Addressing Developmental Disabilities in the Community -
Early Dreams and Political Struggles and Current Effective Programs

Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

A Recognition for Champions of Disability Rights and Locally Led Initiatives Addressing Disability

The DC and Tennessee Partners will host a virtual panel on the following topics: Judy Heumann and Denise Decker, their contributions to disabilities, and locally led initiatives addressing disability. Dr. Gary Linn, President of the Tennessee Chapter of Partners of the Americas and a long-time scholar in the area of Disability Studies, and Ethan Litvin, Volunteer and Intern Coordinator for SEEC (Seeking Employment, Equality and Community) will be the panelists. The event will be held via Zoom on June 27, at 7:00 p.m.

Transformative change in communities is led by visionary leaders who struggle to address seemingly insurmountable problems with new techniques and institutions. This process has progressed over that last 50 years in the area of developmental disabilities with the inspired direction of Dr. Judith Heumann, who is known as the mother of the disability rights movement; Drs. Irving K. Zola, Barbara Altman, and Devva Kasnitz, who established the academic field of Disability Studies; and Dr. Denise Decker, who helped to spread the independent living movement in Brazil through programs of the Partners of the Americas. 

The seminar will include shared experiences and professional relationships with these renowned innovators in the field of developmental disabilities. To show the fruition of their work, current programs addressing developmental disabilities in the community will be presented. These include: The Power of Person - Centered Planning and Supports for Individuals with DD/ID; Implementation of Assistive Technology and Neighborhood Walks; Internships for Clinicians from Latin America at the Kennedy Center in Nashville, Tennessee; and University – Community Support Programs for Independent Living in Valparaiso, Chile.

This webinar will be held on Zoom. Join the webinar when it goes live at the below link. 

Click Here to Join

Meeting ID: 860 6037 4117

Passcode: 091203