Welcome/Introductions and Opening Remarks
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We are so pleased to welcome you to our annual Guardianship Training Symposium, which has recently been transformed from an in-person to a virtual format. We hope that next year, we will all be together in-person! This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the Corporate Guardianship Program, which operates through our Chapters, providing support, care and advocacy to more than 500 people throughout New York State. We continue to owe a debt of gratitude to the Trustees of the NYSARC Trusts for their ongoing, uncompromising and generous support for sponsoring this special conference!
The primary focus of this 1 1/2 day event is on topics such as leadership, Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, (MOLST), how guardianship and Supported Decision-Making (SDM) can coexist and are not mutually exclusive, A View from the Bench, SDM and guardianship reform, Informed decision Making and the Power of Choice, as well as Guardianship and Alternative Tools for decision making. The program is intended to explore practices to better support the changing needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in the least restrictive manner and environment. This perspective is reflected in the theme, “Autonomy, Decision Making Supports, and the Changing World of Guardianship.” The plenary sessions on Wednesday, November 2nd and 3rd are intended to provide useful and practical tools, guidance and opportunities for engagement for the audience. It is also our intention to provide this opportunity for education and training for our Guardianship staff and volunteer Committee members, who are largely responsible for the ongoing operations of the Chapters’ Guardianship Programs.
We are so pleased be to joined again by John Kowalczyk, President and The Arc New York, Erik Geizer, Chief Executive Officer of The Arc New York, and Katharine Wilson Conroy, Chairperson of The Arc New York Guardianship Committee, who will provide the welcome and opening remarks. We are honored to have Drew Dudley, our internationally renown Keynote speaker, in addition to many other distinguished moderators, presenters, and panelists who will help to build on our ongoing efforts to educate and provide the audience with practical tools and guidance.
Lastly, I would like to personally extend my sincerest gratitude and appreciation to members of our Guardianship Training and Education Committee, Angel Buchanan, our State Office Communications Team, and other administrative staff for their invaluable assistance and support. Their participation is integral to the production and success of this educational event! As always, we hope that everyone will help us continue to improve this conference by completing the evaluation form that will be sent to you after the symposium. We continue to value your constructive comments so we can always improve future conferences. Thank you!
Erica F. Berman, Director for Guardianship Services, The Arc New York