October 29th, 2006
Oct 27, 2006 Autism Conference (NYC)
Here is a list of my posts on the October 27th Autism and Advocacy Conference in New York City at Fordham University; the full program follows.
- The Kind of Fun That Lasts: Tim Shriver on Diffability
- Morning Session: One on One: Advocacy and Presence
- The Silence of Two Hands Flapping”
- Closing Reflection: Advocacy. Witness. Hope
- Autism conference aftermath: Article about the conference in the Observer (Fordham University paper)
November 2nd article in The Observer (Fordham University paper) on the conference
Jim Fisher reflects on the conference, Kassiane’s “I’m not broke and don’t need fixin’” and the Special Oympics in A Night Out on dotCommonweal.
AUTISM AND ADVOCACY: A CONFERENCE OF WITNESS AND HOPE
Friday, October 27, 8:30a.m- 5 p.m.
Fordham University McNally Amphitheatre
140 West 62nd Street, New York City
Conference is Free: Please register by contacting James Fisher by email at jafisher@fordham.edu, or at 212-636-7698
Click here to download a PDF file about the conference.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability that has been the subject of extraordinary interest and controversy in recent years. Amid often heated debates over causation and treatment, the depth of commitment and service witnessed daily in the autism community merits celebration: our many challenges invite further reflection. This conference features the varieties of advocacy practiced with and by persons with autism, especially those forms of advocacy grounded in moral and religious traditions. The presentations offered at this event are intended to encourage additional reflection and discussion by members of the audience. We hope to promote greater engagement with autism advocacy as an integral component of work for social justice.
Program
All events held in or just outside McNally Amphitheatre
8:30 Continental Breakfast
9:00 Conference Introduction and Opening Address by Timothy Shriver, CEO Special Olympics
10:30 Advocacy and Presence: Communities of Faith Engaging Autism
Moderator: Rev. Bill Gaventa
Speakers: Dr. Mary Beth Walsh; Rabbi Geoffrey Haber
Comment: Dr. Jeannine Hill Fletcher
Panelists are leaders in movement to promote full inclusion for persons with autism in life of faith communities; models for advocacy and justice work. Speakers will share their experience in advocacy for persons with autism in liturgical and educational settings. While they represent various traditions and approaches, this work is grounded in theological convictions on the dignity of the human person and a “spirituality of presence” for autistic persons within communities of worship and learning.
Noon: Buffet Lunch
Presentation by Prof. Stuart Murray, ‘Autism and Hollywood’
Moderator: Dr. Mark Osteen
1:30 The Varieties of Autism Advocacy
Moderator: Dr. Lance Strate
Speakers: Wanda Brown, founder of ASD Concepts, advocacy program focusing on needs of African-American families in the autism community; Kassiane Sibley, self-advocate and influential blogger; Prof. Bruce Mills, creator of service learning program engaging autism community; Gloria Pearson-Vasey, Canadian advocate and co-author with adult autistic son of The Road Trip.
A condition commonly associated with social isolation and withdrawal, the experience of autism has generated innovative forms of community-building through the gifts of advocacy and self-advocacy. Speakers will treat their work in collaborative service-learning settings; in literary partnerships and the “blogosphere;” in new models of residential community; and in pioneering models of self-advocacy.
3:30 Panel on Catholic Education and the Spectrum
Speakers: Dr. Salvatore Ferrera; Dr. Carol Trasborg; creators of innovative program for students on autism spectrum at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn
4:30 Closing Reflections: Dr. Kristina Chew and Audience
5 PM: Reception and Book Exhibit
Speakers
Wanda Brown, founder of ASD Concepts
Kristina Chew, Ph.D., Saint Peter’s College
Salvatore C. Fererra, Ph.D., President, Xaverian High School, Brooklyn, NY
James T. Fisher, Ph.D., Fordham University
William C. Gaventa, M.Div. Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Rabbi Dr. Geoffrey Haber, M. Div., Temple Emmanu-el, Closter, NJ
Bruce Mills, Ph.D., Kalamazoo College
Stuart Murray, Ph.D., University of Leeds
Mark Osteen, Ph.D., Loyola College in Maryland
Gloria Pearson-Vasey, M. Div., Author, The Road Trip: Life with Autism
Kassiane Alexandra Sibley, Co-Author, Ask and Tell: Self-Advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum
Lance Strate, Ph.D., Fordham University
Mary Beth Walsh, Ph.D., Caldwell College
“Tomorrow’s whole person must have a well-educated solidarity…When the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind may be challenged to change. Personal involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is the catalyst for solidarity which then gives rise to intellectual inquiry and moral reflection.” - Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., “The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice American Jesuit Higher Education” (2000)
Conference Benefactors: Gordon and Kayris Chew, Michael and Janet Feeley, James and Grace Fisher, Kathleen Fisher and Rocco Maggiotto, John and Norma Tognino
Recent Comments