SILO's Self-Advocacy Conference 2024 (Text-Only Brochure)
Please join SILO, along with guest speakers, workshop facilitators, professionals, community members and their families, in sharing experiences on empowerment through self-advocacy for people with disabilities!
Friday, October 18th 2024
8:00am-2:30pm
Bellport Country Club
40 S. Country Rd.
Bellport, NY 11713
www.siloinc.org/selfadvocacyconference
SILO’s 2024 Self-Advocacy Conference Agenda
8:00am-8:45am- Registration & Breakfast
9:00am-9:15am- Introduction (Ballroom)
9:15am-9:45am- Opening Keynote –
Melissa Firmes, Executive Director, President/
Co-Founder and Champion of Fun & Friendship at
KiDS NEED MoRE (Ballroom)
10:00am-10:45am- Workshop Session I
1. Voting: Know Your Rights (Room 1)
2. Dignified Healthcare Committee Panel (Room 2)
3. Women’s Group; It’s the Body Image, Not the wheelchair (Ballroom)
11:00am-11:45am- Break/Networking
11:50am-12:50pm- Lunch (Ballroom)
1:00pm-1:45pm- Workshop Session II
4. Building Community Friendships and Reducing Isolation Through Recreation (Room 1)
5. Inclusive Housing Utilizing OPWDD Self Directed Services (Ballroom)
6. Cultural Competency (Room 2)
2:00pm-2:30pm- Closing Keynote -
Pamela Schuller, Disability and Mental Health Advocate and Professional Stand up Comedian
(Ballroom)
There is to be no soliciting unless you are a paid sponsor.
Photographs are permitted, however, videotaping
during the conference is prohibited.
SPEAKERS
Melissa Firmes- Executive Director, President/Co-Founder and Champion of Fun & Friendship at KiDS NEED MoRE
Melissa Firmes is a chaos organizer extraordinaire, a title earned through her ability to bring order, joy, and laughter to the most challenging situations. Melissa has been a dedicated advocate for children and families. Her efforts have always centered around creating safe and joyful spaces for those facing serious illness. Melissa’s life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), leading to a stem cell transplant. This experience marked a profound shift, compelling her to leave the corporate world and fully embrace the support systems she had been cultivating for others. In 2012, she co-founded KiDS NEED MoRE (Motivational Recovery Environments, Inc.), an organization that continues to transform lives by providing recreational and supportive programs for families coping with serious illnesses.
Pamela Schuller- Disability and Mental Health Advocate and Professional Stand up Comedian
Pamela Rae Schuller had the most severe documented case of Tourette syndrome in the nation, coupled with a touch of OCD and a whole lot of anger. She grew up wishing away her differences. But when Pamela began reframing her life, harnessing her adversities as the driving force behind her journey, she experienced a transformative shift. She now stands as a globally recognized disability and mental health advocate and professional stand-up comedian. Her engaging, funny, and powerful stories resonate with audiences worldwide, and she is an expert at translating her expertise into a repertoire that imparts pride in young people, fosters profound inclusivity in communities, and inspires innovation in corporate teams, compelling them to make strategic and audacious moves to strengthen their team through inclusive efforts.
Workshop Descriptions and Presenters
Voting: Know Your Rights
Time: 10-10:45am
Breakout Room 1
Facilitators: Helen Hellmuth and Jenessa Seymour, Disability Rights New York
Learn about voting rights and accessibility, including physical accessibility of polling places, the use of Ballot Marking Devices, absentee ballots, and what you can do if you witness a violation.
Dignified Healthcare Committee Panel
Time: 10-10:45am
Breakout Room 2
Facilitator: Justin Ainsworth, SILO
The Dignified Health Care Committee is a committee developed by people with disabilities who are concerned about our community receiving health care which recognizes our disabilities and provides accommodations for them.
Women’s Group; It’s the Body Image, not the Wheelchair
Time: 10-10:45am
Ballroom
Facilitator: Roberta Karant with Melissa Firmes of Kids Need More
Body Image through the decades and how we use body image to empower each other through identification and common themes.
Building Community Friendships and Reducing Isolation Through Recreation
Time: 1-1:45pm
Breakout Room 1
Facilitator: Ira Dunne, The Social Brain
Building a network of opportunities to find new friends makes a big difference in emotional well-being and how individuals view themselves, they have a connection with others and find that friendships come before disability.
Inclusive Housing Utilizing OPWDD Self Directed Services
Time: 1-1:45pm
Ballroom
Facilitator: Trish Calandra, THRIVE
This discussion will help participants and families understand how to utilize Self Directed services for creative, sustainable options for inclusive, supported housing and living in the communities of their choice.
Cultural Competency
Time: 1-1:45pm
Breakout Room 2
Facilitators: Codi Hill and Kaitlin Perrino, SILO
Focuses on the subtleties of cultural competency and the relationship between a person's self-identity and their culture and disabilities. It entails comprehending and appreciating the attitudes, values, and beliefs of various cultural groups.
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Self-Initiated Living Options, Inc. (SILO) has been providing programs and services to people with disabilities in Suffolk County since 1985. We have since expanded our range of services to include Nassau County. SILO is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, consumer controlled, non-residential, civil rights, mentoring and educational organization. SILO's philosophy is tied to the nationwide Independent Living Movement which asserts that people with disabilities have the same rights and responsibilities, needs and desires, as their non-disabled peers.
Board of Directors
Board Chair
MaryAnn Sciacca
Board Vice Chair
Roger Smith
Secretary & Board Clerk
Lori Connelly
Members
Sophia Ardi
Dawn Cookler
Krista Giannak
Peter Raymond
Barry Rosenthal
Anna Maria Trimboli
Chief Executive Officer
Joseph M. Delgado
SILO
3253 Route 112, Bldg 10
Medford, New York 11763
(631) 880-7929
www.siloinc.org