A Weekend Focused on Strengthening Social-Emotional Skills for the Whole Family
At DSB, we believe that youth thrive when the entire family has the tools and resources needed to support their blind, low vision, and deafblind children.
Please join us for a weekend of connection, reflection, fun, and social-emotional learning for the whole family. We will gain new tools and share strategies with one another as we move from surviving to thriving.
In this weekend filled with interactive tactile activities, youth and their families learn about the ways sleep, physical activity, food, and human connection impact mental health. Everyone will gain the tools needed to begin building their mental health toolkits.
SESSIONS
This weekend provides sessions designed specifically for students and their families. Students will learn skills which will help them improve their self-awareness and self-determination skills and practice communicating their needs.
Parent sessions will focus on sharing tips and learning new techniques for supporting their child while maintaining their own self-care. There will be breakout sessions for siblings which will provide a unique space for siblings to express their needs and challenges.
Stories of Belonging: A Cornerstone of Mental Health
- For Youth
You Get Me: Exploring stories of peer support. - For Parents
Why Belonging Matters: Exploring the stories we pass along. - For Siblings
What About Me? Exploring what stories matter to siblings of youth with disabilities.
Communicating Our Stories
- For Youth
Who Am I? Teen identity and empowerment. - For Parents
Courageous Conversations: Addressing difficult topics in the parent/teen relationship. - For Siblings
Finding Your Voice: Expressing needs and empowerment.
Movement is Magic
Everyone will explore ways to connect and communicate through physical activities and games. These sessions – hosted by NWABA – will encourage play as a source of connection and well-being within relationships.
CONFERENCE PRESENTERS & FACILITATORS
Session facilitators will provide a variety of supplies, resources, coping tools, and examples to emphasize how different strategies work for different individuals. Youth and their families will also be able to showcase the tools and techniques that work for them.
Janelle Landgraf, LSWAIC
Jenelle is a licensed clinical social worker with more than 20 years of experience working in a variety of social service settings. In her work as a clinical psychotherapist, she specializes in adolescent and adult mental health, addressing trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and disability adjustment.
Certified in yoga and mindfulness, Jenelle is an experienced group facilitator, offering trauma-informed training with a strengths-based approach. Her holistic skill set reflects a deep commitment to empowering individuals and fostering resilience.
Jenelle brings lived experience to her work as she is legally blind. This aspect of her identity enhances her ability to connect with clients and workshop attendees, providing valuable insights and empathy that contribute to her effectiveness.
Sahra Perretz-Rosales, LICSWA
Sahra is a bicultural Spanish speaker, born and raised in the Puget Sound area. She received a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington and has experience with a variety of populations and settings, including pregnancy/birth/early childhood, Latinx/Spanish speakers, youth and families, and educational settings.
Sahra strives to create a safe space for clients to take risks and experience real growth and change. She brings warmth and humor to the therapeutic relationship with clients - true connection is where healing happens!
Joy Thomas, M.Ed.
Joy Thomas is a credentialed, masters-level teacher and has worked in the field of education for more than 20 years. She has specialized training in the areas of academic and mental health interventions, 504 accommodations, and advocacy. A writer at heart, Joy uses her passion for words to help students reframe their life narratives to find their voice and advocate for their needs.
An experienced group facilitator, Joy’s insights emerge from the dual lens of both an educator supporting students who are struggling and a person who faces disability-related challenges daily. Growing up legally blind, Joy has first-hand experience navigating life with vision loss and is deeply committed to empowering people with disabilities to lead full, meaningful lives.
Jacob Kamanu
Jacob is a member of the Governor-appointed State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind and a restaurateur and certified blind vendor in the Business Enterprise Program (BEP). Jacob has been able to manage and maintain his small business operations out of the heart of Seattle for the past six years, providing employment opportunities to all who are able with no exclusion to those who are blind.
As a parent, Jacob is involved in helping families navigate the challenges of blindness. His most recent workshop was presenting a father’s session for the Department of Services for the Blind Youth Track at the 2023 Washington Council of the Blind Convention. He is also a sports fan playing on the Beep Baseball team in Tacoma.
SCHEDULE
Friday, May 3, 2024
- Dinner (optional) begins at 6:00 p.m.
- The first session begins at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 4, 2024
- Breakout sessions
Sunday, May 5, 2024
- The Conference ends at 12:00 p.m.
Cost
FREE! This conference is free to active participants of DSB through a Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) case or through Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS).
Who
To register for the Stronger Together Conference, participants must meet the following criteria:
- Must be blind, low vision, or deaf blind.
- Must be between the ages of 14 and 21.
- Must be a student with a disability enrolled in DSB’s VR or Pre-ETS programs.
Note: Students not yet in VR or Pre-ETS may apply, however space is limited. We will work with families to apply for services.
Each participant is allowed to bring up to two (2) family members with them. It is important to note that space for the event is limited, and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
When
Where
Hotel Murano
Tacoma, Washington
RSVP
Please complete the online registration by March 15, 2024. Space is limited! Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please email Janet George or call 206-906-5530 with questions about this event or others like it.