3014 Holiday Drive
New Orleans
LA
Taking Action Against Abuse is a hands-on workshop to help you stay safe. In this training, you will learn: What abuse and neglect mean; signs that someone may be hurting you or not treating you right; how to speak up for yourself; who you can tell if something feels wrong; & what steps to take to get help. We will use simple examples, group activities, and practice exercises to help you understand what to do. You will have time to ask questions and talk about real-life situations. This workshop helps you build confidence, learn your rights, and know how to protect yourself and others. Families, caregivers, and community members are welcome too, so everyone can work together to create safer spaces. You have the right to feel safe. When we learn the signs and take action, we can make positive change. Join us and be part of the solution.
Sharon Delvisco, DSW, has over 30 years of experience supporting, educating, and providing technical assistance to people with disabilities to live and work in the community, their families, their service providers. She has received the Mentorship Award, the Humanitarian Award, and the Education Award from the American Association of Intellectual Disabilities Louisiana Chapter. She also received the Professional Advocate Award from the Advocacy Center in Louisiana. She has served on FPHSA Regional Advisory Committee and State OCDD Advisory Committee. Sharon is the parent of a young man that has IDD. She has lived experience as a person with long-term, persistent, chronic mental illness. Sharon is also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Dr. Rebecca Mandal-Blasio is the Clinical Director in Louisiana for Autism Spectrum Therapies and is a BCBA-D. She leads a team of BCBA Supervisors and Behavior Interventionists serving families in and around the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the Florida Parishes areas. A Louisiana native, Dr. Mandal-Blasio received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine as part of the Neurobehavioral Outpatient Unit and Pervasive Developmental Disorders Clinic. She also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill’s Center for Development and Learning where she studied mental health issues in people with developmental disabilities across the lifespan.