Thinking of Going to SXSW? Want An Innovative Special Needs Panel? Vote!

Vote now until September 2.  Voting directions at the bottom of the post. Also, leave comments at the proposal page.

What's South by Southwest (SXSW)?

"Every March, thousands of young, jeans-wearing techies, filmmakers and musicians descend upon Austin, Texas, harboring dreams of getting noticed and hitting it big. They come not just for the balmy weather or the Tex-Mex food but for South by Southwest, a collection of conferences and festivals that's considered one of the most influential happenings on the annual cultural calendar." -- CNN, March 10, 2011

Inspired by the energy and success of the BlogHer 11 Special Needs Mini-Con, Jenn Lee Reeves has organized a panel proposal for SXSW 12:

Tech Unity: Beyond the Special Needs Hashtag

Special needs communities unite! This brainstorming session will take a look at how some people have been able to harness the power of online community to bring special needs parents together. We will look at what social tools work and don't work when parents look for ways to get support for their special needs kids. Talk to a special needs parent and you'll realize, this community does not come together often enough to share how we make advocating for our children work. This is not a session looking to find funding for our child's challenges. This is a conversation where anyone with a link to any type of special need can talk about the need for community and advocacy in a culture where abilities of all types should be celebrated.

Questions Answered

1. How are you using social spaces to reach out to your special needs community?
2. Why is the special needs community fractured? Can we work together more?
3. How can you connect online support communities to families who are not in social media?
4. What are your personal stories of how you've connected with other special needs families?
5. What are the best tools to use to reach out and find people who can help you advocate?

How to vote for this proposal if you aren't yet a registered SXSW user:

1. Go to http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/users/register?return=%2Fpages%2Ffaq and register for Panel Picker
2. Wait for email; activate account
3. Go to http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/ideas/view/11932 
4. Click on the thumbs up button just below the title.