Journey to NOAHCON 2016:: Meeting the founder

I had numerous brief encounters with NOAH'S founder. While he made himself readily available there were just so many people to be available to so I am very grateful for the moments of meeting I had with him.

I was there relatively early at the start of it all, one the first day of the conference when things were not yet moving at break neck pace for the organisers. As a result I got to grab him for a photograph and set up an interview at his earliest convenience.  It wasn't till the end of the conference at the meet the funders session that I was able to sit with him and have a quick talk.

During our interview we discussed:

- Why you should go to a NOAH Conference.
- The reason behind the creation of the conference.

- It's importance to past, present and future attendees.

- The importance of NOAH attendance to parents of and people with albinism.

I was blessed to be able to get the entire interview on tape.

Some of the advantages to attending as suggested by the founder include:

• People with albinism experiencing life a little bit differently, the conference is a community that recognises and plans events with this in mind.
• There are other people who are going through the same thing and that community can help validate the experience of living with a rare condition.
• Attendees can gain information about the condition.
• Attendees can learn tips and tricks to help navigate the fully sighted world.
• Attendees can gain information about the services and needs of your child with albinism.
• Attendees can gain assurance that your child will grow up to be a fully functional member of society.
• Attendees can learn how to deal with the years of the unknown for your child and for yourself.

I will never be able to bullet point every reason for as the founder himself proclaims, it's hard to explain outside of experiencing it. It is my hope that my encounter with him will help all involved to learn more about the conference and gain any knowledge they might need to help make a decision as to whether they should attend or not.

I will be bold enough to suggest that the answer, more likely than not, is yes.

 My trip to the NOAH Conference 2016 was made possible by sponsorship from: The Writers Association of Grenada, Kallalou Designs, The Office of the Prime Minister and various good Samaritans who insist upon not being named.