First week as a communications intern at AAPD

Living in upstate New York all of my life, it was an amazing opportunity to come down to DC and work with AAPD. I have worked with people with disabilities for five years now and I will be continuing that work in the fall when I make a trip across the country to work at Camphill Communities of California. The reason I applied to AAPD for the communications internship was because I wanted experience working in a different area of disabilities and seeing how to work with people living with disabilities on another level. It’s been a week since I began my internship in the AAPD office. Working as a communications intern is something new to me. While I was in college I maintained a Facebook and group page for the Student United Way group I started on the Binghamton University campus. While I had experience walking into AAPD, I didn’t realize all the great things I still had to learn to be able to fulfill all the components of my internship. For example, I will be learning how to update and maintain a website which I never thought I would get to do. I can already tell that the experiences and skills I learn while working at AAPD I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

My first week of my AAPD internship

I arrived in Washington D.C. on Sunday May 22nd filled with enthusiasm for my internship. I knew that AAPD would offer me unique learning opportunities that will greatly impact my career development. I was eager to meet new people and network with professionals and advocates at the national level. As I pulled up to the Marvin Center at George Washington University, I knew it was going to be an amazing summer.
After a week of orientation, I got a long weekend off for Memorial Day. I celebrated the holiday by visiting the Arlington National Cemetery with a group of new friends whom I meet during orientation. There is not a more appropriate day to visit the cemetery than Memorial Day. In addition to the regular exhibits such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, there were military personnel on site representing the different branches of the military. There was also a newly established memorial for women in service of America.
On Tuesday May 31st, I reported for duty at the Administration on Developmental Disabilities where I serve as an intern for 10 weeks. After meeting my supervisor and the staff, I knew that ADD would get me exciting and valuable work experience. I was assigned to work with the ADD staff on disability issues with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF]. This assignment began with a conference focusing on various issues with TANF which will prepare me for the job. I was already somewhat familiar with TANF but this will turn out to be a new learning opportunity for me which I look forward to.

How I Got Here: The Road to the 2011 AAPD Summer Internship -- by Alec Frazier

2011 AAPD Summer Intern Alec Frazier in Front of the White House

My name is Alec Frazier, 24 at the moment, from Ithaca, New York. I am a person with disabilities and I am very proud of that, as I am proud of all facets of my character. On a day-to-day basis I live with Asperger's syndrome, a high functioning form of autism that comes coupled with, in my case, bipolar disorder, ADD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), dysgraphia, digital atonia, and facial atonia among other disorders.

When I was young I spoke before politicians, to raise funding for children in special education. My first job however, was in a library. Throughout my career I have balanced interests in library sciences and politics. On a trip to the Massachusetts State House and the historic collections library it contained, I realized that I could mix the two and go for a dream job in archiving.

The next few years of my life were focused on improving my academic standing, which paid off when I was admitted to the State University of New York's University at Buffalo. I am currently obtaining my bachelor's degree in political science, and if all goes well I will pursue a Masters in Library science/archiving.

It was at the University at Buffalo that the assistant director of disability services informed me of this internship opportunity. I love Washington, DC architecturally, culturally, historically, and politically, so I jumped at the chance. There are an infinite number of positions at which the AAPD could have placed me, and none could have suited me better than the DC Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. I have already met my supervisor, as well as gotten a general overview of what I will be doing there. I shall go more into depth about that in next week's blog.

Well, I'm beat. I have had a long day of orientation and will now prepare myself some supper. Make haste to the pizza rolls!