22nd Annual Full Lives Conference

Building for a Positive Future: Transforming Our Workforce and Ourselves

April 3 - April 4, 2023

In Person at the Captain Cook Hotel

The Alaska Training Cooperative in collaboration with the State of Alaska Senior & Disability Services, UAA Center for Human Development, and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority is pleased to present the 2023 Full Lives Conference. The 22nd Annual Full Lives Conference theme, Building for a Positive Future: Transforming our Workforce and Ourselves, emphasizes looking forward from the challenges of the last few years and building positive changes for ourselves and our workforce.

Full Lives draws a wide range of attendees that provide services in developmental disabilities, behavioral health, traumatic brain injuries, substance-related disorders, and senior services. Attendees include case managers, direct support professionals, care coordinators, community advocates, supervisors, administrators, self-advocates, caregivers, and families receiving services.

The Full Lives Conference encourages interaction, problem-solving, and sharing among all participants. This atmosphere contributes to a dynamic conference that encourages ongoing networking and collaboration.

The Full Lives Conference receives funding and support from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, UAA CHD's Alaska Training Cooperative, and the State of Alaska Senior and Disability Services.

• Registration

  Participant registration is available on the Conference Registration Page.

  The cost to attend the two day conference as a participant is $200.00.

• Agenda

  Day 1 - Monday, April 3, 2023

  8:15am - 9:00am - Daily Check-in and Breakfast with Exhibitors

  9:00am - 9:15am - Welcome and Announcements
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Teagan Presler, LMSW, CDC, BH Training Coordinator, The Alaska Training Cooperative/UAA Center for Human Development

  9:15am - 10:30am - Opening Keynote - Senior and Disability Services Updates and Highlights from the Direct Support Professional Certification Pilot with UAA Center for Human Development [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Anthony Newman, Acting Director, State of Alaska, Senior and Disability Services, DOH; Lisa Cauble, MSW, Training Director, UAA Center for Human Development

  10:30am - 10:45am - Networking break - Visit Exhibitors
  Discovery Ballroom

  10:45am - 12:15pm - Remember This! The Science of Learning and Memory [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Scott Crabtree 

  10:45am - 12:15pm - Alaska WIPA Project - Benefits Counseling for SSA Beneficiaries
  Endeavor Room
  Presented by: Larissa Cummings; Debbie Grimes 

  10:45am - 12:15pm - Participant Directed Services from an Advocates Point of View
  Adventure Room
  Presented by: Ric Nelson

  10:45am - 12:15pm - Alaska Core Competency #3 - Planning Services
  Quadrant Room
  Presented by: Riki Chapman; Liz Gerken-Miller

  12:15pm - 1:30pm - Lunch Break - On your own - Visit Exhibitors

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Goal Writing - Easy as 1, 2, 3 [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Catherine Wheeler

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - I Have Rights - Panel
  Endeavor Room
  Panelists: Jamie Kokoszka; Lanny Mommsen; Corey Gilmore; Heidi Lieb-Williams; Jena Crafton; Anna Attla

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Trauma Informed Care
  Adventure Room
  Panelists: Jill Ramsey; Wendi Shackelford

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Alaska Core Competency #5 - Linking to Resources
  Quadrant Room
  Presented by: Riki Chapman; Liz Gerken-Miller

  3:00pm - 3:15pm - Networking break - Visit Exhibitors
  Discovery Ballroom

  3:15pm - 4:15pm - Communicating with People with Cognitive Changes
  Whitby Room
  Presented by: Debbie Chulick

  3:15pm - 4:15pm - Finding Home Again: Creating a New Normal
  Endeavor Room
  Presented by: Annie Thomas-Landrum

  3:15pm - 4:15pm - Assistive Technology for Employment Access and Retention
  Adventure Room
  Presented by: Tori Gingras

  3:15pm - 4:15pm - Where We Are, Where we want to be... Brain Injury in Alaska
  Quadrant Room
  Presented by: Katie Jacques; Jomarie Gleason

  4:15pm - 5:00pm - Networking
  Voyager Room

  5:00pm - 5:30pm - Check in for Awards Banquet (separate registration required)
  Registration Table

  5:00pm - 8:30pm - DSP of the Year Awards Banquet and Ceremony [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Award Presentation
  Presented by: Anita Halterman, Chair, Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority Board of Trustees
  The Science of Being Happy and Productive at Work
  Presented by: Scott Crabtree 

   

  Day 2 - Tuesday, April 4, 2023

  8:15am - 8:45am - Daily Check-in and Breakfast with Exhibitors

  8:45am - 9:00am - Daily Announcements
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Teagan Presler, LMSW, CDC, BH Training Coordinator, The Alaska Training Cooperative/UAA Center for Human Development

  9:00am - 9:15am - Networking break - Visit Exhibitors
  Discovery Ballroom

  9:15am - 10:45am - Empower Through Advocacy: It's Their Journey! [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Nathan Atkinson; Michael Merrit; Allison Chavez

  9:15am - 10:45am - Working with Guardians to Support Relationship Development and Health Sexuality
  Endeavor Room
  Presented by: Catie Jones, Sondra LeClair

  9:15am - 10:45am - Understanding Behavior
  Adventure Room
  Presented by: Chris Sturm; Rachel White

  9:15am - 10:45am - Alaska Core Competency #6 - Advocacy
  Quadrant Room
  Presented by: Riki Chapman; Liz Gerken-Miller

  11:00am - 12:30pm - Support Plans and You - What's it all About! [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Anna Williams; Kara Thrasher-Livingston

  11:00am - 12:30pm - Micro Enterprise Grant
  Endeavor Room
  Presented by: Larissa Cummings

  11:00am - 12:30pm - Reimagining Alaska's HCBS System
  Adventure Room
  Presented by: Alaska Alliance for Direct Support Professionals

  11:00am - 12:30pm - Alaska Core Competency #7 - Individualizing Services
  Quadrant Room
  Presented by: Anna Williams

  12:15pm - 1:30pm - Lunch Break - On your own - Visit Exhibitors

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Using Brain Science to Engage Across Generation and Age Differences [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Presented by: Scott Crabtree 

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Co-Dependency and Burnout in the Caregiving Field
  Endeavor Room
  Presented by: John Walker 

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Core Messages: What Everyone Should Know About Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
  Adventure Room
  Presented by: Tami Eller; Karen Lomack 

  1:30pm - 3:00pm - Creative Solutions for Housing and Self-Employment During Challenging Times
  Quadrant Room
  Presented by: Nicole Bass 

  3:00pm - 3:15pm - Networking break - Visit Exhibitors
  Discovery Ballroom

  3:15pm - 4:30pm - Closing Keynote - The "Dance" of Direct Support [Recorded]
  Discovery Ballroom
  Facilitated by: Kara Thrasher Livingston, M. Ed. Training Specialist 3, State of Alaska, Senior and Disability Services; Ric Nelson, MPA, Advocacy & Outreach Mgr, The Arc of Anchorage, and President, Peer Power Alaska 

   

• Hotel Accommodations and Parking

  Meals:
  Breakfast, snacks, and coffee service will be provided each day. Lunch is on your own.

  Parking: 
  You must cover your own parking costs.

  Captain Cook Valet parking is $36 for 24-hour pass – unlimited access.

  Diamond Parking Garage (next to the hotel) is $6 for the first 2 hours and adds $3 every hour until a $30 cap for 24 hours. You pay each time you leave the garage.

  On-street meter parking is available around the hotel for $1.75/hour. You pay every two hours, Mon–Fri, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Another option is to pay remotely using the ParkMe App.

  Hotel Accommodations: 
  If attending from outside the Anchorage area and need accommodations, we strongly encourage you to take advantage of the room block available at the Hotel Captain Cook. We have a negotiated rate of $149 plus tax per night (total of $166.88/night) for a room with one king size bed or a room with two double beds. Reservations can be made online at the group rate through the Hotel Captain Cook's website using the code: FLC23

  Reservations can also be made by calling 907-276-6000 or 1-800-843-1950. Be sure to indicate that you are booking within the Full Lives Conference room block with FLC23 code.

  The availability at these rates is limited - be sure to reserve your room soon!