The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) celebrated Sports & Fitness Month with Erie Athletics, Erie's adult Special Olympics chapter. In May, ODP joined Erie Athletics team members Dion, Mary Ellen, Roy, Nicole, and their coach, Natalie, for track and field practice where they worked on javelin, shotput, standing long jump, and distance
June 25 - July 1, 2024 This week is marked annually in honor of leading humanitarian Helen Keller's birthday on June 27. Being deaf and blind herself, Keller's work made a big difference in the lives of DeafBlind people. What is DeafBlindness? DeafBlindness is a combination of visual and auditory impairments. It
The Pennsylvania Lifesharing Coalition invites you to save the date for the 12th Annual Lifesharing Conference on October 28 and 29, 2024. The conference will be held at the Eden Resort in Lancaster, PA. Building Connections, Building Community, Building a Life... For a Lifetime! The Pennsylvania Lifesharing Conference will feature family friendly
Each Summer the Office of Developmental Programs hosts a Regional Employment Symposium, inviting current and future employers, local education specialists, intermediate units, ODP employment/community participation supports, residential providers, supports coordinators, transition counselors and OVR business liaisons. At the symposium, a panel of employers, job coaches and self-advocates are compiled to share why
Register today for the second annual PA Human Relations Commission Disability Conference! This hybrid conference will take place on July 9, 2024 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Harrisburg Hilton and online, and will offer engaging sessions on a variety of topics about how individuals with disabilities navigate various conflict
May is celebrated as Mental Health Awareness Month. We all have mental health but sometimes our mental health struggles. Some people may develop a mental illness. Mental illness has the capability to impact our ability to communicate effectively. It can impact our expressive and receptive communication skills; how we interact with the
A informational webinar for residential service providers is now available. The webinar aims to prepare providers for the transition to the proposed Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) waiver model. Deputy Secretary, Kristin Ahrens and Director of the Bureau of Community Services, Lauren House provide a high-level overview of Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) for Residential Services.
A limited number of scholarships for in-person or virtual attendance for youth/young adults and family/caregivers are being offered to attend the 2024 PA Community of Practice Transition Conference. The PA Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and PaTTAN are pleased to offer a limited number of in person or virtual youth/young adult and
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh recently published two opinion pieces highlighting the historic investments for intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) services and the ID/A workforce in Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 proposed budget. At events across the Commonwealth, Secretary Arkoosh has met with advocates, families, caregivers, and direct support
During the 2024 Charting the LifeCourse Showcase held in Kansas City, Missouri, two representatives of Pennsylvania’s support professional cohort were recognized for their work. Pam Schaefer, Training and Development Senior Analyst at KenCrest, and Jack Butler, Director of Person-Centered Supports at Achieva each received awards at the national conference recognizing their innovative
