ORANGE LOVE, AMPUTEE COALITION PROUD

Florida fits naturally as host of the Amputee Coalition National Conference. The Sunshine State has three unofficial colors, and you can probably guess the most prominent. Orange. It represents the citrus industry. The state is second only to Brazil as the largest producer of citrus in the world. Florida oranges produce 90% of orange juice consumed in the United States.

Orange.

And orange also is the predominant color of the Amputee Coalition. At this year’s National Conference, Aug. 2-5 at Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®, it is also part of the event motif: Orange Love. Amputee Coalition Proud. Next Level. That’s because the conference will empower you to rediscover your love for yourselves, your community, and the Amputee Coalition. It will instill pride in belonging to our community. You will be inspired to take ownership of your part in moving the limb loss and limb difference community to the next level as we ELEVATE: Together Towards Tomorrow.

New this year will be the Amputee Coalition Store, where you can find all kinds of gear in orange and other colors. Orange Love will be weaved throughout the event in designs, imagery, and special activities, and you will feel it from our Amputee Coalition staff members.

This is intentional. The word most people who attended used to describe the 2022 National Conference in Palm Desert, California, was the “love” that was so pervasive. It is a love that unites, inspires, prevails, and uplifts.

We have placed our special activities on four event tracks for the 2023 Conference.

• Love Yourself (Self-Advocacy): You need tools, resources, and support to be successful in the real world, and these sessions will help you discover the self-confidence to ask for them. Self-advocacy helps people with disabilities deal with stigmas and preconceived ideas people have about our community. It encourages people living with disabilities to discover their voices and speak up when encountering prejudices and inequalities.
• Love Living (Health and Wellness): Through these sessions, you will gain the applied knowledge to increase your capabilities to lead a healthy life and improve your independence, productivity, integration, and inclusion. Addressing mental, emotional, physical, behavioral, and financial health and wellness, the content offerings provide tangible ways to increase your quality of life.
• Love the Community (Community Living): First and foremost, the National Conference is about community. These sessions will highlight the importance of people with disabilities having the same opportunities as everyone else to choose where to live, participate in society, and make decisions about their lives. Through a variety of programs, services, and initiatives provided by the Amputee Coalition, you will discover how to increase your engagement with the limb loss and limb difference community.
• Love Career Growth (Career Path Engagement): You have unique talents, skills, and abilities. This track is all about recognizing those and identifying your career path to a successful future. Tackling diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, these sessions will address what a supportive workplace should look like, what skills to attain for advancement in these environments, and how to put your best professional effort forward to achieve career growth.

Pride in our community goes hand in hand with love. So when we say Amputee Coalition Proud we’re talking about more than the organization itself. We’re talking about you and the other remarkable people who make this the premier event for the limb loss and limb difference community.

We often hear firsthand from people who found their initial connections with other amputees when they arrived at the National Conference. It is a place to tell your own story and listen to those of people who have had similar experiences. It is a great place to find out you are not alone.

And that is how you take it to the Next Level. Everyone comes to the conference in their own, individual starting place.

If you’re new to the community, you can learn from others their tips for improving your life. If you feel as though you have begun making strides in that area, you can branch out and find new activities or equipment or ideas to continue on your path. And, if you feel you are living your best life, you can make it even better by passing along your knowledge to others who need it.

That’s why we want you to come ELEVATE YOUR LOVE at the National Conference. And don’t forget to wear your orange.