Thu, 11/30/2023 - 2:00pm EST to 3:00pm
In honor of the 2023 International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Where Faith and Disability Meet Panel
Andrea Kaneb
Andrea, is a trainer and advocate working to break down barriers that lead to social isolation for people with hearing loss. She created gatheringsound.com, an educational resource for hearing assistive technologies and strategies. Andrea holds a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and, after raising five children, including two brothers from Guatemala, earned her MBA. Her son Phil, who has intellectual disabilities, is her greatest teacher of advocacy, creative problem solving and empathy. She completed the Institute on Disability Leadership Series at UNH and is a founding member of the Audiology Leadership Council at Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary, where her lifelong experiences with hearing loss inform patient-centered care. She completed the Network of Consumer Hearing Assistive Technology Trainers program led by Gallaudet University and the Hearing Loss Association of America. She takes great strength from her Catholic faith and is blessed to be a deacon’s wife.
Bob Furtado
Robert, has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for nearly twenty years and a lifelong Catholic. He is a current member of the Institute on Theology and Disability, Committee member of the Status of Professional with Disability with the American Academy on Religion. Robert is a current student at the School of Divinity at Aberdeen University in Scotland in the Disability and Theology program. Combining his legal background, he has a passion for apologetics and advocacy for the inclusion of persons with disabilities within faith based organizations. Robert is a client of the Xavier Society for the Blind.
Justin Boatner
Justin has been a disability rights activist since middle school. He started actively getting involved in advocating for people with disabilities in high school through Best Buddies and Athletes Without Limits. Justin has multiple disabilities, including Autism, PTSD, generalizing anxiety disorder, and signs of muscular dystrophy. Just recently during Easter vigil he was baptized at the oldest Catholic Church in Washington DC. The Holy Trinity Catholic Church, he was to introduce to the Catholic faith by Anne Koester.