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The 2023 Inclusion Alberta Family Conference, April 14-15 at the Fantasyland Hotel in Edmonton, AB featuring Karyn Harvey and Vicki Knight. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite here. 
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Saturday, April 15 • 10:30am - 12:00pm
Finding Your People: Intentional Efforts to Facilitate Relationships

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Meaningful, freely given relationships are one of life’s true joys. Whether it’s a best friend, a life partner or a gym buddy, we are all born to seek connection with others. Having meaningful relationships is an essential and intimate part of everyone’s daily life, which is no less true for individuals with developmental disabilities. Relationships and friendships encourage individual expression, dreams and passions and provide necessary natural support. Families, in their intentional effort to engage the community to ensure membership and belonging, create the conditions for relationships and friendships to emerge. Through the power of holding a vision for their family member with a developmental disability, this session will explore some deliberate actions families have taken for freely given relationships to flourish.
Speakers
avatar for Emily Cairns

Emily Cairns

CEO, Cobalt Staff Marketing
Emily Cairns is a mother of 3 children with ADHD. Her 13 year old daughter also has Down syndrome. She has lived throughout the USA, and currently resides in Calgary. She is a web developer and marketer but in her free time she loves to volunteer with Ups & Downs, the Calgary Down... Read More →
avatar for Stacey Andrews

Stacey Andrews

Parent and Senior Advocate with Inclusion Alberta and Inclusion Lloydminster, Inclusion Alberta
Stacey Andrews is parent who has been involved with Inclusion Alberta for many years. Currently, Stacey provides advocacy and family support to individuals and families and provides oversight to rural advocacy. She is passionate about building welcoming and inclusive communities and... Read More →
avatar for Dave Gunderson

Dave Gunderson

Dave Gunderson is a retired teacher with over 32 years of experience. He taught grades 5 to 12 in a rural school focusing on French as a Second Language, Social Studies and Physical Education. He lives on an acreage East of Sherwood Park with his wife Kathy where they raised their... Read More →
avatar for Billie Jack

Billie Jack

Executive Director, Advocacy and Family Initiatives, Inclusion Alberta
Billie has worked with families and individuals with developmental disabilities for over 20 years in varying roles. Billie is the Executive Director of Advocacy and Family Initiatives and previously was the Director of Inclusive Education and has been working at Inclusion Alberta... Read More →
avatar for Kathy Gunderson

Kathy Gunderson

Kathy Gunderson is an avid traveller, volunteer, inclusion supporter and advocate. Her 23-year career was in the travel business where she filled various roles, locally, regionally and nationally, as a travel agent, and manager, in customer service and human resources. She attended... Read More →
avatar for Catherine Oakleaf

Catherine Oakleaf

Regional Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement, Inclusion Alberta
Catherine has been a passionate advocate for inclusion as long as she can remember. Her older brother’s fight for inclusive education and her family’s commitment to his inclusion everywhere was deeply formative. Catherine studied equity issues in her time as an undergraduate at... Read More →

Saturday April 15, 2023 10:30am - 12:00pm MDT
Room 6
  Saturday Morning Session