Suffolk Reporter

The second annual Inclusion Done Right! (IDR!) Conference was held on October 18 at Stony Brook University’s Charles B. Wang Center Theater. The event gathered a diverse group of participants, including faculty, staff, community advocates, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities. Their shared objective was to advance practices that promote inclusion, enhance participation, and ensure accessibility.

Hosted by Stony Brook’s School of Health Professions and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Intercultural Initiatives (DI3), the conference received support from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and sponsorship from Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Agnes McConlogue Ferro, director of the School of Health Professions’ Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, initiated this conference to build a collaborative bridge between Stony Brook and its community partners to support inclusive opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Stacy Jaffee Gropack, Dean of the School of Health Professions, along with Judith Brown Clarke, vice president for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, opened the conference by discussing Stony Brook’s dedication to creating accessible environments for everyone.

The agenda was shaped by feedback from attendees of the previous year’s conference through a post-conference survey. It featured presentations on accessible sports and recreation as well as strategies to assist individuals with disabilities transitioning into adulthood.

Keynote speaker Alex Lopez emphasized fostering inclusive sports opportunities. Model, actress, and advocate Jillian Mercado shared her experiences in the disability community through a talk on resilience and empowerment.

Participants engaged in breakout sessions focused on various aspects of community inclusion such as adaptive sports and transitions from childhood to adulthood. Panel discussions included live demonstrations like adaptive flag football that highlighted collaborative efforts between Stony Brook faculty and community allies.

An innovative tool called Inclusion Done Right! The App was piloted during the event. This app provides real-time opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers within the community. It resulted from a cross-disciplinary partnership involving faculty members McConlogue Ferro, Rajiv Lajmi, Hants Williams from the School of Health Professions along with health informatics students; additionally supported by Alex Doboli from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering alongside student Hashmath Saik.

Another demonstration involved inclusive technology where McConlogue Ferro worked with a community partner plus students from both physical therapy and biomedical engineering programs to develop a prototype facilitating participation in adaptive flag football for those with diverse abilities; this prototype was showcased live at the event.

McConlogue Ferro stated that "the Inclusion Done Right! conference is much more than a yearly event." She explained: “We are building platforms that will address needs within our community alongside them; our ongoing efforts based upon insights gained at IDR! conferences create meaningful change regarding inclusion & community-based participation — for all.”

— Beth Squire