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Aging conference to look at disability issues
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Mar. 6, 2001 -- The American Society on Aging convenes this week in New Orleans, meeting together for the first time with the National council on Aging.
The issue of aging and disability is increasingly prominent at meetings of such organizations. While it's typical to think of Americans aging into disability and decreased function, little attention has been directed at the phenomenon of people with disabilities growing older.
A Friday session, Beyond the Barriers of Prejudice: Bringing Elders and People With Disabilities Into an Inclusive Society,Ó (Session no. 926, March 9, 1:45 PM-3:45 PM), will begin to change that.
From the Conference program description: "What are the prejudices, assumptions and stereotypes that prevent disability studies and gerontology from working more closely together to better understand the personal and environmental aspects of disability across the lifespan? In this session, a panel of nationally known experts will explore how we can move beyond these barriers to establish mutually beneficial public policies aimed at improving the lives of all people with chronic illness and disabilities."
Presenters include Adrienne Asch, PhD, Henry R. Luce Professor in Biology, Ethics and the Politics of Human Reproduction, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA; Margaret L. Campbell, PhD, Program Analyst, National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education, Washington, DC and Robyn Stone, DrPH, Executive Director, Institute for the Future of Aging Services, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Washington, DC. The panel will be moderated by Larry J. Polivka, PhD, Director, Florida Policy Exchange Center on Aging, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
For more information, contact William G. Stothers, Deputy Director of The Center for An Accessible Society at 619-232-2727, ext. 104.