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.

Sessions are generally scheduled on a Sunday each month at Jackson Place Cohousing 800 Hiawatha Place S. Seattle, WA 98144, one block East of Rainier Ave, at Dearborn. If you have questions, call Kathy Sellars at (206) 522-3099.

For a summary handout with the driving directions, print: Introduction to LifeSPAN Flyer (PDF).

Directions to Jackson Place Cohousing: 

1. From I-5, (from the North or South), take the Dearborn exit and head east on Dearborn about 1/4 mile. Cross Rainier Ave and you’ll see Jackson Place Cohousing ahead on your right. 
   OR
   From I-90, take the Rainier Ave North Exit and turn East on Dearborn. You’ll see Jackson Place Cohousing ahead on your right.
2. Park on Dearborn (fairly steep hill) or Hiawatha Place S. (flat).
3. At the entrance of the main Cohousing building at the corner of Dearborn and Hiawatha Place, ring for Kathy Sellars and we’ll open the door for you. (There is wheelchair access and an elevator there to take you to the third floor where the Common Living Room is located.)
   Note:If you need to drop someone off, you can also pull into the alley mid-way up the block on Dearborn. Walk across the terrace to reach the Common House. 

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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

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, PLAN (Planned Lifetime Assistance Network).

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

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