The main organizer of the historic psychOUT international conference in Toronto in May 2010, was Bonnie Burstow, PhD, on the faculty of University of Toronto. Dr. Burstow says, “We were absolutely delighted with David’s presentation.”
I am Dr. Bonnie Burstow, faculty member at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto and chair of a historic conference called “PsychOut” — the first conference to focus exclusively on resisting psychiatry.
Occurring on May 7 and 8, 2010, among other things, this conference featured four keynotes, of which David Oaks was one.
We were absolutely delighted with David’s presentation. It was informative. It was highly focussed. It was delivered in an engaging way. It was inclusive, reaching out to all parts of the community which unite to challenge psychiatry. We would not hesitate to have David present again.
This is a talented man who is thoughtful about his activism, who has been a central member of this movement for a long long time, who has reflected deep on his activism, and who knows what he is doing and what he is talking about.
I would add as well, as the person ultimately in charge, I had a number of dealings with David before, during, and, after the conference. Besides being an very knowledgeable actor, a visionary, and a world class speaker, David Oaks is a team player.
He proved this in a number of ways before, during, and after the conference — getting slides etc. to us in a timely fashion, helping resolve disputes that arose in the plenary, coming to our aid in the media battle that ensued.
I can wholeheartedly recommend David. For me, not only hearing David speak but seeing how he conducts himself and getting to know him better was one of the highlights of the conference. He does not disappoint.