Events Information

NCBDDD’s 10 Years of Service: Closing Event—A Thank You

 

Closing Event Slideshow

The culminating event for this year-long celebration was held on November 1, in Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the American Public Health Association conference.  This event offered the Center an opportunity to express gratitude to our partners and create a moving experience that reminded us all of the importance of the work that CDC does.

A WOW Experience

We’ve all been to events at conferences, but rarely have we had the chance to attend a phenomenon like the NCBDDD closing event.  This was an opportunity to walk into an experience, gathering emotional mementoes about why the work is important, how there is a community of fellow travelers heading in alliance toward the same destinations, and how we really can do this together.  It was definitely not ‘just another event at a conference.’  This event will leave a lasting impression on attendees.  

What made the difference?  Several elements came together:

Photo Gallery:  The first thing you noticed once you entered the room were beautifully evocative portraits suspended in front of black drapes and spotlighted with dramatic lighting.  Each image had a placard explaining the story from that person’s life, a story that connected you to the people in the images, that invited you to linger in that shared space of humanity.  These life-size black and white images came from the Center’s photo library. 

Life Imitating Art:  Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the spotlight focused on a raised platform in the corner of the room.  Standing on the platform was a person who gave a dramatic monologue of his/her experience of living with or being the family member of someone living with a birth defect, disability or blood disorder.   Real actors with a personal connection to NCBDDD’s focus on disability played the roles, giving voice to a compilation of shared stories relevant to the Center’s work.  Four of these monologues happened throughout the night, and highlighted both reality and hope.  

Actors were selected from VSA—The International Organization on Arts and Disability.  VSA, an organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and to increase access to the arts for all.

Digital Storytelling:  The Center worked throughout the year with a filmmaker to bring 10-years worth of stories to life in a compelling video that will eventually be put on the web.  The video was premiered at the event and tells NCBDDD’s and our partners’ roles in the lives of people who have touched us.  The video was premiered at the event and poignantly depicts the important work the Center does each day.

Interactive Art:  Attendees also had an opportunity to commemorate the occasion by adding to a one-of-a-kind piece of art.  Anne Krocak, a public artist from Minnesota, guided participants through the process.

And at the end of the evening, we had a beautiful piece of art that will be on display at the Center for years to come.  The piece is a large Plexiglas hand filled with smaller hands that participant artists decorated with paints.  

The finished piece represents the collective work of NCBDDD’s partners and stakeholders and serves as a commemorative element that can represent our work and our future in a number of venues.

Enhancing the Experience:  As attendees left the event, they received commemorative take-away cards with designs made from images selected from the photo gallery.   This memento is a tangible way to keep the conversation going and to remember what we do and why we do it.

Artist and Talent Biographies:

Actor: Elver Ariza-Silva is active in advocacy efforts for all people with disabilities, predominately those who are Latino, living in the District of Columbia. Originally from Colombia, Elver is a polio survivor who works as an Individual and Family Advocate (Family Navigator) for Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities; an organization that serves individuals with intellectual disabilities.  

Actor: Christopher Wolfe holds a Masters Degree in Theatre Arts from Temple University, and has been a professional actor and theatre educator for more than 25 years in New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C.  His professional background includes advanced training at the Kennedy Center’s Creative Education Through the Arts (CETA), CAST at University of Maryland’s Renaissance and Baroque Studies program, Maryland Art Teacher’s Institute (MATI), and certification in stage combat through S.A.F.D. (Society of American Fight Directors).

Actor: Diana Elizabeth Jordan is experiencing life as an African American living with a disability (mild cerebral palsy).  Because of this, Jordan has a unique perspective on discrimination and the attitudinal barriers that exist in society. Jordan has not let these barriers stop her from pursuing her passion for acting; she has committed her life to changing perceptions about disability and celebrating multicultural inclusion through her work as an actress, acting coach, and motivational speaker.

 

Actor: Monique Holt is a performer, director, and storyteller. Her professional development started as a dancer, until theater became her main focus. She has appeared in many stage productions, commercials, music videos, TV shows, and ASL Lessons on DVD.

 

 

Artist: Anne Krocak is a public artist who works to strengthen communities by creating works of functional art in Minneapolis and the surrounding area. Her pieces include clay, glass, mosaics, concrete, paint, and sculpture. She holds a B.F.A. in fine arts and a master’s degree in art education/special education and worked as an art specialist until starting her own fine arts business, Phoenix Designs, in 1999. After working around her multiple sclerosis for 23 years, she understands first-hand what it is like to live with a disability and focuses on what she can do rather than her limitations.

 

A special thank you also to the partners who helped us specifically to create such a successful and enduring closing event, sponsoring the food, the commemorative cards, and many other pieces of the event that caused it to be such a success:

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Association on Health and Disability

American Public Health Association’s Disability Section

American Public Health Association’s Maternal and Child Health Section

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

Friends of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Fragile X Foundation

Porter Novelli

Special Olympics International