Meet the Expert Hosts
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Last Updated: 10/26/12
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Our identified focus areas for this year's event are 1) Benefits Management, 2) Communication, 3) Education, 4) Employment, 5) Financial/Legal/Legislative, 6) Health & Nutrition, 7) Residential Options, 8) Support Services, 9) Recreation-Socialization, 10) Transportation and more! Please note that not all of the event's focus areas will be covered by experts.
Experts will be available to meet with you one-on-one during the event on the topics presented below:
Experts will be available to meet with you one-on-one during the event on the topics presented below:
Gary Demers, Ph.D.
Mission City Family Wellness
Description of Expertise: Mental Health Counselor Participated in AccessAbility Fest since 2007. Demers holds degrees in Pastoral Counseling, PhD., Psychology, Theology, and Business. With over 20 years of counseling experience in combined disciplines of Holistic, Cognitive, Dialectical, Behavioral, Marriage, Depression, and Mental Health. Dr. Demers specializes in Applied Behavioral Analysis. Host Times: 1:00pm-4:00pm Contact information: http://missioncityfwc.org [email protected] Michael K. Dominguez
Via Metropolitan Transit Authority
Description of Expertise: Michael is a Community Planner for VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Public Affairs Department. He’s been employed by VIA for over 26 years and has a background in Customer Service, Operational Planning and Accessible Services. He currently oversees public involvement activities for VIA’s High Capacity Transit Project program as well as coordinate and plan transit services with public agencies, major employers and neighborhood associations. Appearance: 1:00pm-3:00pm Contact information: 800 W. Myrtle | San Antonio, TX 78212 http://www.viainfo.net/ Dr. Pamela Palmer Ph.D.
North East ISD
Description of Expertise: Chief Psychologist North East ISD. Pam received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, in Educational Psychology and her B.S. and M.Ed. in education from Texas Tech University. She also completed post-doctoral training in Marriage and Family Therapy at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. She is currently employed as the Chief Psychologist at North East ISD in San Antonio, Texas. Her experience, over a course of more than 25 years, includes test development, administration of psychoeducational test batteries, development of individualized special education programs for students, counseling services, facilitation of legal and compliance issues, and supervision of appraisal staff in the public education arena. Appearance: 1:00pm-2:00pm Contact information: 8961 Tesoro Drive, Suite 500 | San Antonio, TX 78217 http://www.neisd.net/ Marie Herrera
San Antonio Independent Living Services (SAILS)
Description of Expertise: Volunteer Coordinator at San Antonio Independent Living Services (SAILS). She has previously been in the field of relocation. At SAILS she works in Advocacy, as well as Information and Referral, Peer Support, Volunteer/Internship as well as Social and Recreational Services. Appearance: 1:00pm-3:00pm Contact information: 1028 South Alamo | San Antonio, TX 78210 (210) 281-1878 ext 123 http://www.sailstx.org/index.html Armando De La Rosa
Paralyzed Veterans of AmericaI'm a National Service Officer with the Paralyzed Veterans of America since 2006. I served in the U.S. Navy 98-01 and started working for the San Diego County Veteran Service Office as a work-study while I attended City College. I found my self helping veteran through my work-study and decided to follow my heart and help those who helped me. Through the Paralyzed Veterans of America we assist veterans and their dependents with all VA forms recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs. We also assist with Voc Rehab as PVA has there own counselor specializing with Spinal Cord Injury and Disease.
Appearance: 2:00pm-3:00pm Contact information: 7400 Merton Minter Blvd | San Antonio, TX 78229 http://www.pva.org Jinjer LeVan
Texas Hearing and Service Dogs
Description of Expertise: Jinjer has been living with multiple sclerosis for over 30 years, and has been working with service dogs for 10 years. She travels across the country speaking to corporations, chambers of commerce, and schools providing information on the various uses of service dogs within the community, proper etiquette in approaching service animals, and information on federal and state laws protecting the rights of individuals with service animals. Appearance: 1:00pm-4:00pm Contact information: 4803 Rutherglen | Austin, TX 78749 http://www.servicedogs.org [email protected] Kathryn Newell
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Description of Expertise: Kathryn Newell joined Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. (TRLA) in 2007 after graduating from law school at the University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Newell currently manages TRLA's Special Education Team Appearance: 1:30pm-2:30pm Contact information: 1111 N. Main Avenue | San Antonio, TX 78212 (210) 212-3711 http://www.trla.org/ Olivia Sturgess
Job Adventures
Description of Expertise: Mrs. Sturgess graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Human Services Management and holds certifications in Cognitive Behavioral Techniques, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, PMAB, and Child Welfare. Mrs. Sturgess specializes in helping youth and adults with disabilities find meaningful and gainful employment, an area she has been involved with for 19 years. With proven expertise in preparing people with disabilities for employment, Job Adventures strives to motivate and challenge each job seeker, while providing for individual differences. Our customized employment services are designed to spark the interests and promote self-discovery within the job seeker. This is accomplished through our social and vocational skills training, exposure to employment pathways, and partnership with local employers in the community. Our goal is to help people with disabilities achieve success in the workplace while having an exciting adventure in the process! Appearance: 2:00pm-3:00pm Contact information: 9901 IH-10 West, Suite 800 | San Antonio, TX 78230 (210)446-4480 jobadventures.org |
Dot O'Donnel
Brighton Center
Description of Expertise: Education Specialist with the Brighton Center. Ms. O’Donnell is the proud mother of 4 children, one of whom has a disability (ADHD and ODD). She has a passion for working with parents and professionals concerning how we educate our children who have a disability or a chronic illness. She has had the opportunity of presenting at a number of conferences and events in the San Antonio area as well as other areas in the state. Ms. O’Donnell enjoys partnering up with organizations and businesses to promote educating individuals on Special Education Law. She serves as an advisor to the military bases in our city as well. Appearance: 2:00pm-4:30pm Contact information: 14207 Higgins Road | San Antonio, TX 78217(210) 826-4492 http://www.brightonsa.org/ Trish Cantu
Great Opportunities
Description of Expertise: Founder, manager, and lead consultant of Great Opportunities, is an award-winning expert in the field of employment services and vocational support for individuals with disabilities. Since 2007, she has worked to build an organization that provides state-funded services to qualified workers with a wide variety skills and educational levels. Ms. Cantu specializes in working with the deaf population, an area she has been involved with for seven years. Together with her team, they collaborate with employers and consumers to meet the highly specific needs of all disabilities by tailoring placement, assistive technology, and other accommodations—ensuring continued and successful employment. Appearance: 1:00pm-3:00pm Contact information: P.O. Box 681954 | San Antonio, TX 78268 Click Here for: Brochure Gloria Aguirre
San Antonio Independent Living Gloria Aguirre is a full time Caseworker for San Antonio Independent Living Services. She oversees all of the Support Groups and is an Information and Referral Specialist. Gloria began working for SAILS as a volunteer.
Appearance: XX:XX - XX:XX Contact information: 1028 S. Alamo | San Antonio, TX 78210 http://www.sailstx.org/index.html (210) 281-1878 Celina Moreno
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Description of Expertise: Celina Moreno became a member of the Texas Bar in 2010. She joined Texas RioGrande Legal Aid,Inc. as an attorney and Equal Justice Works Fellow to launch a school-to-prison pipeline project. She attended law school at the University of Houston and graduate school at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Appearance: 2:30pm-3:30pm Contact information: 111 N. Main Ave. | San Antonio, TX 78212 (210) 212-3711 http://www.trla.org/ Mary Kathryn Archuleta
Dreams Fulfilled Through Music
Description of Expertise: Socialization / Recreation Benefits of Adaptive Music Education Programs Mary Kathryn Archuleta graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Music Education. Since her own childhood, she has worked with handicapped children and adults. She is a specialist in the integration of Applied Behavior Analysis as a technique in teaching students with special learning needs. Archuleta is the Executive and Artistic Director of Dreams Fulfilled Through Music a non-profit agency dedicated to providing adaptive music education services and performance opportunities to all students with a variety of learning challenges. Appearance: 3:00pm-4:00pm Contact information: P.O. Box 40548 | San Antonio, TX 78229 (210) 771-5809 www.dftm.org [email protected] George Ybarra
Habitat for Humanity Appearance: 1:00pm-3:00pm |
