DNA Discovery Panel Event Collaboration

By Marci Purcell

​On the heels of AKA and Adoption Network Cleveland's collaboration for our 2020 conference this past fall, the two groups came together once again for a DNA Discovery Panel Event. The panel, which served as AKA's large group quarterly meeting, was facilitated by Traci Onders and featured a number of people impacted by commercial testing DNA discoveries, including our very own Dawn Williamson-Scott, AKA former president and active member. Dawn, a wealth of information on many things adoption related, has been cofacilitating our DNA Discovery Peer Support Group from it's inception in September 2020. The group meets on the second Thursday of the month.

​In advance of the DNA event, Traci Onders, search specialist from ANC gave a written interview with Severance Magazine. Traci speaks eloquently about the complexities of using DNA as a search tool in finding biological family. AKA, and our long history serving the adoption community, is also mentioned in the article. During the event, the folks at AKA expressed gratitude for the invitation to work with Adoption Network Cleveland, again and hope more opportunities arise in the future.

If you are at all connected to or impacted by a DNA discovery, whether through a formal adoption search, misattributed parentage, unexpected family finding, or donor conception, please reach out to AKA. We would love to support you at our monthly DNA Discovery group, the second Thursday of the month, 7pm, central time. The meetings are held over Zoom.  RSVP to aka@adoptionknowledge.org.