For the past year, SEEC (Silver Spring MD), has been working with Subject Matter Expert, Jennifer White of Able Opportunities, to understand ableism and dismantle it through the use of Person Driven Technology. Ableism is the mindset that people with disabilities are unable to communicate, understand and make choices for themselves. Work has been done to tackle this toxic mindset by putting smart screen technology in the hands of the people receiving support and their staff. This has empowered people to advocate for themselves in their communities by ordering their own food at a restaurant, in their homes by creating visual schedules with photos and making self-advocacy films to help staff better understand how to support them. This work has led to a culture shift at SEEC, where they recognize innate ableism, but stop it in its tracks to be more equitable to the people they support. In this workshop you will learn the strategies and tech tools needed to address Ableism.

Participants will:

• Learn what Ableism is and acknowledge it in ourselves.
• Learn techniques to combat ableism (modeling and inviting, hand under hand, calling in, compliance to alliance).
• Demonstrate visual schedules and choice-making tools.
• Hear testimonials from SEEC staff who have been part of the person-driven tech pilot.