Inspirational Author Keynotes at University’s Conference on disABILITY

Rebecca Alexander, award-winning author of “Not Fade Away: A Memoir of Senses Lost and Found,” will present the “town meeting” keynote address at The University of Scranton’s 14th annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on disABILITY. The “town meeting,” which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the DeNaples Center.

Alexander, who was born with Usher Syndrome Type III, has been losing her vision and hearing since she was a child, and was told that she would likely be completely blind and deaf by age 30. Now 36 years old, she is a psychotherapist, author, fitness instructor, advocate and extreme athlete who holds master’s degrees from Columbia University in both public health and clinical social work.

Alexander’s inspiring memoir, “Not Fade Away,” received an Indie Book Award and a National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Books For A Better Life Award. She has been featured on several TV talk shows and in major newspapers and magazines.

The 2015 Conference on disABILITY, titled “Vocational Rehabilitation Works,” is hosted by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies with the support of the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment. This year’s sponsors are Prudential Retirement, Allied Integrated Health System and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Additional information about Alexander’s presentation or the conference can be found at scranton.edu/disabilityconference, or by emailing the conference co-chair Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling and human services, at rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu.