Co‑presented by Dr. Daniel Wendler and Dr. Elizabeth Aslinger, this session equips disability professionals with a clear, research‑grounded understanding of burnout and its impact on the people they support. Drawing on Dr. Wendler’s expertise as a psychologist and Dr. Aslinger’s expertise as a biomedical researcher, the presentation blends clinical application with scientific insight to provide an comprehensive of what burnout is, why it develops and – most importantly – how to escape it.
Participants will learn to recognize burnout in the individuals they support, gain practical tools for overcoming burnout, and gain a new understanding of how burnout specifically shows up in the disabled community.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize burnout and its effects
- Explain causes of burnout and how burnout is particularly prominent in the disability community
- Apply practical strategies for recovery from burnout and prevention of burnout
Individuals with disabilities often experience layered trauma resulting from medical systems, social exclusion, systemic inequities, and mental health conditions. These experiences significantly influence employment engagement and outcomes, yet disability-related trauma is frequently overlooked in vocational rehabilitation (VR) practice. This presentation highlights an innovative, intersectional approach to trauma-informed care (TIC) within disability disciplines, emphasizing cultural competence and counselor-centered practice. Participants will explore how disability, trauma, and identity intersect to shape vocational experiences and employment trajectories. The session bridges theory and application by translating trauma-informed principles into practical counseling strategies that promote psychological safety, empowerment, and meaningful employment. Designed for professionals in disability and workforce systems, this training reframes VR practice through a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens that supports ethical, inclusive, and effective employment services.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe how trauma and disability intersect and explain how these intersections influence engagement, assessment, and employment planning in vocational rehabilitation practice.
- Demonstrate trauma informed care, culturally responsive communication strategies that promote emotional safety and strengthen the counselor client relationship with individuals experiencing mental health conditions.
- Apply at least two trauma informed counseling techniques within vocational rehabilitation interactions to support client autonomy, reduce re traumatization and reinforce the the professional counseling role if VR staff.
Sexual violence is a difficult but critical issue that people with disabilities, their families, advocates, and professionals must address. Research shows that individuals with disabilities experience sexual violence at significantly higher rates than those without disabilities. In response, the Arizona Sexual Violence and Disability Network and the Sonoran Center’s Silence to Safety project have partnered to develop accessible, trauma-informed resources that strengthen prevention efforts and improve community response. This session will highlight risk factors, systemic barriers, and practical tools designed to increase safety, awareness, and coordinated response. Participants will leave with information about available resources and strategies to better support people with disabilities in their communities.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe key risk factors and systemic barriers contributing to higher rates of sexual violence among people with disabilities.
- Identify evidence-based prevention and response strategies that are accessible and trauma-informed.
- Discover how to access resources to strengthen disability-inclusive sexual violence prevention and response efforts within their own communities.
Caregiver mental health support often falls short when services are not disability-informed. Many parents report high emotional labor in care, including educating providers, justifying caregiving stress, and navigating models that overlook disability context. This session presents an alternative approach: support grounded in disability knowledge, trauma-informed practice, and social model/Independent Living principles. Core elements include reducing explanatory burden, validating caregiver experience, reframing guilt and self-blame, supporting boundaries and self-care, and aligning support with child autonomy and independence goals. Mixed-methods findings show this approach improves therapeutic fit, engagement, coping, and emotional well-being because caregivers feel understood rather than judged through a generic parenting lens. Participants across clinical and community roles will leave with practical strategies to strengthen caregiver mental health outcomes for disabled people and their families.
Learning Outcomes
- Differentiate disability-informed caregiver mental health support from service models across clinical, educational, rehabilitation, and community settings.
- Identify at least three barriers that reduce caregiver & family engagement and well-being and explain their impact on outcomes.
- Apply at least two disability-informed, trauma-informed strategies in participants’ own roles (e.g., validation, reduced explanatory burden, reframing guilt/self-blame, boundary and self-care support).
- Demonstrate how to align caregiver support with child autonomy, dignity of risk, and family quality-of-life goals using a social model/Independent Living lens.
- Evaluate one change they can make at the practice or program level to improve disability-responsive mental health support for disabled people and their families.
