This webinar was catalyzed into existence by the late Sandy Goodwick who was a FIERCE advocate and proud member of the Peer and Facial Difference movements, amongst many others. She was dedicated to building bridges between communities and movements and she steadfastly believed that no one should be shut out or left behind. Sandy, we love you and we are honored to uphold your legacy and continue the work you started so many years ago.
Webinar Description: Facial difference (FD), an underrepresented disability, is mostly left out of the DEI conversation and yet 1 in 10 people live with a facial difference that, due to stigma, severely affects the ability to lead a typical life. However, if acknowledged and understood, the lessons learned from the FD community have the potential to transform the care we are able to give each other. In this webinar, participants will take away practical tips on our bias reduction, preferred language usage, and how to best support FD peers. We will cover what it means to live with facial difference and the unique systemic barriers individuals face that significantly contribute to high rates of mental health challenges in our community. We will break down the history of stigma against visible difference (dating back to ancient times!) and how harmful representation of FD in the media perpetuates stereotypes. Learners will get a glimpse into our community and our collective wisdom as we share our stories. We at The FaceOut Project hope this webinar helps participants become culturally competent in FD and use these lessons to ultimately better serve everyone, visibly different or not.