Dear MDSC member,
After careful consideration, MDSC has made the difficult decision to cancel our 36th Annual 'Trailblazers' Conference on March 28 at the DCU Center due to risks associated with the coronavirus.
Our decision to cancel our flagship educational event was not taken lightly. It was made after closely monitoring updates and recommendations from the MA Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Ultimately, our top priority, at our Annual Conference and all MDSC events and gatherings, is our members' and participants' health and safety.
Although we are all incredibly disappointed about this news, we are already discussing the development of a
Virtual Annual Conference
, which will include speaker presentations, so that our members can have access to the important resources and information that have already been prepared.
We are also discussing how to virtually share some of the most meaningful portions of the conference, such as self advocate presentations and our 'Trailblazers' video collage, featuring your incredible photos of your loved ones. As you know, these are elements we always look forward to, and we hope to capture the true spirit of our community in our virtual event.
This is a first for us. In the three and half decades of MDSC’s Annual conference, we have never NOT held the event live and in person to learn together and celebrate our loved ones with Down syndrome. We truly appreciate your support and understanding as we respond to this public health crisis that is emerging. The safety and well-being our of our members is our #1 priority.
As the late disability advocacy pioneer Dr. Allen Crocker used to say, our community is resilient and we will “Carry On!”
Stay tuned to our website, social media channels and your email inbox for more information as plans for our Virtual Annual Conference evolve.
If you need any additional information, please contact us at conference2020@mdsc.org.
Thank you so much for your understanding and support.
Sincerely,
