During the 2023 Charting The LifeCourse Showcase held in Kansas City, Missouri, two representatives of Pennsylvania’s support professional cohort were recognized for their work. Francine Hogan, Director of PA Family Network, and Christine Breakstone, Western Coordinator for Self Advocates United as 1 (SAU1) each received awards at the national conference recognizing their innovative work in supporting individuals with disabilities/autism.

The Charting The LifeCourse Showcase is an annual event that brings together Charting The LifeCourse (CtLC) communities of practice from across the US to share the many ways supports teams are using the framework. The mission of the event is to showcase the many ways in which the Charting The LifeCourse Framework & Tools are impacting policy, practice, and culture for individuals with a disability and/or autism at all stages of life.

Several members of ODP’s Supporting Families team joined the Showcase, held May 2-4, 2023, to share their knowledge and learn from their peers. Francine Hogan received the Innovations in CtLC Strategic Thinking Award for her leadership in system transformation. Jenny Turner, of the LifeCourse Nexus presented the award to Hogan. Turner shared that in her early years with the Nexus, she had the opportunity to hear Hogan present and that her message helped Turner expand her thinking around systems transformation.

Christine Breakstone received the CtLC Champion Award for CtLC Decision Making Skills. The year prior, at the 2022 Showcase, Breakstone and a colleague from another state discussed the colleague’s concerns over the future care of her brother who has an intellectual disability. Breakstone happened to live in a nearby county as the brother, and took it upon herself to meet with the family to develop a LifeCourse Framework outlining his vision for care. Breakstone was unable to accept the award in person, so ODP’s Supporting Families Lead Coordinator Candida Walton accepted it on her behalf.

The Office of Developmental Programs thanks Christine and Francine for their amazing work in supporting individuals and their families!