The Madison Area Advisory Council for People with Disabilities is a group of people who work for people with disabilities or have an interest in issues or resources in our community that affect people with disabilities. Their main goal is to reach as many businesses and employers to provide inspiration and motivation to hire people with disabilities. Educating employers was just one of the reasons the Advisory Council was formed. The Committee remains steadfast in their belief that every person, regardless of their disability has skills and abilities in which to enhance their life through employment opportunities.
To help bring that awareness to the community, the Advisory Council hosts an annual event which has had great reviews in the past. This year the Advisory Council would like to invite you to attend their annual event held on October 6 at Nicky’s at 8:30am. The guest speaker this year is Geri Jewell.
Geri Jewell is best known as Cousin Geri on the NBC sitcom, “The Facts of Life”. She was the first person with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time series. After her ground breaking role on “Facts” she has appeared on such shows as “Sesame Street”, “Young and the Restless”, the Emmy award winning movie “Two of a Kind”, and the HBO hit series, “Deadwood.”
When Geri is not working in television, she is a highly sought after motivational speaker and trainer in the areas of disability and diversity. She has consulted for such companies as Hewlett Packard, Johnson Wax, and AT&T. She has also trained such government agencies as the C.I.A., The U.S. Treasury Department, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the U.S. Army.
She is famous for her uncanny ability to captivate the hearts of her audiences by using humor to facilitate attitudinal change. Geri brings to her presentations her personal experiences in life, which in turn allow people to gain insight into the prospect of seeing disability in a totally different light, creating hope where there is none, and joy where there is pain.