In person-centered Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), people define their own needs and preferences to live their lives the way they want. However, these outcomes are not always achieved, even when person-centered policies and programs are put in place. In this webinar, panelists who receive or have received HCBS, will share their experiences with person-centered supports and services. The discussion will include topics related to rights, choice, and control and how these critical elements can be improved and fully integrated into service delivery practices. Members from the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on HCBS Person-Centered Outcomes and Measurements at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab will also present early findings from their research of best practices for person-centered HCBS delivery from interviews with people who use and deliver HCBS. Information and Assistance (I&A) is essential for helping participants understand self-direction, navigate their program and its rules, and have a successful experience self-directing. An underpowered I&A function can limit not only a program’s growth and participant satisfaction but also its integrity, as one of the core functions of I&A is to provide additional program monitoring and safeguards. Co-sponsored by the National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices (NCAPPS) and Applied Self-Direction (ASD), this webinar will highlight a new resource on core standards for I&A professionals in self-direction. The panel will feature people with lived experience of self-directing who will share their experiences with quality I&A professionals and how they have affected their self-direction journeys.
Molly Morris is the Director of Engagement at Applied Self-Direction, where she works with states, participants, and provider organizations to create and enhance self-direction programs. Molly manages relationships with myriad disability advocacy organizations to inform and guide Applied Self-Direction’s work. She also leads policy analysis related to the implementation of Electronic Visit Verification in self-directed services.
Erica Andres is a Senior Training Consultant at Applied Self-Direction. Erica has 25 years of experience in the Health and Human Services field. Erica also has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and lives a self-directed life and has directed her own care for over 20 years. Erica also owns a business called Empowering U. Erica is a Support Broker and is dedicated to helping Disabled People self-direct and make the most out of their lives.
Nathan Turner has spent more than 15 years advocating for people living with disabilities in Ohio while navigating an array of Medicaid OR self-directed supports. He is deeply passionate about creating leadership opportunities for underserved communities and shares his lived experiences through membership with several organizations including a project enhancing self-direction in Ohio with Self Advocates Becoming Empowered.
Pat Wright is a teacher who started self-directing in 2007. She assisted with County trainings, organizing the State Council and then became a National Advocate for the National Resource Center for Participant Direction (now Applied Self-Direction). She joined ISPS (International Society for Psychological Treatment of Psychoses), following her son’s hospitalization/diagnosis in 2009. She organized a Family Network creating presentations for a yearly conference. She serves two Minnesota state committees: the NCAPPS Self-Direction Learning Collaborative and the Waiver Reimagined Advisory Committee. She believes that disability is a human rights issue.
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NCAPPS is an initiative from the Administration for Community Living and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help States, Tribes, and Territories to implement person-centered practices. NCAPPS webinars are open to the public, and are geared toward human services administrators, providers, and people who use long-term services and supports. All NCAPPS webinars will be recorded and archived at https://ncapps.acl.gov.