“Private Practice” Star, Amy Brenneman, Advocates for Special Needs Students at TASH Conference.

TASH, a nonprofit advocate for inclusion and human rights of persons with significant disabilities, announces actress Amy Brenneman will be among keynote speakers during the 2012 TASH Conference in Long Beach, Calif., November 28-December 1, 2012. Brenneman, best known for her performances in a number of notable television series, including her current role as Violet in the ABC series Private Practice, will be speaking to attendees of the TASH Conference as a parent and an advocate for children with disabilities. Brenneman has been an important voice against segregated models of education and has promoted fully inclusive schools, such as CHIME Institute in Woodland Hills, Calif., where her children attend.

The TASH Conference annually attracts more than a thousand members and supporters of the disability community to learn, grow and advance human rights and inclusion. TASH, whose work over the past 37 years has significantly advanced inclusive education around the nation, believes Brenneman’s public standing and tenacious advocacy will help build inclusive communities in which everyone is welcomed and respected.

“Having just produced an event for the fabulous CHIME Institute where my children attend, I am ever more committed to providing an inclusive education for every child. The research shows that children with and without disabilities thrive when educated together, and serves as a model for the community at-large,” said Brenneman. “I am thrilled to be part of the TASH Conference to learn even more about blazing the trails for inclusion.”

The TASH Conference will feature more than 150 sessions, workshops, films and training opportunities on inclusive education, employment, community living, diversity and cultural competency, human rights and other topics. Learn more about the 2012 TASH Conference at www.tash.org/2012TASH.