Before the pandemic, I traveled to many conferences to give keynote speeches or kick off a conference. I am so looking forward to the end of this pandemic to be able to meet people face-to-face again. I miss traveling and working alongside my colleagues.
I am happy and proud that we have started to do some conferences virtually, but I sure do miss the personal contact. I can’t remember when my last in-person speaking engagement was. I feel like it has been way too long.
I was recently asked to speak at the Iowans with Disabilities in Action’s virtual 2020 Make Your Mark! Conference. I gave a 45-minute presentation. They sent me a nice shirt with their conference logo to wear during my keynote.
When my presentation ended, I had a question and answer session. Sometimes some of the questions were a little difficult to answer, so I was glad my colleague Sara was there to help me.
They have held sessions once a week throughout September and the first part of October during their lunch hour via Zoom. This conference will help those who want to become more involved and active in their community to develop the leadership skills needed for self-advocacy. I was glad that I was able to tell my story to kick off their conference.