Using Special Events As An Outreach
with Wendi Akers
Ideas for special events and how to use them as an outreach in the community to grow or start a ministry.
Marketing and Recruiting for Your Ministry
with Elizabeth Barnett
One part of your job as a disability ministry leader is to let others know about your ministry and inviting them to join you. In this session you will learn how to successfully share your ministry with families, volunteers, and staff members. You will leave with action steps on how to effectively market your ministry and recruit new volunteers and families to join you.
bEfriend: Creating Authentic Relationships with Adults
with Rebecca Wall
bEfriend, 99 Balloons newest model of ministry, brings meaningful and mutual relationships to adults with and without disability. Learn about the profound impact bEfriend communities are having around the country and how you can get involved.
Don't start a disability ministry! Build something even better.
with Shawn Koonce
A practical, interactive guide for approaching, evaluating and engaging your church in beginning a Special Needs ministry. All participants will receive complimentary resources from our Joni and Friends resource library.
Elevating Your Special Needs Ministry
with Daniel Williams
Looking for ways to take your special needs ministry to the next level? This session will provide a framework to explore where you can go deeper, broader and higher to expand the impact on those you serve. (Newly revised!)
Building a Culture of Inclusion
with Bronwyn Murphy
Is your church at the beginning of your inclusion journey? Do you already have a well established disability ministry? Are you somewhere in the middle? Learn how to use a practical assessment tool to catalyze change and increase accessibility and belonging in your church.
Spiritual Rhythms for Adults with Disabilities
with Anthony Emerson
How can we help adults with intellectual disabilities to grow spiritually? One of the most important components of the task is creating healthy spiritual rhythms. This session will take a look at the spiritual rhythms at The Brookwood Community and how they can translate into church ministry and family life.
Engaging Ways to Teach the Gospel to Students with Learning Differences
with Beth Golik
Whether you are in an inclusive classroom setting or providing one-on-one buddy support, we all face the same challenge: we have the biblical mandate to share the Gospel with all people, including our students with learning differences. This hands-on breakout will provide practical tools and strategies to make the truth of God accessible to everyone, whether you are using pre-packaged curriculum or creating your own.
Weekend Buddy Training: Using a Scenario Case Based Approach
with Stephen “Doc” Hunsley, M.D.
This workshop is geared towards any volunteer who might work with an individual with special needs from birth through adulthood in a ministry setting. You will learn general considerations for individuals with special needs that will allow you to be successful in working with them. We will also give you a toolbox filled with crisis prevention techniques and walk you through several real-life scenarios to help you feel confident and prepared to handle any situation that may arise in a special needs setting. You can easily take this back home and train your volunteers as well.
Discipling Teens and Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
with Sandra C. Saenz DEdMin
The purpose of this breakout session is to train teachers to teach teens and adults with intellectual disabilities to grow spiritually and to also guide them to take responsibility of their own spiritual development by independently practicing the basic spiritual disciplines at home.
Beyond Disability – Access, Accommodations, and Education about Additional Needs at Church
with Lyn Pollard
Special Needs ministries work hard to serve those with intellectual and physical differences at church. But providing accommodations and accessibility for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, have learning disabilities such as dyslexia or who face chronic illness or mental health issues can often fall through the cracks. Learn how increased awareness of additional needs can help your church become more accessible for everyone.
“I tried that and it didn’t work.” Behavior tools explained for their purpose not just how they function
with Tiffany Crow, MA, BCBA, LBA
Have you used all the tools in your tool belt and find that you STILL have problem behavior? In this breakout we will step back and look at the scientific explanation for common “tools” such as token economies (reward systems), sensory toys, sensory rooms, calm down strategies, visual support, communication and more. Knowing the scientific reason these behavior “tools” are used can help you individualize and readjust them for success. Behavior is a moving target, let’s hit the bulls-eye.
The Power of Empathy in Inclusion: Serving the Pre-Teen Child
with Bolatito Fatoki- BT
You can’t display the love of God by yourself—it shows in how you care for another. Empathy is a good foundation on the journey to inclusion. It is the ability to put one self in the shoes of another. This breakout will provide strategies to connect, support and include preteens with exceptionalities using the power of “EMPATHY.”
Building a Theology of Disability
with Sandra Peoples
The saying goes, “right practice starts with right beliefs,” therefore a disability ministry (right practice) must start with a theology of disability (right beliefs). In this breakout, Sandra will provide an overview from Genesis to Revelation on the topic of disability, helping us understand God’s purpose and plan for those with disabilities and His vision for the Church.
Including Kids and Families with Mental Health Concerns at Your Church
with Dr. Steve Grcevich
A recent study drawn from over 250,000 parent interviews reported the presence in the home of a child with depression reduces family church attendance by 73%, while disruptive behavior disorders, anxiety disorders, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are associated with 55%, 45% and 19% reductions in church attendance, respectively.
In this breakout, attendees will be introduced to seven common barriers to church attendance and engagement among families of children with mental health disorders. Special attention will be paid to how common attributes associated with mental health conditions clash with social and behavioral expectations at church. Attendees will explore strategies for including children with common mental health disorders and their families throughout the full range of ministry activities and experiences offered by their churches.