In partnership with NAQ and Illinois TAP, the TEC Lab hosts an annual conference dedicated to helping disability professionals learn about, adopt, and implement assistive technologies. This year the conference will be held in a virtual format.

In partnership with NAQ and Illinois TAP, the TEC Lab hosts an annual conference dedicated to helping disability professionals learn about, adopt, and implement assistive technologies. This year the conference will be held in a virtual format.

This presentation will address consumer-level tools for environmental control, communication, and cognitive assistance, offering case examples and recommendations for practical applications, based on the presenter’s long-standing research and practice in this field.

This session will give insight on how to write comprehensive and achievable supports to ensure the person is successful with their devices.

This session continues with a discussion of disease states affecting the individual with I/DD and new drugs developed over the past year. The following topics are reviewed: Insomnia, Schizophrenia, Hypertension and Seizure Disorder. Lastly what is on the horizon for development is reviewed.

This session reviews the process of getting a drug to market by a pharmaceutical company and the requirements imposed by the FDA for such. It continues with several disease states and the medications developed in the last year to address some of the ongoing needs of patients, especially individuals with I/DD. The disease states and new drugs discussed are Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Depression.

Assistive technology enables users to complete tasks more quickly, easily, or independently in a variety of settings - from home to work to the community. These tools are all around us and available for little or no cost.

This session will clarify critical information about decision-making support options and explore practical strategies for working directly with people who have disabilities to develop the skills and experience needed for better decision-making. The presenter will identify and explore key concepts that can be used as practical guidance when assisting people with disabilities.

The session will provide an overview of Positive Psychology and will provide examples of Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) that may be useful to both staff members and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

During this session, the participants will learn how mobile technology can enhance and simplify everyday life for people with disabilities. The apps highlighted will range from free to paid versions with subscription fees and will address a range of needs of those with cognitive disabilities.

This session will provide an overview of efforts to prepare I/DD agencies to understand and adapt to a landscape that includes non-state payers and is outside of the traditional fee for service (FFS) reimbursement model.

This crash course in Remote Supports will highlight the 18-year history of the services and give you the cliff notes version of “everything you need to know” to start implementing Remote Supports the right way today.

Join Robin Pegg in a conversation that will challenge how you think about "people with disabilities" as well as provide you with ideas that you can begin implementing tomorrow. Robin will share examples of people who are using technology to conquer not only the barriers the world presents but those monstrous barriers of perception. Their stories will serve as an inspiration as you ask yourself “But what if they can?”.

As social creatures, it is natural for us to seek connections with others and to develop many different types of relationships including sexual and romantic relationships. This is true for all people - including the people you support who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. As a disability professional, one of your roles is to help the people you support develop the skills needed to establish healthy relationships - those that foster health and well-being.

As social creatures, it is natural for us to seek connections with others and to develop many different types of relationships including sexual and romantic relationships. This is true for all people - including the people you support who have intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. As a disability professional, one of your roles is to help the people you support develop the skills needed to establish healthy relationships - those that foster health and well-being.

Learn how to utilize cool mainstream iPad apps and a virtual assistant (Amazon Alexa) to enable an independent life for individuals with “differing abilities”. These tips and tools can be readily utilized by families, care providers and individuals. Alice will also discuss and demonstrate two of her favorite low tech tools to promote independence especially in the home!

Art Dykstra will be discussing such issues as controlling the negativity instinct in times of difficulty, the importance of a positive culture, as well as the latest in developments in planning with persons who have disabilities—including the five essential components of person-centered planning.

The latest trend in technology is the Internet of Things (IoT). This includes a wide variety of technology including personal in-home voice assistants, mobile tech, and so much more. With these devices come new opportunities to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. This session will focus on how these devices can be used to assist individuals with organization, productivity, independence, and communication at work and home.