The Aquinas

The University celebrated the 10th Annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on Disability Wednesday, a conference that is presented to all who are professionally or personally interested in the lives of individuals with disabilities.
The event took place on the 4th floor of the DeNaples Center in the Ballroom, opening registration at 7:45 a.m. and not emptying out again until 7 p.m.
Keynote speakers that graced the conference included the honorable Lynnae Ruttledge, commissioner and rehabilitation services administrate, Kathleen West-Evans, director of business relations for the counseling of state administrators of vocational rehabilitation and David DeNotaris, director of the Pennsylvania bureau of blindness and visual services. Beneath an arch of gold, white, and purple balloons, they presented ideas that pertained to the theme of the conference: Transition Planning: In School, To Work, For Life.
Dr. Debra Pellegrino, Dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, reflected on the “day of possibilities…a day that looked at strengths and abilities, not the ‘dis’” before introducing the last keynote speaker of the day, Dale DiLeo. Originally a psychology major, DiLeo is an author of seven books, a consultant, and a well-known advocate for people with disabilities.
DiLeo’s presentation, “Ending the Disability Industrial Complex” revolved around DiLeo’s key philosophy: “we need to stop accepting what it is, and start creating what it should be.”
In a presentation that lasted 90 minutes, DiLeo outlined several ideas from his most recent book “Raymond’s Room.”
He explained the origin of the room’s name. Raymond was the name of an autistic child who lived in a tiny, hot, smelly bedroom in one of the facilities at which DiLeo was once employed. The door of Raymond’s room was locked at night – from the outside, all night long, which is one example of a struggle that exists in the world of facilities for people with disabilities.
DiLeo had provided training in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe, boasting more than 75,000 participants in the last 30 years. As he travels, he spreads the word of leaving a broken institutional system that segregates people with disabilities from the rest of society for a system that values a setting based on inclusion.
“There are many promising approaches used currently in the field, such as person-centered planning, natural support, individualized service and partnership with the community, but they are not the overwhelming model,” he said as he thought about the field as a whole. “Only about 22 percent of people served are in integrated employment opportunities – the rest are in workshops, employment crews and enclaves.”
The mission of the conference on disability was to positively influence the quality of life and wellness of individuals living with disabilities.
DiLeo used this mission to showcase how an institutionalsystem segregates, labels and ultimately holds people back from attaining a normal lifestyle. He spoke vastly about how the institutional mindset can hold individuals back from joining the work force and how many people are afraid to leave a group facility because it is all they have known.
“Segregation and labeling get in people’s way,” DiLeo said after his presentation. “Students should know that they don’t always have to believe what authority tells them. There are many things I was taught that I will never do now – things have changed, and I have learned that there is a better way.”
There are several barriers DiLeo has encountered throughout his years of advocacy, including lack of inclusion opportunities and the earning of sub-minimum wages. He continues to travel and teach the philosophy of inclusion in the hopes that, little by little, the field of working with disability will change into one that listens to the voices of the people we are trying to help: the people who are disabled. Professionals hold all the power now, not the person in need.
“This is the future of employment in my field,” DiLeo said, after reflecting on why he had come to speak at The University. “Young people are more accepting if the ideas of change needed in order to replace the current broken system.”
This conference is presented annually by The University, The Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment.


By Jacqueline Sembor
Staff Writer