New Hampshire Young Adult Self-Advocacy Conference, November 2009
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The document outlines the November 6, 2009, NH Young-Adult Self-Advocacy Conference organized by the Generation Y-Not Committee, aimed at empowering young people with disabilities to advocate for themselves. Keynote speaker Keith Jones, an advocate for disability rights, shares his experiences and the importance of inclusion and empowerment. The conference features various breakout sessions focusing on building relationships and personal stories from young people navigating life with disabilities.
New Hampshire Young Adult Self-Advocacy Conference, November 2009
- 1. Welcome November 6, 2009 NH Young-Adult Self-Advocacy Conference, Grappone Center, Concord
- 2. Generation Y-Not Committee Are Your Organizers For This Conference And Your Hosts
- 3. Courtney Belanger Opens The Conference: First things first I want to recognize your conference planning committee….would everyone on the generation y-not committee please stand up!!! We started planning in November of 2006, we didn’t have a name or focus. Throughout the past three years of planning we have met at the United Way office, Community Bridges and CHS. Members have come and gone…. We decided to call ourselves the Generation Y-Not committee (I came up with the name!), our focus was to organize a state wide conference for young people who experience disabilities with the theme of self-advocacy. This group was made up of a wide range of members. Members represented young people with disabilities, teachers, and community groups like Community Bridges and People First. We also reached out to local groups like the Institute on Disability and the YES project. We felt strongly that the conference focus on real needs of the young people in NH and care was taken to make sure the young people on our committee had their voices heard. We worked hard to plan the first conference and at times it was frustrating working with such a large group…but we did it, and we’re still alive to share this with you! Our first conference took two years of planning and this year’s conference took less then a year to plan! Throughout our planning our theme was how to empower young people who experience a disability to speak-out for themselves, to be a leader and to be their own advocates. We hope that our conferences will encourage you to speak up for your selves, be the generation to ask Y-Not!
- 4. OUTLINE FOR THE DAY 8:30 – 9:00 Register and Continental Breakfast 9:00 - 9:15 Keith Jones, Keynote Speaker 10:00 - 10:15 Break 10:15 – 11:00 Break Out Session, Guest Speakers 1:00 – 11:15 Break 11:15 - 12:00 Break Out Session, Guest Speakers 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00 – 1:45 Break Out Session, Guest Speakers 1:45 – 2:00 Break 2:00 – 3:00 Keith Jones Conclusion, “Q&A” 3:00 – 3:15 Wrap Up and Conference Evaluation Thank you for coming – we hope you enjoyed yourself and made some new friends!
- 5. Keynote Speaker Keith Jones Keith Jones is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin’ Experiences , an organization aimed at bringing a perspective to the issues of access inclusion and empowerment, which affect him as well as others who are persons with a disability. Mr. Jones is also extremely active in multi-cultural, cross-disability education and outreach efforts and, conducts trainings (including train the trainer) with the purpose of strengthening efforts to “provide services and information to people with disabilities.” Over the past years Keith has been recognized locally and national as a strong advocate on a wide breadth of issues. Over his years as an advocate Keith has been awarded New Leadership Development Award From The President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, The Commonwealth Coalition’s Progressive Leadership Award, the 2006 Moro Fleming Consumer Involvement Award from the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. He is a recent graduate of the inaugural class of Initiative for Diversity in Civic Leadership. Also, in 2008, he cast a “long shot” U.S. Senatorial bid based on “Fulfilling America’s Promise”. In his role as an advocate, Keith is a public speaker on issues and topics that range from Education and employment, to health care and Home and Community Based Services, to the Intersection of Community Business and Public Policy, Disability Rights and Inclusion. Most recently Keith has been featured in two critically acclaimed documentaries Dan Habib’s “ Including Samuel ” and Maggie Doben’s “ Labeled Disabled ”.
- 6. More About Keith Jones… As an artist Keith has composed award winning songs with his father as well as, received critical praise for his role of Killer P in the independent comedy “Special Needs.” Bill Gibron of Popmasters.com wrote, “The clear breakout star here is someone called Killer P. A bad-ass gansta rapper with cerebral palsy. If he’s not the future of urban culture, no one is…He’s a classic character (or a great find) and almost instantly demands the making of a solo feature all his own. Every moment he’s on screen is worth savoring and repeating. He’s gutbustingly great.” Mr. Jones has been called “a pioneer” in the disability rights movement and it is truly committed to progressive and effective change. He hopes that by contributing to the dialog and working to create and improve on policies and attitudes, everyone will be able to pursue reaching their full potential. Which is why he believes in the mission of SoulTouchin' Experiences so strongly.
- 7. Break Out Session Presenters ~ Relationships in Recreation, Fun and Family: Tasha, Ben, Nick and Vince Tasha Nelson will lead Nick Needlar, Ben Soule and Vince Geyhardt in a discussion on how they were able to develop social relationships in and out of school. They will share “what works” as well as the struggles of developing a network of friends for young people who experience disabilities.
- 8. ~ Relationships of Love and Intimacy: Sarah Coyle and David Saltmarsh Sarah is a “soon to be high school graduate.” She will share her story about how she and her boyfriend David met and how their relationship has grown over the past year and a half. Kerry Boggis and George Emrich Kerry Bogus and George Emrich live in Nashua. They will share the story of their relationship. Listen carefully and you will learn about how topics like transportation and guardianship have influenced their relationship.
- 9. ~ Relationships at Work, Volunteering and in the Community: Annie, Angie and Amber These three high school sisters will share how their mother encouraged them to work when they were young teenagers and how they used persistence to secure employment. They will share their personal stories and their perspective about the importance of the relationships between co-workers, supervisor and customers.
- 10. Jeff Locke Jeff, who is a single dad, will share his struggles and triumphs with raising his family. Jeff will also speak about his journey and history to explain how he got to where he is today. Although Jeff's children are his first priority, he will briefly mention other aspects of his life, such as dating, pursuing a driver's license, and reaching other personal goals. You will hear how one man balances family, kids and life!
- 26. Today’s Conference Was Brought To You By: The Generation Y-Not Young Adult Committee Members: Courtney Belanger Mark Gage Jillian Libby Charlie Helfrich Maureen McDonnell Tracy Moltisanti In Collaboration With: Community Bridges Concord High School John Stark Regional High School People First of New Hampshire UNH-Institute on Disability YES Project National Initiative on Inclusive Education For Students with Autism & Related Disabilities
- 27. With Financial Support From Community Bridges Community Bridges Family Support Council Department of Health and Human Services/Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Gateways Family Support Council Hugh Philbrook Karen Arnold Karen Driscoll Mark Gage Moore Center Services National Initiative on Inclusive Education for Students With Autism NH Bureau of Developmental Services Training Collaborative NH Developmental Disabilities Council People First of New Hampshire Region III Family Support Council UNH-IOD YES Project Thank You!