Monday, March 8, 2010 9:30 am
Eliminating Stereotypes: Words Matter!
This presentation will address the changes in our society, laws, and disability advocacy that have altered public awareness and knowledge of disability issues. Old attitudes and stereotypes die hard and there is still much advocacy needed to ensure that every person, regardless of ability, is treated with dignity and respect.
About the Speaker
John Hockenberry joined NBC in 1996 as a correspondent for Dateline NBC and continued to report for NBC through 2005. During his nine-year tenure, he matched the three Peabody Awards already received for his radio work with three Emmys for stories on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the horrors and redemption of a life with schizophrenia, and a gripping profile of corrupt cult leader Fredrick Lenz. Hockenberry conducted the first and only candid on-camera interview with a family member of two of the 9/11 hijackers in February 2002.
Hockenberry’s work has included an hour-long documentary on the tragedy of the medically uninsured and his investigative work has scrutinized pharmaceutical industry scandals and discrimination against people with disabilities in employment and housing.
While covering breaking news at home and overseas, Hockenberry was also part of live, interactive storytelling segments that allowed the television audience to participate for the first time in a story in real-time. Hockenberry is also the author of “Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence,” a memoir of life as a foreign correspondent and overcoming personal challenges. In 1996, Hockenberry performed “Spokeman,” the one-man, off-Broadway show based on his book. “A River Out of Eden” followed and was Hockenberry’s first novel.
Hockenberry has also reported for The New York Times, The Washington Post Columbia Journalism Review, Metropolis Magazine, Wired, and NPR where the series, The DNA Files received an unprecedented two Peabodys in the same year.
Video
