Sonoran Center Collaborates on the 13th Annual African American Conference on Disabilities
On June 28, 2024, the African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD), took place at Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix. The AACD, hosted by Disability Rights Arizona, is the premier comprehensive disability conference in the United States that addresses the intersection between race and disability. The conference examines avenues for self-advocacy to ensure the effective provision of services, resources, and enforcement of civil rights in the African American and disability communities. This year marked the thirteenth annual conference, gathering over 400 attendees from across the United States.
Jacy Farkas and Renaldo Fowler, conference co-founder of Disability Rights Arizona.
The Sonoran Center is a longtime collaborator of the conference, with Sonoran Center Director Jacy Farkas being involved in conference planning and coordination since nearly the beginning. In addition to contributing to planning, each year the Center allocates staff to assist with marketing and communications for the conference, the satisfaction evaluation, and accessibility of all the conference sessions' PowerPoint decks.
This year, Jacy Farkas coordinated the opening keynote speaker, Dr. Lydia Ocasio-Stoutenburg from Penn State University who presented on the legacies of Black family, disability, and community advocacy.
Keynote speaker Dr. Lydia Ocasion-Stoutenburg
The Sonoran Center also coordinated several free health services—not only for conference attendees, but also to the general public—which included no-cost HIV testing provided by Southwest Center, COVID vaccines provided by Maricopa County Public Health, and blood pressure and glucose checks provided by the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health - Phoenix.
For the day’s programming, Lisa Ayo, Heather Dietrich, Jacy Farkas, and Julie Armin were each involved in sessions presenting on the Center's work.
Jacy Farkas (left) and Julie Armin (right) delivering their presentation Elevating Refugee Perspectives about Access to Disability Services in Arizona
Left to right: Jacy Farkas, James Nshizirungu, Venicia Mayo Burton, Julie Armin
Julie Armin and Jacy Farkas presented their findings about their refugee study in a presentation titled Elevating Refugee Perspectives on Accessing Disability Services in Arizona. The Sonoran Center also hosted a panel discussing refugee resettlement agency perspectives, which included Venícia Mayo Burton and James Nshizirungu from Catholic Charities Community Services’ Refugee Programs.
Lisa Ayo explains a graph in her and Heather Deitrich’s presentation Employment Programs for Youth and the Impact on Our Communities
Heather Deitrich delivers her portion of the presentation
Lisa Ayo and Heather Deitrich covered the impact of employment programs and youth resources offered by the Sonoran Center and its partners in a presentation titled Employment Programs for Youth and the Impact on Our Communities. The presentation also included Christopher Ayo from City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation and Summer Work Program student Chigozirim Felix.
Elizabeth Jeffrey-Franco and Celina Urquidez represented the Sonoran Center at our exhibitor table, providing resources to conference attendees about the Sonoran center’s programs and services.
Elizabeth Jeffry-Franco, Lisa Ayo, and Celina Urquidez at the Sonoran Center exhibitor table at AACD.
The Sonoran Center would like to thank Disability Rights Arizona and everyone who made this event possible, and we look forward to another successful year in 2025!