Stony Brook Champions Inclusive Community-Based Opportunities at Annual Conference

The Inclusion Done Right! Conference was held October 18 in Stony Brook University's Charles B. Wang Center Theater. Photos by Jacqueline Mihaley.

The second annual Inclusion Done Right! (IDR!) Conference brought together a diverse audience - from faculty and staff to community advocates, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities - who shared a common goal: advancing practices that promote inclusion, enhance participation, and ensure accessibility.

The conference was held October 18 in Stony Brook University's Charles B. Wang Center Theater, hosted by Stony Brook's School of Health Professions and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Intercultural Initiatives (DI3), with support from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and sponsorship from Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

Launched by Agnes McConlogue Ferro, director of the School of Health Professions' Center for Community Engagement(CCE) and clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, the conference aims to create a collaborative bridge between Stony Brook and its community partners to champion inclusive, community-based opportunities that best serve individuals with disabilities.

School of Health Professions Dean Stacy Jaffee Gropack and Judith Brown Clarke, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, opened the conference with remarks that addressed Stony Brook's commitment to fostering accessible environments for all.

The agenda was set by the previous year's conference attendees through a post-conference survey. It included presentations on accessible sports, recreation, and strategies to support individuals with disabilities as they transition into adulthood.

Keynote speaker Alex Lopez explored the importance of fostering inclusive sports opportunities, while model, actress, and advocate Jillian Mercado delivered a powerful talk on resilience and empowerment based on her own experiences in the disability community.

Attendees engaged in breakout sessions covering various aspects of community inclusion, including adaptive sports, transitions from childhood to adulthood, and innovative solutions for overcoming barriers in public spaces. Panel discussions and live demonstrations, such as adaptive flag football, showcased the impact of collaborative efforts between Stony Brook faculty and community allies.

Organizers piloted an innovative tool, Inclusion Done Right! The App, which offers real-time, community-based opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers. The app emerged from a cross-disciplinary partnership involving faculty and students from the School of Health Professions - McConlogue Ferro, Rajiv Lajmi, and Hants Williams, alongside health informatics students - and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, led by Alex Doboli and student Hashmath Saik.

In another demonstration of inclusive technology, McConlogue Ferro collaborated with a community partner and students from both the physical therapy and biomedical rngineering programs to develop a prototype that facilitates participation in adaptive flag football for individuals with diverse abilities. This prototype was showcased live, giving attendees a firsthand look at the possibilities for inclusive sports.

McConlogue Ferro said the Inclusion Done Right! conference is much more than a yearly event. "We are building the platforms that will address the needs of our community, withour community. Our ongoing efforts, based upon what we learned at the IDR! conferences, create meaningful change in the area of inclusion and community-based participation - for all," she said.

- Beth Squire

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