Guest Speaker: Allison Gardner

Our guest speaker today is Allison Gardner. Her program will be about disability as a social construct, the stigma surrounding students with mental illness, the impact of such a stigma as well as what (legal and other) power we have to impact change -- a power most people do not even realize they have.

Allison is a teacher with the Bloomington School District with special skills with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). She is also an Adjunct Professor with Augsburg College, and has worked with a youth and family outreach organization called The Bridge in Minneapolis (http://www.bridgeforyouth.org/). Allison is also the daughter of Lake Fellowship member Janice Leafer.