President's Message

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

            Welcome to NERA. I am Lisa Keller, an associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. NERA has been an integral part of my life for over 20 years. First, as a graduate student, when we met in the Catskills, at The Nevele, for those that remember, and now here I am as President. NERA has shaped me as a scholar; the mentoring and support that I received from those at NERA have made me who I am in my academic life. And it went beyond that, to my personal life. My time at NERA has allowed me to grow friendships with colleagues, that would never have happened otherwise. The intimate nature of the NERA conference allows us to get to know each other as people, and as researchers and scholars. I remember in the early days being in a session with only one person that wasn’t a presenter; that doesn’t happen anymore. NERA has grown right alongside of me. The food has gotten better (trust me!), and the Safari Lounge, well, let’s be grateful that is just a memory. What hasn’t changed is NERA’s commitment to community and to its membership. I have enjoyed watching my students develop through their time at NERA too, and I love watching them make connections and friendships and deepen their involvement in the community.
            Some of you know, others do not, that I am also the mother of a daughter with special needs. I never liked the term “special needs.” We all have special needs. It made “special” feel like a pejorative or like “needs” were something not everyone has. We all have needs; we are all special. Our needs are unique. I felt the stigma of feeling like her needs were more, or too much, or an inconvenience, or a limitation. This experience has shaped me as a human being, and as a researcher. I have become more compassionate, more open to seeing where I am blind to experiences that I don’t understand. And while most of the world might look at my daughter and see limitations, I look at my daughter and see so many strengths, and so many superpowers. I see a human who I admire and who teaches me every day the power of presence, the power of energy, and the impact we make in the world without words. One day I will hear her speak and I can’t wait to be amazed at what is happening inside her beautiful brain.
            It is this experience that has shaped my theme of this year’s conference: Illuminating the Margins: Education for Every Mind. I want to shift our focus from:

Overcoming limitations to Maximizing strengths and unique abilities
Disability as a challenge to Disability as diversity
Helping people with disabilities to Creating environments that support all people.

I look forward to meeting you October and I am proud to serve as your President.