A Technology Forward Approach to Independent Living

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

transition, employment & vocational rehab

Format:

lecture

Subject Level:

intermediate

Age Span:

adult

Target Audience:

AT specialist
consultant
educator
family member / caregiver
occupational therapist
special educator
speech language pathologist
university professor / personnel

Professional Development Credits

IACET CEUs:

0.01

ACVREP CEs:

1

Presentation Length: 1 hour

Location:

Atrium 7

Description:

What does it actually take for an adult with a developmental disability to live independently? At Pathfinder Services, we built our answer around two core principles: a technology-first mindset and a strengths-based approach grounded in occupational therapy. This session walks participants through Pathfinder’s Independent Living Initiative; a program that has helped people who previously required 24/7 staffing transition to fewer than five hours of staff support per day, without sacrificing quality of life. Drawing on real case examples and the Person-Environment-Occupation model, participants will leave with a replicable framework, practical technology examples, and a renewed perspective on what independence can look like for the people they support.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Participants will describe the "tech-first mindset" and explain how it can be applied as an alternative to adding staff supports when addressing independence challenges for adults with developmental disabilities.

• Participants will demonstrate increased confidence in evaluating an individual's strengths and daily routines to determine when and how technology can support adults with intellectual disabilities to live more independently.

• Participants will identify at least one technology solution applicable to their own organization and describe how they would implement it using a person-centered approach.

Disclosures:

Katherine receives salary from employment at Pathfinder.