It's My Life! RI's 2017 Statewide Self-Advocacy Conference!

Get ready for RI's 22nd Annual Statewide Self-Advocacy Conference: It's My Life!, Thursday, October 26th, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick.

At It's My Life!, we are expecting more than 300 youth and adults who have an intellectual/developmental disability, families, support staff and allies to come together for a day of listening, learning, sharing, and fun.

It's My Life! is about empowering people who have an intellectual/developmental disabilty label to be in charge of their own lives. This includes sharing information about how the the DD service system works in Rhode Island so that individuals are able to manage and direct the supports they receive, and also helping individuals learn to think "outside the box".

Overall, this year's theme will embrace "Self-Determination" and "Person Centered Thinking" and help attendees understand what that means to each person on an individual level.

We're also pleased to offer a new Youth Track at this year's conference! The Youth Track is geared towards high school students. Break-out sessions will be led by Self-Advocates who are planning some awesome presentations, that are interactive and fund, to educate and empower their peers.

The Youth Track will run from the Opening Ceremony at 9:30 am to the end of the 2nd break-out session at 2:45 pm.

CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE YOUTH TRACK

 

IT'S MY LIFE - AND MY LIFE IS FUN!

As in previous years, everyone is invited to stay and party after the conference day at our annual our costume dinner dance. Wear your most amazing costume for a chance to win a prize in this year's dance party raffle!

Of course, everyone is welcome to attend the conference day or the dinner dance as separate events. However, as the majority of attendees from previous years will tell you, pretty much ALL of It's My Life! is going to be an experience you won’t want to miss.

We hope to see you there!

Remember:

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** Conference Forms and Deadlines **

 

We hope you will join us on Thursday, October 26th at the Crowne Plaza for It's My Life! Note that Thursday, October 12th is the deadline to register at the reduced Early Bird Rate!!

The Early Bird Discount Prices increase by $10 after Thursday, October 26th!!

If you would like to register at the early bird rate, but need a few more days to send-in your form and payment, just let us know!

Send an email to: C o n f e r e n c e @ A d v o c a t e s i n A c t i o n . org with the names of each attendees,
their registration type (day or evening), and how soon we can expect payment.

Space is limited, so please act quickly!

 

 

2017 CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

CLICK HERE to download the registration form for the Conference Day, Dinner Dance and Hotel Reservations

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST AN INVOICE AND PAY BY CREDIT CARD

DO NOT INCLUDE ANY PERSONAL CREDIT CARD INFORMATION IN YOUR MESSAGE!

DO INCLUDE the following:

• Your Name and E-mail address to send the invoice to.
• Name of each attendee
• Event they are registering for (day, night, hotel)
• Registration rate (attendee or support attendee*)

* Note that if someone is registering in a support capacity, they must list the name of the individual they will be attending the conference with. That individual must also be a paid attendee.

Please note that every attendee must complete a separate registration form. One form per person, please! This includes direct support staff who are attending in order to assist an individual who is registering for the conference. This is VERY IMPORTANT! If you list an individual attendee and their support staff on the same form, neither person may be registered correctly.

 

CONFERENCE DAY: $40 per attendee on or before October 12th. >>$50 after October 12th<<

Registration on the day of the conference runs from 8:15am-9:15am. Everyone who arrives before 9:00am will be entered to win prizes during our luncheon awards ceremony.

The conference day itself begins with our opening ceremonies at 9:30am. It concludes at 5:00pm at the end of this year's Hour of Power. We hope everyone will make plans in advance so that they're able to stay for the entire time and experience all that this event has to offer!

Attendees who stay for the Hour of Power will have a chance to win some awesome raffle prizes, including a free registration to the 2018 Self-Advocacy Conference Day, the 2018 Dinner Dance and a Free Hotel Room at next year's conference! You will receive raffle tickets when you register in the morning, but you must be present to win!

The Conference Day registration includes materials, refreshments, awards luncheon and the full conference day, with 12 different workshop sessions to chose from!

CONFERENCE DAY SUPPORT: $30 per support attendee on or before October 12th. >>$40 after October 12th<<

This discount price applies to direct support staff, family members or friends who are attending to support an individual who is registered for the Conference Day. Those who wish to take advantage of this reduced rate must list the name of the person they are attending with on their registration form. That person must also be registered for the full conference day.

CONFERENCE NIGHT: COSTUME DINNER DANCE PARTY: $37 per Attendee on or before October 12th >>$47 after October 12th<< Note: this price is the same for all attendees.

We invite you to stay and party with us after the conference day at our costume dinner dance. The evening event runs from 6:00pm-10:00pm. Wear your most amazing costume for a chance to win a prize in this year's dance party raffle!

Everyone is welcome to attend just the conference day or the dinner dance as separate events. However, as the majority of attendees from previous years will tell you, pretty much all of IT'S MY LIFE! is going to be an experience you won’t want to miss. We hope to see you there!

>>>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM<<< Remember: register on or before October 12th to take advantage of the EARLY BIRD RATE!

CONFERENCE DAY NO CHARGE YOUTH TRACK: $0

Yes, you read that correctly: We are inviting RI high school students and their support staff to attend the Youth Track at this year's conference FOR FREE! Serioulsy, no strings attached for those who register on or before Thursday, October 12th.

We're excited to meet you and welcome you to the Rhode Island Self-Advocacy Movement!

Please note: The price to attend the Youth Track will be $5 per attendee after October 12th. Space for this portion of RI's 2017 Statewide Self-Advocacy Conference is also limited, so register ASAP and please remember to send one form for each attendee (this includes students, teachers, and support staff!)

CLICK HERE to find out more about the Youth Track and DOWNLOAD THE STUDENT REGISTRATION FORM

 

 

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

Hotel Reservations are due by Thursday, October 12th.

The dance party ends at 10:00pm, but many attendees make a night of it and stay at the hotel after the party. The Crowne Plaza also has a pool and weight room available that guests may use during their stay!

We have reserved a limited block of hotel rooms for conference attendees at the reduced rate of $124 PER NIGHT. Up to 4 people can share a hotel room and split the cost, but you must find you own roommate!

If you wish to stay at the hotel, use page 2 of the Conference Registration Form to reserve your room.

CALL FOR PRESENTERS

Self-Advocacy is about being empowered and included. It means learning about issues that affect people who have a developmental disability, and speaking-up about the ones that you think are important. It means being the person in charge of your life.

With this in mind, we are looking for presentations to share at It’s My Life that will educate our attendees about Self-Advocacy, encourage them to speak-up, and empower them to live life to the fullest.

Click here to download the presenter proposal form. This is a PDF form which you can edit complete on your computer, save and print to send by postal mail, or submit to us electronically.

Proposals are due by Thursday, September 28th. If you proposal is accepted, 4 members of your presentation team will be eligible to register for the conference day at the reduced price of $20 per person.

Some ideas for possible workshop topics are listed below. We also encourage you to submit your proposal for other topics that will capture and promote this year’s theme.

Career Development
Citizen Advocacy: Voting, Testimony and how to speak-up about important issues
Community Membership: Finding Your Niche
How to be the Boss: Hiring/supervising your own support staff
Ideas for Being Healthy
Interpersonal Skills
Making Informed Decisions
Making New Connections: Places to Go, People to Meet & Things to do that are NOT a “service program”
Relationships and Dating
Relaxation Techniques
Residential Options: Deciding where you want to live and who you want to live with
Self-Directed Supports
Sex and Sexuality
Social Media: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and more
Transportation Ideas
Using Assistive Technology

2017 SELF-ADVOCACY AWARDS

We invite you to nominate individuals for the the 2017 Self-Advocacy Awards. This is a great opportunity to let Self-Advocates and friends who support the RI Self-Advocacy Movement know how much you appreciate them!

There are 3 awards to nominate people for:

CLICK HERE to download the nomination form with additional information. Winners will be invited to attend the conference day for free and recognized during an awards ceremony at lunch.

If the person you nominate wins, you will also be invited to attend the conference for free to help present the award at the ceremony. Nominations are due on Thursday October 5th. Good luck!

CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

The Statewide Self-Advocacy conference is made possible with the generous support of our sponsors. We are asking for your support again this year to help make It's My Life! a success. All of the donations received help to offset the registration costs for conference attendees, many of whom might not otherwise be able to attend. Conference sponsors will be listed here on our website, along with individual links back to sponsor websites if applicable.

Please note that, while donations are always accepted and welcome, the deadline to sent in ad copy for our conference program is Thusday, October 12th. Fortunately, we have a bit of leeway with the date. Contact us right away if you would like to submit an ad and help sponsor this year's event.

If you need help designing an ad, we'll be happy to help! Click here to download the Conference Sponsor Form for details.

Thank you!! Together we're making a difference!!