Candor - formerly ASAC

07/08/2025

CANDOR: July Newsletter

Patty Berne: In Memory

07/01/2025

November 12-13 2025 Conference
CALL FOR PRESENTERS
Share your voice with us at our Annual Conference

CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION: Living in an ableist society pressures disabled individuals to be a perpetual advocate, silently mask, and live with denied autonomy. On top of that there is an expectation of fitting social criteria perfectly in order to receive humanity, care and consideration from bureaucratic systems that were created to gatekeep resources from everyone. It can be difficult to navigate and engage in community led movements to acquire and preserve our rights with accessibility concerns. The access to rest, joy and play has also been limited to those with societal privilege but they are all important balancers to recover energy. The goal for this two day conference is to share strategies for both resistance and restoration. This conference has been designed by Autistic, Neuro-eclectic, Chronically-ill and Disabled people and centers own-voices presenters.

Alt text- CANDOR logo, CANDOR in multiple colors, below in white Chronically Ill, Autistic, Neuro-Eclectic Disabled Organization for Reclaimation
"Annual conference November 12-13, 2025
Theme: Resourcing in Radical Resistance/Restoration
Open Call For Submissions From Chronically Ill, Autistic, Neuro-Eclectic/Neurodivergent Presenters Until July 15, 2025
Submit through Google Form Link in Description"

Presenter Interest Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0HaXahKU5eoiogus1G7C122qnA1UayvgCCbrCcQ_VPXwmZw/viewform?usp=dialog

06/27/2025

CANDOR: Help Build Disabled Futures

06/25/2025

Embers & Echoes: A Truths-Telling

06/20/2025

Our June Newsletter has just dropped!

https://wix.to/iFaNb9F

Embers & Echoes: A Truths-Telling

06/13/2025

You're Invited!! Please RSVP through link below for our Second Meeting of a Disability Justice Group, facilitated by Hannah Shumaker and Lou Jent
(90 minutes), on Zoom
RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/3nXRsjzZVDb9U8Sf7

The group is a collective that aims to connect disabled folks in Durham with each other, build an interdependent community, and advance disability justice together. In a once-monthly social gathering, participants can meet other disabled people and discuss disability justice.

The group is for any adult age 18+ who identifies as part of the disability community. We are committed to cross-disability solidarity among disabled people. Caregivers, aides, support people, and allies are welcome to come as companions.

What accessibility features does the group offer?
We strive to be as inclusive as possible. This group is all volunteer run, and we’re unable to provide support staff, but you’re welcome to bring a support person along. For virtual meetings we can use any requested Google Meet accessibility features. If you have an access need we might be able to accommodate, please email me at [email protected]

05/31/2025

Embers & Echoes // May 30, 2025

So grateful to and for making this event possible!

Thank you to all of the performing artists for sharing your stories, poems, and songs. This was a vulnerable and expanding experience - a reclamation and a reckoning in the face of erasure, exclusion, and ableism. Thank you.

Thank you to
for donating their "We Will Not Be Silenced" candle in solidarity.

Thank you to
for providing beautiful arrangements!

Thank you to everyone who attended, in-person and virtually!

This WILL happen again!

05/30/2025

Embers & Exhoes is tonight!
Details in bio and tickets thru link in bio!

MC: Khalisa Rae

Performing Artists:
Matt G.
Lou Jent
LB
Delphine Andrews
Danny Whitty
River Hedgepeth
Sarah Rizzuto
Nik Narain
Blakely Blackford
Alanna Catalina Heitman
Destiny "Desy" Whitaker

05/29/2025

Embers & Echoes
Community Health Precautions

As a Disabled-led organization, we move from the understanding that access is complex, relational, and rooted in trust — not control.

We know that for many immunocompromised individuals, and many in our communities who caretake alongside them, wearing a mask is an essential layer of protection, not only against COVID-19, but many other communicable diseases, and asking others to mask can be essential for their well-being.

We also know that for others in our community, such as...

people with asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,

people with PTSD, claustrophobia, or significant anxiety,

people with significant sensory sensitivities,

and/or people who use their mouths to operate assistive tech for mobility and/or communication,
.. wearing a mask isn’t safe, possible, or accessible.

We will not create policies that erase the complexities of Disabled life. We will not, at this time, issue blanket “masks required” rules because we cannot trade one form of access for another.

Instead, we work to build a culture of consent, collective responsibility, and interdependence - with compassion and without assumptions. We ask people to communicate needs, offer options, and make decisions rooted in the multiplicity of experience and community care.

With this in mind, our Community Health Precautions include:

- asking you not to attend if you are sick - fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough, vomiting, diarrhea

- encouraging masking and having KN-95 masks on-site, which we will offer folks as they arrive

- providing hand sanitization stations

- having COVID-19 tests available on site (Thank you and )

- running an H13 HEPA filtered air purifier

- providing moveable seating, so attendees can place them at a distance they feel most comfortable (we can assist), which can include by an open door

- offering virtual participation, registration required to receive zoom link (register through link in bio)

- providing microphone covers for performing artists / MC

05/27/2025

Embers & Echoes is THIS Friday! This inagural truths-telling event will feature the the brilliant voices of:

Khalisa Rae (MC)
Lou Jent
Sarah Rizzuto
Blakely Blackford
Alanna Catalina Heitman
Danny Whitty
Destiny "Desy" Whitaker
Nik Narain
Matt G.
Delphine Andrews
River Hedgepeth

Themes: Autonomy, Resistence, Interdependence, and Liberation

Hosted by CANDOR (Chronically-ill, Autistic, Neuroeclectic, Disabled Organization for Reclamation), this hybrid event offers the follow accessibility features:

- Masks Encouraged, and provided on-site
- ASL and Closed Captions provided
- Seating provided
- Ramp access from rear parking lot (gravel), zero-entry from front door (small threshold), zero-entry stage
- Large, single-stall bathroom, small threshold, gender neutral
- Live streamed, register to receive link
- Content Warnings

🌀 Location: Perfect Lovers, 2823 N Roxboro St, Durham / Online
🌀 Tickets: candornc.org/embers-echoes
🌀 Suggested Donation: $10 (no one turned away)

05/25/2025

Lakewood Social is donating TEN PERCENT of all sales EVERY Tuesday ALL DAY through the month of MAY!

CANDOR staff will be at Lakewood Social each Tuesday in May from 5-7pm to be available for questions and deeper conversations.
1920 Chapel Hill Rd, Durham

This Tuesday, May 27th, Azrael Burton and T Land will be there to answer any of your questions about our Education and Advocacy work - including our annual conference, Autistic Perspective Series, workshops, and consultations. Learn more about how we are doing things differently in this space and why it is imperative that this work is done by Autistic, Neurovaried, Chronically-ill, and/or Disabled people.

See you there!