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RIPLEY - People First of West Virginia, a statewide self-advocacy organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, will hold its 33rd annual Self-Advocacy Conference Sept. 9-11, 2026, at Cedar Lakes Conference Center in Ripley.
The conference was originally scheduled to take place at Jackson's Mill 4-H Camp near Jane Lew, but was relocated after recent flooding made the middle school unusable. Lewis County Schools has leased Jackson's Mill through May for classes, prompting organizers to move the conference to Cedar Lakes.
Sean McElwee, a cast member of the Emmy Award-winning A&E television series “Born This Way,” will be the keynote speaker.
McElwee, who has Down syndrome, has built a career and a life around determination and self-advocacy. He pursued acting after being told he couldn’t continue in his high school drama program and lives independently in his own apartment with the support of staff who help him carry out his own decisions.
He also is an entrepreneur, an accomplished athlete across several sports and a frequent public speaker who travels the country sharing his story.
People First of West Virginia is funded by the West Virginia Developmental Disabilities Council and supported by the Sister's Health Foundation. It operates as a program of The Arc of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
The organization is run statewide by and for self-advocates, with local chapters across West Virginia, including a Ripley chapter that meets on the third Monday of the month. Chapters give people with intellectual and developmental disabilities a voice in their communities and opportunities to build leadership skills, friendships, and independence.
The three-day conference will bring together self advocates from across West Virginia for sessions and activities all voted on by the self advocates focused on empowerment, leadership and community building. This year's theme is Freestylin' to Self-Advocacy.
For more information about the conference or joining or supporting a People First chapter, go to https://thearcmov.org/peoplefirstwv/ or the organization’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/peoplefirstwv.