The theme of this conference, “Transitions,” emphasizes transitioning from school to college, from college to employment, from childhood to independent living, from job to job, and from job to retirement. Throughout the conference, you will find information on resources, services, education, and advocacy for consumers and families, service providers, students, educators, and public policy makers.
Panels include information on public benefits, health care, resume writing and job searches, employment laws, navigating special education, educational and job accommodations, assistive technology, mental health and autism, and financial planning.
Vendor tables will offer expertise from service providers, wellness activities, and networking opportunities. Vendors can contact Lily Baba at lilyb.apidc@gmail.com for information.
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Where to Stay
Conference Highlights
Multilingual Posters
Conference Schedule
Photos from the 2016 conference (navigates to a separate web page)
Information on previous conferences (navigates to a separate web page)
Tickets (navigates to a separate web page)
Where to Stay
If you’re coming from out of town, you may want to stay at any of the following hotels. Please check with each hotel for rates and availability.
Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites, 1600 S. Harbor Blvd., 800.433.5270
Anaheim Marriott Suites, 12015 Harbor Blvd., 714.750.1000
Anaheim Camelot Inn and Suites, 1520 S. Harbor Blvd., 714.635.7275
Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel, 900 S. Disneyland Drive, 844.227.8535
Clarion Hotel, 616 Convention Way, 714.750.3131
Clementine Hotel & Suites Anaheim, 1700 S. Clementine St., 866.465.7672
Courtyard by Marriot, Anaheim Resort / Convention Center, 714.740.2645
Crowne Plaza, Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove, 714.867.5555
Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel, 2085 S. Harbor Blvd. 714.750.3000
Embassy Suites by Hilton Anaheim South, 11767 Harbor Blvd., 714.539.3300
Grand Legacy at the Park, 1650 S. Harbor Blvd., 800.854.6097
Hilton Anaheim, 777 W Convention Way, 714.750.4321
Howard Johnson Anaheim Hotel & Water Playground, 1380 S. Harbor Blvd., 800.422.4228
Hyatt Regency Orange County, 11999 Harbor Blvd., 714.750.1234
La Quinta Inn & Suites Anaheim, 1752 Clementine St., 714.635.5000
Portofino Inn & Suites, 1831 S. Harbor Blvd. , 714.782.7600
Radisson Maingate Hotel, 1850 S. Harbor Blvd., 800.371.8012
Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort, 1855 South Harbor Blvd., 714-750-1811
Conference Highlights
Resource Fair
The conference includes a Resource Fair featuring these exhibitors:
- Center for Health Care Rights
- Disability Rights California
- Exceptional Minds
- Korean American Special Education Center
- Learning Rights Law Center
- National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA)
- Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County
- Niroga Institute
- Norooz Clinic Foundation
- OC Autism
- Pasadena City College
- Regional Center of Orange County
- Social Security Administration
- State Council on Developmental Disabilities
- Special Service for Groups
- Tony Tai Nguyen, Special Education Attorney, PC
- and many more
Finance Panel Discussion – CalABLE Program
The financial planning panel will discuss the newly implemented California Achieving a Better Life Experience (CalABLE) program. Panelists Angela Park Sheldon, Rebecca Goldfarb, and Mary Rios will discuss benefits and eligibility, including financial planning and estate planning to maintain benefits while working or otherwise saving money.
Ms. Sheldon is Managing Partner, Wealth Advisor, and co-founder of Tortuga Wealth Management. Her focus is on creating holistic financial solutions. Ms. Goldfarb is an estate planning attorney with Goldfarb & Luu, a firm exclusively practicing estate planning and elder law, with attention to sustaining life-long service. Ms. Rios serves as an advocate for Disability Rights California (DRC), in both the Client Assistant Program (CAP) for the Inland Empire and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security.
Keynote Speaker – Dr. Karen Nakamura
Dr. Karen Nakamura will address the conference on both Friday and Saturday, speaking about her personal story and about her research, which focuses on disability, sexuality, and other minority social movements in contemporary Japan. Dr. Nakamura is the Robert and Colleen Haas Distinguished Chair of Disability Studies and Professor of Anthropology at UC Berkeley. She was previously Associate Professor of Anthropology East Asian Studies and Chair of LGBT Studies at Yale University.
Conference Posters
Japanese – PNG Image
Vietnamese – Word
Vietnamese – PNG Image
Korean – Word
Korean – PNG Image
Chinese – PNG Image
Conference Schedule
To access presentations, click on the Event/Session name.
Those without presentations are identified as such after the session name.
| Day 1: Friday, March 8th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Event/Session | Speaker(s) |
| 8:00 – 9:00 am | Registration & Breakfast | |
| 9:00 – 9:45 am | Welcome & Plenary (no presentations) | Patricia Kinaga, Chair, APIDCDr. Karen Nakamura, Chair, Disability Studies and Professor of Anthropology, UC Berkeley |
| Opening Ceremony (no presentations) | Lillibeth Navarro, Executive Director, Communities Actively Living Independent and Free | |
| 9:45 – 10:00 am | 15 min. break | |
| 10:00 – 11:15 am | Breakout Session 1 | |
| 1A | Understanding and Connecting with Different API Communities with Disabilities | Moderator: Tho Vinh Banh, Supervising Attorney at Disability Rights California
Speakers: Dr. Hyun Park MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Vanda Yung, MA, MSW, President, Chinese Parents Association for the Disabled and Co-Project Director for Office of Special Education & Rehabilitation Community Parent Resource Center with Fiesta Educativa Inc. Kaitlynn Truong, Cultural Specialist, Regional Center of Orange County |
| 1B | Social Security and Regional Center Services | Moderator: Rose Gaw, Counselor, Rio Hondo College, Disabled Student Services
Speakers: Emily Ikuta, Legal Fellow and Attorney, Disability Rights California Lindsay De Los Santos, Technical Expert, Anaheim District Office, Social Security Administration Marty Omoto, Founder and Executive Director, California Disability-Senior Community Action Network (CDCAN) |
| 1C | Civil Rights – Current Trends & Policy Changes | Moderator: Susan Ha, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Speakers: Derek Li, Senior Trial Lawyer, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Committee Nelson Chan, Assistant Chief Counsel, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Christian Abasto, Managing Attorney, Civil Rights and Voting Rights Practice Group, Disability Rights California Maronel Barajas, Director of Litigation, Disability Rights Legal Center Lili Graham, Director of Litigation, Legal Aid Society of Orange County – Community Legal Services |
| 11:15 – 11:30 am | 15 min. break | |
| 11:30 – 12:45 pm | Lunch & Tribute to Dr. Chong Suh, Sponsored by Special Services For Groups and Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (no presentations) | |
| 12:45 – 1:00 pm | 15 min. break | |
| 1:00 – 2:15 pm | Breakout Session 2 | |
| 2A | Mental Health: Support for the Service Provider – Compassion, Fatigue | Moderator: Sheila Wu, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist and Director of Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers
Speakers: Jenn Ma-Pham, LCSW, President of Coherence Consulting (CCI) Charlene Chen, MSPT, Administrator of Sunflower Day Health Care Center Camille Aragon, Program Manager, Southern California, Niroga Institute |
| 2B | Employment for Individuals with Disabilities: Best Practices for Jobseekers, Employers, and Service Providers | Moderator: Mario Galdamez, Chief Operating Officer, Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living (SCRS-IL)
Speakers: Arturo Cazares, Associate Director of Employment, Regional Center of Orange County Ko Ko Naing, Associate Governmental Program Analyst/Regional Business Specialist, California Department of Rehabilitation Hannah Chadwick, Communications & Program Coordinator, Disability:IN |
| 2C | Health Care | Moderator: Peter Wong, Research Director, APIDC
Speakers: Monica Vega, Senior Outreach Coordinator, Harbage Consulting Sara Lee, Supervising Attorney, Health Consumer Action Center, Community Legal Aid SoCal Leslie Toy, Program Manager, Health Access Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles Aileen Harper, Executive Director, Center for Health Care Rights |
| 2:15 – 2:30 pm | 15 min. break | |
| 2:30 – 3:45 pm | Breakout Session 3 | |
| 3A | Job Training and Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Autism | Moderator: Julie Diep, Founder & President of OC Autism
Speakers: Susan Osborne, Director of Workplace Readiness, Autism Works Now Anh Tran, Founder & President, Reaching to Individuals in Special Education (RISE) Linda O’Neal, Transition Specialist/Consultant, Project Search Dr. Jeffrey Shapiro, Executive Director, Exceptional Minds |
| 3B | Health Issues and Aging for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (no presentations) | Angela Reyes, MPH, Program Coordinator, University of California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (UC-LEND), University of California, Los Angeles |
| 3C | Census Count 2020- People with Disabilities and People of Color | Moderator: Tho Vinh Banh, Supervising Attorney at Disability Rights California
Speakers: Sara Pol-Lim, Regional Program Manager, California Complete Count – Census 2020 Jonathan Tran, Senior Program Manager, California Endowment, Healthy California Team Quintilia Avila, Regional Program Manager, Southern California Lead, California Complete Count – Census 2020 |
| 3D | Dynamic Mindfulness (DMind) Training (no presentations) | Camille Aragon, Program Manager, Niroga Institute |
| 3:45 – 4:00 pm | 15 min. break | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Wrap Up Session (no presentations) | |
| Day 2: Saturday, March 9th | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Event/Session | Speakers |
| 8:00 – 9:00 am | Registration & Breakfast | |
| 9:00 – 9:45 am | Welcome & Plenary (no presentations) | Dr. Karen Nakamura, Professor at UC Berkeley and Endowed Chair of Equity and Inclusion |
| 9:45 – 10:00 am | 15 min. break | |
| 10:00 – 11:15 am | Breakout Session 1 | |
| 4A | Benefits for Consumers: Transition to Adulthood Services | Moderator: Tiffany Ngo, Benefits Specialist, Southern California Resource Services – Independent Living Center
Speakers: Jeanie Min, Legal Fellow / Attorney, Disability Rights California Emily Ikuta, Legal Fellow / Attorney, Disability Rights California Jeffrey Rodriguez, South Coast Area Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security Administration Marty Omoto, Founder and Executive Director, California Disability-Senior Community Action Network (CDCAN) |
| 4B | Special Education and the IEP Process: K-12 (no presentations) | Moderator: Amethyst Thormann, Staff Attorney, Civil Rights Litigation Program, Disability Rights Legal Center
Speakers: Mallory Sepler-King, Staff Attorney, Civil Rights Litigation Program, Disability Rights Legal Center Anna Rivera, Managing Attorney Disability Rights Legal Center Veena Gursahani, Senior Staff Attorney, Disability Rights Legal Center |
| 4C | Civil Rights / Civic Engagement | Moderator: Angela Oh, Senior Attorney Mediator, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing
Speakers: Christine Park-Gonzales, Deputy District Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Nelson Chan, Assistant Chief Counsel, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Christian Abasto, Managing Attorney, Civil Rights and Voting Rights Practice Group, Disability Rights California Maronel Barajas, Director of Litigation, Disability Rights Legal Center Michelle Kotval, Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Orange County – Community Legal Services |
| 4D | Transition and Pathways to Employment | Moderator: Raymond Kwong, Multicultural Affairs Advocate, Disability Rights California, San Diego Regional Office
Speakers: Connie Chu, Managing Attorney, Disability Rights California Richard Rosenberg, Faculty member, Cal State LA, and Regional Manager CaPromise and California Career Innovations, San Diego State University, Interwork Institute Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, Transition Program Specialist, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, San Francisco, and Ph.D student in education at UC Santa Barbara Carmen Varela, Director of the Bob Murphy ACCESS Center (formerly Disabled Student Services) at California State University, Long Beach Newton Nguyen, PhD student and researcher at Caltech and the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, and passionate about making science and engineering accessible to people with disabilities |
| 11:15 – 11:30 am | 15 min. break | |
| 11:30 – 12:45 pm | Lunch | |
| Performances (no presentations) | Harmonia Orchestra, Korean American Special Education Center
Rainbow Dancers, Chinese Parents Association for the Disabled |
|
| Listening Session with Elected Officials (no presentations) | Dr. Chester Jeng, Fullerton Join Union High School District
H. Ernie Nishii, ABC Unified School District Keri Kropke, Brea Olinda Unified School District Lisa Sparks, Orange County Board of Education Andrea Ling Yamasaki, Orange Unified School District Mark Lopez, Anaheim Elementary School District Phillip Chen, California State Assembly, 55th District (Yorba Linda, Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Habra, Brea, Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, Placentia, Sleepy Hollow) Janan T. (“Ben”) Raju, National Co-Chair for the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders |
|
| 12:45 – 1:00 pm | 15 min. break | |
| 1:00 – 2:15 pm | Breakout Session 2 | |
| 5A | Assistive Technology: How Assistive Technology Can Be Used at Home, Work, & School | Moderator: Mark Matsui, APIDC Board Member
Speakers: Taylor Nichols, Counselor, Disabled Students Program and Services, San Diego City College, and EOPS Counselor, Southwestern College Brian Krause, Assistive Technology Specialist, Disabled Students Programs and Services, El Camino College |
| 5B | Youth Leadership Institute Panel (no presentations) | Moderator: Jennifer Kumiyama, Singer/Actress, 2010 Ms. Wheelchair California
Speakers: Ann Kwong, Transition Program Specialist, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, San Francisco, and Ph.D student in education at UC Santa Barbara Kevin Phung, Student at California State University, Los Angeles Daphna Patel, Student at Cerritos College Raymond Kwong, Multicultural Affairs Advocate, Disability Rights California, San Diego Regional Office Kristen Higa, Freelance Marketing & Communications Consultant |
| 5C | Special Education: Advocacy Tips | Moderator: Ester Kwak, Staff Attorney, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Los Angeles
Speakers: Qiongyue Hu, Staff Attorney, Learning Rights Law Center Jennifer Chang, Attorney, Law Office of Jennifer Chang Tony Tai Nguyen, Attorney, Special Education Attorney, PC |
| 5D | Mental Health: Persons in Recovery from Mental Illness Can Work (no presentations) | Moderator: Sheila Wu, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Director of Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Centers (APCTC)
Speakers: Al Choi, LCSW, Program Manager of APCTC Peter Cho, APCTC Leo Lishi Huang, Peer Advocate and Wellness Program Support Specialist, APCTC Glor Parong, Wellness Support Specialist, APCTC |
| 2:15 – 2:30 pm | 15 min. break | |
| 2:30 – 3:45 pm | Breakout Session 3 | |
| 6A | Higher Education: Transition to College (no presentations) | Moderator: Annie Haga, APIDC Board Member
Speakers: Sri Panchalam, Attorney, Disability Rights California Chad Bowman, Director, Disabled Students Programs & Services, Golden West College David Sanfilippo, Director, Disabled Student Services, California State University, Long Beach (retired) Maria Rodriguez, Counselor, Department of Rehabilitation |
| 6B | Financial Planning | Moderator: Akiko Koh, APIDC Board Member
Speakers: Angela Park Sheldon, Managing Partner / Wealth Manager, Tortuga Wealth Management Rebecca Goldfarb, Estate Planning Attorney, Goldfarb & Luu Mary Rios, Client Assistant Program (CAP) Advocate, Disability Rights California |
| 6C | Therapies for Autism: From Childhood to Adulthood | Moderator: Julie Diep, Founder & President, OC Autism
Speakers: Dr. HyeKyeung Seung, Professor, Communicative Disorders Program, Department of Human Communication Studies, California State University, Fullerton Josephine Calina Rosales, Occupational Therapist, Pediatric Therapy Network Dr. David Morrison, Founder and Executive Director, College Connect James King, Program Director, ABA Dept., SEEK Education Ray Juarez, Senior Behavior Analyst, SEEK Education |
| 6D | Dance, Music, Sports and Rhythm for People with Disabilities: Common Thread That Bind Us | Moderator: Rose Gaw, Counselor, Rio Hondo College, Disabled Student Services
Speakers: Sandy Wooldridge, Pediatric Occupational therapist, Therapeutic Drum Circle Facilitator Li Hua Lee, Program Director, Chinese Parents Association for the Disabled Sean Lee, Basketball / Adaptive PE Coach, Korean American Special Education Center Karen Moon, Board Member, Korean American Special Education Center |
| 3:45 – 4:00 pm | 15 min. break | |
| 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Wrap Up Session (no presentations) | |
Questions? Please contact Silkvia To at sto.apidc@gmail.com.