Life Long Achievement Award
Jean Bowen was the Executive Director of Western CT
Association for Human Rights (WeCAHR) for 28 years.
WeCAHR is an advocacy Arc and cross-disability organization
assisting children and adults with all disabilities and focused
on support and rights in school districts and in public and
private agencies. This innovative Arc assists thousands of
individuals and families with their special education school
meetings and provides training to help parents understand
their role and rights under federal and state laws. Jean
organized litigation to pursue closure of the state institution
Messier v. Southbury Training School and managed
advocacy projects at this institution and the former Fairfi eld
Hills Hospital. As Executive Director she developed home ownership in
Danbury, CT in an inclusive condominium community for individuals
with disabilities in partnership with the public housing authority.
She founded a collaboration of non-profi ts to stimulate housing and
home ownership for underserved individuals. Ms. Bowen served as
state advisor of People First of CT, Inc. for over 20 years and assisted
the development of the self advocacy movement and 14 chapters of
People First, including a chapter at the state institution. She organized
self-advocates around policy and legislation and recently aided in the
adoption of criminal penalties in hate crimes. She was national advisor
to SABE, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered for 6 years. Ms. Bowen
is on the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation and a
member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, CT.

Executive Excellence Award
Richard P. Swierat has worked with individuals with
intellectual and developmental disabilities since 1975 and
has been executive director of Westchester Arc for the past 25
years. A widely respected speaker, Richard has presented at
state and national meetings on such topics as guardianship,
quality metrics, corporate compliance, person-centered
planning in residential and vocational services, board
training, family advocacy and the development and
management of direct service worker career systems. He
is deeply committed to Westchester Arc’s self-advocacy
movement, and was a driving force behind the creation of
the agency’s Customer Service Council—its fi rst board-
level group comprised of individuals with developmental disabilities
regularly joins the council for meetings, and ensures that their input
directly impacts agency decisions, strategies and operations. Mr. Swierat
is an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University’s Ancell
School of Business in Danbury, Connecticut. He is on the staff of the
graduate school of health care management. On behalf of the university,
he has taught in the Bahamas as a member of the systems change
team for health care organizations. He has a master’s degree in special
education from the State University College at Buffalo and is currently
pursuing a Ph.D. in administration and decision management sciences
at Walden University.
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