It's A Wonderful Life! Aging With Developmental Disabilities Conference:

Conference Brings Aging Issues to the Forefront

The conference "It's a Wonderful Life! Aging with Developmental Disabilities" was held October 28-29, 2004 at the Milwaukee Marriott West in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The purpose of the conference was to bring families and service providers together to celebrate the fact that people with developmental disabilities are living longer lives and discuss the complex issues that face them as they age.

Major sponsors of the event were Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services, Inc., St. Coletta of Wisconsin, Inc., and Rehabilitation Center of Sheboygan, Inc. Other partners included Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc., Eisenhower Center, Inc. of Milwaukee, N.E.W. Curative Rehabilitation of Green Bay, Milwaukee Center for Independence, Inc., Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities, Arc-Wisconsin Disability Association and the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.

&We value the partnerships we have developed with our fellow conference sponsors, and we were especially pleased to work with St. Coletta of Wisconsin to develop this conference in celebration of both our organizations' centennial anniversaries," said Dr. David Geske, president and CEO of Bethesda Lutheran Homes and Services.

Two hundred twenty five people, many from across the country, participated in this first Midwest conference to focus on program best practices, aging and preventative health, community supports, and service innovations for people aging with developmental disabilities.

"Due to medical advances people with developmental disabilities are living longer lives. Over 60% of the persons that St. Coletta serves with developmental disabilities are over the age of 40 years old," stated Tony LoDuca, CEO of St. Coletta. &There is a great deal that we need to learn to meet the needs of this growing population.&

National experts presented on issues critical to the needs of attendees. "We need to involve the families as improvements to services are made," said DiAnn Baxley who works for the Center on Intellectual Disabilities which for 11 years has studied these issues in New York. Baxley pushes for more collaboration between agencies that help the elderly and the developmentally disabled, because it can help stretch funding.

"RCS was proud to sponsor this event. Our staff returned with a wealth of information and resources that we will be able to share with our participants, their families and funding agencies," said Ron Van Rooyen of the Rehabilitation Center of Sheboygan, Inc.

The Wisconsin Council on Developmental Disabilities (WCDD) provided scholarships for several families to attend the conference. The WCDD was established to advocate on behalf of individuals with developmental disabilities, foster welcoming and inclusive communities, and improve the disability service system.

Rehabilitation For Wisconsin, Inc. (RFW) provided management services for the conference. RFW is a statewide network of organizations that provide vocational, independent living and other community based services to over 45,000 people with disabilities throughout Wisconsin. RFW provides a variety of services to its member organizations which include government advocacy, training and project management.

RFW offers a variety of training and educational opportunities to its members and the rehabilitation community including Professional Development Seminars (PDS), an annual Rehabilitation and Transition Conference, and other special conferences and training events.