Wednesday December 10th
Conference Registration
Breakfast
Sponsored by The Choice Group
8:30 – 9:30 am
Break Out Sessions
Sponsored by RSVP Inc.
A Collaborative Approach to Supporting Students to Identify Career Paths Through Community Connections
Deanna Carter Kelso, Area Coordinator, RSVP, Inc.
Heather Mossinger, Regional Manager, The Choice Group
Nathan Roberts, Vocational Rehibition Counselor, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Understanding how to effectively provide in-school Pre-ETS services and bridging those services to long-term Vocational Rehabilitation outcomes can be challenging. This presentation is designed to give you facts, answer your questions and show how to be creative with Pre-ETS services to yield the greatest outcomes. This journey will be illustrated by examples and student stories.
Caring for the Caregiver: Sustaining Staff Wellness in a Post-Pandemic Workforce
Dominique Pierce, Director of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Eggleston Services
In a post-COVID landscape, turnover remains high, and burnout is rampant, especially among those providing care to others. This engaging session will spotlight the often-overlooked needs of caregivers. Learn actionable strategies to cultivate a culture that prioritizes mental health, uplifts morale, and sustains workforce longevity. You'll walk away with new tools to boost team resilience, promote work-life balance and incorporate joy into the workplace.
WorkWi$e: Character Strengths in Action for Job-Ready and Employed Talent
Kate Kaegi, Program Manager, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Pam Spurgeon, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor – Southwest District – Abingdon Office, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
In a world often focused on identifying deficits, the Pathways Grant initiative shifts the narrative by emphasizing the power of positive psychology. By integrating the VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths framework, the program empowers job-ready and employed candidates to recognize and leverage their inherent strengths—such as hope, resilience and teamwork—to enhance well-being and workplace success. Join us to learn more about Character Strengths use for your candidates and yourself.
9:45 – 10:45 am
Break Out Sessions
Sponsored by Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center
Pawsitive Attitudes
Shelley Kuglin, Pawsitive Attitudes, LLC
This is a very interactive panel discussion in which the panelists will explain the differences between therapy dogs, service animals and emotional support animals. Learn about how the animals are trained, what is different between them and have some love time with therapy dogs.
Meet Noora: An AI Ally for Building Social Communication Skills
Alissa Brooke, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC)
Christopher Claude, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC)
Melanie Derry, Training and Technical Assistance Associate, VCU-RRTC’s Autism Center for Education
Trylanda Jennings Roane, Employment Specialist, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC)
Paul Wehman, Director, Rehabilitation Research and Training
Center, Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VCU-RRTC)
Autistic adults face persistent barriers to employment, often due to social communication challenges during workplace interactions. This session presents the findings of a multiple baseline study evaluating “Noora,” a cutting-edge AI tool that uses simulated workplace conversations to teach social communication skills. Using real-time feedback powered by large language models, Noora significantly improved functional empathetic responses in three autistic participants. Learn how AI-powered social communication interventions can enhance inclusive employment outcomes for autistic individuals through scalable, evidence-based solutions.
Brain Science of Resilience: Trauma-Informed Care
John Richardson-Lauve, LCSW, Senior Director of Community Outreach and Trauma-Informed Care Specialist, St. Joseph's Villa
Understanding the space where 86 billion neurons live between our ears can go a long way to understanding behavior and providing effective support for those around us. We will dive into the brain science of stress and trauma, the biological consequences of our neurology and review practical and actionable techniques to calm the stress response in individuals and help them survive and thrive.
Networking Break
None of us got into the work that we do because it is easy. Staff retention is essential to getting the work done. Self-care is essential for a sustainable workforce. Too much of self-care content is prescriptive. In this workshop we will break down the fundamental elements of self-care, including self-assessment, triggers, plan-building strategies and sustainability practices, so that each participant will be empowered to make changes today and share these skills with others.