WIND 30th Anniversary Celebration Oct. 7-8 at UW

A guest speaker and a screening of his award-winning film are among events scheduled for the 30th anniversary of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND) at the University of Wyoming Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 7-8.

Established in 1994, WIND assists and supports individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families and their networks by conducting research and providing training, education and information, especially related to health, education, employment and community living.

WIND is an academic unit in UW’s College of Health Sciences and a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

A special public talk and WIND’s anniversary gala are scheduled Monday, Oct. 7, in the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center.

Michelle Jarman, WIND interim director, will open the program at 3:30 p.m. with remarks from UW President Ed Seidel. A special presentation from Keith Miller, WIND’s founding director, will follow.

Educator, advocate and filmmaker Jim Warne will be the guest speaker from 4-5 p.m. A reception with appetizers and a cash bar will follow Warne’s presentation from 5-7 p.m.

A screening of Warne’s film “7th Generation” is scheduled at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the UW College of Arts and Sciences auditorium. A discussion will follow the film’s screening. Warne’s inspiration for the film comes from the “seventh generation” prophecy from Black Elk, a Lakota medicine man who lived from 1863-1950.

According to his biography, Warne is a member of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Nation. He is president of his consulting firm, Warrior Society Development (WSD) LLC. His WSD Productions company has produced several award-winning films, including “Oyáte un Itówapi - Pictures of my People,” which received three sports Emmy Award nominations, and “Decade of Dominance, The Warriors.”

Warne works with various government agencies, organizations and tribal nations.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a master’s degree from San Diego State University.

To register for WIND’s 30th anniversary event, go here. For more information about the program, go here.

For more information, call WIND at (307) 766-5060 or email Jarman at mjarman@uwyo.edu.