What: Buffalo City Honors Assembly Program with Music by Avery Gill, alumni member, to promote “Spread the Word to End the Word”

When: Friday, February 17, 2017, from 1:30 to 2 p.m.

Where: Buffalo City Honors School, 186 East North Street, Buffalo, NY (Auditorium)

Information: 

The Buffalo City Honors Assembly Program will feature a performance by Avery Gill, who graduated from City Honors' Students with Autism Rising to Success (STARS) Program. He recently realized his dream of producing his first rap album. Gill, who has been writing rap music for more than ten years, is a participant in People Inc.’s Life Quality Coaching and Arts Experience programs. He lives with a mild form of autism, but does not let that stop him from writing songs, producing his own beats and performing.

The event will also include a presentation by Frank Cammarata, executive director of the Erie County Office for People with Disabilities, describing the “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. The campaign raises awareness about the corrosive impact of using the term “retard” in casual speech and asks audiences to carefully consider their choice of words. The campaign encourages people to sign a pledge to support the elimination of the derogatory use of the r-word from everyday speech and promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

The event will also include a video presentation by City Honors students, as well as an opportunity to sign a large poster in support of “Spread the Word to End the Word” campaign. 

City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park is a college preparatory school and part of the Buffalo Public Schools system. The school was founded in 1975 for academically gifted and talented high school students.

People Inc. provides programs and services to more than 12,500 people with special needs, their families and seniors throughout Western New York and Rochester. Since 1970, People Inc. has assisted individuals to achieve greater degrees of independence and productivity. To learn more, visit people-inc.org. Like us on Facebook at People Inc. and follow us on Twitter @PeopleIncNews.