Success Express Supported Living Services

Rolando and Maria have been serving the ID-DD community by providing a variety of programming (Licensed care, nursing care, independent living services, supported living services and self-determination facilitation). Both are fluent in Spanish and take pride in providing services that are customized, culturally competent and person centered.

Golden State Adult Residential Adult Program’s (GSRAP) Family Home Agency

The Montgomery’s have over 18 years of experience operating a Family Home Agency (FHA). An FHA is an alternative residential option for Regional Center adults ages 18+. GSRAP matches Individuals with a trained family in the community.  This is an excellent residential option for those individuals who embrace being a part of a family and yet can appreciate the independence they are given as adults. They are now offering Adaptive Skills Training, and a consulting firm  focused on supporting providers who serve the ID-DD population.

Chia Ling-Yin is the Director of new programming at Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN). With a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development from the University of Pennsylvania, she began her career as a Service Coordinator for the Early Intervention Program in New York City. After moving to California, she served as a Case Manager at RCEB and worked for seven years at the Alameda County Social Services Agency. Currently, Chia-Ling oversees the new CFS program at FCSN, focusing on high-needs individuals.

Kyle Daniels is from the Bay Area and graduated from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. He became a financial advisor because of his passion for helping people achieve their goals. Daniels  focuses on Special Needs financial planning. As the older brother of a young man with Autism, he is fiercely passionate about serving this community.

Jon Bernstein is a Professor of Pediatrics and by courtesy of Genetics at the Stanford School of Medicine.  He serves as Chief of the Division of Medical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics. His research focuses on the diagnosis, discovery and delineation of genetic syndromes with a focus on neurodevelopmental conditions.  Current research includes the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, the GREGoR consortium, the TRIOS study of recurrent pregnancy loss and the NIH RDCRN Developmental Synaptopathies Consortium study of Phelan-McDermid syndrome.  Dr. Bernstein’s clinical work encompasses his practice as a medical geneticist and medical direction of the Stanford Cleft and Craniofacial Center.

Dr. Ferguson is postdoctoral academic researcher and clinician at the Stanford Autism and Developmental Disorders Research Program.  Her research focuses on understanding challenging behaviors in ASD individuals with high support needs. She will discuss interventions for managing self-injurious behaviors and aggression.

Ed Center is founder of the Village Well, an organization that helps parents and educators find more calm, joy and connection. Ed is a Tripe P certified parenting coach who specializes in working with families of color.

Ed will dive into habits, tools and techniques that foster regulation for you and your children. He will provide practical insights and strategies to assist you in managing stress and enhance well-being for the entire family.

Mark Goodenough’s first clear exposure to neuro diversity came in the Upper Elementary at the Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA, and he has worked in education and with uniquely abled communities for over twenty years.  Formally educated at the University of Georgia and Vermont Law School, he taught at Orion Academy in the East Bay, ran the Social Skills program that supported diverse counselor training at the University of California-Berkeley’s Blue Camp for two years, and has been at Moving Forward Towards Independence for three years.  “Find the good and praise it” as well as “onward with optimism” are his lodestars in life and work.

Barbara Montaldo, Co-Executive Director at Moving Forward Towards Independence alongside Mark Goodenough, has been with MFTI for the past thirteen years. With eighteen years of experience advocating for the neurodiverse community, she previously worked as a behavior aide with school-aged children in Napa, Solano, and Sonoma, and earlier as a mental health worker in a psychiatric facility. Barbara is passionate about her work, saying, “Our residents are the reasons I’m in this field.” She is dedicated to finding solutions and resources for the community, addressing needs that are often overlooked.

Moving Forward Towards Independence (MFTI) Housing efforts on their Napa Campus and in their community: Housing options for residents in Napa take place in three tiers: on its campus, in adjacent apartment buildings and cottages where they are the master tenant, and in their Napa Abajo neighborhood in which the program has operated for 26 years.  Co-Executive Directors Montaldo and Goodenough will illustrate the delicate balance of personal and programmatic needs that go into decisions on housing and how they seek to serve MFTI’s neuro-diverse residents and their families.  From getting a baseline regarding in which tier a resident will flourish along with screening potential roommate situations to utilizing governmental housing programs to establishing and navigating landlord relations as well as setting goals that will support our residents on their individual path to independent living skills, the pieces of the housing puzzle often have both degrees of predictability and complete uniqueness’ to them, which keep them always exploring solutions with their participants and community partners.

The workshop will provide an update about Self Determination and lessons learned from an advocate and parent who is utilizing the services.

Judy Mark is President of Disability Voices United. Judy leads DVU’s advocacy and programmatic efforts and was instrumental in the passage of the Self-Determination Law and has been active in its implementation. Judy has written and edited two books on the Self-Determination Program and has spoken extensively throughout California and trained thousands of individuals and families.  Her past professional experience includes over 30 years leading communication and development efforts for national policy organizations.

Ken Parekh is a parent advocate for his autistic 13 yr son and has been on the Self-determination program for the last 2 yrs. He’s co-chair of GGRC’s Self-Determination Local Advisory Committee and is on the Parent Advisory board for the Stanford Autism Center

Ellen Cookman is the principal attorney of Cookman Law in Palo Alto, California. She is passionate about helping families of all shapes and sizes plan for the future and utilize available resources. Ellen is a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law from the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. She received her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law and her LL.M. in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate from Golden Gate University.

Come learn everything you’ve always wanted to learn about Special Needs Trusts and ABLE accounts, and how you and your family can use them.

Please join attorney Ellen Cookman for a lively and informative presentation on the basics of special needs trusts and ABLE accounts as well as a deeper dive into the following issues:

• Should I have a stand-alone or testamentary special needs trust?
• What is the difference between a first-party and third-party special needs trust?
• When and how should I transfer assets into (i.e. “fund”) the trust?
• What is an ABLE account and how can we use it?
• When might I want to use an ABLE Account vs a SNT?

Leslie Nordin is Big Wave Group Board Chair and the parent of a future resident Sawyer and USC freshman Riley; she and her husband Dayton bring extraordinary legal, financial and governance expertise to the Big Wave Project3:00-3:50 pm Attendees pick one session to attend.

The Big Wave Project is a community-led solution to overcome the extraordinary barriers faced by the adult I/DD community  in Silicon Valley. Big Wave will be the largest intentional community of its kind for adults with disabilities in the Bay Area, providing housing and a hub for integrated programs and opportunities.  The project will create a safe place that empowers people with special needs to live a life of meaning and connection on their own terms  Construction of these 50,000 square feet started in September 2024, with occupancy planned for the Spring/Summer of 2026. Big Wave Group (“BWG”) is the non-profit organization where ownership, management and fundraising for the project reside.  Big Wave Community Co-op (“BWCC”) is the community co-op created for future residents and their families to engage as a community.

Dr. Nguyen is a Clinical Assistant Professor and psychiatrist at Stanford working with children and adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She will be joined by child and adolescent psychiatry fellows, Dr. Dhanani and Dr. Tanovic, to discuss medication options to treat comorbid conditions in ASD.

Denise Bradley, recently retired after working in the field for over 40 years. She has specialized in working with high need individuals throughout the lifespan.

Michaella & Mohamed Conteh own MMC Consulting Group which provides SDP Facilitation for adults with high care needs, and a parent training and independent living skill program for Regional Center clients. Mohamed  is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked in the  behavioral health/ ID/DD field for over 16 years. He is also a published poet “The Release.”  Michaella, also a Masters level Social Worker has worked in the Child Welfare and ID/DD systems for over 10 years, is an adjunct professor at California State University, East Bay and a lecturer for the Chabot- Las Positas Community College District and the writer of a landmark book about her experiences in Child Welfare “How to Survive as a Child Welfare Social Worker.”

The panelists have developed, managed and or monitored several programs serving adults on the autism spectrum who may also have a co-occurring  ID/DD diagnosis, exuberant, behaviors, mental health, substance abuse and or forensic involvement. They will review community-based program possibilities and supports for individuals who need flexible programming.