Contact: Rudy Gallegos, 272-6231

Sept. 11, 2002 UNM Center for Development and Disability to host conference The 6th annual New Mexico Disability Conference and Disability and Health Research Symposium will be held Oct. 16-18 at the Wyndham Sunport Hotel. The conference, “Disability 2002: What’s Working? What’s Not? And How Do We Know?” is sponsored by the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico, the Office of Disability and Health, New Mexico Department of Health, and Alliance for Disability Education. Core funding for the conference is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through a cooperative agreement. Bob Kafka, ADAPT national organizer and co-director, Institute for Disability Access, will speak on “How to be an Effective Grassroots Advocate.” Also in attendance will be Craig Ravesloot of the Rural Institute on Disabilities at the University of Montana, Vince Campbell and JoAnn Thierry of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Louis Quatrano of the National Institutes of Health. The opening session will celebrate disability culture through song, dance and poetry featuring the Buen Viaje Dancers, poetry by Barbara McKee and songs by Larry Lorenzo along with many other performers on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 9 a.m. Also included is a morning-long session on the needs of people with disabilities in emergency preparedness plans, featuring Pat Morrissey, commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, and others involved in emergency preparedness planning. Round table workshops will be held wherein participants can discuss issues concerning New Mexico’s state government revision of “A Vision of Health for New Mexico.” The annual David J. Jackson Distinguished Research Award, the Charlotte Toulouse Award For Major Contributions To Communication Between People With Disabilities and Disability Researchers, the Outstanding Student Research Award, as well as a special award to Secretary of Health J. Alex Valdez will be presented at the conference banquet Wednesday evening. For more information and to request copies of the registration form, preliminary program, sponsorship form or exhibitor form call Rudy Gallegos at 272-6231 or e-mail: ragalleg@unm.edu. ###

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