June 12-14th 2025
| Don’t miss your chance to join leaders and advocates from across the country at the 2025 National APSE Conference – Employment First, Employment for All! Taking place in June 2025 in Washington, D.C., this conference is your opportunity to network, gain insights, and celebrate progress in inclusive employment. |
| Track Spotlight: Innovative Job Coaching Strategies Building Better Job Coaches: Scalable Solutions for Training, Onboarding, and Agency Growth Presenter: Silvia Gil, Lynette Herbert Ready to elevate your job coach training? This session will introduce practical, research-backed adult learning and instructional strategies to modernize your approach. Learn how to integrate visual manuals, video modeling, and structured systems to boost training efficiency, strengthen onboarding, and ensure consistent, high-quality support for job seekers. We’ll dive into innovative techniques that not only streamline operations but also lay the foundation for sustainable agency growth. Whether you’re aiming to refine your current process or scale your impact, you’ll leave with actionable tools and insights to drive meaningful change. The Ethical Importance of Psychological Safety in the Workplace for People with Disabilities Presenter: Christa Martin, MRC, CRC This interactive presentation will help participants define and understand not only what psychological safety in the workplace is and its importance for professionals and their clients, but it will also explore implications that arise when there is a lack of psychological safety in an employment setting. Participants will learn the many warning signs that are associated with a low level of psychological safety at work. They will also gain knowledge of the various ways to ethically combat it and improve the level of psychological safety where they work, which in turn improves an organization’s overall internal culture with these tangible takeaways for better recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities. $@!#& Hit the Fan… Now What?! Presenters: Marie Palmer, Randy Dicks We’ve all had those moments when it feels like everything is falling apart… and nothing is working. When things go wrong, how do we work past that to rebuild and continue moving forward? In this session, we’ll introduce the Helping Wheel – a tool that helps us understand where we are, look at where we want to be and chart a course to get there; always keeping in mind that we have to check in to make sure our plans are in alignment with the person we support. The Vocational Engagement Model Presenters: Nicholas A. Villani Intersection of different disciplines to rethink the job placement process for a more effective and cost optimizing approach for providers and the individuals they serve. It incorporates vocational, medical and educational models into the process effectively making the job placement process a model to improve the skills of individual needing employment and the people assigned to serve that individual. ADA Title I: The Interactive Process Presenter: Barry Whaley Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act protects employees with disabilities from workplace discrimination. The law requires that when a disclosure of disability is made by an employee, the employer is required to engage in an “interactive process” with the employee to determine the best solution to provide an equal employment opportunity. Often, employers do not know what triggers the interactive process and where to begin. In this session, we will learn about the interactive process, the legal framework of the interactive process, and the circumstances that lead to a breakdown in the interactive process. Learning Objectives 1. Participants will learn: a. The ADA definition of disability. b. The rights and responsibilities employees and employers have in the accommodation process. c. The legal framework established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for the interactive process. d. The steps to take when the interactive process breaks down. Building Momentum: Employment Interventions Based on the Stages of Change Model Presenters: Penny Liles, Ariel Reynolds Utilizing a case study throughout the presentation, we will assess where people are as it relates to their motivation(or lack thereof) for employment. Attendees will identify effective employment-related interventions based on their location in the Stages of Change Model. Mental health professionals will benefit from this engaging conversation targeted at building momentum in recovery through community-based employment. Lines Not to Cross: Preventing and Responding to Workplace Sexual Harassment for Employees with I/DD Presenter: Bethany Chase Supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they navigate social expectations in the workplace is always a challenge, but when issues of sexual harassment arise, the stakes are even higher. Too often, we see qualified supported workers lose their jobs not because of a lack of job skills, but because of social or sexual missteps that cross the line into harassment. At the same time, individuals with I/DD may be at a higher risk of being targeted for sexual harassment due to power imbalances, socialized compliance, difficulty recognizing or responding to manipulative behaviors, or fear of job loss if they report concerns. Workplace relationships can be complex, and supported workers often look to job coaches to help them navigate these challenges effectively. Participants will leave with tools to appropriately respond to such situations while simultaneously supporting healthy sexuality for the people we serve. Building Bridges to Competitive Employment: A Model for Effective Job Development Presenter: Meagan Andrade Join us for an engaging session that introduces a practical, effective model for job development — a simple, actionable framework to guide professionals in supporting people toward competitive integrated employment. You’ll learn effective strategies for networking, building meaningful relationships, and creating work opportunities, all within a repeatable cycle that benefits jobseekers, employers, and support professionals alike. Whether you’re a job developer, teacher, or parent, you’ll leave with valuable tools to navigate the job development process and ensure successful employment outcomes. From Internship to Employment: The Success of PIP at Community Life Services in Advancing Competitive Integrated Employment Presenter: Kristin Koenig The Paid Internship Program (PIP) has been a vital tool in expanding employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, but how effective is it in leading to long-term, competitive integrated employment (CIE)? This session will explore the impact of PIP at Community Life Services, highlighting success stories, best practices, and key strategies that have led to sustainable employment outcomes. Attendees will gain insights into how person-centered job development, employer collaboration, and skill-building through internships can create pathways to meaningful careers. Whether you are a service provider, employer, or advocate, this session will provide valuable takeaways on maximizing the effectiveness of PIP in advancing CIE. |
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