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Several weeks ago, my husband Barton and I were the keynote speakers at the People First Conference in Jackson's Mill, West Virginia. This conference focused on healthy relationships, with the overall theme of creating more independence for people with disabilities. We spoke to over 220 participants about our relationship and started a dialogue about people with disabilities creating relationships, as well as the challenges and successes along the way.
We drove up early Wednesday morning for the opening key note address that afternoon, and the next morning, we lead two class discussions for 50-60 people each. While we didn't speak after Thursday morning, we stayed until the closing Friday afternoon. So why did we stay until the end of the conference?
We found that just as much work was done in the "in-between" times as within our actual sessions. We spoke with individuals about their specific questions and concerns. In addition, an opportunity came up where Barton and I could offer information about disabled Protection, a self defense workshop specifically designed for people with any type of ability.
We were able to make specific connections that we may not have been able to solidify during our actual speech or workshop. At one point later in the afternoon, I rode in Barton's lap as he whizzed me across the lawn in his motor wheelchair to make a phone call. Later on, many people made comments about our relationship by watching how we related and connected to each other. It was a tangible action that reinforced what we had been speaking about earlier that day.
While it may be tempting to cut out of a conference or workshop early, I certainly learned to value the time around the actual event.
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