Workshops

LifeSPAN regularly offers workshops and training sessions to assist families in planning for the future of their loved ones with a disability. For specific dates when the following workshops are offered, be sure to check the Calendar (use the Agenda view to see a complete list of upcoming activities and workshops).

Jump to:
Introduction to LifeSPAN | A Good Life | Wills & Estates |
Seven Steps | Facing the Future Together | Facilitator Training

Introduction to LifeSPAN

We invite you to attend a free one-hour session held regularly to talk about LifeSPAN and our approach to building relationships in the community. You will have an opportunity to speak with members of LifeSPAN who are excited about ensuring a good life for people with disabilities. You will also be able to get more information about membership in LifeSPAN, training workshops, and involvement in Networks and Facilitation.

For more information and to register for an upcoming session, visit Introduction to LifeSPAN.

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    A Good Life Workshop

    At this day-long presentation, you will hear the success stories of how families have created networks of support for their loved ones, practical advice on estate and financial planning and concrete ideas on steps to take to provide a safe and secure life for your relative.

    This workshop is for you if you are asking these questions:

    • How will individuals with disabilities continue the quality of life they now experience with their parents?
    • Who will be there in the future to provide security and friendship for my son or daughter?
    • Who will be there to ensure that the interests of my son, daughter, brother or sister are protected, their contributions are recognized, and their needs and choices are honored?

    This practical discussion explores the challenges families face in planning the future from the perspective of parents and adult siblings. It engages attendees in considering what makes a “Good Life” filled with: friendship, a chance to contribute, choice, a welcoming home, and a secure financial future.

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    Wills & Estates Workshop

    This workshop addresses these important topics:

    • Wills and Estates
    • Financial Planning, Financial Vehicles, & Funding a Special Needs Trust
    • Guardianship Options and Ensuring Choice & Safety

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    Seven Steps Workshop

    This training provides a small group setting where you will be guided through the steps of creating a “personal future plan” for your relative with a disability. Discussions are based on the book, entitled A Good Life for You and Your Relative with a Disability by Al Etmanski, Co-founder of PLAN™.

    Topics include:

    • STEP 1: Sharing your vision
      What would a Good Life look like for your relative?
    • STEP 2: Building relationships
      How can relationships be expanded?
    • STEP 3: Creating a home
      How can we create a welcoming and secure home?
    • STEP 4: Making a contribution
      How can the natural gifts of our relatives be validated, expanded, and encouraged?
    • STEP 5: Ensuring choices
      How do we respect the choices and preferences of our relatives and keep them safe?
    • STEP 6: Developing a will/estate plan
      What tools are needed to make your plan a reality?
    • STEP 7: Securing your plan
      A look to the future — what needs to be done to strengthen your plan over time.

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    Facing the Future Together: A workshop for parents and siblings – for the whole family

    Facing the Future Together is a one-day workshop designed to assist brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers to create a clear plan for the future.  As parents age, the responsibility for caring for a relative with a disability shifts from one generation to the next.  This workshop helps families to look ahead and plan for this shift. Facing the Future Together provides the whole family with peace of mind and builds confidence for the future.

    Who Should Attend: This workshop is designed specifically for brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and other family members who are interested in securing a safe and secure future for their relative with a disability.

    Facing the Future Together provides practical information and assists all members of the family to:

    • address concerns about the future
    • hear how other families are creating peace of mind
    • consider how to share responsibilities
    • identify key resources
    • balance wishes and obligations
    • identify short and long term actions

    This workshop is facilitated by a team of siblings and parents from LifeSPAN.

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    Facilitator Training

    Are you someone who:

    • Likes helping people to get to know each other?
    • Enjoys connecting people with others in the community?
    • Is a good listener?
    • Excels at encouraging small teams to reach their goals?
    • Is already employed, but wants to add a little extra time to help strengthen the social fabric of our community?

    LifeSPAN currently has openings for part-time personal network facilitators to:

    • Help an individual with a disability and their family to create and maintain a social network of community friends.
    • Work with a family and our organization to create a network action plan that focuses on the hopes and dreams of the individual with a disability.

    This is an excellent opportunity for:

    • Busy people
    • Graduate students
    • Rising professionals in a company
    • Early retirees
    • Natural “social connectors”

    Time commitment and training:

    • Approximately 1 to 6 hours a month
    • Approximately $25.50 an hour
    • A one-year commitment is requested

    The training and ongoing mentoring provided by LifeSPAN is based on proven network facilitation skills created by the Canadian group,

    For more information and to register, email training@lifespan-wa.org.

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