April 20, 2018
VOR Weekly News Update
VOR is a national organization that advocates for high quality care and human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
VOR promises to empower you to make and protect quality of life choices for individuals with developmental disabilities
VOR's Annual Meeting & Legislative Initiative
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
June 9 - 13, 2018
VOR 2018 Annual Conference and Washington Initiative
June 9 - 13, 2018
All meetings will take place at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, 400 New Jersey Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Registration: Network with families from across the country mmmmmmmmmmmm Noon
VOR Board of Directors Meeting & Report to Membership mmmmmmmmmmmmm 12:30 pm
          Annual meeting of the VOR Board of Directors, open to all members
          Committee Reports and Presentations
          Time will be provided for member questions and comments
Installation of VOR 2017-2018 Officers and Board Members mmmmmmmammmmm 3:30 pm
Reports from the States mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammmmmmmmmm 4:00 pm
          Participants report on news from their states. Session is moderated by VOR Board Members
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Registration: Network with families from across the country mmmmmmmmmmmm 11:30 am
VOR Legislative Initiative 2018 mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Noon
      Opening Remarks - Joanne St. Amand, President and Hugo Dwyer, Executive Director
      Panel Discussion on State Advocacy – Liz Belile (TX). Susan Jennings (PA), Rita Winkeler (IL)
      Guest Speakers – Kate McSweeny, Vice President on Govt. Affairs & General Counsel at ACCSES
     (Other speakers TBA)
Legislative Briefing mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 3:00 pm
           Panel Discussion and Issue Briefing. Folders for Congressional visits will be distributed.
Awards and Events mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 5:00 pm

VOR’s Sunday Dinner at The Dubliner - 7:00 pm
Sunday Dinner at The Dubliner is optional. The price is $35 per person. Alcoholic beverages are available at an extra charge.
We ask that you make a reservation in advance.

Monday, June 11 – Wednesday, June 13, 2018
The Washington Initiative
Visits to Capitol Hill - Personal meetings with Members and Congress and their staff are the most effective way to educate and influence federal lawmakers. Join VOR members and advocates from around the country to convey the importance of residential choice and family decision-making to Members of Congress. Be sure to plan enough time to cover your state’s Congressional Delegation.
Monday, June 11                                    Informal De-briefing mmmmmmm 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Tuesday, June 12                                    Informal De-briefing mmmmmmm 6:30 - 8:00 pm

To register for the conference and legislative initiative or make a dinner reservation at the Dubliner, go to:

VOR Members:
____       $90 per member if paid by April 30, 2018
____      $110 per member if paid after May 1, 2018
Non-VOR Members:       (Fee includes 1 year membership (Reg. $45)
____       $125 per person if paid by April 30, 2018
____       $150 per person if paid after May 1, 2018
______________________________________________________________________________

HOTEL INFORMATION
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill      400 New Jersey Ave, NW    Washington, D.C.    20001
We have a bloc of rooms available for conference attendees.
The VOR Group rate is $279 for single or double rooms, plus tax, per night. Larger rooms & suites are also available.
To make your reservations online, go to: https://aws.passkey.com/go/AnnualVORConference2018
 
If you do not have internet access, c all 1-888-421-1442 and mention “VOR’s Annual Conference” when making your reservation.
******** ATTENTION CONFERENCE ATTENDEES ********

Congressional Lists Are Available NOW!
It's time to start making appointments for with your legislators for
Hill Visits during the Legislative Initiative, June 11 -13

NATIONAL NEWS
Organizations Supporting a Full Range of Services and Residential Options: "One Size Does Not Fit All"
From Jill Barker, The DD News Blog,
April 18, 2018
The following is a letter  dated 4/10/18 addressed to officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from over 60 community organizations and advocates for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. It is in response to demands from HCBSadvocacy.org , representing 20 organizations, that would force almost all adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) into small, dispersed residential and vocational settings. Congregate settings that serve more than three or four people with disabilities together would generally no longer be eligible for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) funding – whether or not those are appropriate or desired by Medicaid Waiver recipients. [Special Medicaid waivers fund Home and Community Based Services for people with developmental and other disabilities.] HCBS is regulated by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).


The letter was authored by Amy Lutz, a mother and IDD advocate from New Jersey. VOR was among the organizations that supported this letter:

Dear Secretary Azar, Administrator Verma and Mr. Lynch:

We are writing in response to the alarming demands for an expanded process of
heightened scrutiny submitted by the Center for Public Representation and the National
Health Law Program on behalf of twenty organizations (henceforth referred to as “the
HCBS Advocacy Coalition”) determined to force all adults with intellectual and
developmental disabilities (I/DD) into small, dispersed residential and vocational settings
– whether or not those are appropriate or even desired by waiver recipients.

We applaud CMS’ desire to support adults with I/DD in community settings, and
completely agree that those who want to live and work in the greater community should
receive whatever services they require to succeed. However, the campaign to solely fund
small, dispersed, “integrated” settings is just as dangerous, paternalistic, and ideological as
the forcible institutionalization of the mid-20 th century to which it responds. We reiterate,
because this one point should be sufficient to end this debate, that this is an ideological
crusade rather than an evidence-based agenda: although the aforementioned advocates
have long maintained that “studies” show thatsmall, dispersed settings are best for adults
with I/DD, an independent review of the literature by Dr. David Mandell, ScD.,
Director of the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research at the University
of Pennsylvania, found that, although “decisions about [residential] care may have the
most profound effect on well-being and happiness…our decision-making regarding which
types of placements to pay for and prioritize is based on values rather than data.”

Not only is there no scientific evidence behind the one-size- fits-all model of residential
and vocational supports, but the lack of more intensive, structured settings for our most impaired adults has resulted in catastrophic consequences. Mandell notes that “today,
media exposés of abuses in community settings rival those of psychiatric hospitals a
generation before.” 2 Recent investigations of group homes in New York, 3 Chicago 4 and
Philadelphia 5 found rampant abuse and neglect in small, dispersed settings that, as
Mandell reports, “often are not up for the task of caring for individuals with more
profound impairments.” 6 Undoubtedly, it was his fear of exactly these outcomes that
motivated Justice Anthony Kennedy to warn, in his concurring opinion to the 1999
Olmstead decision, “It would be unreasonable, it would be a tragic event, then, were the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to be interpreted so that States had some
incentive, for fear of litigation, to drive those in need of medical care and treatment out of
appropriate care and into settings with too little assistance and supervision.”

But this debate isn’t just about those with the most severe intellectual and developmental
disabilities. Many Americans choose to live with peers in retirement, religious and ethnic
communities – there’s even an “adult dorm” in Syracuse for lonely Millennials . It is only
when adults with I/DD choose to live and work with their peers that opponents claim
these settings are “isolating” and “segregating” – resulting in the heartbreaking irony that
adults with I/DD represent the only population in this country denied the civil right to
decide where and with whom they live, and that this outcome is largely due to the
influence of groups allegedly concerned with preserving the rights of the disabled. It is the
height of arrogance for the HCBS Advocacy Coalition to insist it knows what’s best, even
as applications pile up for new projects like First Place in Arizona, which consists of 55
apartments for adults with autism, and the 97-unit The Arc Jacksonville Village in
Florida. We encourage you to visit these communities, as well as others all over the
country whose names and contact information we would be happy to provide.

STATE NEWS
Iowa - Rep. Fisher Calls for Disability Rights Iowa Curbs
By Rep. Dean Fisher, Tama News-Herald, Toledo Chronicle, April 11, 2018
Letter to the Editor,
Tama and Toledo News
Re: Disability Rights Iowa April 4, 2018

I would like to thank Editor John Speer of the Tama and Toledo Newspapers for bringing attention to the recent events at the State Training School at Eldora (Eldora). While I've been aware of the lawsuits filed by Disability Rights Iowa (DRI), I was not aware of the recent assault and escape that resulted from DRI's interference.

Mr. Speer's article quoted a press release from the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) that stated: "We have been warning that the culture created by Disability Rights Iowa (DRI) at the State Training School at Eldora (Eldora) has become dangerous for staff. This week's assault on staff by residents, who then escaped the facility, is indicative of the escalating violence that has become a dangerous trend.
This is caused by emboldened residents being told by DRI that they don't have to follow staff directives and that staff are not allowed to touch them," and "The witch hunts and constant lawsuits from the attorneys that make up DRI are making the State Training School at Eldora less safe for both residents and staff. When boys can escape after beating up employees, something is seriously wrong,"

This behavior by DRI at Eldora is very similar to their behavior at the Iowa Juvenile Home in Toledo during their investigation back in 2013. Clearly DRI is creating safety issues with their behavior.
It is important for our citizens to understand what DRI is. They are, per their own description stated to me by their director, a federally funded law-firm. From DRI's own website: "Disability Rights IOWA is part of a national network of protection and advocacy systems established in the 1970s by the U.S. Congress to respond to repeated abuse and neglect of individuals with disabilities in large institutions." "We are not affiliated with any governmental entity or service provider, but we use federal funding to serve people with developmental disabilities, mental illnesses, and other disabilities."

Florida - FL Moves to Shut Down For-Profit Residence After Finding Horrific Abuse and Neglect
By Heather Vogell, ProPublica, April 19, 2018
ProPublica detailed a long pattern of mistreatment at Carlton Palms

After another patient died under suspicious circumstances and reports surfaced of more instances of abuse and neglect, Florida regulators moved this week to shutter a for-profit school and residential campus for children and adults with severe developmental disabilities.

The action Tuesday by Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities came after years of complaints that patients at the Carlton Palms Educational Center were violently mistreated by staff and subjected to physical restraints known as “wrap mats,” which resemble full-body straitjackets.

Carlton Palms and its owner’s other facilities were the subject of a ProPublica investigation two years ago that chronicled the deaths of three teenaged patients, patterns of abuse and neglect, and company executives’ often-successful efforts to stave off regulation.

After our coverage, state officials said they would work to transfer all residents from Carlton Palms by 2019. The center’s parent company, AdvoServ,also changed its name in 2017 to Bellwether Behavioral Health.
But the new name and new executives brought in to lead the company, which is owned by a New York private equity firm, Wellspring Capital Management, didn’t end the troubles at Carlton Palms.

Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities, or APD, filed an administrative complaint with the state Tuesday seeking to revoke the facility’s license, fine it $10,000 — the maximum allowed by law — and remove its remaining patients.

“We are actively working to close Carlton Palms as soon as possible,” said APD Director Barbara Palmer in a press release. “We will not tolerate any type of abuse or neglect at any of our APD licensed facilities.”

The agency said Wednesday that 108 residents remain at Carlton Palms. Another 52 residents have already been moved. The relocations have been complicated by the intense needs of Carlton Palms’ patients, many of whom face behavioral challenges such as compulsions to injure themselves.

Virginia - Governor Not Swayed by Attempts to Save CVTC
By Amy Trent, The News & Advance, April 11, 2018
Despite the continued efforts of local legislators and families to stop the closure of the Central Virginia Training Center — which cares for 100 residents with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities as of April 2 — the state is moving forward.

According to new Secretary for Health and Human Resources Dr. Daniel Carey, whose office oversees the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, which is responsible for the state’s five training centers, “it is the governor’s policy to continue with the current timeline.”
Carey met personally with advocacy groups and legislators to talk about and tour the Amherst County facility after taking office in January. He also visited Hiram W. Davis Medical Center in Petersburg, which cares for some former CVTC patients like Taylor Bryant, whose twin brother Tyler died not long after the men were moved there.
As a result of a 2012 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Virginia is scheduled to close four of its five training centers by 2020 and move most of the residents into community group homes.

The number of CVTC residents continues to drop, from 426 in March 2010, to 111 as of Feb. 9 to 100 as of April 2. Five more residents are slated to move out by the end of April.
Southwestern Virginia Training Center is slated to close this year while CVTC is slated for closure in 2020. Southeastern Virginia Training Center in Chesapeake is the only center that will remain open.

Pennsylvania - Testimony from Interagency Autism Coordination Conference, April 19, 2018

VOR's PA State Coordinator Susan Jennings was among those who testified at the conference Thursday.

New Jersey - NJ Governor Names new Ombudsman for People with Disabilities
By Krystal Knapp, Planet Princeton, April 19, 2018
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has named Paul Aronsohn to lead the newly created Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families.

The office, created in January, is in, but not of, the New Jersey Department of the Treasury. 

As the ombudsman, Aronsohn will lead the office responsible for serving as a source of information for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families. The office will coordinate with the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to provide information and support on navigating and understanding the process for obtaining services from the state’s Division of Children’s System of Care and Division of Developmental Disabilities.

“New Jersey remains committed to enhancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities,” Murphy said. “With Paul’s leadership, I am confident that New Jersey will continue to protect
the rights of people with disabilities and ensure every person has access to the American Dream.”
Aronsohn previously worked for the administration of President Bill Clinton and Gov. Jim McGreevey. He also served 8 years on the Ridgewood Village Council, including four years as mayor. Recently, he served as a member of the Human and Children Services Committee for Murphy’s transition team. He is a founding member of the Ridgewood Community Access Network and a board member of two other organizations that provide disability resources and advocacy — Heightened Independence & Progress and the Adler Aphasia Center.

California - Trying Tasks, Meager Wages - Caregivers Lobby for Better Pay
Hans can be sweet. The wiry 21-year-old will spontaneously ask his caregivers for a hug or what they want for their birthdays. But his spot on the severe end of the autism spectrum also makes him loud and prone to repeating the same question over and over again, especially when he’s excited or agitated.

On a recent morning, encountering some new visitors, the question was direct: “What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name? What’s your name?”

Even if each question receives an answer, it can still take a while for the feedback to break Hans out of his verbal loop. And, if those answers don’t seem to understand the question he’s asking, Hans may choose a more direct method to get his point across. A quick punch or kick is not out of the question.

His own family could not handle his endless intensity, and Hans has been under full-time care of the state since he was 11.

Hans is cared for by the El-Cajon-based Home of Guiding Hands, which is part of a statewide coalition pushing for the state to affirm that caring for the state’s 300,000 developmentally-disabled residents takes more than entry-level skills and is worth more than minimum wage.

Certainly, Alan Kana, who has helped care for Hans for five years now, does not do the kind of work expected by a new recruit in retail or food service. In those jobs, the customers tend to demand service, but not at the tops of their lungs. And entry-level jobs don’t usually turn violent.

A tall and broad man with a neat beard, Kana
flashes a quick smile when asked how many times his client has struck him. There’s no number. But Hans has gotten agitated enough to require temporary hospitalization about 40 times in the past three years. Those episodes, he says, usually do become physical.

“He doesn’t mean it. He just gets frustrated when we can’t understand what he’s trying to tell us,” Kana said.

As manager of the four-client house where he works, Kana makes more than $20 per hour, but the state thinks his work is worth much less. Today, the California Department of Developmental Services reimburses minimum wage — just $11 per hour — no matter how much experience or training a person has.

Mark Klaus, Guiding Hands’ chief executive, said that most on his staff are making more than minimum wage but less than $15 per hour to take care of the 182 developmentally disabled children and adults under his organization’s care in 31 single-family homes the nonprofit owns in East County neighborhoods.

State compensation, Klaus said, is expected to be nearly $400,000 short of covering wage costs this year, meaning that the balance must come from philanthropy, which can be unpredictable year-to-year. But it’s the notion of calling these folks entry-level workers, and saying they should only be paid minimum wage, that really gets to him.

SHELTERED WORKSHOPS:
Missouri - Advocacy Movement in Missouri Sparks a Nationwide “A Day for Choice” Campaign
By A Team Missouri, The Salem News Online, April 19, 2018
April 24, 2018 is being recognized nationwide as “A Day for Choice” advocating for employment choices for adults with disabilities. In Missouri, this effort has been spearheaded by a group of individuals with disabilities, their parents, caregivers and coworkers, known as A Team Missouri. They will be joined by MESA (Missouri Employment Supports and Advocacy). This group will gather in Jefferson City on the third floor of the rotunda in the Capital Building at 9:00 a.m. on April 24 to raise awareness for their mission and voice their concerns with state legislators.

Hundreds are expected from all over the state to attend this showing of support.A Team Missouri officially formed in 2016 and quickly grew statewide. Through their campaign, “Dignity Has a Voice”, the group successfully lobbied for nearly unanimous passage of state legislation in 2017 to maintain choices for both community and sheltered employment. A Team Missouri’s efforts did not go unnoticed, with similar groups across the country following suit to organize movements
in their own states, spawning the creation of A Day for Choice, when groups nationwide will beshowing up to be heard at their state capitals. The ability to maintain and develop expanding employment choices for individuals with disabilities is facing serious threats in a political climate where legislation is being presented based on a lack of education and understanding of the unique needs of this population. A Team Missouri believes it is important to offer choices for both community-based jobs and employment in sheltered workshop environments, an option some are attempting to remove from the table under the guise of advocating for those with disabilities.

Lynn Beauchaine who is active with A Team Missouri/Dignity Has a Voice and is a parent of an adult with a disability believes strongly this day for awareness is necessary to educate legislators and voters. “People who are not directly impacted don’t realize the many benefits of sheltered workshop environments for individuals with disabilities. While there are several people in this population for whom community employment is a good fit, sheltered environments provide a safe, productive workplace for those who face more severe disabilities. There are thousands of individuals in Missouri alone for whom community employment is not a viable solution due to their disability. Removing this option would be detrimental to not only my son, but so many others in our state – and nationwide – who love their jobs, coworkers and sense of accomplishment their work provides."

Ontario, Canada - Families say minimum-wage changes are cutting jobs for people with disabilities
By Noella Ovid, The Globe & Mail, April 16, 2018
Duncan McDonald, 28, has no real concept of money. A $5 bill would mean no less to him than $5,000, according to his mother, Susan Wahlroth.

Since graduating high school seven years ago, Mr. McDonald, who has Down syndrome and lives with his mother in Guelph, Ont., has filled his days with vocational day programs at Torchlight Services and Community Living Guelph Wellington – local non-profits that provide services for people with cognitive and physical disabilities.

The organizations used to provide work contracts for people such as Mr. McDonald and pay them under minimum wage to do the work in sheltered workshops – work centres that employ people with disabilities to work separately from others. Among other duties, their tasks included packaging items, preparing mailings and sorting products.

This is the first month Mr. McDonald has had no work since the province mandated phasing out sheltered workshops by next year. The same legislation that has brought a higher minimum wage to Ontarians also removed the exemption for sheltered workshops. Employers that worked with
service providers like Torchlight Services can’t pay their workers less than minimum wage, and most have opted to stop hiring people with cognitive disabilities.

The best intentions to protect vulnerable workers have instead harmed them, say Ms. Wahlroth and other parents who are asking the Ministry of Community and Social Services to reopen the dialogue on work contracts for people with developmental disabilities, as their adult children can’t compete against fully abled people in terms of productivity.

“If Duncan is folding gloves, maybe he can fold 10 pairs that day, but maybe somebody else can fold, like, a hundred pairs. So should an employer [be expected] to pay Duncan $14 to fold his 10 gloves or is he going to pay one of his employees $14 to fold a hundred?” she said.

DENTAL CARE
Washington - Layoffs at Debt-ridden Dental School Raise Anger at University of Washington

By Katherine Long, The Seattle Times, April 14, 2018

More than 20 years ago, radiation and chemotherapy cured Steve Barclay of throat cancer, likely saving his life. But since then, damage to his throat from the radiation made it harder and harder for him to speak and be understood.

So he turned to Jeffrey Rubenstein, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington’s School of Dentistry and one of the few specialists in this region who could create a prosthesis to fill a gap in Barclay’s throat and make his speech more clear.

But this month, the UW’s dentistry school — which is running a $6 million deficit this year, adding to its debt of $36 million — laid off 22 people. Included in the layoff: a laboratory technologist and two patient coordinators who made up all of Rubenstein’s staff. “Without my staff, effectively, they’ve terminated me,” said Rubenstein, who estimates he has several hundred patients across a five-state region, many of whom need ongoing care. He called his staff critical to his job.

“It’s not acceptable,” said state Rep. Michelle Caldier, R-Port Orchard, of the cutbacks, particularly to Rubenstein’s practice. “If you’re the only place in the state that offers certain services, you should make sure there’s another place patients can go before you cut services.”

“Without my staff, effectively, they’ve terminated me,” said Rubenstein, who estimates he has several hundred patients across a five-state region, many of whom need ongoing care. He called his staff critical to his job.

The layoffs will save the school about $1.1 million over the course of a year, said Bob Wanezek, the dental school’s assistant dean for clinical strategy and planning. He said the positions included 11 dental assistants, three hygienists and six managers.

Wanezek confirmed that Rubenstein’s practice will be closed, but said he thought it would “continue for a bit to make sure there are no issues related to patient continuity.”

Crafting maxillofacial prosthodontics, as they’re called, is Rubenstein’s specialty. He has been doing the work for 43 years and is one of the few dentists in a five-state area with the expertise who also takes Medicare and Medicaid, through Washington’s Apple Health program.

Rubenstein rehabilitates patients with birth disorders, head and neck cancers, gunshot wounds and injuries from automobile accidents. One recent patient from Montana was mauled by a grizzly bear. Rubenstein rebuilds jaws, makes prosthetic noses, fixes cleft palates and reconstructs faces with bone grafts, implants and other materials.

“I can’t even put into words how distressing this is personally,” said Rubenstein of the staff cuts. “When the doors of this service are closed, hundreds of patients who need ongoing care will find the closest place to seek this care is San Francisco.”

Call For Entries! 2018 Application Period Now Open for Disability Reporting Contest

Posted on March 22, 2018 by
The National Center on Disability and Journalism


The National Center on Disability and Journalism is accepting entries for the 2018 Ruderman Foundation Awards for Excellence in Reporting on Disability.

This award is the only journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage.

The Ruderman Foundation Awards for Excellence in Reporting on Disability recognize the best reporting on disability issues and people with disabilities that is being done in the U.S. and abroad.

More than $20,000 in cash awards will be given to first-, second- and third-place winners in large media and small media categories.

There is no entry fee for the competition, which is open to digital, broadcast and print media outlets.
Contest entries are due by midnight on Aug. 6, 2018. Entries must have been published or aired between July 1, 2017, and July 31, 2018. Entries are accepted from outside the U.S., although the work submitted must be in English. Awards are given to individuals or teams.

The 2018 winners will be recognized at a fall 2018 ceremony in Washington, D.C., featuring a keynote speaker on disability coverage as well as a disability reporting workshop for journalists.

CALENDAR:
Indiana - Task Force to Examine Support Needs for Hoosiers with Disabilities

A state plan for the support needs of Hoosiers with intellectual and developmental disabilities will get an update soon for the first time in 20 years. A new state task force aimed at helping the estimated 100,000 Indiana residents has scheduled meetings across the state.

The link to the livestream can be found here.
Dates, times and location for each meeting of the task force are as follows:
  • Wednesday, June 27, 2018, 10 a.m.--2 p.m. CT, Valparaiso
  • Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018, 11 a.m.--3 p.m. ET, New Albany
  • Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, 11 a.m.--3 p.m. ET, Columbia City
All meetings are open to the public and will be streamed live. Public comment will occur prior to the start of each meeting to provide input regarding services and supports for people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations for meetings of the task force should be made by contacting Kristina Blankenship at [email protected] at least 48 hours in advance of the task force meeting.
For more information, visit:

VOR's Annual Meeting & Legislative Initiative
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
June 9 - 13, 2018
The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill again this year. This is a very nice hotel and it is only a short walk to the Capitol and the Senate and House Office Buildings. We have reserved a bloc of rooms at the hotel for the event.

We are also accepting reservations for our Sunday Dinner at the Dubliner . This is an added event, with a $35 Prix-fixe menu that includes salad, entree, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverages (alcoholic beverages are available at an additional cost). This event has been popular in past years, so make sure to reserve your seat when you register. Space is limited, and this event has reached capacity in recent years, so make sure to reserve now!
836 South Arlington Heights Road #351 Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
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