A Virtual Preview: The African American Conference on Disabilities

March 4, 2024
Screenshot of Zoom meeting showing video boxes of 16 participants

In celebration of Black History Month, on February 14 and 15 the African American Conference on Disabilities (AACD) held a virtual preview with four sessions. The virtual preview, hosted by Disability Rights Arizona (formerly known as the Arizona Center for Disability Law) with support from the Sonoran Center, attracted attendees from around the world and offered a look into the informative and unique experiences that will be present at the in-person conference to be held in June. Sessions featured self, family, and community advocates.

  • Session 1: An International Perspective on Trauma: Common Threads from Phoenix to Nairobi
  • Session 2: Patient Success: Accommodating Patients with Disabilities in Healthcare Settings and Beyond
  • Session 3: Advancing Disability Rights in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Role of International Exchange
  • Session 4: School Discipline — Know Your Rights

The Sonoran Center and Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts collaborated to host Session 3, which featured a panel composed of Fellows from the US Department of State-funded Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Employment and the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement. Together, the panel explored the challenges and opportunities of advancing disability rights in Africa.

The Sonoran Center is a proud partner of the annual AACD, which examines avenues for self-advocacy to ensure the effective implementation of services and resources and enforcement of civil rights in the African American and disability communities. The 13th Annual African American Conference on Disabilities will return in-person on June 28, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Downtown in Phoenix, Arizona.

For conference updates and archived sessions, visit the AACD Facebook page and Disability Rights Arizona's website. Interested in supporting the conference? View sponsorship packages.