May 14, 2007   Pre-service on Benefit Planning/Work Incentives 

(Pre-Services day may be more appropriate for professionals, but all are welcome)  

This day will focus on benefit planning/work incentives and the reauthorization of the “Ticket To Work”. Ensuring transition and continuity of services after high school is vital to the success of young people today. School personal, vocational counselors, brokerage staff, case managers, providers, are all invited to be part of this day as we learn more about the importance of benefit planning. 

Monday, May 14^th, 2007

Joyanne Cobb
Social Insurance Specialist and Policy Analyst
Office of Project Development and Research
Social Security Administration

Joyanne Cobb is the author of Learning How To Learn: Getting into and Staying in College When You Have a Learning Disability. Ms. Cobb is currently employed as a Social Insurance Specialist and Policy Analyst for the office of Project Development and Research at the Social Security Administration. As a licensed vocational rehabilitation counselor and rehabilitation provider, Joy has managed federally funded projects that provide services for disabled and at-risk youth and adults. 

In 1992, Joy Cobb graduated from The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC with a BA in Psychology and Biology and was the recipient of the GWU Leadership Award. In 1995 she received her Masters Degree from GWU in Education and Human Development with a specialty in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, and was chosen GWU student commencement speaker. From 1996 to 2000, Ms. Cobb served as the president of LEAD (Learning and Employment for Adult Dyslexics), a resource and support organization for adults with learning disabilities. In 2005 Joyanne Cobb was named Continental Youth Advisor of the Year by the Unitarian Universalist Association. 

Ms. Cobb has been a featured speaker at national conferences as well as a spokesperson for disabled students at GWU’s community outreach and awareness program. She has also made presentations for state Learning Disability Association conferences and at federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Defense teachers, the National Security Agency., and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Ms. Cobb has spoken to high school classes as well as university –level psychology and special education classes.

Ms. Cobb is a member of Chi Sigma Iota, the national counseling honor society, and was selected for the 1995 peer presentations program. Other professional affiliations are the American Counseling Association (ACA), The Learning Disabilities Association (LDA), The Association of Rehabilitation Counselors (NARC), and The American College of Certified Forensic Counselors (ACCFC).

 

ANDREW J. IMPARATO,
President and Chief Executive Officer, American Association of People with Disabilities

Andrew J. Imparato is the first full-time President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a national non-profit membership organization for the political and economic empowerment of all people with disabilities based in Washington, DC. With more than 120,000 members, AAPD is the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S.  Click here for more information about Mr. Imparato.

 

Building Futures: Secondary Transition to College and Employment
May 15 & 16, 2007

Oregon Parent Training and Information Center and the Oregon Department of Education would like to invite you to attend "Building Futures", scheduled for May 15 and 16, 2007, at the Embassy Suites, in Tigard, Oregon. Building Futures is sponsored in part by the Oregon State Department of Education, the Or PTI and the Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities and Department of Human Services.

Building Futures is for anyone who has an interest in supporting individuals with disabilities as they transition from school to life. This includes Secondary Educators, Post Secondary Educators, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Special Educators therapists, counselors, service providers, job developers, and other rehabilitation specialists, and especially secondary students with disabilities and their families. Throughout the two-day event there will be presentations by regional and national experts on issues surrounding secondary transition and assistive technology.

Tuesday, May 15^th, 2007
9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Keynote: 

Peter Squire, 
Chair of National Youth Leadership Network

Peter Squire is a 27 year old Scientist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren Virginia, and a full time graduate student at George Mason University in Human Factors and Applied Cognition. He is the past president for the National Youth Leadership Network Inc. (NYLN: www.nyln.org ), a group that aims to promote leadership development and education of youth with disabilities so that all youth with disabilities may achieve their maximum unique personal potential.


Wednesday 10:15 to 11:15 Keynote:

Jonathan Mooney

Jonathan Mooney is a writer with dyslexia and activist who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Brown University and a holds an honors degree in English Literature. Jonathan is cofounder of Project Eye-To-Eye, a widely duplicated mentoring program for disabled students. He is also a winner of the prestigious Truman Scholarship for graduate studies in creative writing and education and was a national finalist for the Rhodes scholarship. With the publication of Learning Outside the Lines when he was 23, now in its eighth printing, a book that is part memoir and part alternative study skills, Jonathan has established himself as one of the foremost leaders in LD/ADHD, disabilities, and alternative education.

Tuesday Dinner Keynote: 

Terry Cohen

Terry Scott Cohen has myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD), and has been meeting physical, mental and emotional challenges throughout his young life. He graduated from high school, did restaurant work for a short time, and then enrolled in a program for young adults with disabilities, where he spent six years successfully learning how to live independently. He resides in Clearwater, Florida, where he shares his home with Buddy, his bichon frise.

 

 

 

Click links below for more information Online registration for May 14 Benefit Planning   Agenda for May 14, 2007 Benefit Planning/Work Incentive Pre-service Online registration for Building Futures   (Please download agenda prior to submitting online registration)  Agenda for Building Futures  (You will need the agenda for online registration) Conference Flyer (PDF)

This conference was sponsored in part by the Oregon Competitive Employment Project, which is part of the Oregon State Department of Human Services, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. The project is funded through a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CFDA #11-P-92415/-01).

Award Opportunities

Here is a great opportunity to recognize some individuals and their outstanding contributions on behalf of people with all types of disabilities.  Awards nominations are being accepted in the following areas:

• Educator of the Year 
• Employer of the Year
• Youth Transition
• Youth Achievement
• Adult Service Provider
• Parent of the Year

 These awards will be given during dinner at the Building Futures Conference May 15, 2007.

Download the Nomination Materials here.

“Building Futures” 
Transition to Education and Employment Conference 2006 (link to last year's schedule and presentations)

Updated April 19, 2007