Posted 3/3/2023
On Wednesday, February 22, members of the Holy Family University Doctoral cohort (2025), met with the staff and individuals of the Merakey Woodhaven Adult Training Facility in Philadelphia as part of their Social Justice and Advocacy class. Led by Merakey Woodhaven ATF Associate Executive Director Samantha Warner, the students had the opportunity to spend the afternoon meeting Merakey individuals. They spoke with the individuals about their interests and needs, as well as to Merakey staff about the importance of the work done with persons in the IDD community.
The students then had the chance to debrief on the importance of ensuring that the IDD community is part of the discussion regarding self-advocacy and ableism. They also talked about the need to incorporate education about the IDD community into the field of outpatient psychology. The students expressed their gratitude to both the staff and individuals for the opportunity to help break down walls of exclusion and stigma that are long standing issues in the mental health field.
Pictured from left to right: (Top row) Taylor Golkin, Gina Kilderry, Professor Anthony Lewis
(Bottom row) Lauren Markowitz, Laura Carroll, Samantha Warner, Elizabeth Becks