On July 30, join a free gathering in the U.S. Capitol complex (Rayburn House Office Building) a week from Monday. We would love for you to join us. The agenda and the bios of all the diverse and outstanding speakers can be found on their website.
The people working on the front lines on education and employment for people with disabilities will be speaking and/or in the room. Five of our speakers are blind, four use wheelchairs, one is deaf/hard of hearing and others have a variety of other disabilities including learning and attention issues. We also have a full panel on intersectionality as people of color and English-as-second-language learners with disabilities face unique challenges and opportunities.
Participation is free but spaces are limited. RSVPs are required. I hope you will sign up now!
www.respectability.org/2018/
Date: July 30 – Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Schedule:
8:00 AM – Registration and Networking
9:00 AM – Welcome by Calvin Harris, Chair, RespectAbility
9:10 AM – Education for Students with Disabilities
Johnny Collett, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education
9:35 AM – Jobs and Entrepreneurship for People with Disabilities
Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
10:00 AM – PANEL: Four-Fold Improvement in New Jobs for People with Disabilities: What’s Driving It and How We Continue Improving
- Moderator: Donn Weinberg, Chair, Philanthropy Roundtable
- Janet LaBreck, Disability Employment, Expert
- Ron Painter, Executive Director of the National Association of Workforce Boards
- Vincenzo Piscopo, Community & Stakeholder, Relations Director, The Coca-Cola Company
- Jim Sinocchi, Office of Disability Inclusion, JPMorgan Chase
11:00 AM – EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARD to Judy Woodruff, Host, PBS NewsHour
11:30 AM – Breaking the Glass Ceiling (introduced by Vivian Bass)
- Ollie Cantos, Board of Advisors, RespectAbility
- Leo, Nick and Steven Cantos (blind triplets who are each Eagle Scouts)
12:00 PM – Lunch: How to Have an Impact in Washington
Moderator: Calvin Harris, Chair, RespectAbility
- Rep. Brad Sherman, California
- Other members of Congress TBA
1:30 PM – PANEL: Fighting Implicit Bias Through TV and Film
Moderator: Jonathan Murray, Reality TV Pioneer, Bunim/Murray
- Jeanette Betancourt, SVP, U.S. Social Impact, Sesame Workshop
- Rachel Dretzin, Director, Far From the Tree
- Crystal R. Emery, Director, Black Women in Medicine
- Andrew Solomon, Ph.D., Award-Winning Author, Far From the Tree
2:45 PM – PANEL: Importance of Intersectionality: Enabling People of Color and Immigrants with Disabilities to Succeed
Moderator: Donna Walton, Founder and President, Divas With Disabilities Project
- Stephanie Farfan, National Leadership Alumna, RespectAbility
- Kaity Hagen, National Leadership Fellow, RespectAbility
- Clarence Page, Columnist, Chicago Tribune
3:45 PM – EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM AWARD to Joe Shapiro, Correspondent, NPR Investigations (presented by Eleanor Clift)
4:15 PM – A Look to the Future Featuring RespectAbility Board Members, Staff and Fellows
4:30 PM – Networking Reception
Participation is free and spaces are limited. RSVPs are requited. I hope you will sign up now!
www.respectability.org/2018/