Online Registration System
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Registration is now open for the Fall 2025 Developmental Disabilities Lecture Series. All sessions will be held online using the Zoom Webinar platform.
The webinars are free of charge. Space is limited for each of the sessions. Open to people who live or work in New Jersey.
REGISTRATION
To access the webinars, you must register in advance. Review the session details and click the REGISTER button.
You will need to log in or create an account in order to complete your registration request.
For additional information about DDLS Webinars, please view DDLS Webinar Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have any questions or need assistance with registration, please contact Ziba Arjmand at ziba.arjmand@rutgers.edu or 732-235-9315
CONTINUING EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATES OF ATTENDANCE
As part of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, The Boggs Center offers this program for general social work continuing education credit per NJAC 13:44G6.4.c(5). The Boggs Center is a registered NJ Department of Education Professional Development Provider. The Fall 2025 sessions have been submitted to the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) for continuing education program approval.
Each session is eligible for 2 hours of continuing education recognition. To demonstrate completion and receive a certificate, you must be logged into the webinar from start to finish and complete a survey at the end of the webinar. Certificates of Attendance will be emailed to all participants who meet these eligibility requirements the week following the event.
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Direct Support Workforce Solutions: Strategies For Individual And Collective Action Toward Workforce Stability |
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Finding, training, and retaining direct support professionals (DSPs) has been a challenge since the earliest days of community support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Nationally, turnover and vacancy rates are high. Many employers, including those who self-direct services, report that job applicants are often not well-matched to the demands of the role. Even though the problem is real, there are ways to make things better. For the last several decades, many people and organizations have been working to understand these problems and develop solutions. This session looks at why this workforce crisis is happening and shares solutions. Grounded in the experiences of DSPs, the presentation shares helpful tools, tips, and strategies to find and keep the right DSPs. These ideas can help employers and others build a stronger, more stable DSP workforce.
Amy Hewitt, PhD
Director, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN 
Susan O’Nell, BA
Director, DirectCourse
Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN |
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| Status | Date | Time | Location | Registration |
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| Open | October 31, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Zoom Webinar |
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Remote Support Services And Other Technology Examples From The Smart Home Discovery Place |
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This presentation will provide an introduction to technology solutions, including remote support services and assistive technology. Strategies to promote a person-centered approach to technology selection, ways technology may enhance independence, and how technology may be a part of the solution to the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce crisis will be discussed. Examples of how technology is leveraged in Ohio with remote support services to support people with developmental disabilities and technology solutions demonstrated at the Smart Home Discovery Place will also be shared.
Jordan Wagner, BA
Project Manager, Technology Projects
The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, Technology Project
Columbus, OH |
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| Status | Date | Time | Location | Registration |
| Open | November 7, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Zoom Webinar |
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Safe, Connected, And In Control: Trauma Responsive Care For People With Dual Diagnosis |
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This presentation will focus on trauma, its causes and effects on people with dual diagnoses, and some of the barriers to diagnosis and treatment. The difference between stress and trauma, and when stress may become traumatic, will be discussed, along with the neurological processes of trauma, including hyper- and hypo-arousal. Information will also be shared about the major components of Trauma Responsive Care: feeling safe, connected, and in control, and how they can be implemented as a universal precaution.
Lara Palay, LISW-S
Founding Partner
Aldrige Palay Group
Westerville, OH |
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| Status | Date | Time | Location | Registration |
| Open | November 14, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Zoom Webinar |
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Spirituality And Belonging: Pathways Into Community |
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Across services and supports with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the core value and goal of community inclusion is not to merely go into the community, but to be a part of one’s community; to belong! Spirituality is at the heart of the human sense of identity, purpose, and belonging. How do we assess and utilize that dimension of life to build the relationships and connections that lead to authentic inclusion and belonging? This presentation will share a framework of spirituality involving identity, purpose, and belonging that ties directly to the core values and goals of independence, productivity, and inclusion. Participants will learn how staff at all levels of an organization can help build spiritual supports to help people achieve these goals.
Bill Gaventa, MDiv
Consultant, Educator, Author, Speaker
Austin, TX
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| Status | Date | Time | Location | Registration |
| Open | December 5, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Zoom Webinar |
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