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"Focus on Family and Disability" lecture series launches in September

The Family Support Program at the UNC School of Social Work is hosting a new seminar series in conjunction with the 2014-15 Clinical Lecture Series.

The Focus on Family and Disability series will provide a forum for experts from a range of disciplines and perspectives to share their research, practice, policy, and personal experience about disability and family support issues. The lunch-time series is designed for a diverse audience including graduate students and faculty in such fields as social work, education, occupational therapy, speech and hearing, psychology, and public health; service providers; community stakeholders; and families.

Topics include timely issues related to disability and families such as: self-determination and independence, best practice in family support with individuals and their families, transition and post-secondary education, and promoting well-being and positive outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their families.

The lectures will be held on five Tuesdays, from 12-2:00 p.m. Registration and a catered meet-and-greet lunch will open at 11:15 a.m. in the School’s lobby (Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, 325 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill), and the lectures will be in the auditorium.

The 2014-2015 dates and working titles are:

  • Sept. 9, 2014 – Michelle “Sheli” Reynolds, Ph.D., “Charting the Life Course Framework: Supporting Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families Across the Lifespan”
  • Oct. 14, 2014 – Chris Egan, MSW, LCSW, “New Directions in Disability”
  • Nov. 11, 2014 – Sherry Mergner, MSW, LCSW, “The Parenting Spectrum: Challenges and Gifts of Raising a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder”
  • Jan. 13, 2015 – Ann Turnbull, Ed.D. and Rud Turnbull, JD, LLM, “Family Support and Disability”
  • March 17, 2015 – Ann Palmer, “Realizing the College Dream with Autism Spectrum Disorder”

CEUs will be available. For information on fees and to register, see cls.unc.edu.

All lectures will be recorded and made available on the Family Support Program website.

The Family Support Program promotes and provides support for families with children who have special needs through information and referral, education and training, model program development, consultation and technical assistance, research, and policy development.

If you have questions, contact Barbara Leach at leach@email.unc.edu or 919-966-0396.