H C B A P R E S I d E N T ’ S M E S S A G E J a c q u e l i n e A . S i m m s - P e t r e d i s –
B u r r & F o r m a n , L L P
HcBaaddsneurodiversityawareness toitstoolkit
neurodivergentencompassesalargegroupofindividuals , including personswithautism , learningdisabilities , intellectualdisabilities andpsychiatricdisabilities , amongothers .
Wow ! We have already started off 2023 strong ! Hopefully those of you reading this were also able to attend the HCBA diversity Membership luncheon in January . Our programs chair , Ciara Willis , really knocked it out of the park with our keynote speaker , Haley Moss .
Haley , admitted to the Florida Bar in 2019 , is the first documented openly Autistic lawyer in the state of Florida . As an attorney , author ( she has written four books !) and artist , she has been able to advocate on behalf of disability inclusion and neurodiversity across the world .
If you are asking yourself what “ Neurodiversity ” means , you are probably not alone . Haley ’ s presentation included a phenomenal PowerPoint that defined it as “ a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation .” Neurodivergent encompasses a large group of individuals , including persons with autism , learning
continuedonpage9
HCba Diversity Membership Luncheon Keynote Speaker Haley Moss
8 J a n - f e b 2 0 2 3 | H C b a L a W Y e R