As a trainee in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) program, I had
the opportunity to attend the 2014 Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Conference in Washington, DC. As a
first time attendee at the AUCD Conference, I was not exactly sure what to
expect, but I was excited for the opportunity to expand my knowledge in issues
related to disability, policy, and advocacy. I learned a lot from the scheduled
events as anticipated, but I didn’t realize how much I would also learn from
the diverse group of attendees at the conference.
While at the conference I was
able to hear panelists discuss engaging the public in disability issues and the
future of education, employment, and community living for people with
disabilities. As panelist Emily Ladau stated, “The disability community is
talking a lot to itself, but now we need to make disability more accessible to
the community.” One method discussed involves making disability more visible
and personal to community members. If people are more aware of their own
relationships with individuals with disabilities then they will be more
invested in disability issues. I found this discussion to be especially
interesting because it had many parallels to the awareness that is needed for
genetic conditions and related genetics issues in the community. Besides
hearing from the panelists, various sessions reiterated to me the importance of
genetic counselors communicating and promoting awareness about genetic conditions
in the community and to other disciplines. I even gained some ideas for
engaging diverse stakeholders to achieve this goal.
Overall, attending the 2014 AUCD
Conference was a wonderful opportunity to better understand the current
practices and policies that affect the healthcare and well-being of people with
disabilities, as well as to learn what disability policy might look like in the
future. This conference also inspired me to become more involved in advocating
for individuals with disabilities and genetic conditions in the future. A
remarkable group of individuals attended the AUCD Conference and I am honored
to have been among them.
--Caitlin Campbell, Second Year
Student
