The 2024 Minnesota Gathering for Person-Centered Practices
The 2024 Minnesota Gathering for Person-Centered Practices
Welcome!
On behalf of the Gathering Committee, we want to welcome and thank you for bringing your knowledge and experiences to share with the community. The last year was challenging, but it gave us an opportunity to learn more about our work and the people we serve. Your perseverance, resilience, dedication, and deep understanding of what is important to people is a beacon to others. Well, done Minnesota! As Alvin often says over our morning coffee, “Keep up the good.”
A big thank you to all the Gathering Committee Members!
From the North:
From the South: From the ICI: Claire Benway, Nicole Duchelle, Nik Fernholtz, Mark Olson
Special thanks to our parters:
The Arc Northland, The Arc Minnesota, Dakota County Habilitative Services Inc, Mains'l, Minnesota Depeartment of Human Services, Olmstead County, Regional Quality Council, Residential Services Inc, St. Louis County, Trillium The learning Community for person Centered Practices
Appreciation and Gratitudes during the Gathering
Click this link to post your Appreciations and Gratitudes
Day 1 - North • Cloquet • Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Opening plenary session • 8:30–10:30 a.m.
8:30-9:00 a.m.
Welcome and logistics from your Program Committee.
- Zoom instruction and Tech Support
- The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices - For great resources and to stay connected, please visit TLCPCP.com
- Marketplace Sessions - If you would like to host a session, please send information to MNGathering@umn.edu
- Gallery Walk - YouTube Channel
- Appreciation - MN Gathering Facebook Page
The Auditorium
Your Gathering Committee
9:00–9:15 a.m.
Welcome from the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota.
The Auditorium
9:30–10:30 a.m.
Can't We just Treat Everyone the Same? - They teach us when we're young that we are to treat everyone the same no matter what differences we might have. What happened to everyone doing that? People with disabilities are often left feeling like they aren't equal to those without disabilities. They are left to feel like they are on the backburner. When we talk about being person-centered, besides seeing someone as equal, you also are seeing beyond the person's disability. You are seeing the person for who they are, what they stand for, and what's important to them. Throughout my life, I have experienced some of those moments where I was left on the "backburner" or my disability was identifying me instead of me identifying me. As I started working in the disability field, I started hearing similar stories such as mine. But I also have met some amazing professionals with like-minded beliefs such as mine as well, including "treating people like humans" or "seeing beyond the disability". I have since made it one of my missions to educate as many as I can do practice the person-center mentality and utilize it in every aspect of one's life. This education is for all and really starts with the young while the older model it. Help me in this mission of making sure EVERYONE is seen for who they are and not just their differences or limitations!
Session 1 • 10:45–11:45 a.m.
Listen to US! - As the disability movement continues to move forward, there is still work to be done to make sure people with disabilities are working, playing, and being in their communities side by side with everyone else. Come listen to a panel of self-advocates speak about the importance of inclusion and why they want to make sure they are being included at every table. Learn about how Advocating Change Together is helping with this movement!
Cultivating Hope: Bridging the Gap Through Community Connections - In 2018, RSI was awarded an innovation grant through the Minnesota Department of Human Services to develop tools for matching the people they serve with people living in their community for the purpose of building relationships that cultivate connection, belonging, and integration. Join RSI's Community Connections team to hear powerful & inspiring stories from two individuals who have thrived through Community Connections, achieving their dreams of independence, employment, connection, and even romance!
Stein Conference Room
Jeffery Mortimore and Christine Connor
How I Stopped Grading and Started Learning: A Teacher’s Journey - 20 years into teaching English, I stopped putting grades on essays and started asking students to set their own goals for performance and writing. The result has been more motivated, engaged students and the chance for me to learn new things about being an educator…and a person.
Meeting Room
Kelli Hallsten Erickson
Creating Opportunities Through Person-Centered Planning - Join Brandon and Billie as they talk about Minnesota's initiative for developing skilled person-centered planning facilitators. They will share how planning has improved people's quality of life, along with how to become trained as a facilitator in a variety of planning methods.
Library
Brandon Hendrickson and Billie Hendrickson
Learning Marketplace • 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Open Marketplace. To publish a link for your own room, please email your information to MNGathering@umn.edu for it to be published here.
Session 2 • 1:15–2:15 p.m.
Auditorium
Building Regional Self-Advocate Leadership - The Arrowhead Regional Quality Council has started the Self-Advocate Leadership Initiative, a skill and confidence building group for people with lived experience. Join us for a discussion on ways to engage and grow leaders and trainers in positive supports in our region.
The Classroom
Becky Lambert, Beth Johnson
Person-Centered Informed Decision-Making - How are informed decision making and person-centered practices different and how they are the same? Informed decision making honors the person as the primary decision maker in their lives and can make any process more person-centered. Learn how DHS’s informed decision making process is a roadmap for informed choice within a person-centered experience.
Stein Conference Room
Laurren Harrington and Sara Beauchene
Technology Assistance in Housing: An overview of remote technology in CRS setting and how the 'NextStep' program helps people achieve their goals in reaching independence,
Meeting Room
Joelle Schmid, Hanna Ingersoll and Tana Driscoll
Jenny's Story- A Story of Resilience: Come listen to a story of Jenny overcoming many challenges while on her journey to becoming her own guardian. Also hear from one of the staff that was there to help advocate for her and support her during the process.
Library
Jenny Nemeth, Melissa Weber
Session 3 • 2:30–3:30 p.m.
The Auditorium
Perspective Matters - As an individual with a disability, I bring a needed perspective on person centered service delivery. Working at Trillium Services I am an instructor in these skills. My goal is to impact their thinking to see skills and possibility versus deficit and need. I will be discussing the training and its outcomes.
The Classroom
Becky Jakubek
Graphics for Person Centered Plans: Come join us as we share the tips and tricks we have learned over the years while doing graphics for Person Centered Plans. This will be an interactive workshop, there will be time to learn from each other and practice graphics.
Stein Conference Room
Kim Rowe
Building strength and capacity in our region and beyond - Looking to network with people who are excited about providing great services? Come join our small but mighty group and learn more about this multi-agency Community of Practice. We will share the history of how our group formed, the work we have been doing and our hopes for the future.
Meeting Room
Jennifer Steger, Melissa Cekalla
Self-Advocacy: using everyday person-centered skills to empower people living in Long-Term Care: Minnesota continues to move toward person-centered practices in all areas of service delivery. The Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care, a program under the Minnesota Board on Aging promotes person-centered living that respects people’s values and choices. The Minnesota Office of Ombudsman for Long-Term Care has partnered with Moving Home Minnesota (a Money Follows the Person project) to develop a training curriculum for people who receive long-term services and support in both the Skilled Nursing Setting and Licensed Assisted Living Setting. These self-advocacy training’s focuses on; Resident and Family Council Development and include topics such as: the history of self-advocacy, resident rights, one-page descriptions, person centered care planning, how to be your own best self-advocate, voicing grievances and understanding retaliation.
Library
Emma Shepard
Closing Session • 3:45–4:30 p.m.
Regional World Café: Like, Learn, Change. Join regional leaders in a facilitated Like, Learn, Change session about the North region and person-centered practices. This session starts as a small-group discussion, then asks each group to come up with a solution for the North region. Each person comes out of the session with one action step they will continue after today.
World Cafe North Questions:
- How can we better engage people, families and communities in Person-Centered practices in our region?
- How do you currently see Person-Centered practices being used in our region?
- What resources, training, or support would help people use Person-Centered practices more effectively?
The Auditorium
Billie Hendrickson and the North Gathering Committee Team
Day 1 - South • Mankato • Tuesday, November 12th, 2024
Opening Plenary Session • 8:30–10:30 a.m.
8:30-9:00 a.m.
Welcome and logistics from your Program Committee.
- Zoom instruction and Tech Support -
- The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices - For great resources and to stay connected, please visit TLCPCP.com
- Marketplace Sessions - If you would like to host a session, please send information to MNGathering@umn.edu
- Gallery Walk - YouTube Channel
- Appreciation - MN Gathering Facebook Page
9:00-10:00 a.m.
The Good Trouble Band Wagon: In the past decade, there has been a re-focus on person-centered practices in HCBS. Thousands of people have been introduced to it by way of training, thousands have participated in facilitated person-centered plans, and it’s changed the lives of many for the better. PC practices have found their way into our vernacular, regulations, and systems. We have, and continue to grapple with, what it means to be person-centered. What does it look like? How well are we doing and by whose measure? How well do we listen? What actions did we take based on what we heard? Who were we being honest with? What was the outcome for All of us? We can use the 3 promises--to listen, act and be honest--to reaffirm our practices. They are the foundation through which thinking, planning, and actions occur. We can and are making good on some promises, let’s kick it into high gear and do better together.
The Hall
The South Gathering Committee Members
The Great hall
Lori Jasper
Session 1 • 10:45–11:45 a.m.
Theatre for All: Inclusive Theatre in SW MinnesotaTheatre for All: Inclusive Theatre in SW Minnesota - Open Arts Minnesota is a non-profit dedicated to inclusive theatre experiences. Aktion Club Theatre of Mankato and Wilbur will share information about how we make theatrical dreams come true. This is an interactive presentation- sharing theatre games, poetry, and information on how we make theatre accessible to all who participate.
Room A
Wilbur Neushwander-Frink
Come Fly with Pete - High school flashed by for Pete and his parents. Pete is dashing to adulthood. As eager as he is, the expression, "falling off the cliff" is all too real to his parents. Join Pete's Mom Lisa Gemlo and person-centered planning facilitators Erin Martin and Lori Jasper as they share with you the impact of person-centered planning. See what is possible when you take an unexpected path that fits your dreams of a good life.
Room B
Lori Jasper, Lisa Gemlo and Erin Martin
Rainbow Support Group - Learn about the current Rainbow Support Groups (RSG's) in the Mankato and Twin Cities area as well as the National and International groups that have formed. RSG is a group of people with various disabilities that also identify as LGBTQ+. RSG strives to be a place where anyone can relax and be fully self-expressed, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome or challenged on the account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, age, physical or mental ability. Everyone is welcome to join and allies are encouraged.
Room C
Tira Dobberstein and Tina Hassing
Supporting Choice - Supporting people to make informed choices can be complex. We will have an interactive discussion about how to have discovery conversations while partnering with someone in creating a balance of happy and safe. You will be able to apply choice-making steps using real-life scenarios, and leave with a tool to support the choice-making process.
Heritage Hall
Brittany Wood
Learning Marketplace • 12:00–1:00 p.m.
Session 2 • 1:15–2:15 p.m.
Journey Mapping, Assistive Technology and Advisory Councils in Dakota County. Workforce Shortage Strategies in Dakota County - Join to learn about various strategies Dakota County is taking to address the Workforce and Provider Shortage impacting people with disabilities. We will cover: • The creation of a Disability Advisory Council • Journey Mapping for CDCS • Direct Support Professional Recruitment and Retention Efforts • Increasing Assistive Technology and Remote Supports for all • Building Communities for All: an effort to make Dakota County more inclusive for people with disabilities
Room A
Megan Zeilliger and Kristin Salseg
IMPROV! for Person-Centered Trainers : This session will involve the use of improvisational games to help attendees enhance their training skills to add to their toolkit. Come ready to have fun, play, and learn.
Room B
Mark Olson
Person Centered Practices in Positive Behavior Supports - Positive behavior supports is a framework used to adopt more healthy and prosocial behaviors, promoting behavior that helps people meet their goals, and determining ways to improve environments to better meet people’s needs. Come together and talk about positive behavior supports, person centered practices, how they intertwine and are used together to find balance between safety-preferences and improving lives.
Room C
Andrea Gunther
Disability Hub Mn Overview : Join us to to learn about the Disability Hub MN, how we can help, and learn about Hub tools that can help you plan for your future.
Heritage Hall
Jack Gordon
Session 3 • 2:30–3:30 p.m.
From Resistance to Result: Navigating Difficult Conversations in support of Enabling Technology Implementation Feeling lost in the process of getting Enabling Technologies like Remote Supports or Assistive Technology approved? You’re not alone. This session will provide an overview of Assistive and Remote Supports and break down how to have the technology conversation to guide you through the path to implementation.
Resources
Disability Hub MN Overview: Come learn about the Disability Hub MN, a free statewide resource network that helps you solve problems, navigate the system and plan for your future. Discover how we can help you create your best life, your way.
Room B
Khadra
Person Centered Practices in Positive Behavior Supports: Positive behavior supports is a framework used to adopt more healthy and prosocial behaviors, promoting behavior that helps people meet their goals, and determining ways to improve environments to better meet people’s needs. Come together and talk about positive behavior supports, person centered practices, how they intertwine and are used together to find balance between safety-preferences and improving lives.
Room C
Andrea Gunther
Learning Marketplace
Heritage Hall
Regional World Café: Like, Learn, Change. Join regional leaders in a facilitated Like, Learn, Change session about the North region and person-centered practices. This session starts as a small-group discussion, then asks each group to come up with a solution for the North region. Each person comes out of the session with one action step they will continue after today.
World Cafe Questions:
- How can we better engage people, families and communities in Person-Centered practices in our region?
- How do you currently see Person-Centered practices being used in our region?
- What resources, training, or support would help people use Person-Centered practices more effectively?
Brittany Wood and Mark Olson
Closing Session • 3:45–4:30 p.m.
Day 2 - Virtual • Thursday, November 14th, 2024
Learning Marketplace • 8:00–8:45 a.m.
Open Marketplace. To publish a link for your own room, please email your information to MNGathering@umn.edu for it to be published here.
An Update from the Board and The New Curriculum: Questions and Answers. The Learning Community for person Centered Practices. (TLCPCP) Board update. And MN Trainers Session.
Minnesota Mentors
Plenary Session Day 2 • 9:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
9:00–9:40 a.m.
Welcome back and logistics.
- Zoom instruction and Tech Support
- Welcome from the Gathering Committee
- The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices - For great resources and to stay connected, please visit TLCPCP.com
- Marketplace Sessions - If you would like to host a session, please send information to cebenway@umn.edu
- World Café - Questions Preview
- Appreciation - MN Gathering Facebook Page
Program Committee
9:45-10:45 a.m.
Building Capacity for Positive Supports in Minnesota: Regional Networking: Building Capacity for Positive Supports in Minnesota: Regional Networking with Rachel Freeman, Dupree Edwards, and Cortney Kressin: Learn more about how person-centered values drive regional collaboration on positive supports in Minnesota.
The dates for our next meetings are:
South: 11/20 from 3-5pm,
West Central: 11/22 from Noon-1pm,
Metro: 11/25 from 10am-11am.
Please email me at cortneykressin@arcminnesota.org or join our marketplace to learn more.
Plain Language Resource from Plenary
https://www.qualitycouncilmn.org/arrowhead-regional-capacity-building/
Rachell Freeman, Dupree Edwards and Cortney Kressin
Morning Sessions • 11-12:00
Redesigning Waiver Intervention Services in Minnesota: This presentation will review the feedback from the community on how to redesign waiver intervention services including Positive Supports, Crisis Respite, Specialist, and Respite to better meet the needs of people in Minnesota.
Adele Dimian
From Resistance to Result: Navigating Difficult Conversations to get Enabling Technology Implemented: Feeling lost in the process of getting Enabling Technologies like Remote Supports approved? You’re not alone. This session will provide an overview of Remote Supports and break down how to have the technology conversation to guide you through the path to implementation.
Link to Video -
Kathy Nesheim-Larson and Alaina Gallagher
Importance of Sex Education and Affirmative Care in I/DD Populations: Come learn why sex education is important for I/DD populations. I also discuss how accepting individuals in the LGBTQ+ population is life changing and life saving. I'll end the presentation with ways that agencies can start their own sex ed classes and LGBTQ groups. I'll also add in resources for parents and providers as well.
Connecting to Build Friendships, Community, and Belonging: Too often we are keeping people busy rather than focusing on the commonality we all share: the desire for personal relationships and to be contributing members of our community. Being loved and cared about, is different than being cared for, supported, and having a full schedule. All people are wired to have meaningful and lasting relationships yet often people are lonely and emotional connections are fleeting. As they are dependent on staff positions with high turnover. You will learn 9 strategies that have been successful in forging new and rekindling old relationships and “giving back”.
Open Marketplace. To publish a link for your own room, please email your information to MNGathering@umn.edu for it to be published here.
Lunch Mini-Marketplaces • 12:15–1:15 p.m.
Mini-Marketplaces begin immediately after World Café. Enter when you can, during lunch.
Marcy Lacroix -
We will be giving some information on Progress Employment and the GoMN! pilot project and hope to have a great discussion on PCP within the realm of employment 🙂
Carrie Jakober -
We will share a few video stories of MN parents of children with disabilities are using Charting the LifeCourse and efforts through MN Connect Charting the LifeCourse Leadership Team to connect families. Discussion to explore how we can raise awareness about Charting the LifeCourse for families and what could be most helpful for them.
Courtney Kressin - Keynote Follow up regarding regional Capacity Building for positive supports.
World Cafe - 1:15-2:45
World Café Questions
- What challenges have you faced with support around mental health conditions, and/or behavior changes (family, friend, people we work with/support)
- What approaches have you/other have tried to address (self and/or supporting people with new mental health conditions, and/or behavior changes) challenges? Use the 4+1 to share your answer 4+1 blank.docx
- What have you tried?
- What have you learned/ working/not working?
- What are you pleased about?
- What are you concerned about
- +1 What would you like to see happen to better support (individually, people you support, organization, or system wide) with mental health and wellness?
Claire Benway and the Gathering Committee Team
Closing Remarks • 2:45–3:30 p.m.
Logistics and wrap up.
Thank you
Claire Benway and the Gathering Committee Team
Gallery Walk Information
Be a part of our Virtual Gallery Walk! This year, add your virtual poster to the MN Gathering YouTube page . A Gallery Walk is a visual representation you share at the Gathering that shows how you and/or your organization are putting your gifts, skills, interests, and dreams into action. Have fun recording with colleagues from your organization or individually at your home, walking us through what you have been doing during this time to put your dreams into action. Be creative and inventive.
Learning Marketplace Information
A Learning Marketplace is an opportunity for everyone to contribute and learn in short, smaller, more intimate sessions. You decide what you would like to share or learn and post that in the marketplace. This year, you can post your topic in the Virtual Venue. These are meant to be opportunities to hear from other people at the Gathering. Support the community in the room to share and learn from each other.
Learning Marketplace Tutorial - What to look for in the Virtual Venue and how to submit.
Submit your Learning Marketplace Session by emailing cebenway@umn.edu and including: topic, short description, date/time, presenter's name and your video conferencing (Zoom, Webex, Google Meet, etc.) link.
Appreciation and Gratitudes
Click this link to post your Appreciations and Gratitudes
Feedback and Evaluation s
Thank you for attending. Please tell us about your experience at the Gathering.
Day 1 - Regional In Person Day - 2024 MN Gathering Feedback Form
Day 2 - Live Online Virtual Day - 2024 MN Gathering Feedback Form
Participation Certificate
Please access your certificate of attendance HERE .
More Resources
Plain Language Resource from Plenary
https://www.qualitycouncilmn.org/arrowhead-regional-capacity-building/