Center for Personal Assistance Services Director Charlene Harrington, along with Center researcher Mitch LaPlante have been invited to Disability & Aging: Seeking Solutions to Improve Health, Productivity, and Community Living, an officially designated mini-conference of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA). The WHCoA will develop and provide insight and recommendations on aging policy and program directions for the President, Congress, and policymakers at the state and local levels.

The stated goal of the Mini-Conference on Disability and Aging is "to explore and identify public policy steps to address the economic, social, environmental, and personal challenges that disabilities can present for the aging and their families, employers, and communities." The mini-conference, occuring on July 21 and 22, 2005, will produce a report summarizing the deliberations along with specific, actionable recommendations that will be presented to the WHCoA Policy Committee. These recommendations will be considered for inclusion in the final WHCoA policy recommendations advanced to the President and Congress.