UC SAN DIEGO ACCOMMODATION COUNSELING AND CONSULTING SERVICES (ACCES) LECTURE SERIES

The Health and Wellness Lecture Series offers monthly lectures on topics related to health issues, personal well being, and disability prevention and management.

UC San Diego Accommodation Counseling and Consulting Services is pleased to announce February's educational event. This will be a presentation by Mark Goffeney and his mom, Mrs. Goffeney, together as a family who raised a disabled child, will provide critical insight on how best to approach a challenge, to re-think what is possible, and help people to reconnect with their own inner strength and aptitude. Mark is a native San Diegan whose talent and ambition have helped him to achieve ongoing success as a headlining popular musician, performer, diversity champion speaker and television personality.

Mark Goffeney is a featured, popular headlining musician at the UC San Diego Annual Celebration of Abilities events held in the month of October at the La Jolla campus. Mark Goffeney is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the "Big Toe" band. Mark is known as "Big Toe" because, being born without arms, he learned to play guitar, in an original true form, self taught, and with his feet. Mark was raised to see himself as an equal in society and to value independence.

Topic: A Personal Journey: Families Working Together to Overcome Attitudinal Barriers of Stigma and Prejudice of Perceived Disability Labels

Date: Thursday, February 24, 2011

Time: Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Location: The (Old) Student Center Expansion Bldg - 1st Floor Dolores Herta-Vera Cruz Room (behind Mandeville Center)

According to the U.S. Census Bureau within the United States, the total number of people with disabilities is over 50 million which includes people of all ages. Having a disability is actually much more mainstream. Still, even in present times, many people with disabilities do not declare their disabilities due to the attached negative stereotyping and stigma.

Come and hear Mark and his mom, Mrs. Goffeney talk about their own personal journey of the many challenges, and the many successes experienced throughout Mark's early childhood years to his early young adult years. You will leave with the understanding to never take no as the only end result; that there is always a way to get where you need to go. The Goffeneys believe that we all can be facilitators of acceptance and understanding which fosters personal dignity through addressing any requested reasonable accommodations. It seems that, when cultural change occurs in the aforementioned fashion, the term 'disability' loses much significance. You may reach Mark Goffeney via his email: bigtoe1@cox.net or his web page: http://www.bigtoerocks.com/

Please join us for what promises to be a very informative presentation. This event's seating capacity will fill up fast and we will be able to confirm reservations for only a limited number of people. Light refreshments will be served. There will be a prize drawing at noon.

To reserve a seat, please register on line at:
http://qwl.ucsd.edu/acces_forums/index_acces.cfm

Call (858) 534-6744 for general information. Events are wheelchair accessible. To request American Sign Language interpretation or other reasonable accommodations necessary to enable your participation, please call (858) 534-6744 or send an e-mail request to Alane Reardon at areardon@ucsd.edu as soon as possible to ensure adequate time to arrange for accommodation.

We thank and acknowledge the co-sponsorship of the UC San Diego Medical Center, the Vice Chancellor - External and Business Affairs, the School of Medicine, as well as the Community Advocates for Disability Rights and Education (CADRE), which is an association of faculty, staff, and students that promotes full inclusion and equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

You may view The Health and Wellness Lecture Series calendar and links to streaming videos at http://haw.ucsd.edu