We are pleased to welcome Damien Chacona, PWDF’s new Program Director for Public Awareness and Education. Damien has two decades of experience managing nonprofit operations, events, volunteers, and programs. He has spent much of that time working with and on behalf of people of all ages with disabilities. Damien has served as the Executive Director of KEEN San Francisco and on the Board of Directors of Access San Francisco. Damien holds a Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communications from Lycoming College and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. He is looking forward to developing new activities to increase public awareness and education about mental, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, with particular emphases on civil rights and destigmatization, as has been our mission for 18 years.

PWDF’s founder and Legal Director, Steven Bruce, presented a workshop on Social Security disability for doctors from San Francisco General Hospital on March 15, 2019.

PWDF’s Managing Attorney, Zoya Yarnykh, presented a workshop on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) overpayments, appeals, and waivers at Support for Families of Children with Disabilities on February 21, 2019.

PWDF’s Program Director for Public Awareness and Education, Damien Chacona, attended National Alliance on Mental Health’s (NAMI’s) Regional Advocacy meeting. State Senator Jim Beall was in attendance and took part in a panel discussion with NAMI advocates. Topics discussed included advocacy effectiveness, barriers to advocacy, and identifying gaps in services, as well as discussing advocacy efforts in the San Francisco Bay Area.

PWDF is available for speaking arrangements and training sessions regarding reasonable accommodations, employment, housing and other issues regarding the mentally and/or developmentally disabled population. We have particular expertise in Social Security/SSDI and SSI disability post-entitlement/eligibility issues. See our website for event updates and subscribe to our contact list for future event notifications.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest information and media updates from PWDF. For inquiries about PWDF’s Public Awareness and Education Program, please contact us at education@pwdf.org.