This first week in D.C. has been one of the busiest weeks of my life. I arrived to D.C. on Sunday and have been on the go since. Although this week has been crazy, I have learned so much not only about my self as an individual with a disability but also about my colleges that are apart of the Internship program as well. Additionally, I had the chance to meet some great individuals like Claudia Gorton, Senior Policy Advisor, US Department of Homeland Security, who was the first deaf women of color attorney. Along with Pat Wright, Former Director of Governmental Affairs for disability Rights, who gave a moving speech about the disability movement. This week we also learned a lot about disability identity and history. Before coming here I was completely unaware of the awful history for people with disabilities. Additionally, Joseph Shapiro’s book, No Pity, also shed light on a lot of disability history along with telling the stories of others and their experiences of people with disabilities. After sitting through orientation this week, it is evident that the disability movement has come a long way, with things like the passing of the ADA but there is still work to be done. It is up my generation and future generations to fight for people with disabilities so that we can achieve not only equality in the work place but also better way of life.
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