World Congress on Disabilities looks to Jacksonville
10/20/2008 by Mary-Kate Roan Staff Writer Jacksonville will welcome over 4,000 guests Nov. 21–22 when the World Congress on Disabilities Expo comes to the Prime Osborn. But the goal isn’t to make it a one-time event for the City. “The expo’s ultimate goal is to have a permanent home in Jacksonville,” said Mark Dineen, World Congress on Disabilities Expo managing director. “We might have a second or third show elsewhere but we want to keep it in Jacksonville.” In Florida there are 3.5–4 million disabled people – and In Duval County alone, there are 150,000–175,000 disabled people.The annual event started in Atlanta in 2001 and has held events in Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The expo didn’t migrate from city to city due to lack of participation – scheduling conflicts in former host cities have prevented the expo from finding a permanent home. The event looks to attract attendees from 10–15 nations as well as 40 states. The expo will also feature conferences and symposiums, available in the form of “tracks” geared toward certain special interests like Pediatric Cerebral Palsey or Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injury. The WCD is working with the mayor’s office and staff from recruitmilitary.com on a career fair for people like those in Duval County who participated in Disability Mentoring Day Oct. 15. Over 50 people participated in one-on-one job shadowing at local establishments. “We hope it (Disability Mentoring Day activities) creates jobs,” said Nancy Hanisch, employment coordinator at the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. For the shadowing day, students and job seekers were matched with employers based on their interests and job goals. Shadowers also had the option of spending a half or full day with employers. Some local businesses that participated in the event included: Florida Community College of Jacksonville, KinderCare Learning Center and CSX. The November expo’s keynote speakers will be Lance Block, chair of the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities and Dr. Dennis Steindler, a leading stem cell researcher and executive director of the McKnight Brain Institute. The expo will open 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. Nov. 21 and 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. Nov. 22. For more details on the World Congress on Disabilities Expo, go to www.wcdexpo.com. mkroan@baileypub.com 356-2466
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