Webinars, Workshops & Other Learning Opportunities
We offer a wide range of informational and educational events throughout the year. Some are presented as live, online webinars, offering attendees the flexibility to attend virtually. Others are held as in-person workshops, bringing people together to learn from each other. Some are hosted as round-table discussions, and others are presented as all day or mulit-day conferences.
Did you miss a recent workshop or webinar? Are you researching a particular topic and want to view past presentations? Most of our webinars are recorded, and archived for viewing on our YouTube channel.
In this session, Tyler Schreffler will present an overview of services provided by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). You can learn about Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and Vocational Rehabilitation, including the range and types of services, how to apply, and how these services can help support you or a loved one towards a goal of competitive integrated employment.
Presented by: Tyler Schreffler, Unit Supervisor, Fairfax DARS Office
These small group discussions will focus on Special Needs Trusts and futures planning. We will walk you through the importance of planning for the future of your loved one with a disability, why trusts are important, and other critical services and programs and benefits that you should consider.
Questions pertaining to general disability issues in regards to future financial planning are welcome.
Are you a beneficiary looking for an easier way to access funds from your Supplemental or Special Needs Trust? Are you a Trustee that wants to safeguard beneficiary independence while protecting benefits eligibility?
Get peace of mind with the True Link Visa Card and Spending Monitor. The card enables beneficiaries to safely purchase what they need, when they need it, on their own. This card also allows for customized controls to block access to cash, specific merchants, or entire categories of spending to ensure safety as well as protection of benefits when making purchases.
Join us for a tour of the True Link Visa Card and online platform, plus a Q&A session with members of True Link’s customer success and Trust teams. Life’s complex, True Link is here to make things simpler.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Appointments from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Live, online virtual meeting on Zoom
The Arc of Northern Virginia is offering “Chat with an Attorney about Special Education”. Are you struggling to obtain adequate support services at school? Do you have questions about your student’s IEP? Do you understand your rights as a parent? An attorney can help you navigate these issues. Parents can schedule a free 45-minute meeting with an attorney to receive advice and guidance on any number of special education topics for their student including Eligibility, IEP Development, IEP Implementation, Placement, Parental Rights, and School Discipline. These sessions are for families of students attending school in Virginia.
Our legal expert is Patricia Connally, an attorney who spent many years working at Crowell & Moring LLP litigating and mediating commercial disputes, worked at the Department of Justice and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Appointments are limited and preregistration is required.
Join the Tech for Independent Living Team on the fourth Tuesday of each month as they teach a lesson from their Arc2Independence App library. The lessons cover a range of categories, including transportation and traveling, deployment, safety, and daily living. During the sessions, individuals can participate in group discussions, games, and activities to practice their skills.
These small group discussions will focus on Special Needs Trusts and futures planning. We will walk you through the importance of planning for the future of your loved one with a disability, why trusts are important, and other critical services and programs and benefits that you should consider.
Questions pertaining to general disability issues in regards to future financial planning are welcome.
The Tech for Independent Living Team invites you to join their monthly virtual event on the FIRST Thursday of each month to discover the amazing Arc2Independence app! It’s designed to help individuals achieve independence within their daily lives and navigate challenges in the community. They can’t wait to share this with you!
Join the team every first Thursday of the month to learn more about the app, these customizable lessons, and the service and support the team provides that helps guide individuals through life’s daily routines and challenges.
Remember, all of our webinar events are FREE to attend, but pre-registration is required.
Dunn Loring Metro Station, Gallows Road, Merrifield
Interested in travel training? Come join our Tech for Independent Living (TFIL) team on a metro trip!
Once each month, individuals with disabilities and a designated adult are invited to join our TFIL team on a short Metro rail trip. During this practice trip, individuals with disabilities will learn basic travel skills and will become more comfortable traveling on the Metro. SmarTrip cards will be provided.
These in-person travel training events are FREE to attend, but pre-registration is required.
In-person at The Arc of Northern Virginia
3060 Williams Drive
Fairfax, VA 22031
Join us for an informative workshop where you will gain invaluable insights into the intricacies of transition Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Empower your child for a successful transition from school to the world of adult work, independent living, and community participation.
🔹 Dive into Transition Planning: Discover the essential elements of a comprehensive Transition Plan, specifically designed to assist students with disabilities in navigating the journey towards adulthood. Understand the significance of person-centered transition planning and its role in shaping the future of your child.
🔹 Maximize IEP Impact: Learn how to collaborate effectively with your child’s school team, ensuring that their IEP reflects their unique strengths, interests, and aspirations. Explore strategies to contribute meaningful information and build opportunities that align with your child’s postsecondary goals.
🔹 Navigate IDEA Requirements: Gain a deep understanding of the IDEA requirements surrounding transition IEPs. Become equipped with the knowledge and tools to advocate for your child and ensure their educational journey empowers them for a successful transition into adulthood.
🔹 Join Ariel Matz, expert in special education and transition planning, as she shares her wealth of knowledge and experience from inside the school system. Benefit from her guidance on working collaboratively with the school team and creating a supportive environment for your child’s growth and development.
Tuesday, April 24, 2024
Appointments from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Live, online virtual meeting on Zoom
The Arc of Northern Virginia is offering “Chat with an Attorney about Special Education”. Are you struggling to obtain adequate support services at school? Do you have questions about your student’s IEP? Do you understand your rights as a parent? An attorney can help you navigate these issues. Parents can schedule a free 45-minute meeting with an attorney to receive advice and guidance on any number of special education topics for their student including Eligibility, IEP Development, IEP Implementation, Placement, Parental Rights, and School Discipline. These sessions are for families of students attending school in Virginia.
Our legal expert is Patricia Connally, an attorney who spent many years working at Crowell & Moring LLP litigating and mediating commercial disputes, worked at the Department of Justice and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Appointments are limited and preregistration is required.
Information about disability benefits and the application process
What are Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and how do you qualify?
What other Social Security programs are available and, who qualifies?
This recorded event gives information about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance, Retirement, Survivorship and Disabled Adult Child (SSDI). Arm yourself with the futures planning you need.
Presented by Diana Varela, Social Security Administration
Strategies to Promote Healthy Sleep in Kids with Disabilities
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
11:00 a.m.
Sleep is a common area that children struggle with. Alison Moser, M.Ed., BCBA has helped sleep train many children and teens who have difficulty: falling asleep at an appropriate time, staying asleep throughout the night, staying in their bed the entire night, and waking up early. The strategies presented in this webinar are “tried and true” in many research journals over decades of sleep studies. We will review general strategies to help promote healthy sleep while reviewing more detailed strategies depending on what type of sleep difficulties your child is having.
Join us and advocate Gary Shulman for one or all of our 2024 two hour sessions where you can share issues and challenges you’re facing as a parent or caregiver to someone with a developmental disability. Gary and our team will provide resource ideas, stories, empathy, and connection with the other families present. It is a resource discussion with heart.
The substance of each session will come from the participants and will therefore have different content for each session. We will address questions and concerns from registrants, then facilitate interactive discussions so both host and group participants can explore strategies, options and possible solutions to the concerns raised. The goal is to give participants the tools needed to conquer current and future barriers confronting their family member with a developmental disability and their whole family.
These sessions are about hope. Nobody has a crystal ball foretelling the future so all we can do is empower ourselves with information and share inspiration for the best possible futures for our families.
How to Successfully Navigate Disability and Life Insurance Issues with the Experts
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
12:00 p.m.
Many disability and life insurance claims are initially denied. Being proactive about your policies and claims can make a big difference. In this session, you will hear from disability and life insurance denial experts at Insurance Appeal Consultants on how to understand and navigate issues like:
How is disability insurance different from SSDI/SSI?
How do you know whether you have, or could have, disability or life insurance?
The Arc of Northern Virginia is partnering with professionally trained travel trainers from ECNV to offer individuals with disabilities bus travel training trips! These trips will be offered quarterly throughout the year. Through these trips we hope individuals with disabilities will become more comfortable and confident riding the bus. Individuals with disabilities will also get an opportunity to meet one-on-one private travel trainers from ECNV and may choose to sign-up for private travel training lessons.
These in-person travel training events are FREE to attend, but pre-registration is required.
Recordings of our most recent educational offerings
Webinar Recordings
Medicaid Waiver Basics
Presented on February 28, 2024
Medicaid waivers are the way Virginia funds services for people with developmental disabilities. Everything from a small amount of respite, to in-home care, to employment supports are covered by waivers. In this one-hour presentation, Lucy Beadnell, our Director of Advocacy, will review what waivers are, what services waivers offer, how to apply, and give tips for families on waiting lists for services.
Webinar Recordings
Tax Concerns for Special Needs Families
Presented on February 16, 2024
Special needs families have a unique set of financial challenges and risks that can seriously complicate their taxes. In this webinar, we hear from financial advisor and special needs mom Cortney Heykoop of Clover Leaf Strategies.
Webinar Recordings
Navigating Divorce and Custody Issues for Families of Children with Special Needs
Presented on January 30, 2024
When you have a child with special needs, your marriage is much more likely to be stressed. This is demonstrated by the numbers: Surveys show that the rate of divorce in families with a child with disabilities may be as high as 87%. The divorce rate in families with a child with autism is about 80%.
It isn’t only the marriage that is over-stressed. The suffering affects the entire family, including the siblings. Tension, arguing, and silent stress are like black clouds hanging over every family member. This is even more true for families with a special needs child. It is imperative to become informed about the impact divorce has on public benefits, financial planning, estate planning, and life planning of children and adults with disabilities.
In this webinar, Virginia Haizlip, Attorney, McCandlish Lillard discusses strategies and considerations for parents of children with special needs navigating legal proceedings relating to custody, child support, division of assets, and divorce. We present strategies and considerations both in litigated matters as well as negotiations outside of formal court proceedings.
Webinar Recordings
Introduction to ABLEnow
Presented on December 5, 2023
More independence, greater financial security and a better quality of life – that’s the future ABLEnow is building. Join this information session to discover the advantages of ABLE accounts and the national ABLEnow program. In just one hour, we’ll cover the answers to these questions, and more:
• What are ABLE accounts?
• Who is eligible?
• How can I use the money in an ABLE account?
• What are the features and benefits of ABLEnow?
• How can I learn more and open an account?
Social Security Benefits for People With Disabilities – Everything You Wanted To Know
Presented on December 1, 2023
A Workshop from Social Security including:
Information about disability benefits and the application process,
What are Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and how do you qualify?, and
What other Social Security programs are available and, who qualifies?
This recorded event gives information about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance, Retirement, Survivorship and Disabled Adult Child (SSDI). Arm yourself with the futures planning you need.
Presented by David J. Melton, Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security Administration
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Arc of Northern Virginia relies on private support from individuals, corporations, organizations, and foundations to fund our efforts. Your generous donations help make it possible for us to provide programs, services, and advocacy so that people with IDD can live “A Life Like Yours.”