Wise

07/17/2025

Cheers to Robyn, the new ACRE Board President!

We’re excited to see what’s next as ACRE continues to lead the way in quality training for disability employment. Congrats, Robyn!

[Image Description: A graphic with Robyn's headshot photo in a circular frame. There is a two toned teal background. The text reads "Congratulations Robyn Slocom, New ACRE Board President!". The ACRE logo is in the bottom right corner and reads "ACRE, Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators"]

07/11/2025

Celebrate Disability Pride Month at the first ever Disability Arts Festival on Seattle’s waterfront this Saturday, July 12th!

Join us on Pier 62 for a FREE community event filled with music, dance, visual art, spoken word, and more! July 12, 2025, at 12pm.

07/10/2025

In memory of John O’Brien - trailblazer, storyteller, advocate. John passed away on June 27, 2025, but his light continues to guide the path toward equity and belonging for all.

[Image Description: A photo of John O'Brien with a bookshelf background behind him. The photo is in a polaroid style photo frame. Behind it, there is a background image of books with a dark teal overlay. The text reads "In Memory of John O'Brien"]

07/08/2025

Wise is proud to announce the launch of the REACH Hub, a community designed to make finding recreational activities easier and more inclusive. From art classes and book clubs to sports, game nights, gardening groups, and more, the REACH Hub helps you discover activities that bring you joy. Connect with others who share your interests online, and then bring those connections to life offline.

Join the REACH Hub today! It’s free and open to all!

Learn more and sign up here: https://ideas-wise.mn.co/landing?space_id=17099809

[ID: Image 1: A graphic with a blurred background and an image of a computer and an illustration of three friends with their arms around each other on the screen. The text reads "The REACH Hub is now open! www.gowise.org/reach".

Image 2: A graphic with a blurred background and the REACH logo is at the bottom center. The text reads "Here’s what you’ll find inside the REACH Hub: Video Stories, Toolkits in Multiple Languages, A Place to Meet New Friends, Webinars"]

06/27/2025

Some of the Wise team had the honor of supporting the Employment for All Partnership (EFAP) event in Denver, Colorado!

This powerful gathering brought together disability advocates, professionals, and state and community leaders to reflect on Colorado’s rich history of disability employment advocacy, and to help shape a more inclusive future.

The energy in the room was energizing! The event, Employment for All: Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future, was a vibrant celebration of progress and a clear call to action for continued collaboration and inclusion in the workforce.

Huge thanks to the EFAP planning committee and everyone who made the day so impactful.

[Photo Description: Wise Team posed with the members of the EFAP planning committee, and event Emcees. The group is standing and smiling in front of a large paper with "Colorado disability rights history." From Left to right- Cesilee Coulson, Susan Harrell, Emily Harris, Kaitie Taliercio, Jenny Crook, Rose Warner, and Frank Kane.]

06/26/2025

Wise in the news! Emily Harris and Debra McLean facilitated a PATH plan with local leaders in Lewis County, focusing on strengthening school-to-employment transition services for students with disabilities in the community.

A group of local schools, governments and state agencies met last Tuesday to discuss ways to improve a system that helps students with developmental disabilities move from school into full-time jobs. …

06/26/2025

On our recent trip to Washington, DC for the National APSE Conference, Wise partnered with the Community Employment Alliance to meet with legislators about investing in supported employment services. Our main talking points: preserving Medicaid and ending subminimum wage.

[ID: A collection of seven photos showing a small group of the Wise team meeting with legislators and standing outside of government buildings in Washington, DC, as as well as a photo of the printed handout that the team brought to the meetings. The text reads "People with Disabilities are a Vital Part of our Workforce. Preserve Medicaid - it Creates Jobs! Medicaid funds employment services for people with disabilities. End Sub-Minimum Wage. People with disabilities can still be paid under the Federal minimum wage."]

Community Employment Alliance

06/06/2025

Are you heading to National APSE in Washington, DC next week? Come visit us at the Wise exhibitor table!

While you’re there, don’t miss your chance to enter our tuition giveaway for the ACRE-Approved Wise Online Academy 100 Series. We’ll be picking one winner each day of the conference!

We’re looking forward to catching up with friends in the field, meeting new folks who support equitable employment, and sharing what we’ve been working on. Members of the Wise team will be presenting throughout the conference, and we hope to see you in the sessions!

[ID: An graphic with an image of the Capitol building in Washington, DC with an opaque teal overlay. The text reads "We're excited to attend APSE 2025! June 12 - June 14, 2025. Washington, DC." The conference logo shows the Washington monument with text that reads "APSE 2025 DC, Employment First Employment For All". The light grey Wise logo is in the bottom center.]

APSE

06/05/2025

Our Clark team helped coordinate the 2025 Clark County Transition Resource Fair, bringing together 25 vendors representing a wide range of services and supports. The event welcomed over 75 attendees, including families, educators, students, and community members, all coming together to explore resources for a successful transition to adulthood.

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible sponsors who made this event possible: Clark County Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Evergreen School District, Unitus, and Wellpoint. We’re grateful for your support!

[ID: Image 1: The Wise team stands together at the Clark County Resource Fair, smiling and holding posters and an event sign for the Families & Educators Training Series. The team stands in front of a beige wall, each wearing a lanyard, celebrating their support for transition resources for individuals with disabilities.
Image 2: A photo of the Trillium exhibitor table with two people seated at the table smiling at the camera.
Image 3: Two people at an exhibitor table at the event. A sign behind them reads "Hispanic Disability Support"]

05/30/2025

We'd like to highlight this upcoming webinar from our friends at Open Doors for Multicultural Families and invite you to attend. See the link in the original post to register.

05/30/2025

Our next Wise webinar will be on Monday June 2nd with Ryan Farrow. Join us to learn about corporate disability inclusion, the field of Accessibility and accommodations in the workplace.

Register here: www.gowise.org/home/training/webinars

[ID: A graphic with a background image of people attending a webinar on a computer screen. Ryan's photo is in a circular frame. There is white text on a dark teak background and a green outlined button below. The text reads "Ryan Farrow. Wise Webinar Series. Corporate Disability Inclusion, Accessibility, and Accommodations. Monday June 2 2025 11:00am PST. Register Now."]

05/13/2025

Join us for an informative session exploring key Washington State DDA policies and guidelines:

🔹 Policy 5.06: Client Rights
🔹 Policy 5.14: Positive Behavior Supports
🔹 Community Inclusion Service Plans
🔹 County Guidelines

Each topic will be briefly introduced, followed by a Q&A session with DDA staff. Don’t miss this opportunity to get your questions answered! Register in the link below.
www.gowise.org/home/training/webinars

[ID: A graphic with an image of people attending a webinar on a computer screen. The DSHS logo is in a circular frame. There is white text on a dark teal background and a green outlined button below. The text reads "Washington State DDA. Wise Webinar Series. Washington State DDA Policy Question and Answer Session Part 1. Wednesday May 14 2025 11:00am PST. Register Now."]

Washington State DSHS