June Conference Highlights
Sonoran Center staff and affiliated faculty had a busy month showcasing their impactful work at disability conferences across the country. Presentations varied widely and covered topics such as employment, early intervention, sexual violence, transition support for Native youth, the disability experience in the US-Mexico borderlands, and more.
From left: Kelsey Montano and Abel Young
Kelsey Montano and Abel Young were among the Sonoran Center presenters at the 2023 APSE Conference in Columbus, Ohio the week of June 12. In their presentation “Creating Connections Through Work-Based Learning,” they shared information about the Center’s Pre-Employment Transition Services partnership with Arizona Vocational Rehabilitation. The partnership focuses on developing community-based, work-based learning experiences for students, with an emphasis on those in underserved areas.
In May, Montano and Young delivered a similar presentation, along with Traci Przecioski from the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Vocational Rehabilitation at the Capacity Building Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
From left: Samara Ballard, Jacy Farkas, Anne Carver, and Vance Phillips
At the June 16 African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD), Jacy Farkas co-led a presentation titled “Fostering Positive Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities Transitioning from Foster Care.” The session featured a panel that included professionals Vance Phillips and Ann Carver, as well as Samara Ballard—a young woman with lived experience in foster care and disability.
Brandy James, PhD, (far right) led an AACD panel session titled “Hey Dad, You Matter: The Importance of Black Fathers in Early Intervention.” Panelists spoke to their personal experiences as fathers and advocates for their children with disabilities.
Farkas (left) and Jhoana Molina (right) from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
The Sonoran Center also distributed free take-home COVID-19 tests to AACD attendees, and co-sponsored a free on-site vaccine clinic in partnership with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health’s Immunization Equity program.
At the IHD Evidence for Success Disability Conference held in Scottsdale, Arizona on June 21 and June 22, R. Joshua Drywater led a session titled “Finds Their Way: Communities for Native Youth Transition.” The presentation discussed Sonoran Center's Finds Their Way project focused on increasing access for Native students with disabilities to skill development, knowledge, services, and supports to participate in long-term competitive integrated employment careers. He was joined in his presentation by Wendy Parent-Johsnon, PhD, Jim Warne, and Treva Roanhorse (not pictured). Funding for Finds Their Way is made possible by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living.
Lynne Tomasa, PhD, also presented at IHD in a session titled “Sexual Violence: Increasing Awareness through Understanding Lived Experiences,” in which she discussed her recent research funded by the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council that focused on comprehending the lived experiences of survivors, identifying the short- and long-term impact of sexual violence on victims and families, exploring how state systems address this issue, and making recommendations about risk-reduction strategies.
From left: Sarah Robles, Abraham Venegas, Celina Urquidez, and Bianca Aguilar
“DISCAPAZ: Amplifying Disability Experiences in the Borderlands through Storytelling”—presented at IHD by Jacy Farkas and Celina Urquidez; along with Sonoran Center trainees Bianca Aguilar, Sarah Robles, and Abraham Venegas—discussed the Sonoran Center’s ongoing DISCAPAZ* project, which centers the voices and narratives of people living with disabilities and their families living along the US-Mexico border.
*Funding for the DISCAPAZ project comes from the University of Arizona Libraries Digital Borderlands Initiative, a three-year grant project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
In the IHD session titled “Project Update: Elevating Refugee Perspectives About Access to Disability Services in Arizona,” Sonoran Center’s Julie Armin, PhD, (pictured) and Jacy Farkas—joined by Diba Fallah, Sonoran Center trainee with lived experience as a refugee; and Juliana Davis, State Refugee Health Coordinator for the Arizona Department of Economic Security—led a presentation which overviewed the progress of their current research project* that aims to identify the specific challenges in service access for refugees with disabilities in Arizona. Funding for this project is made possible by the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.