Actor RJ Mitte and activist Neil Jacobson, featured speakers at UCP 2022 Annual Conference, May 3-4

Armando Contreras is the president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy

RJ Mitte is an an actor (Breaking Bad, Triumph) and disability rights advocate.

Neil Jacobson is founder and CEO of AbiliCorp.

United Cerebral Palsy’s 2022 Annual Conference on May 3-4 is virtual, free to attend, and open to the public. ASL and captioning provided. Register today!

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, April 21, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Actor RJ Mitte and disability activist Neil Jacobson are the featured speakers at the United Cerebral Palsy 2022 Annual Conference, May 3-4

The United Cerebral Palsy 2022 Annual Conference, May 3-4, will feature actor RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad, Triumph) and lifelong activist and “Crip Camp” documentary alum, Neil Jacobson, founder and CEO of AbiliCorp.

This year’s conference is virtual, free and open to the public, from 12 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern, each day.

“As the country begins its slow march back to normalcy two years after the start of pandemic, United Cerebral Palsy will gather to address some of the most pressing issues facing our nation’s increasingly diverse community of people with disabilities,” said President/CEO Armando Contreras. “The national health crisis is just beginning to ebb, but UCP is already looking to the future for ways to solve the longstanding problems our community will still face long after the worst of the pandemic has passed.”

UCP has 58 affiliates (56 in the U.S. and two in Canada) that provide disability services for more than 150,000 children and adults annually at all levels of ability and stages of life annually. Among its newest projects is the UCP Research Initiative, which aims to advance research benefiting children and adults with cerebral palsy and related neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, epilepsy and Down syndrome.

(Scroll down to read related fact sheet)

Scheduled Speakers and Panel Discussions

(More info at ucp.org/ucp-2022-annual-conference)

May 3, 2022

– Keynote: Actor/Producer/Activist RJ Mitte on “Art, Advocacy and Triumphs”

– Panel Discussion: “Transforming Children’s Lives: Evidence to Support Pediatric Therapy Practice.” Moderator: James Garcia, UCP Communications Coordinator. Panelists: Karen Harpster, PhD, OTR/L, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati; Valerie Pieraccini MS, OTR, director of the Clinic and Home-Based Therapy Program & Early Learning Center at UCP of Central Arizona and co-chair for the UCP Research Committee; and Diane L Damiano PT, PhD, FAPTA, Senior Investigator at the National Institutes of Health.

– Panel Discussion: “Clashing Crises: The State of America’s Direct Support Professional Workforce and the Case for Inclusion.” Moderator: Shane Kanady, Vice President of Workforce Development at Source America. Panelists: Robert Espinoza, Vice President of Policy at PHI; Lydia Dawson, Director of Policy, Regulatory & Legal Analysis at ANCOR; Colleen Crispino, President and CEO of UCP of Long Island.

May 4, 2022

– Keynote: Neil Jacobson, AbiliCorp Founder and CEO. “Neil Jacobson: Beyond ‘Crip Camp’; A Lifetime of Disability Rights Advocacy” (Neil and Denise Jacobson’s stories were featured in the Academy Award winning documentary “Crip Camp.”)

– UCP 2022 Legislative Award Presentation, Honoring Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) for his work in support of cerebral palsy research.

– Panel Discussion: “Accessibility, Innovation and Transportation: A Way Forward.” Moderator: Pete Bigelow, Automotive News. Panelists: Henry Claypool, Technology Policy Consultant for American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); Rory Cooper, PhD, Distinguished Professor, FISA/Paralyzed Veterans of America; Kerry Brennan, UX Research Manager on the Waymo Insights team.

– Panel Discussion: “After Build Back Better, What’s Next? Funding HCBS and More…” Moderator: UCP Policy Committee Chair Jeanne De Sa; Kate McSweeny, President/CEO of ACCSES; Craig Dulniak, Senior Director of Public Policy for U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen; and Andrea Stoesz, Director of External Affairs, Gillette Children’s.

This year’s premier sponsor is Waymo. Additional support provided by CARF International and Graystone Consulting.

To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ucp-2022-annual-conference-registration-297464764117.

For conference details, visit UCP.org and check the “News and Events” tab on the main menu bar, or go to www.ucp.org/ucp-2022-annual-conference/

Disability Facts

(Data listed below was gathered for the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) national survey of more than 418,000 non-institutionalized adults in the U.S.)

– 67 million U.S. adults report they have at least one disability.

– Mobility is the most common disability type (34.2 million adults, or 13.3%).

– Cognitive or mental disability is the second most common type (28.6 million adults. 12.1%).

– Black women had higher prevalence of disability than women of other races and ethnicities.

– People with a disability are more likely than people without a disability to be bisexual, transgender, or gender nonconforming.

Additionally:

– The unemployment rate for people with a disability is about twice as high as for people without a disability, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

https://mailchi.mp/unh/read-the-latest-ntide-jobs-report-789161?e=8329331dfd

– Cerebral palsy, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is the most common physical disability among children. About 1 million people in the United States and 18 million people worldwide have cerebral palsy.

– 1 in 4 Americans over 65 have a disability and nearly half of those over 75 and older have a disability, according to the 2021 American Health Rankings 2021 Report.

About UCP

United Cerebral Palsy is the indispensable resource for people with cerebral palsy and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and a wide range of other disabilities. Founded in 1949, UCP has 58 affiliates (56 in the U.S. and two in Canada) that provide disability services including information, resources and referrals, educational instruction, home and community-based services, housing assistance, workforce training, assistive technology, rehabilitative therapy, early intervention, and support for research relevant to cerebral palsy. UCP works on behalf of more than 150,000 children and adults annually at all levels of ability and stages of life and believes people with disabilities deserve to be treated as equal members of an inclusive society to achieve their fullest potential and “live life without limits.”

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James Garcia
United Cerebral Palsy Associations
+1 602-460-1374
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