by LaMara HunterKelly | Mar 22, 2022 | In The News
When: June 25, 2022
Where: Sheraton Hotel, Springfield MA
Featuring keynote speaker, author and self-advocate Dr. Temple Grandin!
About Dr. Temple Grandin, from West Region Self Advocacy’s Speaker Announcement:
Dr. Grandin is a prominent author and speaker on both autism and animal behavior. Today she is a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She also has a successful career consulting on both livestock handling equipment design and animal welfare. She has been featured on NPR (National Public Radio) and a BBC Special – “The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow”. She has also appeared on National TV shows such as Larry King Live, 20/20, Sixty Minutes, Fox and Friends, and she has a 2010 TED talk. Articles about Dr. Grandin have appeared in Time Magazine, New York Times, Discover Magazine, Forbes and USA Today. HBO made an Emmy Award winning movie about her life and she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.
When she was young, she was considered weird and teased and bullied in high school. The only place she had friends was activities where there was a shared interest such as horses, electronics, or model rockets. Mr. Carlock, her science teacher, was an important mentor who encouraged her interest in science. When she had a new goal of becoming a scientist, she had a reason for studying. Today half the cattle in the United States are handled in facilities she has designed.
This year’s conference features several excellent workshops, ranging from
- Westfield Self Advocacy Presents Why Friendship Matters
- Self Advocacy Impact Lab Presents Connecting Through Activism
- Creating Inclusive Community: A Discussion of Race & Identity
- Let’s Talk about Sex
- Team-building Puzzle Game
- Open Door Club Presents Building Friendships & Networking
Full conference schedule:
- 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM: Registration – Visit our Resource Tables
- 10:00 AM to 10:15 AM: Introduction, Main Ballroom
- 10:15 AM to 10:30 AM: Remarks from special guests
- 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM: Keynote Presentation
- 11:00 AM to 11:15 AM: Break
- 11:15 AM to 12:15 PM: Morning Workshops
- 12:15 PM to 12:30 PM: Break
- 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM: Lunch
- 1:30 PM to 1:45 PM: Awards Ceremony, M.A.S.S. Announcements
- 1:45 PM to 2:00 PM: Break
- 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM: Afternoon Workshops
- 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM: Raffle Drawings
Learn more about the 2022 West Region Self Advocacy Conference at MassWRSA.org, where you can also sign up for raffle tickets or become a sponsor!
Interested? Have any questions? Contact Dana Lund, Self Advocacy Regional Coordinator at [email protected], or Amber Pettell, Self Advocacy Peer Coordinator, at [email protected] or (413) 535-6999.
Don’t forget to like West Region Self Advocacy on Facebook to keep up-to-date with the latest postings about this conference and more!
![Bellini’s a proud, passionate advocate]()
by LaMara HunterKelly | May 16, 2019 | In The News
The Provider – Vol. 40 – No. 5 May 2019
Ness Bellini, right, and self-advocate Cassandra at the 2018 Caring Force Rally.Bellini’s supervisor Mary Kate Farley-Dimino says “they have such a sincere style of supporting people in becoming the most effective Self Advocates they can be.” As emphasized in the Consortium’s mission, they demonstrably values the wisdom gained from “lived experience” as one of our most important resources. Bellini recognizes it “makes sense to work with people who’ve been through similar things.” “Over two years ago, self-advocates interviewing Ness knew right away they were right for the job,” said WTMC Executive Director Kristel Applebee. “The interview included an impromptu role play and Ness joined right in – it’s been an environment of curiosity for learning ever since! Ness teams with self-advocates and colleagues in an exceptional way, promoting skill development, stronger relationships and leadership that has increased impact on our service systems and community. We’re grateful for their contributions and can’t wait to see what’s next!”
![Bellini’s a proud, passionate advocate]()
by LaMara HunterKelly | May 20, 2016 | In The News
Consortium’s Self-Advocacy program will be hosting its 13th Annual West Region Self Advocacy Conference!
Saturday May 21, 2016, 9:00am – 3:15pm
Sheraton, 1 Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 01144
The 2016 West Region Self-Advocacy conference will offer a chance for self-advocates (adults who experience developmental challenges) and supporters from across Western Mass and beyond to come together and participate in multiple growth and learning experiences while also enjoying the sense of connection and community that comes with self-advocacy. This year’s theme is Teamwork with Togetherness.
Massachusetts West Region Self Advocacy is a diverse community of self advocates from across Western Massachusetts committed to learning, advocating, and supporting each other. “West Region Self Advocacy is a team of local self advocates working together to promote education, equal rights, responsibility and informed choice for people with disabilities to live full lives in the community.”
Building on the theme of teamwork with togetherness, the conference will give advocates and allies a chance to enjoy…
- Interesting workshops about all different kinds of relationships and people
- A variety of different resource tables to explore and learn from
- Raffles and prizes, T-shirts for sale for $10.00
- Friendly environment to socialize and meet new people
This year’s conference features keynote speaker, Mr. Joseph Canto, who has been a dedicated self-advocate for much of his life speaking up on many issues. Among his many accomplishments Joe:
- Organized a protest against a movie Tropic Thunder due to disrespectful language towards people with developmental disabilities
- Spoke at a state house event which celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Initiated and Organized events to change the name of the Department of Developmental Services
Joe also shares his self-advocacy skills with others by working as a trainer with the statewide self-advocacy group, Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong (M.A.S.S.). Joe will speak about how self-advocacy and working with others has shaped him.
