Keynote Speakers

 

Eileen Dunne

 

Eileen Dunne is a young woman with Down Syndrome. She was one of the first persons to achieve integrated education with support in Ireland after parents successfully petitioned government to provide support structures for persons with Down Syndrome in the Republic of Ireland. She has attended mainstream primary, secondary and tertiary education and has been the recipient of many awards including Student of the Year from Cavan College of Further Studies (now Cavan Institute). She also holds two gold medals from Special Olympics.  She has represented Down Syndrome Ireland on many occasions including conferences in Jerusalem and Northern Ireland. She was elected to the National Advisory Council of Down Syndrome Ireland in 2014.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Beth Harry

 

Beth Harry is a Professor of Special Education at the University of Miami in Florida, USA. After completing her high school education in her native Jamaica, Beth earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Toronto before moving to Trinidad, where her children, Melanie and Mark were born.  Melanie had cerebral palsy and her special needs led Beth to establish the Immortelle Children’s Centre in Port of Spain, Trinidad, in 1978. Melanie died in 1981, and in 1986 Beth moved to the U.S.A., where she studied for a Ph.D. in Special Education at Syracuse University.  Thirty seven years later, thanks to the efforts of Immortelle parents, who formed a non-profit to run the school, the Immortelle lives on – Melanie’s contribution to her community.

 

Beth’s work in the USA has focused on family and multicultural issues related to disability. She has published eight books and many journal articles on these topics and has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences’ panel (1999-2001) to study the disproportionate placement of minorities in special education programs. Although her academic work has been inspired by Melanie, Beth’s memoir is in no way academic: Melanie, Bird with a Broken Wing is, simply, a mother’s story.

 

Beth’s current project is a research project on the history of the Immortelle Children’s Centre through the eyes of parents, teachers, and community partners.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

Gerard Hutchinson

 

Gerard Hutchinson is currently the Professor and Unit Lead in Psychiatry, at the School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS), University of the West Indies, St Augustine. He also serves as the Academic Coordinator and First Examiner of the MSc Clinical Psychology programme, St Augustine campus. He functions as the Head of Psychiatry at the North Central Regional Health Authority.

 

He is a graduate of the University of the West Indies and the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, University of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Epidemiology. He has been employed at the University of the West Indies since 1999 and was previously a Clinical Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, University of London.

 

He has published as author or co-author over 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. He serves as a manuscript reviewer for several regional and international journals. His research interests include migration related issues in mental health, developmental trajectories in mental illness and suicidal behaviour in the Caribbean.