Sunday, August 2, 2015 at 6:48PM At the 2015 1p36 DSA Conference "All our kids were Superheros"
Videos of all the 2015 Conference presentations can be found here.
The 9th annual 1p36 Deletion Support & Awareness Conference was held in Orlando, Florida this year. Thanks to our gathering of “Chromies” at the Wyndham Grand at Bonnet Creek, it truly was “the happiest place on earth!” We appreciate all who participated in our Captain Chromosome Virtual Run as 100% of the proceeds went to 1p36 DSA to help offset some of the cost of our conference. I am sure you’ll all agree the medals are amazing, and I know we all wear them proudly as we support the best team we’ve been blessed to be a part of, “Go Team 1p36!” Please keep an eye out for more opportunities to run, donate, and earn pins for your lanyard all to support 1p36 DSA!!
Throughout the conference, you could really feel the theme “Family & Super Heroes,” the overflow of love is evident the minute you spot another 1p36 family member. The halls of the hotel and conference area were filled with love and laughter as everyone met new families and reunited with longtime friends and chromies alike. We all proudly put on our Captain Chromosome shirts to recognize, “All of our kids are Super Heroes!” After our Family Introductions, Group Photo and Celebration Ceremony, we ended the night with an extra special pizza party where Spider-Man & Elsa joined us for our Family Fun Event! Faces were painted, balloon animals were everywhere, and we even had our own 1p36 Family Sing-a-long with Elsa!! It truly was an evening of fun that will forever be etched in our minds and hearts.
As Friday morning arrived, our families filled the ballroom ready to learn more about 1p36 Deletion Syndrome. We were blessed to have Dr. Scott & Dr. Hopkin return to speak on “the Genetics of 1p36,” the new study that will be done on family impact of a child with 1p36 deletion syndrome, as well as the 2014 hearing study results. In addition, we had Kim Hazelton of senseABLEbrain.com come and speak on “Sensory Strategies for Home and Community.” With her extensive work as an Occupational Therapist, specializing in Sensory Processing, she was able to give many of our families’ guidance to ease their children both at home and in public. We then rounded out the afternoon with our very own 1p36 parent, Seth Hyman speaking on advocating for your child. He started with a poem by Emily Perl Kingsley called, “Welcome to Holland,” and shared how he and his family have been advocating for their daughter who has 1p36 Deletion Syndrome. The night ended with Mom & Dad Luau events, full of laughter and fun, parents had the chance to connect and relax together.
After having breakfast Saturday morning, Nancy Harrington joined us to speak on “Using the iPad for Aided Communication.” She was able to cover a number of apps that can be used to help our children who are non-verbal. Following the discussion on communication devices, a 1p36 family favorite, the panel discussion and open question time began. Many families received valuable information not only in the panel, but the entire conference as a whole. The conference wrapped up with an announcement that our 10th Annual Conference will be held in San Diego, California next July! Details and venue location and dates are in the works, so keep an eye out for more details in the coming months. Lastly, our families spent time at the pool for fun and games. This year we have all seen the importance of our 1p36 family bond as we spent time together throughout the week of our conference. The hotel staff commented how this was never seen as a conference to them, each person described the “Family Bond” and “Family Reunion” feel to the atmosphere created by just all being together to celebrate our Super Heroes! We invaded Orlando and made it the “happiest place on earth,” and now we will countdown until next year when we all meet again in San Diego!!
If you attended the conference, please click here to fill out the 2015 Conference Survey.
Reader Comments (1)
As a 1st time attendee I can definitely attest to the family atmosphere, love and acceptance felt in that room and beyond! It was an amazing experience that I definitely recommend for any 1p36 touched family or caregiver. I cannot wait for next year! Thanks again to everyone who made this possible for us and helped us find a new "home" for Jayden and ourselves