Summer Conference Season 2026 Recap
Summer has once again arrived in Southern Arizona. That means scorching heat, monsoons, and especially – conferences! Here we’re highlighting the conferences where Sonoran Center staff presented their work. Thanks to our team for engaging in work that serves the disability community in Arizona and nationwide.
First there's the Pacific Rim International Conference On Disability. Hosted by the Center on Disability Studies (CDS), College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa since 1988, Pac Rim has evolved into an international conference that has welcomed thousands of presenters and attendees from across Hawaiʻi, the nation, and the world.
Gina Griffiths, Sonoran Center Employment First Coordinator; and Jessica Winchester, Sonoran Center Employment First Program Manager
Jessica Winchester at the Employment First Arizona booth at the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity.
Gina and Jessica’s poster session presentation was titled “Lighting the Path: Arizona’s Roadmap Toward an Office of Employment First”.
Next is the National Association of People Supporting Employment (APSE) Conference, taking place in Dallas, Texas, APSE provides access to top-tier training and networking opportunities to Employment First professionals across the country. Bringing together the very individuals and organizations working toward and impacted by Employment First—people with disabilities and their families, service providers, universities, rehabilitation counselors, as well as, state and federal agency representatives.
Just like the Pacific Rim Conference, Gina and Jessica presented “Lighting the Path: Arizona’s Roadmap Toward an Office of Employment First”, with other members of the Employment First Team representing the Center as well.
Left to right: Rosa Rojas Franco, Policy Coordinator; Jessica Winchester, Employment First Program Manager; Isaac Folkerts, Senior Program Coordinator for Innovative Self-Employment Initiatives; Nicholas Love, Systems Change Liaison; and Gina Griffiths, Employment First Coordinator at the APSE conference
Next we had the 19th annual Project SEARCH National Conference in St. Louis! Project SEARCH provides an opportunity and an atmosphere of high expectations. People with disabilities have the right to choose a path toward education and employment. We strongly believe and expect that each intern can achieve the goal of competitive employment.
Our statewide Project SEARCH Statewide Coordinator, Lisa Ayo and Project SEARCH Skills Instructor Victoria Martinez presenting “Connecting the Dots: Strengthening Recruitment through Relationships and Outreach”.
We then had the The American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry AADMD Conference that brings all health disciplines together for people with IDD (Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities). Attendees work to confront the healthcare challenges people with IDD face.
Sonoran Center affiliated faculty Tammie Bassford, along with Yumi Shirai and Drew Milne (who were remote), presented on “Self Advocates as Health Education Providers”.
Drew Milne
Tamsen Bassford, MD.
Yumi Shirai, PhD.
Following this we had the African American Conference for Disabilities hosted by Disability Rights Arizona (DRAZ) in partnership with the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities and Arizona Statewide Independent Living Council.
The Sonoran Center is a longtime collaborator of the conference, with Sonoran Center Executive Director Jacy Bell 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 conference evaluation, and certificates of attendance. This year, Dr. Bell Farkas moderated a session with conference co-founders, Renaldo Fowler and David Carey. The session presented Sey In (DRAZ) and Leigh Anne McKinsley (Arc National), Trauma Informed Care in Crisis Responses: What You Need to Know, was supported in part by the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities through a grant awarded by the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council on Crisis Response and Trauma Informed Practices.
Jacy Farkas, Executive Director for the Sonoran Center,Renaldo Fowler, co-founder of African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD) and David Carey, co-founder of African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD) led a discussion focused on building a stronger community in an ever-changing landscape.
Then, we hosted The National American Indian Disability Symposium along with the Native American Disability Law Center and Inter-Tribal Disability Advocacy Council. This year’s theme was “Cultivating Care: The Three Sisters Approach to Disability in Native Country,” and focused on community, kinship, and inclusion.
Agnes Attakai led a session titled ‘Disabilities and Indigenous Peoples: Listening, Engaging and Collaborating”.
Jim Warne shared information about Tribal Adaptive Sports and Recreation programs, highlighting the importance of creating inclusive opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sports and community activities.
Lastly, we have Northern Arizona University Institute for Human Development (IHD) Evidence for Success Disability Conference in Chandler, Arizona. Recognized as one of Arizona’s premier disability-focused gatherings, the conference brings together professionals, educators, service providers, advocates, families, and individuals from across the country. Sonoran Center staff were involved in a wide variety of presentations.
Program Coordinator, Isaac Folkerts and Native Initiatives Project Coordinator Rosa Rojas Franco with the poster for the Self-Employment Initiative kick-off.
Lisa Ayo and Loretta Alvarez presented about Project SEARCH (pictured). Loretta also presented on the IDEAS in Mind project with Terry Matsunaga, as well as a presentation titled “Community-Based Instruction: Supporting Transition Skills in Middle School Beyond Classroom Walls” with Amphi Unified School District.
Gina Griffiths, Jessica Winchester (pictured), Loretta Alvarez, and Lisa Ayo delivered a presentation titled “From Philosophy to Results: Advancing Employment First in Arizona,” where they outlined actionable plans to grow employment in the state.
Gina Griffiths presenting of Employment First initiative.
Master of Public Health student and Sonoran Center trainee, Mohammed Najeeb Naabo presenting his poster titled “Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum for Disability-Focused Healthcare Training”.
My Le Sandaine (pictured) was involved in several presentations, including “Two Systems, One Goal: Employment Through Tribal-State VR Collaboration”, and “From Cookie-Cutter to Custom Fit: Understanding Traditional, Supported and Customized Employment."
Celina Urquidez sharing her poster titled “Centering Lived Experience to Strengthen a Disability-Inclusive Maternal Health Workforce” with fellow presenter Katrina Jean whose poster was titled “School-Based Mental Health Access and ELA Achievement for Students in Special Education”.
Sonoran Center Senior Education and Training Coordinator Celina Urquidez and Communications & Marketing Program Manager Aja Haymore at the Sonoran Center exhibitor table.