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So every year we host a four day conference called the Organizing Institute
O.I.
and we bring together a national community
generally it's two students from every chapter we have
they all convene
in this, I like to call it, LD Palooza
LD proud to be! LD proud to be!
So the O.I. is the Organizing Institute
where all the chapters coordinators from all the chapters around the States come together and meet
we go through and we plan our next year and we have wonderful
speakers come in about big issues that each of our chapters are going through
we do workshops and lecture type things
and art projects
really get to know all the other coordinators and just figure out how you lead the chapter
and how you talk to the kids. The O.I. the Organizing Institute is my
favorite holiday
it's a party
a celebration of cognitive diversity
It's chaos, but it's beautiful chaos because
you get all of these people that, from different backgrounds but have the same story and have the
same struggles and have the same challenges
I think the Organizing Institute
allows people to go from a place of loneliness and often
hiding about their learning disability and they
leave empowered
more fulfilled, fuller people
that's incredible thing to see in only four days.
Coming to the OI you get a huge sense of community
there is at least 100 people in a room with you who all have learning disabilities
being able to look at someone and say you know exactly what I have gone through
and I know exactly what you've gone through, and that's enough said
it's been like a whirl wind of like
excitement and then like learning new things, meeting new people and it's
definitely been the most fun part of my summer.
You gain friends you
gain a sense of
not being alone
it feels like you're finally somewhere where you belong
to get together with so many people
that are just like you
is such
such a great feeling inside