denying that change is afoot. The good news: There is opportunity in change. Like the prospectors who found gold in the hills, we are going to spend this time focusing on finding the opportunities to effect positive change and to discuss what our businesses are going to look like in five years. We are going to do a deep dive into the HCBS settings rule, including where it stands and the opportunities to revisit it, and then we are going to talk about new business ventures that are scalable across of the country (many of which are being beta tested by individual members right now), the language we speak, the response we give to State officers who wrongfully claim they will “shut down” a member’s business, opportunities for partnership, and most of all, opportunities for the people we serve. We are going to talk about our economic footprint and the value of what we do. We are starting a whole new ballgame in 2018. It is exciting, and we need you to be a part of it, because when we say “we,” we mean all of us.
Breaks to be included during the session
12:15pm – 1:30pm
Rooftop / Networking Lunch
1:30pm – 3:00pm
Studio / The Future of Publicly-Funded Disability Programs
David Mank, Ph.D. – Professor Emeritus; Indiana University
Dr. Mank will present on the future of publicly-funded disability programs. Learn about issues you need to know when transforming your service-delivery business models in the emerging environment of disability policy. Discuss how actions of the present administration to deregulate and cut spending might affect your programs. Receive information highlighting the work of the ACICIEID Committee and the ongoing advocacy for its recommendations.
3:00pm – 3:15pm / Break
3:15pm – 3:45pm
Studio / Employment Court Case Updates
Kate McSweeny – Vice President of Government Affairs & General Counsel; ACCSES
Participate in this session to receive an update on where the Seneca case is in Ohio. Additionally, a new case has emerged alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act by a 14(c) certificate holder. The complaint also makes allegations related to aiding and abetting against Honda of America MFG, Inc. Be sure to attend this important session to learn were both cases are in the process and how they could affect you.
3:45pm – 4:00pm / Break
4:00pm – 5:00pm
Studio / What Happens to Employees When Work Centers Are Shut Down?
Jim Conroy – President; Center for Outcome Analysis
Join the ACCSES team to hear about a new research project being proposed to understand what really happens to people with disabilities, and their families, when employment options, like those that are legally available through center-based employment as well as under the Section 14(c) certificate, are stripped away by local, state, and federal politicians. We need your voices in this session to help ensure we will be tracking the best data possible to help lead the advocacy charge in maintaining a full array of employment options for people with disabilities.