Taking a passion to a panel at SXSW12

It would be magical if I could just share my brain and it would auto publish... There are so many ideas I hold in my brain that I wish I could get out into a computer screen for dozens of blog posts. Lately I've thought a lot about a panel I'm helping lead at SXSW next month in Austin. Most of my friends assumed I was holding a panel about journalism. It's certainly one of the parts of my life where I spend a lot of time talking about and teaching. But this is SXSW. I needed to share an even more specialized sector of my world. I decided to see if it was possible to blend my love of tech and social engagement with my love of the special needs communities.

And that's exactly what I'm doing next month. I'm holding a session called Tech Unity Beyond the #SpecialNeeds Hashtag. Communities connecting on Twitter using the special needs hashtag is awesome... But there are other ways we can share. So many different sectors of the special needs world have their own circles. The challenge is, so many of these communities are discovering similar ways to help kids and adults succeed. The trick is getting the communication out there. It's much easier said than done! So I'm calling EVERYONE who has a connection to the tech world or special needs world to come together and help us brainstorm. Spread the word, let me know if you can help. I would love to be able to share video perspectives or comments during the session. Here's my YouTube video explaining the project: