It’s a Jungle “Down” There-
I am writing to announce that the 2009, 32nd Annual Ellensburg Employment Conference has been cancelled. Please be assured that this decision is a difficult one for the Division of Developmental Disabilities, the WA State Counties and W.i.S.e. But, it’s a decision that we all agree is necessary during the tough economic situation that our state and our service system is facing. We have all enjoyed the rich tradition of Ellensburg and the rich learning an event like this produces. This conference is recognized nationally and internationally as a key reason for the success of supported employment in the state of WA. This is something we can all be proud of and something we can use as part of a foundation as we work together for the continuation of supported employment. Everywhere that we look right now we are being called upon to conserve, refocus and rethink what our traditions and norms have been. The absence of our state’s largest learning event on employment is a great example of a time when we need to come together to “Try Another Way”. Please join me in the spirit of change and remember that we have: (1) all that we’ve learned, (2) all that we’ve developed and (3) all the talent of a collective of thousands of people to move our work to the next level.
Therefore, what’s being called for is a time of total FOCUS…we as a community are in a battle for critical services for people with developmental disabilities. Our commitment at W.i.S.e. is to continue to focus our training and technical assistance on maintaining those services for the individuals in jobs and seeking jobs, their families and the agencies that are navigating a very tough economy to sustain and maintain employment opportunities. We remain your partner in the pursuit of employment for ALL and we look forward to planning the next phase of learning and development that it will take for employment for people with developmental disabilities to be TYPICAL in our country.
Stay focused, stay connected and in times of change you can count on one thing remaining the same…VALUES…
