New initiative focuses on Asian Americans with Disabilities

 Last year, recognizing that people with disabilities within the Asian American Community are often underserved, several Access Living staff initiated an effort to increase outreach and build relationships within the Asian Pacific American Community.  The hope is to raise awareness around disability and ensure that disability issues are addressed within the community.  Several events over the next several weeks highlight the goals of the new outreach effort. 

 These events include: 

April 16, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Overcoming Stigma:  Disability and Mental Health in Asian American Communities.  This full-day workshop is designed to give participants an opportunity to examine critical and complex issues in disability and mental health that face Asian American communities in the United States.  This workshop will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, 2233 South Martin Luther King Drive.  Registration is $20.  For more informaiton, visit www.aaastudies.org/2008. 

April 24, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. No MSG—An Asian Pacific American Variety Show.  Free and open to the public, this event at Access Living will feature performers of all varieties. Refreshments will be offered.  To participate or attend, contact Veramarie McIngvale or Jenny Choi at 312-640-2100 (voice), 312-640-2102 (TTY). 

May 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – A Town Hall Meeting on the Asian Pacific Americans with Disabilities Community.  This event will include discussions and break out sessions to develop strategies for addressing disability within the Asian Pacific American Community.  The event is sponsored by the Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and Access Living.