AAIDD Annual Meeting Program June 6-9, 2011 : Page 1
wel come fr om the conference chair O n n n behalf of the Conference Planning Committee, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the beautiful Twin Cities—Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota and the 135th Annual Meeting of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Inclusive Communities: Pathways to Realizing the Vision. This conference presents a unique opportunity to discuss the notion of inclusion with leading practitioners, researchers, teaching faculty, policymakers, funders, and advocates from around the world. The four plenary sessions feature speakers who will share their expertise and ideas relevant to creating inclusive communities: On Tuesday morning, Vickie Cammack and Al Etmanski will discuss proven social innovations and share the common patterns of successful change making. On Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Joanna Pierson and others will discuss their trip to India and share how India’s culture and values impact its services. On Wednesday morning, Sue Swenson, Sharon Lewis, Robert Bacon, and Dr. Georgina Peacock will discuss current initiatives of the federal agencies that are important to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. On Wednesday afternoon, I will be joined by Dr. Hans Reinders and Dr. Maggie Nygren as we discuss pathways to inclusion, the power of inclusion and friendship, and the road ahead. n n In between the plenaries there are 24 concurrent sessions and over 140 posters filled with cutting edge research and effective and emerging practices in the areas of building community, the arts, health, assistive technology, employment, housing, education, and supports. Couple all of these opportunities for learning at the conference with a stellar line up of pre-and post-conference workshops, and everyone is sure to find something of interest to them at this conference! On top of all of this, there are three special events that are sure to round out your conference experience: n On Monday evening, join our special guests author Rachel Simon (The Story of Beautiful Girl, Riding the Bus with my Sister) and filmmaker Dan Habib (Education Revolution, Including Samuel) for lively presentations on their newest works. On Tuesday evening join us for a special reception honoring all AAIDD authors—past, present, and future—on a one hour evening cruise on the Mississippi. On Wednesday afternoon, join us for a special showing of Including Samuel, Dan Habib’s award-winning documentary film that chronicles his family’s efforts to include his son, who has cerebral palsy, in every facet of their lives. n n The Conference Planning Committee and the Local Arrangements Committee, Co-Chaired by Dr. Amy Hewitt and Lori Sedlezky, have worked hard to ensure that your time spent at his event is worthwhile and we sincerely hope that expertise and ideas shared here will continue long past the actual dates of the conference. Once again, welcome to the Twin Cities and to AAIDD! sharon C. gomez, FAAIDD President-elect and Conference Chair P A th W A y s t o re ALI z I ng the v I s I on | AAIDD 1
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