7:45 am – 8:30 am
REGISTRATION BEGINS - Main Floor - Devon Room

Registration Desk Opens at 7:45 AM – Open all Day

8:35 am – 9:00 am
WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS - Main Floor - Ballroom

Alvin Cox – Board Chairperson – Pathways to Independence

Mohsen Badran – President & CEO – ACCSES NJ

9:00 am – 9:30 am
KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Main Floor - Ballroom

9:30 am – 10:30 am
NAVIGATING THE FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE LANDSCAPE - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Presenter: Kate McSweeny, President, ACCSES

ACCSES President and CEO, Kate McSweeny will provide a lively session of discussion and Q and A about pending legislation in the U.S. House and Senate that may prove important to people with disabilities and the organizations that serve them, and recent legislation, regulations, and executive orders that could have an impact on your organization.  She also will give an overview of what ACCSES anticipates the key issues to be for its members in the coming year.

9:30 am – 10:30 am
OVERVIEW OF NEW LAWS AND LOCAL FINANCE NOTICES IN LOCAL PUBLIC CONTRACTS LAW - Main Floor - Pembroke Room

Presenter: Nicola Reid, Purchasing Agent, Stafford Twp

An overview of the policy changes and new laws that apply to local public contracts law.  Ms. Reid will speak on the changes to the law and the practical use of the law changes on a day-to-day basis.

9:30 am – 10:30 am
RECORDS MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES - Main Floor - Tea Room

Presenters: Lenora Miko, Sales Manager, Records Management Services, ACCSES NJ

The basis of good records management is in how records are handled to provide ease of access, protection while in use and ease of disposal when the life cycle has ended.  This session will give an overview best practices in organization and storage of records; conversion to other formats and what to look for in and making the most of an electronic storage system.   It will also explore what to look for in using a vendor to help you with these tasks.

10:30 am – 10:45 am
VISIT OUR EXHIBITORS - Main Floor - Southampton Room

10:45 am – 11:45 am
PROTECTING EMPLOYMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SIGNIFICANT INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES” - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Presenters:

Colleen Stuart, Board President, Coalition for the Preservation of Employment Choice, Inc. C.E.O., Venango Training & Development Center, Inc., Seneca, PA Rehabilitation Community Provider Association, Chairperson

Kit Brewer, Board Vice-President, Coalition for the Preservation of Employment Choice, Inc. Executive Director, ProjectCU, Inc., St.  Louis, Missouri; Missouri Assoc. of Sheltered Workshop Managers (MASWM), Legislative Chair

The President and Vice-President of the national “Coalition for the Preservation of Employment Choice, Inc.” will provide attendees with information about the Coalition, its’ mission and vision and outcomes through educating legislators and government department heads on the importance of maintaining a continuum of employment services, including programs that employ those with the most significant disabilities through commensurate wages.  This session will also provide current legislation and tools to engage local and federal legislators.

10:45 am – 11:45 am
COOPERATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE PURCHASING WORKSHOP: NEW JERSEY STATE AGENCIES OFFERING COMPLIANT PURCHASING ALTERNATIVES: DEPTCOR, DSS AND DPP - Main Floor - Pembroke Room

Presenters:

Brian Gallagher, Promotional Sales Specialist, DeptCor

Joseph Signoretta, Supervisor, DSS,

Allan Sydlo, Cooperative Outreach Lead, DPP

Good decision making in public purchasing requires knowledge of all available, compliant sources, which makes good fiscal sense for the New Jersey taxpayer.

This program is presented by 3 State agencies, and is designed to engage and educate local government agencies on purchasing compliant products and services available from the State of New Jersey. Offering a variety of products, from green cleaning products to sheds, from food products to regulatory signs and printing, DEPTCOR, DSS, and DPP are the go to sources for many State and local government agencies.

This presentation and subsequent Question and Answer period is designed to:

• Familiarize local agencies with the products available, and use, of DEPTCOR, DSS, and DPP State Cooperative Contracts.
• Engage using agencies directly and provide them with a better knowledge of compliance.
• Improve knowledge of the products available with DEPTCOR, DSS, and DPP.
• Gain knowledge from using agencies and understand their needs for existing and future products.
• Elevate the overall level of “customer service” that DEPTCOR, DSS, and DPP provides.
• Present an opportunity to establish contact points with DEPTCOR, DSS, and DPP.

10:45 am – 11:45 am
OPRA BASICS AND UPDATES - Main Floor - Tea Room

Presenter:

Frank F. Caruso, Executive Director of the GRC, 609-292-6830,

This session will provide attendees a brief and basic understanding of OPRA and the GRC, as well as provide updates on case law affecting OPRA.

11:45 am – 1:30 pm
AWARDS LUNCHEON - Main Floor - Ballroom

STAR Awards Presentation

1:30 pm – 1:45 pm
VISIT OUR EXHIBITORS - Main Floor - Southampton Room

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
DISABILITY LAW PRIMER - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Presenters:

Arla Cahill and Brent Pohlman, Partners, Mandelbaum Barrett PC

The Disability Law Primer will be an introduction to relevant state and federal laws pertinent to service providers of individuals with disabilities. Of particular focus will be laws related to employment. Topics covered during the session will include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and  the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD). Participants will receive an overview of those laws impacting their work in the provision of disability services as well as the ways in which they can ensure their consumers receive the full benefits and protections to which they are entitled under the law.

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
FIDUCIARY ASPECTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUCCESSION PLANNING - Main Floor - Pembroke Room

Presenter:

James J. Jorgensen, MSM, QPA, President of NIGP Chapter 7.

The session covers the fiduciary and ethical impact of poor succession planning and compares that to the benefits of good succession planning.  This presentation hits on purchasing, finance, and administration, as well as IT.

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO ASSISTING JOB SEEKERS WITH ADDRESSING GAPS IN EMPLOYMENT - Main Floor - Tea Room

Presenters:

Ni Gao, Ph.D., LCSW, Professor

Joni Dolce, MS, CRC, Assistant professor, Integrated Employment Institute, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation & Counseling Professions, Rutgers University

This workshop addresses the challenge many job seekers potentially encounter when they haven’t worked for some time or may have left jobs due to less than favorable reasons–gaps in work history. This can make it difficult to develop resumes, complete applications, and feel confident during job interviews. The workshop will identify strategies and resources to assist job seekers in describing gaps in work history.

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm
VISIT OUR EXHIBITORS - Main Floor - Southampton Room

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
FINDINGS OF 2022 KESSLER FOUNDATION SURVEY: EFFECTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SUPERVISOR PERSPECTIVES - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Presenter:

John O’Neill, Director, Employment and Disability Research, Kessler Foundation

The presentation will present supervisor firsthand knowledge of the profound effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on workplace processes, procedures, and ways employers recruit, hire, train, and retain people with disabilities in the workforce. The presentation compares the perspectives of supervisors in 2022 with those of their counterparts in 2017.

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
ADVANCING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION INITIATIVES: FOSTERING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH SUPPLIER/PURCHASING DIVERSITY - Main Floor - Pembroke Room

Presenters:

Kevin Regan, Director of Government Sales, ACCSES NJ

Caryn Brahn, Director of Business Development, ACCSES NJ

Supplier diversity and inclusion initiatives can make a significant difference to communities throughout New Jersey.  As we emerge from the pandemic, broad interest in socially responsible purchasing is accelerating rapidly.  S-994/Chapter 385 signed into law on January 18th 2022, seeks to further the policy of the State and all political subdivisions to encourage and assist people with severe disabilities to achieve maximum personal independence through productive employment by assuring a continuous market for commodities and services provided by them, thereby enhancing their dignity and capacity for self-support and minimizing their dependence on public assistance and the need for costly institutionalization.  Chapter 385 establishes a mechanism through which people with severe disabilities throughout the State of New Jersey are encouraged and enabled to become productively employed through participation in community rehabilitation programs. Chapter 385 unlocks benefits from a driven workforce of people with disabilities who possess the skills you need and fight the highest rates of unemployment nationally.

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
SOCIAL SECURITY WORK INCENTIVES: A WIN WIN FOR CONSUMERS AND CRPS - Main Floor - Tea Room

Presenter:

Dawn Hale, Director of Ticket to Work and Benefits Counseling. Waters & Sims Employment Service

Many individuals are afraid that working too many hours will cause them to lose their Social Security benefits and Medicaid/health insurance. This session will discuss the types of Social Security benefits individuals may have and provide a brief overview of how working in Extended Employment or in the community could affect that income and their Medicaid. We will discuss a variety of work incentives offered by Social Security that may allow your consumer to work more and keep their Social Security benefit and Medicaid. Examples and links to the forms needed to help your individuals apply for these incentives will be provided.

4:45 pm – 7:00 pm
NETWORKING EVENT - NAVESINK QUEEN

Event is from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, please be at the Molly Pitcher Dock at 4:45 pm for boarding.

7:45 am – 9:00 am
REGISTRATION DESK OPENS - Main Floor - Devon Room

8:00 am – 9:00 am
BREAKFAST - Main Floor - Ballroom

9:00 am – 10:30 am
HYBRID: STEPS TO SUCCESS - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Presenters: Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Community Rehabilitation Programs Unit Program Planning & Development Specialists- Kathleen Kindya, Jennifer Sosdorf, Susan Polansky, Tiffany Hood

Moderator: CRP Chief- Deborah Vaughn. This session will be offered in collaboration with staff of The Arc Mercer Inc. and Advancing Opportunities.

This session will be offered in collaboration with staff of The Arc Mercer Inc. and Advancing Opportunities.

The Hybrid Model offers extended employees the opportunity to begin working in competitive integrated employment while at the same time, benefiting from the supports of their Extended Employment program. This session will provide a brief overview of the Hybrid program, lessons learned and steps for employment success. The Arc Mercer Inc. was selected to showcase successes and lessons learned from the Hybrid program. Advancing Opportunities are experts on assistive technology and will discuss the importance of the consideration of possible tools to help consumers succeed in the workplace.

9:00 am – 10:30 am
GRANT WRITING - Main Floor - Pembroke Room

Presenter:

Elaine E. Katz, Senior Vice President, Grants and Communications, Kessler Foundation

To most people, grantmaking is a closed and secretive process; completed by funders sitting in a remote office tower. How do foundations find, fund, and manage their grants? This session provides an insider’s view on the skills and attributes behind successful grant making such as grant selection and review, project management and evaluation.  Understanding these basic decision-making principles used by foundations, will bolster your working relationship with funding partners.

9:00 am – 10:30 am
EDP 2023-2024 COHORT - Main Floor - Tea Room

By Invite Only

10:30 am – 10:45 am
VISIT THE EXHIBITORS - Main Floor - Southampton Room

10:45 am – 12:15 pm
DVRS PRE-EMPLOYMENT TRANSITION SERVICES - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Presenter: Toni Scott, NJ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Starting early to prepare students for success in adult life is key! Students with disabilities aged 14 through 21 (and possibly older) can now access needed services from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services to help them prepare for success in Competitive Integrated Employment.  This session will explain what these services are, how to obtain them for students, and the agencies and local school’s role in making this happen.

10:45 am – 12:15 pm
ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL TRANSPORTATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES - Main Floor - Pembroke Room

Presenters:

Karen Alexander, Managing Director, NJ Travel Independence Program at Rutgers. NJTIP @ Rutgers

Steve Cook, CEO, Arc of Mercer County

Namecca Parker, NJ Transit Access Link General Manager, NJ Transit

Angelo Montoya, Career Development Specialist & Transportation Coordinator, Jespy House

Moderator:

Karen Elliott, Director of Professional Services, Occupational Training Center of Burlington County

This panel discussion will  address some of the challenges and opportunities for enhancing accessible transportation options for people with disabilities in New Jersey.  Services to be discussed will include coordinated agency-based transportation, Access Link ADA Paratransit developments, ride share options and Travel Training – teaching people with disabilities how to use accessible buses, trains, and light rail.

10:45 am – 12:15 pm
ACCSES NJ CRP CERTIFICATION - Main Floor - Tea Room

Doing Business with ACCSES NJ Certification

Presenter:

Caryn Brahn, Director of Business Development, ACCSES NJ

These sessions will review what CRPs need to do to comply with their MOU with ACCSES NJ and with the requirements of the State Contracts.

Part 1

12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
LUNCHEON - Main Floor - Ballroom

EDP 2022-2023 COHORT GRADUATION

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
ACCSES NJ GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING - Main Floor - Navesink Room

Association Members Only

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm
ACCSES NJ CRP CERTIFICATION - Main Floor - Tea Room

Doing Business with ACCSES NJ Certification

Presenter:

Caryn Brahn, Director of Business Development, ACCSES NJ

These sessions will review what CRPs need to do to comply with their MOU with ACCSES NJ and with the requirements of the State Contracts.

Part 2

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Refreshments in the Ballroom - Main floor - Ballroom

3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
NJ Legislative Update - Main floor - Ballroom

Scot Mackey and Richard Wright, MBI Gluck Associates

Jacob Caplan, ACCSES New Jersey

This session will cover legislative issues in New Jersey that affect people with disabilities at work and in their lives and
the services that organizations provide to them.

4:45 pm – 4:45 pm
SESSIONS END - THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE 2023 STAR CONFERENCE

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
HONORARY DINNER - Main Floor - Navesink Room