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���������� is happy to announce our six comics for our 31^st Annual Conference, Keeping the Focus on Recovery and Rights! They are:

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Matthew Canuteson, Policy Research Associates, Albany, NY

John Culligan, Independent Living, Inc., Middletown, NY

Eva Dech, Mental Health Empowerment Project, Albany, NY

Daniel Neal, Community Missions, Niagara Falls, NY

Joseph Swinford, Office of Mental Health, Albany, NY

Kim Taro, MHA Of the Southern Tier, Binghamton, NY

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Our comics, led by David Granirer, a counselor and stand-up comic, will perform 3-5 minute sets at our Conference, on the evening of September 11^th.

David has turned dozens of mental health consumers into stand-up comics – to get a preview of what this great night will entail, go to to see clips of his past trained comics!

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Have you registered yet? There’re only 5 weeks left until ����������’ information and inspiration packed Annual Conference this September 10-12 at the Hudson Valley Resort in Kerhonkson, NY! Register today to see these great comics from our own ���������� community, as well as attend over 74 workshop sessions! Register On-line today!

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To see a full program of the Conference, visit our website at: http://www.nyaprs.org/conferences/annual-conference/2013.cfm

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“There’s something amazing about having members of ��your community take the stage at an event and rock the house,” says Granirer. “It’s incredibly empowering and a great way of fighting public stigma. Most so-called normal people would never want to go anywhere near stand-up comedy. Seeing people with mental illness do it forces the audience to re-evaluate their perceptions of and prejudices against people who have a mental illness.”

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