Families and professionals from around Illinois attended the annual Stepping Stones of Transition Conference to improve outcomes for transition-age youth with disabilities.

More than 550 families and professionals gathered at the 15th annual Illinois Statewide Transition Conference to gain skills, resources and information to help youth with disabilities prepare for adulthood.

The conference, titled “Stepping Stones of Transition,” took place Oct. 17-18 in Collinsville.

The event targets adolescents, parents, caretakers, vocational professionals, healthcare professionals, educators and others involved with improving outcomes for transition-age youth with special needs. It highlights the opportunities and resources available for youth as they, their families and support teams plan and prepare for the future.

The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) served on the steering committee to plan this year’s conference.

DSCC also covered the conference-related expenses for 23 participant families across the state. Part of DSCC’s mission is to connect adolescents with special healthcare needs and their families to resources that prepare them for the transition to adulthood and adult services.

Lily Dining is the mother of 14-year-old Paulina, a participant in DSCC’s program. This year’s conference was their first time attending.

“We have learned so much, to the point where I don’t know what I want to do first. It’s been so informative and we are well taken care of,” Lily said of DSCC paying for their conference fees and hotel stay.

Lily appreciated that DSCC made sure Paulina, who uses a wheelchair, had an accessible hotel room.

“Everything was so smooth and well-organized.,” she said. “I was free to just learn and not have to worry about how I was going to pay for it.”

Nineteen-year-old DSCC participant Joy attended the conference with her aunt Cecilia. They found several breakout sessions helpful as Joy begins to plan to enter the workforce. Cecilia said she’s eager to work with Joy to identify her strengths and pinpoint jobs that would be a good match.

Joy and Cecilia also enjoyed attending a special meet-and-greet for DSCC families and staff who were at this year’s conference.

The conference consisted of informative breakout sessions in the areas of:

• Independent Living
• Education and Training
• Employment
• Community Integration
• Health Care
• Self-Advocacy

DSCC participant Collin Monical, 18, attended the conference with his parents. His father, Greg, said each person in their group had different perspectives about transition and found sessions that addressed each of their interests and concerns.

Greg said most of his selected sessions involved help with government programs.

“I was not only impressed with the educational benefits of governmental programs. The human aspects presented through these talks were most enlightening,” he said.

Greg said he was particularly inspired by keynote speaker LeDerick Horne, who discussed his own experiences growing up with a learning disability. LeDerick is now a disability advocate, motivational speaker and spoken-word poet.

“Hearing these positive stories is just incredible… As parents, we tend to see a lot of the negative about disability. Every once in a while, you have to step back to see how far our children really have come,” Greg said.

“We will dwell on the materials presented from the conference for a long while. I believe that we now know more about what is out there and could perhaps ask more pointed questions in the future. Thank you so very much for the assistance provided to make this into a reality.”

More than 20 DSCC staff members also attended the conference to network, learn from others and strengthen their skillsets and the tools they use to serve our families.

DSCC Family Advisory Council member Joyce Clay, who is a professor of nursing at Richland Community College, presented a breakout session on the “The Joys and Challenges of Medical Transition.” Joyce shared her experiences with her own daughter’s complex medical needs and the strategies she has learned to enhance the transition process as her daughter moved from the pediatric to adult setting.

Additionally, DSCC sponsored the conference’s health care track for providers who play a role in the transition from the pediatric to adult healthcare system and those who build youth’s capacity and healthcare skills to prepare for adulthood.

“This year’s conference was a great success helping improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities/special healthcare needs,” DSCC Statewide Transition Coordinator Darcy Contri said. “I am so happy to have had the opportunity to be involved for the 15 years that DSCC has helped host this conference. It just keeps getting better each year.”

Visit DSCC’s Facebook page to see photos and more information about this year’s conference

Families and professionals from across the state attended annual Stepping Stones of Transition Conference to help youth with special needs.

More than 700 families and professionals gained valuable knowledge about helping adolescents with special needs prepare for adulthood during the 14th annual Illinois Statewide Transition Conference on Oct. 25-26 in Itasca.

The conference, titled “Stepping Stones of Transition,” is aimed at youth, parents, caretakers, vocational professionals, healthcare professionals, educators and others involved with improving outcomes for transition-age youth with disabilities. It highlights the opportunities and resources available for youth as they, their families and support teams plan and prepare for the future.

The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) served on the steering committee to plan this year’s conference.

DSCC also covered the conference-related expenses for 39 of our participant family members across the state. Part of DSCC’s mission is to connect adolescents with special healthcare needs and their families to resources that prepare them for the transition to adulthood and adult services.

Juliette De Nova is the parent of three children in DSCC’s program, including her 15-year-old daughter, Natalie, who has Down syndrome and a heart impairment.

“Natalie is home-schooled, so I’m her teacher, her transition coordinator, I’m the whole kit and caboodle, so there’s a lot to learn,” Juliette said.

She is grateful that DSCC was able to pay for her conference fee and hotel stay.

“I really appreciate it. We’re a single-income family with three kids with medical issues,” she said.

DSCC also coordinated and covered the cost for translation services for non-English speaking participants who attended. One Spanish-speaking parent said she was amazed at how much she was able to learn to prepare for her daughter’s future, all thanks to DSCC’s efforts.

Another teenaged DSCC participant said he was so inspired by the stories he heard that he wants to share his own transition experience at next year’s conference.

The conference consisted of informative breakout sessions in the area of:

• Independent Living
• Education and Training
• Employment
• Community Integration
• Health Care

Former DSCC participant Mary Kate DalCanton, 25, served as the conference’s first youth representative on the conference steering committee. This was her third year attending the conference and she loved having the opportunity to be involved with the planning.

“It’s actually kind of cool,” Mary Kate said.

“A lot of people who come to the conference are teachers and parents,” she added. “One of the reasons I wanted to be on the committee is to get more youth to the conference.”

Mary Kate planned a special Bingo Night for youth only during the conference to give young conference attendees the chance to meet one another and have fun away from their parents.

She solicited donations for prizes for players to encourage more people to participate.

Conference organizers honored Mary Kate for all of her efforts with a special award during the conference luncheon.

“I was very surprised,” Mary Kate said.

More than a dozen DSCC staff members also attended the conference to network, learn from others and strengthen their skillsets and the tools they use to serve our families.  DSCC’s Statewide Transition Coordinator Darcy Contri and Care Coordinator Angel Lawrence from our Champaign Regional Office led a discussion on how to put youth at the center of transition planning for healthier outcomes.

Additionally, DSCC sponsored the conference’s health care track for providers who play a role in the transition from the pediatric to adult healthcare system and those who build youth’s capacity and healthcare skills to prepare for adulthood.

During the health care track, Diane Becker of DSCC’s Home Care Quality Improvement and Enrollment Team presented on how providers and professionals can use data on the social determinants for health and success to change interventions and supports for youth in their area.

DSCC Care Coordinator Opal Andraka said she was inspired by her interactions with families from across the state during the conference.

“It was very eye-opening to hear them voice their questions and concerns in an open forum with subject-matter experts. Hearing them tell their stories is always a good way to remind us of our mission,” she said.

DSCC Family Liaison Violet Wiker staffed the Family Oasis Room, which gave families the opportunity to take a break and connect with other families.

DSCC Care Coordinator Autumn DeSilva worked DSCC’s booth at the conference’s exhibit hall. She said it was great to meet our participant families and connect them with their care coordinators in attendance at the conference.

Visit DSCC’s Facebook page to view photos and more information about this year’s conference.

500-plus families and professionals attended the 13th annual Stepping Stones of Transition Conference in Springfield

More than 500 families and professionals learned valuable information about helping adolescents with special needs/disabilities prepare for adulthood during the 13th annual Illinois Statewide Transition Conference on Oct. 23-24 in Springfield.

The conference, titled “Stepping Stones of Transition,” is aimed at youth, parents, caretakers, vocational professionals, healthcare professionals, educators and other key stakeholders  Participants were invited to discuss the possibilities for students with disabilities in the areas of independent living, education and training, employment, community integration, health care and self-advocacy. Youth and young adults with special healthcare needs learned how to plan for their future and life after high school, how to sort through the maze of resources and what skills are important to develop to prepare for adulthood and meet their goals.

The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) served on the steering committee for this year’s conference and covered the conference-related expenses for 20 of our participant families across the state. Part of DSCC’s mission is to connect adolescents with special healthcare needs and their families to resources that prepare them for the transition to adulthood and the delivery of adult services.

Former DSCC participant Ashley Santiago-Sanchez, 21, attended the conference with her parents and younger brother. Her father, Ivan, said his family wanted to gain as much information and resources as possible to help foster her independence and prepare for adult life in the community.

Saurabh and Mukta Agarwal attended with their teenaged daughter, Radhika, who currently is enrolled with DSCC and requires skilled in-home nursing. Their Care Coordinator made sure that DSCC paid for the family’s registration, hotel, transportation and cost for a daytime nurse for Radhika.

“A lot of times families (like ours) don’t know the options,” Saurabh said of planning for the future with a medically complex child.

Saurabh said he was especially touched by keynote speaker Matt Cohen, who spoke about his experiences with his son and how he learned to determine transition priorities for students and ensure their real-life needs are met. He and Mukta also appreciated the opportunity to make connections with other families and professionals.

“All of the information was very helpful, and now we have to do our homework,” Saurabh said.

Click here to view photos and more information about this year’s conference.

The 2018 Illinois Statewide Transition Conference is scheduled for Oct. 25-26 at the Westin Chicago Northwest Hotel in Itasca.