This coming weekend I am going to finally put my Twitter account to good use. If you have read my blog regularly you know that as much as I love to blog, LIFE so gets in my way and I don’t always tweet or post as much as I should.
But this Friday I am attending a weekend conference that I
am really excited about. It’s called the
Family Café and I mentioned it last year in my blog, but I didn’t get the
chance to attend. If you live in Florida it’s a weekend of workshops, meetings, and
information sessions about the various services available to families and
persons with disabilities.
There will be vendors with information on everything from
transition services to setting up a trust for a family member with special
needs.
The conference is free to all persons with disabilities and
even their immediate family. While you do have to pay for your hotel room and
food, you can request that your name be included to be randomly selected to
have your room paid for by the conference. I applied and guess what, I was
selected! So for me, attending is just the cost of gas and food. But even if I
did have to pay for my room, it would be well worth it.
I encourage all of you raising children or caring for loved
ones with special needs to network as much as possible and attend at least 2-4
major conferences or workshops every year. There are always changes in
treatments, medication, services, etc. and the only way to keep up is to
network regularly and get to know other families or experts with knowledge of
your child’s disability.
Attending a conference in Pinellas County a few years ago is
how I found out my daughter qualified for free medical supplies! If I hadn’t
attended I never would have known. And during that same conference I met a
guardian ad-litem at lunch who was like an angel. She gave me some information
that really was a big help to me. She didn’t know me, but asked what brought me
to the conference. I told her a little about my little girl and she took it
from there! I don’t remember her name but I will forever be grateful to her.
So, I always try to pay it forward. Since I’ve been blessed to attend the
conference for free, I think it’s only fair that I share as much of what I will
learn as I can.
Take a look at the link attached. It will take you to the
conference agenda and the vendors that are expected to be there. If there is a
table you want me to visit to pick up information, send me an email and I will
make sure I stop by and pick it up for you. If there is a session you want more
information on let me know and if I can, I'll try to stop by to at least pick up handouts.
I will tweet regularly as I learn things that I think might
be helpful to some. And when I return I will give a full report and share the
information I bring back with me. I know that sometimes raising a child with
special needs can leave you feeling helpless. But no matter how out of control
it can sometimes make you feel, remember knowledge is power – the more you
know, the more you can at least prepare yourself. And while the best plans can
sometimes hit a snag, I figure having the information is always half the
battle. Besides if you don't come away with anything else after reading this, know that you're not in it alone. I've got your back! Wish me luck and stay tuned for more info!
No comments:
Post a Comment