Day of Advocacy Conference | Embrace Your Voice
August 30, 2022, from 9-5:30 pm
Join us to hear inspiring stories and learn about resources for disabled individuals and their caregivers in a fun environment.
• 11 Sessions to watch/attend.
• In Person or virtual option to attend
• Light breakfast, lunch and snacks are included in person.
• Vendor Show, Social with Speakers
This conference brings together passionate advocates to learn and grow their advocacy voice.
--- Day of Advocacy Agenda ---
This day is packed with inspiring stories and information about resources for individuals, their caregivers & professionals.
9:00-9:30 am
Registration & Light breakfast
9:30-10:30 am
Opening Keynote: Charting the Path to What is Possible – (Russel Lehmann)
In this presentation, Russell dissects the polarities of life as it relates to individuals with disabilities. Implementing various philosophical perspectives in an easily digestible manner, Russell utilizes his deep introspection and insight to empower the attendees to realize that it is not success or struggle, not fear or courage, not disability or ability, but rather all of the above, and when we can embrace and accept the fluidity of life’s ups and downs, we discover what steps need to be taken to discover the path to what is possible, whereby the potential of all individuals is unleashed
10:45-11:30 am Breakout 1: Pick 1 to Attend
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Nate’s Journey to Recovery: Nate was a high school state champion football player who excelled in athletics, academics, and music. After college, he worked in construction and landscaping. But along the way, he struggled with addiction. It wasn’t until surviving a near-fatal accident in 2013 that he was forced to forge a new path into physical, mental, and emotional recovery. Nearly nine years later, Nate has a Traumatic Brain Injury and walks with a limp from suffering a broken hip in that accident – but he’s walking and living independently against all odds. Nate’s story is his own but is meant to inspire others who may be facing hardship.
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Presenter: Michael Kaip (session details to come)
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Presenter: Terri Couwenhoven, M.S. (session details to come)
11:30-1:00 pm
Lunch – Panel: Get to Know Your Associations
(Moderator Health McDougall)
1:15-2:00 pm Breakout 2: Pick 1 to Attend
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Empowerment and Advocacy (Russell Lehmann) Join Russell as he walks through the nuances of advocacy, for it is one thing to find your voice, but to have your voice be heard is another skill altogether. Also discussed are keys to self-empowerment, and how, by following our passions, success will in turn follow us.
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Embrace Your Choice: How to Support the Right to Choose for People with Disabilities: Supported Decision-Making in North Dakota (Mandy Dendy & Angie Debovoy) Supported Decision-Making (SDM) went into ND law in 2019. SDM is a way to help support a person with a disability so they can be a decision-maker - whether they are in a guardianship, at-risk of having a guardianship, or they just need a little help. The presentation is broken down into four sections: • Capacity • What is Supported Decision-Making? • Let’s Talk About It • Do I Need it in Writing? You will learn what Supported Decision-Making is, how it relates to guardianship, and how to use Supported Decision-Making in your professional or everyday life.
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Presenter: Terri Couwenhoven, M.S. (session details to come)
2:15-3:00 pm Breakout 3: Pick 1 to Attend
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Embrace Your Choice: How to Support the Right to Choose for People with Disabilities: Supported Decision-Making in North Dakota (Mandy Dendy & Angie Debovoy) (Repeat from Breakout 2 )
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Vocal Breakthroughs. Free the Potency of Your Unique Message for the World (Heather McDougall) Your voice is a powerful instrument for advocacy and impact, but if not carefully tuned your potential is limited. In this session, Heather shares her favorite tools for nurturing the story inside of you, clearing the barriers of doubt, fear, and hesitation that live in your body and throat, and activating the resonance your unique vocal code offers for the world. Using proven techniques from her experience as a classically trained singer, yoga teacher with breathwork and energy centers in the body, theater actor and stage speaker, you will discover a breakthrough in your ability to advocate with clarity and confidence for powerful impact.
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Panel Discussion (Moderator: Jacob Smith) (session details to come)
3:15-4:15 pm Closing Keynote
The Power of PATH: Building Resilience for Mental and Emotional Health (Tasha Schuh) The race of life can often be riddled with obstacles, challenges and difficulties. As a quadriplegic, Tasha knows this firsthand. In this message she will share her story of having a life-changing accident at the age of 16, and how she learned the importance of resilience. The experience she shares will encourage listeners to press through difficult times and to have hope for the future.
4:15-5:30 pm Social with the Speakers
Meet the speakers, networking social with games and music, plus a vendor show!
(Agenda subject to change.)
The event is open to anyone in North Dakota!
--- Meet the Speakers ---
Keynote: Russell Lehmann is an award-winning and internationally recognized motivational speaker and poet contextualizing autism, mental health, disabilities, and the overall human condition. His words have been featured in the USA Today, LA Times, NPR, Yahoo! News, Success Magazine and archived in the Library of Congress. A graduate of MIT’s “Leadership in the Digital Age” course, Russell sits on the national Board of Directors for The Arc of the United States and is a lead council member for the Autism Society of America. Russell has also been the Youth Ambassador for the mayor of Reno, Nevada, and a member of the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities as well as the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Russell is also a contributor for Psychology Today. Russell showed signs of autism as a newborn, however, he was not formally diagnosed until the age of 12 after suffering through 5 weeks in a lockdown psychiatric facility. His new book, “On the Outside Looking In” recently hit bookstores nationwide. In 2018, Russell was named as Reno-Tahoe’s “Most Outstanding Young Professional Under 40”. In 2019 & 2020, Russell lectured for the prestigious King’s College of London and the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Special Education in Abu Dhabi, respectively. In 2022, Russell was invited to the Finnish Parliament to discuss government supports that are needed in Finland for individuals on the spectrum.
Russell currently travels the world spreading hope, awareness, and compassion in a raw and dynamic fashion, while also setting his sights on erasing the stigma and stereotypes that come with having a disability. Russell’s passion is to be a voice for the unheard, for he knows how difficult and frustrating it is to go unnoticed.
Terri Couwenhoven, M.S. is an AASECT certified sexuality educator who specializes in developing programs and resources for people who have intellectual disabilities, their families and the professionals who support them. She is the author of Teaching Children with Down syndrome about their Bodies, Boundaries and Sexuality: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, The Girls’ Guide to Growing Up: Choices & Change in the Tween Years, The Boy’s Guide to Growing up: Choices & Changes During Puberty, and Boyfriends & Girlfriends: a Guide to Dating for People with Disabilities. When she is not teaching or writing, she is Clinic Coordinator for the Down Syndrome Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She is the mother of two girls. Her oldest daughter has Down Syndrome.
Mandy Dendy is a staff attorney with the Protection & Advocacy Project at its Bismarck office. She is interested in education, criminal justice, and healthcare law as they relate to inclusivity and fair accessibility for people with disabilities.
Heather McDougall is an international speaker, venture capital board member, entrepreneur and co-founder of sustainably designed products company, Bogobrush, and a renowned yoga teacher. Heather leads the future of change-making by blending big hopeful dreams, present reality, and bold, truth-telling energy. She’s presented perspective-altering talks to thousands of people from SXSW (South by Southwest in Austin, TX) to TEDx, and has facilitated for communities and leaders around the world, from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, to help them activate their own path to sustainable change through her signature 8 Limbs of Sustainability and Empowered Leadership methods.
Angie Dubovoy has been working as a Disability Advocate for 16 years. She works in the Minot Office. She works with a variety of disabilities. She has a background in Social Work and Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling.
Tasha Schuh – Survivor, believer, fighter – is an inspiration and hope for all who face life’s challenges. Tasha’s life changed dramatically when she was 16 years old; she was in a theater accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Today she has accomplished more than she could have ever dreamed. She has received numerous awards including The National Rehabilitation Champion Award and The Hometown Hero Award. In addition to authoring the books My Last Step Backward and My Next Move Forward, she also founded The Power of PATH Program which serves to expand Tasha’s message, as well as educates middle and high school students about mental health and resilience. Tasha travels and shares her story of resilience and triumph over tragedy at schools, conferences, and organizations. Tasha resides with her husband Doug in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.
---- Event Information ----
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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: If attendees need financial assistance with registration or a hotel room, please email the event coordinator, Deidre Hillman at deidrehillman@gmail.com.
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REFUNDS: Sorry we are not able to process refunds
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QUESTIONS: If registration questions, please email the event coordinator, Deidre Hillman at deidrehillman@gmail.com
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Host Hotel: Radisson Hotel, Bismarck ND (Perfect for attending Power-Up conference the next day).
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Caregivers are encouraged to attend.
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Educational Credits: Up to 6 Contact Hours available for nurses, social workers, and speech language pathologists.
Be sure to register for Power-Up on August 31!
Make this a 2-day event by attending Power-Up Conference the following day.
Power Up Tickets
Make this a 2-day event by attending Power-Up Conference the following day.
Power Up Tickets
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-north-dakota-power-up-health-conferen…;