Monday, July 16, 2012

Proud to be Working!


Proud to be Working



This week was very meaningful to me, because it signaled the beginning of my long awaited internship.    I am working for the Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.  Although I cannot talk about my job, I can say that I love what I am doing, and that as a person with disabilities, nothing feels better to me than to wake up in the morning after a good night’s sleep, put on a business suit, head to the metro, then walk in to work.  I am excited to find out what each new day holds, and what tasks I will be given to accomplish.  This week I sat in on several senate hearings; the one for CRPD, and also one on the federal recognition of American Indian tribes.   The CRPD hearing gave me hope that we are closer to seeing the ratification of the treaty.  As for the Indian tribes, they talked about the long, painstaking process of petitioning for federal recognition, a process that can take three and one half decades, is very expensive, and can have unexpected outcomes. Tribe leaders and other advocates testified and asked Congress to intervene.

I enjoyed the visiting attractions this weekend.  On Friday I went to the National Aquarium, and got to see pirahnas, electric eels, and baby alligators, among other aquatic life.  The electric eel gives off a 750 volt charge, which is equal to the electrical rail on the metro.  Afterwards, I walked past the Smithsonian Castle to the Hirshorn Museum of Art.  A lot of the pieces were interactive, and made you part of the art itself.  I appreciate this, as I used to volunteer with a program called Art Goes to School, and I was always looking for interactive ways to engage students in art appreciation.  I ended the day at the Museum of Air and Space, checking out vintage planes and the history of the airline industry before catching an IMAX movie on the Hubble Space Telescope.  I walked so much, I broke my favorite flip flops and had to hobble home.  I suffered for art, and it was worth it.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Commenters must avoid profanity, harsh language and disparaging remarks on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability. All comments to the blog are moderated by AAPD, and can be subject to removal at any time.

Please use the comments section to engage in the ongoing dialogue between our program funders, current and former interns, our colleagues, and the broader disability community, and to respond to intern posts that intrigue you, to share your own stories, or to simply express your gratitude for being allowed into the world of our summer interns.