First of all, an update about my accessibility issues caused by the Secret Service; I met with a deputy chief from the Secret Service this week after I had contacted them about blocking accessible pathways and curb cuts. He was very helpful and agreed that the Secret Service needs to do a better job about not obstructing accessible pathways and informing their agents about how to handle issues if they are brought to their attention. So, as of now, all of the obstructions have been removed. YAY!
There would have been a time, even until a few years ago, when I probably would not have advocated for myself and others about accessibility issues. I think there becomes a time in the lives of most people with disabilities when they realize they need to advocate for themselves. Several factors can lead to this realization: becoming more comfortable or accepting of one’s disability, realizing you are part of a larger disability community that experiences the same issues, getting annoyed with constantly facing barriers because of your disability. Whatever the reason, I think it is important for people with disabilities to be self-advocates because they lives of people with disabilities are only going to improve if we start advocating for changes.
In other news, I saw my beloved St. Louis Cardinals play in Washington this week. They lost 10-0 to the lowly Nationals L Not a good game baseball-wise, but I still had fun going to the game with some other interns (and someone gave me a free baseball cap).
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