Calendar
Presentation sessions are held twice monthly for one hour on Zoom. Sessions may include topics chosen by the presenters or a Stepping Up Your Game session to help develop resources, connections, and a variety of skills.
Each session includes time for Q and A. Sample topics chosen to date include self-advocacy, leadership, independent living, literacy, art, music, and culture.
Our presentations are open to everyone. Join our mailing list to receive information about the next presentation. Invitations are sent by email and will include the Zoom link for you to attend.
Presentation sessions are held twice monthly for one hour on Zoom. Sessions may include topics chosen by the presenters or a Stepping Up Your Game session to help develop resources, connections, and a variety of skills.
Each session includes time for Q and A. Sample topics chosen to date include self-advocacy, leadership, independent living, literacy, art, music, and culture.
Our presentations are open to everyone!
Be Your Authentic Self
Join us for an empowering conversation with Destiney, who inspires others to reach their potential and do what they love.
Her passion is helping people and she intends to open her own private practice with a doctoral degree in Psychology.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Helping Others Achieve Their Dreams Was the Secret to Achieving My Own
Join us for an afternoon of self-advocacy and empowerment as we learn about Katie’s experience with achieving her dreams.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
The Folks We Love
Do you have a special person or pet in your life?
Join us for an afternoon of self-advocacy and empowerment as we discuss special relationships and friendships in our lives. Important folks in our lives can be friends, siblings, pets, and other loved ones.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
MOVIE TIME: “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution”
Join us for an afternoon of self-advocacy and critical thinking as we watch Crip Camp, a documentary film about a summer camp for teens with disabilities, followed by a discussion. This documentary proved so inspiring that a group of its alumni joined the radical disability rights movement to advocate for historic legislation changes.
Crip Camp is about reclaiming and celebrating your identity, telling your story, and discovering the power of community. The film can be used to build an understanding of disability rights and justice, foster safe conversation and healthy discussions, and build bridges between people who share very similar or different backgrounds.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Join us for our Self-Advocacy Voices 4th Annual Fundraiser, SAV’s GOT TALENT!
We are pleased to invite you for an afternoon of talent and cheer with special guest, Miles Wilcox from the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education, who will be our Master of Ceremonies!
This virtual talent show and silent auction will take place on Zoom, and you will have the opportunity to make a donation and help SAV’s participants advance their presentation skills.
2:00 p.m. (EST)
Finding The Other Side of Silence
Join us this Saturday for an afternoon of self-advocacy, empowerment and music. We’ll learn about the opera Mark Steidl wrote in collaboration with Robert Whalen and Katherine Skovira, about a person who communicates through a text-to-speech synthesizer.
Following a recent appearance in the NYTimes, the creative team of the new opera The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS) discusses the history of the new opera and how it was built and offers a sneak peak of what’s to come. TOSOS explores the traditional augmentative and alternative communication and emerging technologies in the arts and synthetic voice.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Compassion, Support, Humanity: Surviving and Thriving in Uncertain Times
Join us this Saturday for an afternoon of self-advocacy, recovery and empowerment. We’ll have a round-table discussion about how we can work through difficult times – both for ourselves and for others around us.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
From the Golden Rule to the Platinum Rule: A New Approach to Coaching Neurodivergent Adults
Join us this Saturday for an afternoon of self-advocacy, coaching techniques and empowerment. Our guest presenter is Greg Del Duca. As a neurodivergent coach for neurodivergent people, Greg has developed a person-centered approach. His goal is to help his clients find joy and fulfillment as they move forward in their lives.
Saturday, 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Infinity & Music: A Road to Recovery and Empowerment
Join us this Sunday (not Saturday) for an afternoon of self-advocacy, recovery and empowerment.
Our guest presenter is Flavio Chamis who will talk about Infinity, a musical ensemble featuring musicians who have been diagnosed with mental illness.
This presentation will feature a documentary about the group, describing how Infinity prepares their musical pieces, and the influence it has on the lives of each member.
SUNDAY, 2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Vote: How To Use Your Power
Join us for an afternoon of self-advocacy and empowerment. Laura Power, of REV UP PA, a disability voting campaign, will discuss the voting process from registration through casting your vote, and the steps in between. She will focus on the impact of voting on issues relevant to the disability community, and the importance of everyone’s participation and civic engagement in our society.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Give Me a Chance: A Neurodiverse Musician’s Journey from London to Boston
Join us for an afternoon of self-advocacy and empowerment. Zachary will talk about his musical journey from London to Boston, and the importance for everyone to be given a chance.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
National Train Day – America’s First Steam Star 2101
Join us for an afternoon of empowering conversation when we will learn about Steam Locomotives and the 2101 America’s First Steam Star in celebration of the National Train Day.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
The Importance of Family and Advocacy
Join us for an afternoon of Advocacy in all its forms. Panelists will discuss the progression of advocacy as it evolves from the adult advocating for the child or younger sibling all the way to the adult child learning to advocate independently for her or himself.
Panelists: Allison and Elizabeth Fromm, Dori and Joe Ortman, Tammy and Alicia Rose
Moderator: Mara Kaplan
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Designing a Rich Life
Join us for an afternoon of self-advocacy and empowerment. We will break out into rooms and discuss relevant topics for designing a rich life:
Health and Wellness, Weight Loss; Social Media; Keep in Touch
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Autism Matters
Join us for an afternoon of empowerment conversation where we will talk about why autism matters. Our panel is comprised of community leaders deeply engaged with autism acceptance and awareness.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Puppet Master
Join us for an afternoon conversation and performance with artist Kris Rhood and the Puppet Master, an adult rock group consisting of Kris and the puppets.
“Many people think of puppets for children, but being a puppet master helps to highlight the intersection between people with disabilities and puppets” Kris Rhood
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
My Plan – My Life
Join us for an afternoon conversation with Yvonne Spicer and Theresa Somerton who are going talk about how to plan activities like a meeting or a birthday party. They will teach us ways to plan an event with staff or family, what goes into the process of planning, and how to use our own voices.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Peer Support and Interoception
Chloe Rothschild will about how individuals mentoring other individuals with disabilities has positively impacted her life both as a mentor and a mentee. Chloe will also speak about the topic of Interoception: The 8th Sensory Sense.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Leadership as a Tool to Inclusion
What does leadership look like amongst friends? We believe leadership includes making all of your friends feel welcomed and like they belong. Leadership opportunities are presented at every age at The Friendship Circle for members to learn what a good friend looks like, how to bring your unique strengths to the table at each program, and to share learned leadership skills with your friends.
Join us for an afternoon conversation about empowerment, inclusion, friendship and leadership with Grace and Paige. They will talk about what leadership looks like among friends. They believe leadership includes making all friends feel welcomed and like they belong.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Finding Your Voice through Writing and Journaling
Join us for an afternoon of empowerment and writing with Michelle Steiner. Michelle will discuss finding your voice through writing and journaling. She will share how this has helped her to accept her disability and to help others as well.
Michelle Steiner lives with an invisible disability. She has articles published on The Mighty, Non-Verbal Learning Project, Dyscalculia Blog, Imagine the World as One Magazine and Word Gathering. She has had her photographs featured in Word Gathering and Independent and Work Ready. She works as a paraeducator in a school with students with disabilities. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two cats.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
New Year’s Resolutions
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
