Saturday October 18, 2025

 

 

8:00 am (Regency Foyer CD) Registration Opens

  • Vendor Booths Set Up (Regency Foyer Main)
  • T-Shirts go on Sale (Regency Foyer Main)

8:00 am - 5:00 pm Sensory Free Room opens (Willamette 9)

Breakfast on your own

9:00 - 11:00 am (Regency Ballroom) Welcome Session and National Grassroots Partner Panel: APRIL, NCIL, NASILC

  • Hotel Staff: housekeeping, emergency plans, etc.
  • Indigenous Blessing
  • Hear from ILR in Portland, Oregon
  • Hear from APRIL Board President, Kim Gibson
  • Hear from APRIL Executive Director, Elissa Ellis
  • Brief Address from Rebecca Cokley, Ford Foundation
  • National Grassroots Partner Panel
    • APRIL
    • NCIL (National Council on Independent Living)
    • NASILC (National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils)

11:00 am - 12:00 pm (Regency Foyer Main) Visit Vendor Booths

12:00 -1:30 pm (Regency Ballroom) Plated Luncheon & Presentation

  • Luncheon Keynote: Maria Town, AAPD (The American Association of People with Disabilities)

1:30 - 2:00 pm Transition to Workshops

2:00 - 3:00 pm Workshops Block 1

2:00 - 5:00 pm Film Screening of The Ride Ahead: A Film (Wilamette 3)

  • Screening of this film will be continuous (on a loop) throughout the day.

3:00 - 3:30 pm Break

3:30 - 5:00 pm Workshops Block 2

  • Building CIL Capacity to Support Self-Employment with Catherine Ipsen and Luke Santore (Willamette 1)
    • Self-employment represents an important alternative to traditional wage employment for people with disabilities, particularly in rural communities where job opportunities are more limited. Researchers from RTC:Rural teamed up with disabled business owners, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors, and Small Business Development Center staff to create the VR Self-Employment Guide (VR-SEG) to assist consumers explore and pursue self-employment. Although the guide was developed with VR counselors and consumers in mind, it is available for anyone to use and could be a valuable resource for CILs. By the end of the presentation, participants will be made aware of and have practice using the VR-SEG to explore self-employment readiness, assess business feasibility, and engage in business planning. During this interactive session, participants will develop a business idea, name their business, and determine how much they will need to make and sell to cover costs. We hope that these interactive exercises are fun and provide insights for how the VR-SEG might be used to support CIL consumers interested in starting their own businesses.
    • Click Here to Download an Accessible PDF Version of this Presentation
  • Lights Up: Using Theater and Art to Tell Our Stories and Support Mental Health with Kimber Nicoletti-Martinez (Columbia 1)   
    • Storytelling is survival—and when we tell our stories our way, through theater and creative expression, we make space for healing, connection, and leadership. This interactive workshop invites people with disabilities, caregivers, and program staff in rural communities to explore art-based practices like improv, collage, and poetry to support mental health and wellness. Participants will leave with simple, inclusive, and trauma-informed activities they can use to build community, process emotions, and affirm that our stories—and our leadership—belong to us.         
    • Click Here to Download an Accessible PDF Version of this Presentation
    • Click Here to Download an Additional Document from this Presentation
  • Breaking Barriers: Connecting the Deaf Community in Your Center for Independent Living with Meda Thompson (Columbia 2) 
  • Independence Through AT and Person-Centered Approaches with Danny Housley (Wilamette 6)
    • This session will cover how Shepherd Center has implemented funding from Travis Roy, who was a passionate advocate for assistive technology access, to create a person centered approach for providing education, access and acquisition of assistive technology solutions for device and environmental access. In the session participants will learn about a variety of assistive technology, funding solutions and the legacy of Travis Roy.
    • Click Here to Download an Accessible PDF Version of this Presentation
  • Be a Path-Finder with the Blue-Path App with Vicki Leeper (Wilamette 5)
    • We will be launching the new BluePath app in October, hopefully at the APRILConfernce. With this app, people can load disability friendly and accessible businesses on the site, including outdoor recreation and trails, and accessible tourism. The app can act as a resource for businesses to become more accessible with easy to understand resources.
    • Click Here to Download an Accessible PDF Version of this Presentation

  • "No Place to Grow Old" Documentary Film Screening (50 Minutes) with Panel Discussion with Nikki Dolan & Barry Fox-Quamme (Columbia 3)

    • No Place To Grow Old is a powerful exploration of the rising crisis of senior homelessness in Portland, Oregon. The film uncovers the systemic challenges and deeply personal stories of those unexpectedly finding themselves with no place to call home.

8:00  – 11:45 pm Dance for Youth and Young at Heart (Willamette 1)

  • Light snacks provided

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