Self-Advocates, Arc of New London County to Attend Inaugural Ball

 

Courtney Kelleher and Dustin Gedeon will be attending Governor Dan Malloy's now sold-out Inaugural Ball on January 5th at the Connecticut Convention Center. 

 

Kelleher and Gedeon are self-advocates, individuals with intellectual and related disabilities who make their own wishes known directly rather than being spoken for. Self-advocacy is one of the fastest growing areas of human services.

 

Though this marks Gedeon's first brush with gubernatorial pomp and circumstance, Kelleher met and was photographed with the late Governor Ella Grasso as a youngster, and plans to write about her experience in Hartford where she and Gedeon hope to meet Connecticut's 68th Governor.

 

"I am really excited," Courtney Kelleher said, "I hope we see him in person!"

 

Gedeon and Kelleher are guests of The Arc of New London County and will be accompanied by Laurie Herring-Sylvestre, Chief Quality Assurance Officer for The Arc. "Having a say in what happens to you is a fundamental right we take for granted," said Kathleen Stauffer, Chief Executive of The Arc of New London County, "but one that has been long denied to persons with intellectual disabilities. Self-Advocacy is a powerful a civil rights movement that is changing the face of human services everywhere, and we are proud to support Courtney and Duncan on their journey - and delighted they will have the opportunity to experience the magic and pageantry of the Gala Ball."