Throughout the weekend, in addition to our summit opening, keynote, and closing session, we are hosting workshops in two categories: 1) Care, Creativity, and Community-Building or 2) Educational. You are welcome to attend any and all workshops, and it's fine if you change your attendance later on!
In the workshop descriptions, it will say if they are for youth, caregivers, or both. Please only attend workshops that are meant for everyone or the specific group you are a part of. Workshops with youth and caregivers will prioritize youth and Disabled voices. Caregivers who attend workshops with youth in a supportive capacity are welcome. If you have any questions or concerns about this please contact devin.goldstein@moash.org for more information.
*PLEASE NOTE: Some sessions will talk about sexual activity more frankly and in more detail than others. We have marked these sessions with an asterisk (*) so participants can take that into account when determining their interest and comfort level when selecting workshops.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19:

3-3:30pm: Opening Session
This will be the opening to the weekend summit. We will go over boundaries and expectations for the weekend, along with providing time to answer any questions. For the last 10 (ten) minutes, everyone will be put into small breakout rooms to meet other summit participants.
3:30-4:30pm: Keynote: "Sex, Pleasure & Disability" featuring Ericka Hart
*Ericka Hart (pronouns: she/they) is a black queer femme activist, writer, highly acclaimed speaker and award-winning sexuality educator with a Master’s of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University. Learn more about Ericka at: ihartericka.com. The summit theme is "Exploring Disability & Sexual Health;" in keeping with this, the keynote speaker Ericka Hart will talk about sex and pleasure. Studies have shown that many Disabled youth are given inaccurate, negative, and/or no information about their bodies and sexual pleasure. We want to change the concept that sexual health is only for one type of person or body, and acknowledge that people have sex for many different reasons, including pleasure as well as reproduction. Disabled sex and pleasure may look different and need different tools, which is why it is important for it to be talked about. Ericka’s sex education background and personal experiences are why she will speaking on this topic to youth just beginning the journey of discovering themselves and their bodies.
5:30-7pm: Advocacy For Youth
MOASH staff member Shakti Rambarran will present this workshop for youth (13-24) who want to learn more about advocacy in their lives. Please only attend this session if you are a youth - we will have a separate session around advocacy for caregivers.
7:15-8pm: Self-Care Workshop
Wind down at the end of a long week and exciting opening to the summit with a short, mindful self care session. This session will include breathing exercises, prompts for reflection, and tips/practices to lead a more mindful and aware lifestyle. Mindfulness has a wide range of benefits, including increasing personal wellbeing and improving mental and physical health. Use this session to take time to focus on yourself and your needs.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20:

10-10:45am: Spoken Word Workshop
We will distribute prompts and ideas to be used for creative writing and poetry. Some prompts will be Disability related, some will be sex ed/sexual health related, and some may be both! The goal is to promote creative thinking and expression. We will have breakout rooms for brainstorming and collaboration to create individual and/or group pieces. When the group comes back together, anyone who wants to share what they created will have the opportunity to do so.
11am-12:30pm: Advocacy For Caregivers
MOASH staff member Shakti Rambarran will present this workshop for caregivers who want to learn more about advocacy in their lives and the lives of those they care for. Please only attend this session if you are a caregiver (in any capacity) - we have a separate session around advocacy for youth (13-24).
11am-12:30pm: Sex Ed Basics
*This workshop will go over basic sex education, including but not limited to: how puberty affects AMAB (assigned male at birth), AFAB (assigned female at birth), and intersex bodies, types of relationships, boundaries, consent, hygiene, self expression, LGBTQ+ identities, and body image. This workshop will NOT directly talk about sexual activity or contraception.
1:15-2:30pm: Intersections of LGBTQ+ Identities
We'll be discussing how disability can affect how one sees and perceives their internal experiences with their gender, gender dysphoria, euphoria and identity, as well as how the combination of gender and ability affect external factors in their lives such as resources that will be available to them and how society often treats them. This is a youth (13-24) only session - if you are not a youth, please only attend if you are doing so in a supportive capacity of a youth participant.
3-4pm: Panel: Exploring Sexuality While Disabled
*We will have four Disabled panelists, including Alex Dacy (@wheelchair_rapunzel) and Andrew Gurza (@andrewgurza_). The panelists will answer questions around their experiences with discovering their own sexualities and having relationships as Deaf, Disabled, and Neurodivergent people.
4:30-5:30pm: Sex Ed Specifics
*In this workshop, participants will get the questions they submit answered alongside learning about: types of sexual activity and how to be safe, available contraceptives and the situations in which they are used, how sex can impact relationships, and consent specific to sex. This workshop WILL directly talk about sexual activity and contraception.
4:30-5:30pm: Panel: Consent and Caregiving
*This panel will be a mix of Disabled youth and adults, including Shelby Lynch (@shelbykinsxo), with a range of caregiving needs and experiences who will answer questions about consent in relation to around sex, hygiene, puberty, becoming independent, living alone and more.
6-7pm: Adaptive Intimacy
*In this workshop, we will discuss how Disabled bodies experience pleasure and ways to maximize pleasure alone or with a partner(s). We will discuss how sexual aids and toys can improve intimate experiences, along with the variety of communication techniques that will support consent and conversations about what works best for each individual's abilities and pleasure. This workshop WILL specifically discuss sexual activity and sexual aids.
8-10:15pm: "Crip Camp" Documentary and Discussion
We will show the documentary "Crip Camp" from 8-9:45pm and then discuss the movie and our experiences in connection to the movie for 30 minutes. To learn more about the documentary go to: cripcamp.com

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21:

9-10am: DanceAbility
DanceAbility movement improvisation can be high-energy or slow and gentle, so come as you are. This class is for people with and without disabilities, with and without formal dance training, to collaborate and create dynamic dance together. Workshops are taught through Detroit Disability Power by Cara Graninger, a certified DanceAbility instructor. To learn more about DanceAbility go to: www.detroitdisabilitypower.org/danceability
10:15-11:15am: Sexual Health Advocacy in Medical Settings
*Learn how to navigate medical appointments, sexual health clinics, genital specific care, contraceptive, STI testing and treatment as a Disabled youth. Get questions about any of these topics, or any topic relating to sexual health in a medical setting, answered. This session WILL directly talk about contraceptives, medical exams, and genitals.
11:30am-12:30pm: Erasing STIgma
*Learn about the impacts that chronic STIs can have on and individual's health, how to treat them, and how to prevent them. This workshop WILL directly talk about safer sex methods, medical exams, and genitals.
1-2:15pm: Recognizing and Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
*This interactive workshop will be geared towards expanded awareness of intimate and domestic partner violence within the Disabled community. With the goal of prevention, including definitions, warning signs, resources (in Michigan and nationally), and an opportunity for audience questions. This workshop WILL talk about types and signs of abuse.
3-4pm: Art Expression Workshop
Express yourself through artistic prompts related to the Disabled experience. This workshop will give youth participants the opportunity to reflect on artistic prompts around Queer, BIPOC, and Disabled communities. Participants will have the option to go into breakout rooms to collaborate. At the end of the workshop participants will have the opportunity to share what they created throughout the workshop, if they want to.
3-4pm: Talking to Your Disabled Kids about Sex
*This workshop is for caregivers to learn from each other and Disabled adults about how to best approach the topics of sex and sexual health with the youth they care for.
4:30-5:30pm: Reproductive Care, Pregnancy, and Disability
*This will be a workshop on the intersections of reproductive care and disability. Participants will learn about the options they have to parent as Disabled people, along with the reproductive and pregnancy care available to them now and in the future. This workshop WILL talk about contraceptives, safer sex supplies, medical exams, and sex as it relates to reproduction.
6-7pm: Closing Session
All participants will come back together for this closing circle event, where we will reflect on the weekend.

Past Events

Want to learn more about past MOASH events? Then browse our archived event pages below.

Fundraiser: Score for Youth Access

MY Parent Awareness Day

Access Summit

MY Consent Month

YouTHRIVE Teen Parent Summit