Galloway, N.J. — About 250 high school students with disabilities from throughout southern New Jersey attended the 16th annual Dare to Dream Student Leadership Conference on campus on May 28.

Stockton’s Learning Access Program (LAP), in collaboration with the state Department of Education’s Office of Special Education, presented the conference, which featured presentations from accomplished students and adults with disabilities who have demonstrated exemplary self-advocacy and leadership skills, said LAP Director Anthony Thomas.

“The conference program also included a variety of breakout sessions that provided attendees with opportunities to gain insight into the transition planning process for a successful future,” Thomas said. “High school students also participated in workshops led by their peers who are developing their own leadership skills.”

Some of the breakout sessions included “Student-Centered IEP (Individualized Education Program) Prep” and “Work Readiness Jeopardy: Getting and Keeping a Job.” The students also listened to a keynote speech by Josh Turbiak, a critical care transport nurse/paramedic/educator in North Jersey who has attended several previous Dare to Dream Student Leadership Conferences. Turbiak graduated from Seton Hall University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and is currently enrolled in Seton Hall’s Nurse Practitioner program.

One of the student keynote speakers was Emily Muldowney, a Southern Regional High School sophomore who has Tourette Syndrome. She spoke to the audience about her struggles with the disorder, which causes her to have involuntary tics, repetitive movements or vocal cursing “like an itch you just can’t scratch.”

“It is something I absolutely cannot control and learning to navigate the world with it has taught me everything I know about finding my own voice,” she said.

But she said the most difficult part of having the disorder isn’t its symptoms, it’s how other people react to them.

“In school, I’ve had to face a lot of bullying. I’ve been called weird, and I’ve even had people ask me if there’s a demon inside of me,” she said. “For a long time, those cruel words just made me want to stay quiet, hide away and try to blend in. But I quickly realized that staying quiet doesn’t help the world understand, and it doesn’t help me grow.”

She had to learn how to advocate and stand up for herself, explain her needs and hold her head up high even when people were unkind.

“Once I started to find my voice, the power shifted,” she said.

Now, she wants to become an advocate for those who have Tourette’s and use her love of animals to go to college and become a veterinarian. She has become an accomplished public speaker and has testified in front of state legislators on behalf of the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders.

“If I could just leave you with one piece of advice today — be your own biggest cheerleader. Never let someone else’s ignorance define who you are, and don’t be afraid to ask for the tools, time or the understanding you need to succeed,” she said.

The Learning Access Program is Stockton’s disability support services office. Its role is to educate, advocate and facilitate equal access while maintaining a welcoming, inclusive and accessible campus community. The program engages in an interactive process with each student to determine appropriate accommodations on an individualized case-by-case, class-by-class basis. For more information, call 609-652-4988 or email lap@stockton.edu.

-- Story by Mark Melhorn, photos by Susan Allen