The Office of Disability Rights (ODR) recognized October as Disability Awareness Month by hosting the 2008 Disability Awareness Conference, on the 7th of October.  Located in the Old Council Chambers of One Judiciary Square, this conference was open to all citizens and employees of the District of Columbia (District).  Thanks to the partnership with the DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities and the collaboration of the Office on Aging, Department of Mental Health, Department on Disability Services, Serve DC, Office of Human Rights, Department of Health Care Finance and corporate sponsor Verizon, the conference was deemed a success.  The all day conference included government and community-organization panels, followed by the keynote speaker and an afternoon of 4 break-out sessions.
The keynote speaker for the conference was Bob Williams, the Special Assistant of the Department on Disability Services.  Mr. Williams summed the District of Columbia up in one word during his speech, “Possibilities”.  In the words of Bob Williams, possibilities typically come in one of two forms: the probable and the improbable.  His speech spoke to those with and without disabilities, as a word of encouragement.  Mr. Williams commissioned the audience to take a leap out of comfort zones and integrate new possibilities into our minds.

The Disability Awareness Conference Report and the Keynote Address are currently available for review:

• Disability Awareness Conference Report (Word Document)
• Keynote address, "Asking Why Not" by Bob Williams, Special Assistant to the Department on Disability Services (Word Document)