Blog 10-Inching closer to the end

The clock is ticking, and I just can’t believe it. This program has been an incredible experience, and I know there’s still a week left, but the JFA event made it seem all so official. I’ve made so many great memories, met so many awesome people, and learned so much. Life changes so much in a few months, indeed. I think what I’ll take away from this internship experience are the ever changing professionalism, an increased eye for detail, and a greater understanding of when to take a risk and when to take a stop back. I have always struggled with creating a balance in my life, I oscillated between two extremes, either flying around and doing anything and everything or sitting alone and philosophizing. I’m beginning to see what life is like in the world of Washington, and I am eternally grateful to this program for the opportunity to explore and let me develop my own process, I don’t need someone to tell me what to do. Guidance and support are appreciated and necessary, but I need to blaze my own trail, and I got a taste of what I’d like to do, and yes, a return to Washington may be a part of that. Stay tuned for more updates on Hamza Inc. Work is going well, and we’re all reaching critical mass right now for the preparation of the National Diversity Forum, a project our office has been working on for close to three years now. It’s supposed to be a conference examining the intersections of disability, diversity and business, and we’re bringing leaders from everywhere in to help lay the groundwork for a sustainable plan for greater disability employment. I can’t wait to work behind the scenes at this awesome event, and it’ll be fun to see all the work we put in come to fruition.

No Rest for the Weary

It is a Sunday afternoon and I am sitting at my desk in the office and working: yes working on a Sunday: on god’s day of rest. We were supposed to come into the office over the weekend, but later there was an e-mail sent out saying that we did not have to show up. I did not get the e-mail, so here I am. But I am not complaining. It is very quiet here, and the condition is just right to do some work. Now I can write this blog entry and finish up my roundtable plan for Monday.

Today I did some research for my supervisor on the latest debt ceiling plan. It is Sunday July 31^st and it looks like there might be an eleventh hour plan out there. We do not know the details, as it is still being negotiated, but there are lot of sound bites, speculations, and roomers out there. So we have been scrambling and trying to piece it all together and figure out what might be the final agreement. The Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell along with the speaker of the House John Boehner, have come to an agreement with President Obama on a debt ceiling plan. It looks like it would include increasing the debt ceiling and cutting spending without generating new revenue. It is a two-step process that would immediately increase the debt ceiling by one trillion dollars, while cutting spending by the same amount. It would also form a bipartisan super-committee of members of Congress that would come up with additional 1.8 trillion dollars in spending cuts and increase the debt ceiling by an additional 1.4-2 trillion dollars by Thanks Giving. The agreement would include a trigger mechanism that would automatically cut spending from Defense and Medicare, if congress could not come up with additional spending cuts. Later congress would pass a Balanced Budget Amendment by a super majority or 38 of the states would adopt a balanced budget amendment. The deal is very complicated and we do not yet know all the details. So do not get too excited, because as they say, the devil is in the details.

This week has been hectic because of the debt ceiling issue, and I have been answering the phones for the first time. That has been the hardest part. Now I can confidently say that I have seen it all. I have been complemented, I have been cursed, I have been hung up on, and I have been told that I should be fired. Never mind the fact that I have no control around here, that I am not paid so that I cannot be fired, and that I cannot respond to people’s complaints with my own thoughts..

As I get near to the end of my internship I am both sad and excited. I am sad that I will have to leave Washington DC and end my internship, but on the other hand, I am excited to go back to my own place in Colorado and start school again. This internship has been a great experience and I am very much thankful for it, and to all the people that made it happen: that includes my supervisor, all the people in my office and all the AAPD staff and sponsors.

10th Week, 10th Blog

Dear Mom,

For all the conversations I wished to have, washed away in root beer bottles somewhere along the Pacific Rim. Maybe one day a sweet sailor will find my dreams.

We were close when I was a young turtle, but now I am on my own. I swam great distances in foreign waters with enemy creatures.

Take my trophies and awards, they mean nothing to me. Empty shells of praise going out in public, but back home a different set of waves brink.

You used to rock me in your arms with a white cotton blanket while singing children songs that were quick to put me to sleep.

I had to age. I had to grow. Now that you are gone there is so much more I wanted to know: ironing clothes, cooking recipes, wearing makeup and dating advice.

Everyday I journey out to see you. Anxiously waving my white banner into the darkness while mosquitoes snipped at my skin. I wait, but you never come.

Here are my dog tags and uniforms in a brown beaten up cardboard box. I left you to fight in war. You never understood or agreed, but I respect that.

Here are my journals. If you would like to feel how I view the world read my collection of poems, plays, stories and songs.

“A Poem’s Worth”

Penny a poem
penny a play
penny a story
penny a song.

One day I’ll be rich-
holes in my socks and
pants pockets.

Ching, chang
Splat!

I don’t hear them fall or
see them sprinkling the ground.

I’ll just stay on this corner
working my hands
with my figure eight
shaped guitar and
black ink
playing with words.

Penny the poet
penny the writer
penny us all.

-Krista Dora

Dear Sarah,

I remember waking up in the middle of the night fetching you a warm bottle of milk. Bringing it to your crib I snugged you in blankets and played the music so the ballerina would dance in the pink box.

I fed you cheerios one by one with my fingers, also with a spoon entering your tiny mouth I made train and car sounds. You had a pink and white bib with the words “Double Trouble.”

I read you different books of adventure with animals and people. Amazed at the colorful pictures that popped off the page grabbed your attention.

Blowing bubbles on your belly button and in chocolate milk were some of our favorite times. Laughter graced the air and happiness filled the room.

So much I left behind, but never forgotten. I don’t know where we are now, but at least I have these few memories to keep.

Love always your sister,
Krista

One Week Left!

Alright, so this is my second to last week - I wanted to take this time to thank everyone so much for the opportunity to be up here in The District to lear the ways of the American government and bureaucracy. Simply being up here to get a feel of the culture, would have been enought - but I got so much more... I was able to make new friends, grow in my faith, and exchange ideas with people around me!

As this second to last week comes to a close, the spending crisis is coming to a deadline - so this coming week should be interesting to see if they will not come up with a plan before the deadline. Knowing how we operate in America, it will be at the last minute of the final day. But, it will be ever-so-interesting to watch come down to the second!

This week, we also got the chance to be recognized in fron the our community for being esteemed students and set-apart leaders. I'm so grateful to be blessed with such a great vision for not only myself but for those around me - for my country! To see our country get back on track and continue to move forward in the ways which make American exceptional. I was a little bit taken-a-back by the comencement speech given at the ADA Celebration by AAPD; when The Obama Administration came to not only tout healthcare legislation and "community living," but to campaign for the 2012 elections. There were a few things that raised red flags and made questions run through my mind... but all-in-all each person is entitled to their own opinion, be that your opinion falls within the majority of a group or you are the sole supporter on the opposite side.

I am very thankful for the bi-partisanship that AAPD has put up, me being a disabled person allows some experiences to be relateable but as a conservative Evangelical Christian who is a farmer from The Dixie Southland created a gap of understanding between some of the interns and I (even the certain staff members of AAPD), in the wake of such a polarized society. While we have not always seen eye-to-eye on all the issues... everyone has been fairly civil for the majority of this summer. I am glad of that! :)

I'll report back on next week to let everyone know how the spending crisis was settled and how my last week during the internship was.

Single Digits and Counting

This was a week for celebrating people with disabilities. Tuesday was the 21st anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and it was celebrated all across the district. The day started out with an event at the White House where a number of individuals spoke with us about the federal government and their desire to include more people with disabilities in their ranks. Later in the day the Justice for All event wrapped up the day by recognizing individuals who have made significant strides in the disability community over the past year. The event was also quite beneficial in that it gave the interns the chance to network with many within the DC disability community. It also gave me the opportunity to put a face to many names I’d heard throughout my internship. Wednesday I met with Sara Mahoney and she gave me some information on getting into the WRP and some great leads for possible placements next summer. Work at the DOT is winding down. I am looking forward to shooting the multimedia footage that I will be participating in. Next week will most likely be bittersweet as I’ll be glad to finally be going home for more than a few days but very sad at leaving my newfound friends here in DC.

Posted by Matthew Shapiro

Margie's Last Blog??

Could this be it? The last blog of my AAPD/DC adventures? Maybe….

I am going to the Library of Congress with my friend and fellow intern Krista this morning. I am looking forward to spending some time with her before we part ways.

I do plan on staying in touch with a number of people both personally and professionally. Those who know me from back home know that keeping in touch is something I do well! A phone call, a hand-written note, a homemade card are just a few of the mediums I work in.

I had my site visit with Dr. Tom Finch, director of training and service programs division of the Rehabilitation Services Administration and Dana Fink, American Association of People with Disabilities Program Assistant. Dr. Finch spoke highly of me and the projects that I was executing. RSA wants another intern for the summer of 2012 and Dr. Finch said, “I set the bar high.” He also stated that he would provide a written testimony to the quality of RSA’s experience with me as an AAPD intern.

I will keep in touch with RSA formally through work in a workgroup assigned to promote hiring of people with disabilities, a topic I feel very passionately about!

I will be attending a Project Director’s Conference in Crystal City, Virginia for two and a half days this week, and then wrapping up some final projects and meetings. I have to say goodbye to so many great people that the end is bittersweet, but overall, it was a life-changing and successful summer. I am happy to say that I feel proud to be an AAPD intern.

Almost Done!

Once again another week has flown by; I can’t believe that I only have two weeks left in my internship! The end of the internship is bittersweet. I am sad to finish my work at the Bazelon Center, I have learned so much here. I know what I have learned here will make me an infinitely better attorney. At the same time I am excited about starting my fellowship with Mental Disability Advocacy Center. Because I will be moving abroad in September, I spent part of my week searching for apartments in Hungary. It has been such a challenge to get a good apartment, in a safe location, for a decent price!
The best part of my week was watching Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice with some of my fellow AAPD interns. What was really cool about this staging of the Merchant of Venice was that it was sign interpreted. I have never seen a play with sign performers, it was truly amazing! The play was also interesting because it was staged in the 1920’s. At first it was challenging to follow what was being said, however, after the first few acts I was able to wrap my brain around what was being said. Overall, it was a lot of fun to spend time with my fellow interns, do something cultural, and learn more about sign language.