By Meghan Chapman, Federation for Children with Special Needs
What an amazing time we shared at FCSN’s Youth Visions of Community (Youth VOC) conference! Thank you to all the young people, families, presenters, exhibitors, volunteers, and staff who helped make this in-person event so special.
We had a record number of attendees and volunteers! From start to finish, the day was filled with connection, curiosity, smiles, and memorable moments. The goal of the day was to help young people with disabilities (ages 14–26) and their families to build toolkits of resources, connections, knowledge and skills that they can use to build the adult lives they want.
Some highlights included:
- Young adults from #TeachDisabilityHistory program at EasterSeals led a fun trivia game about icons from the disability civil rights movement.
- Sweet treats at breakfast and burritos for lunch. Many thanks to Stop & Shop in Somerville for donating all our fruit!
- Wound down the day with a chance to laugh and move led by the inclusive theater group, All Voices Count.
Community Spotlight
Each of us needs other people and organizations to build the lives we want. Independent living is really interdependent living, isn’t it? At Youth VOC, twenty-one exhibitors filled the halls with resources, offers of support, newsletter sign-up sheets, free stuff, and ways to connect. Thanks to each and every one of them for being available from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm. Who was there offering transition-to-adult life resources?
- State agencies and tools like: Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA), Department of Public Health (DPH), Department of Mental Health (DMH), Massachusetts Behavioral Health Helpline, and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
- Financial planning supports like PLAN of MA and RI Special Needs Trusts.
- Social and community connections: Access 2 Community and Friendship, #TeachDisabilityHistory, Special Olympics, and Empowering People for Inclusive Communities (EPIC).
- Education: Massachusetts Inclusive Postsecondary Enrollment (MAIPSE).
- Training and information services: FCSN, Autism Housing Pathways (AHP), Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL), and Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL).
- Transition services providers: TMD Consulting, Run the Gamut, Bridging Independent Living Together, Inc (BILT), Northeast Arc, Perkins School for the Blind Transition Center, and EasterSeals.
Thanks to our Presenters
Where would we be without our presenters? These dynamos delivered information, interaction, and activity! Our young people:
- Imagined their future in a session about housing with FCSN’s Andria Entsminger from Autism Housing Pathways (AHP).
- Learned about SMART Goal Setting in “One Step at a Time” with Tabitha Desjardins from TMD Consulting.
- Practiced Every Day Self-Advocacy with Jeff Lafata-Hernandez from Empowering People for Inclusive Communities (EPIC).
FCSN Transition-to-Adulthood events are attended by young people and caregivers who learn similar information but in separate spaces. That way, each group learns with their peers and has a chance to connect. Our youth have volunteers to help them navigate the sessions in small groups. Our families learned about:
- Multiple housing options, ways to fund them, and ways to increase their children’s independent living skills with FCSN’s Cathy Boyle from Autism Housing Pathways (AHP).
- Ways to give their kids both roots and wings from FCSN Youth Advisory Board (YAB) alumni Austin Carr and Kamisha Heriveaux, and current YAB leadership mentor Ewidji Vincent. Families hung on every drop of wisdom shared in their panel session on “What We Wish Parents Knew.”
- Where to find and how to use Charting the LifeCourse’s person-centered tools to help with life planning, and FCSN transition resources.
Gratitude for our Volunteers
Words cannot express our thanks. A record number of volunteers made this event possible. Sadly, we still could not accommodate every family due to space restrictions. But each volunteer increased our ability to include 8 people at the event. They were gracious, enthusiastic, caring, kind, and so generous. And a lot of fun!
What’s Next?
Youth VOC will be back in Spring 2027. Spaces are limited, and registration can open as early as January. If you’d like to receive an email when registration opens, you can sign up for FCSN’s newsletter.
Next event: Planning A Life (PAL): College and Beyond on Saturday, July 25th.