Guidelines for DSAH Financial Support CDSS Conference 2018 – Down Syndrome Association of Hamilton

Guidelines for DSAH Financial Support

This post presents the guidelines that the Down Syndrome Association of Hamilton (DSAH) will implement to provide financial support (National Conference Bursary) to members interested in attending the National Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) Conference in HAMILTON, Ontario, in 2018.

The conference will run from May 18 to 20, 2018. The CDSS Early Bird registration prices will end on April 30^th, 2018. The deadline to express your interest in attending the conference is April 20^th, 2018 provided there are bursaries remaining until then.

Please note that while you are welcome to register at any time, you are not guaranteed a bursary until you have been notified via email by DSAH.

Member Qualifications
To qualify for the National Conference Bursary, members must:

Have a current and in good standing (paid) membership with DSAH and
Be an active member, that is you participate in functions of DSAH regularly.

NOTES:

Your DSAH membership is a “Joint Membership” making you a member of CDSS -use the Members Rate.
Memberships fees (2017-18) must be paid before approval of the bursary to be eligible for this financial support (due date is January 1st).
If you want to know the status of your membership, whether it is up-to-date or requires renewal, please email Alyson Kowalchyk, Membership Director, at membership@dsah.ca

National Conference Bursary – Family Membership

The Down Syndrome Association of Hamilton will cover only the cost of the CDSS Early Bird Member Registration Rate for 10 members (one per family). Members must pay for their registration and provide a receipt to be reimbursed.

NOTE: Up-front funds can be made available for members who have a legitimate concern or are unable to pay for the registration themselves. Please consult with us.

National Conference Bursary – Self Advocate Membership

A separate SELF ADVOCATE BURSARY is available for members with
Down syndrome age 18+ wishing to attend the conference. Please note that given the conference is in Hamilton and that there is programming available for the self-advocate group, the cost of a support person will not be covered by DSAH. However, this should NOT stop a parent/caregiver (who is a member) from accessing one of the 10 Family Membership Bursaries.

There is no limit to the number of Self Advocate Bursaries that DSAH will give out for the conference in 2018. Please note that ONLY the cost of CDSS EARLY BIRD MEMBER RATE will be covered by the Self Advocate Conference Bursary.

Also, the programming for self-advocates during the conference fills up VERY quickly so we suggest registration as soon as it is possible.

DEADLINE to apply for the National Conference Bursary 2017

To be considered for either of the above bursaries, you must send an email confirming your interest to Jennifer Crowson, DSAH Chair, by emailing jencrowson2@gmail.com no later than April 20^th, 2018.

The first 10 eligible families who express their interest will receive a note back confirming their eligibility for the bursary. Any self advocate wishing to participate will be covered for the EARLY BIRD MEMBER RATE so long as an email is received no later than April 20^th, 2018.

While you are welcome to register at any time, you are not guaranteed a bursary until you have been notified via email. In the spirit of fairness and inclusion, preference for bursaries may be given to those families who have not used the National Conference bursary in the past.

Some exceptions to the above guidelines may be made to the discretion of the Executive Board.

Please contact Jennifer Crowson at jencrowson2@gmail.com if you have any concerns.

Registration Information

You can find information regarding the registration for the upcoming conference by clicking the link below:

Your DSAH Team.