Conferences

Since 1998, APIDC has convened four major conferences in California: Los Angeles (1999), the Bay Area (2001), Orange County (2005) and Long Beach (2010). Each conference was supported by individuals, organizations and fundraising activities. Each conference was attended by hundreds of consumers and their families, agency representatives and advocates with the goal of identifying effective mechanisms to deliver culturally competent resources to API families with members facing physical or mental challenges.

A key component of these conferences has been exploring ways to educate not only API families on how to better access resources, but also to educate health providers on the specific barriers facing APIs with disabilities, to ensure the provision of culturally competent service delivery systems.

Past Conferences

• Friday, October 29 2010 - Saturday, October 30, 2010 - APIDC Conference 2010
  Westin Long Beach, CA | Download APIDC 2010 Conference Brochure (PDF) |Visit APIDC 2010 Conference Web Site (Archived on APIDCA Web Site) | View Power Point Presentation: Mental Health, Healthcare Reform and  Disparities in care for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander Self Determination(.PDF)

Quotes from past conferences

"This was my first year to attend the APIDC Conference. As an Asian & Pacific Islander person with a disability, I found the conference to be a great resource for not only people with disabilities, but for their families and those who care for them. APIDC understands that there is a great need to provide resources to ensure and promote independence in the lives of those with disabilities as well as preserving & enriching our culture at the same time. There was so much to learn at this conference - from the numerous of educational panels to the vendors that come to share their helpful products, there is so much useful information to gather from attending this conference. I highly recommend attending the APIDC Conference to everyone in the Asian & Pacific Islander and disability communities."

-Jennifer Kumiyama
Ms. Wheelchair California 2010
1st Runner Up Ms. Wheelchair America 2011
Los Angeles, CA

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"The APIDC Conference successfully brought together families and service providers who had common concerns: Disability/health issues and cultural barriers. The workshops and guest speakers addressed key elements to why attitudes in the Asian/Pacific Islander lead families to not seek help. They also offer suggestions base on their experiences that overcame these attitudes. These engaging workshop not only help the families in need but also gave service providers a bigger window of opportunity of ways to help these families. To let them do their job more effective. A win/win on everyone's part."

"I was at the conference as both a spectator and workshop speaker. I gained so much knowledge from not only the other speakers. But also the listeners, the people that pull me aside after the workshop to discuss how disability/health issues effected them. And what to do about it. How to apply help. The real life connection makes a world of difference."

"Each person may have come to conference as an individual, but that person was not alone at the conference. Everyone there was connected. And that made everyone important to each other. Everyone mattered. Thank you very much for your continual support of these empowering conferences!"

-Thai Yang, Fresno, CA

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