Week 1: ... and that's all

This week has been spent waiting. Like a couple of others, the machine has yet to declare me safe for work in a federal office. Once I am granted security clearance (which, according to my supervisor, can take up to 21 days ) I will likely be helping the Accessible Technology Office of the Department of Homeland Security test out various applications to see how well they comply with standards laid out by Section 508. The DHS is an umbrella organization covering various specific government offices (such as Customs and Border Patrol), and so if anyone wants to use a particular product (software, photocopier, etc) it should comply with those accessibility standards. (Of course, if it doesn't but it's the only product which can satisfactorily do the job, it is chosen anyway, not without a few pleas to the developer to improve accessibility). This week I've done one or more of the following:

- Signed what will hopefully be the last form at the DHS offices. Got to meet one of the people I've been corresponding with over email in person for the first time.

- Turned what was supposed to be a visit to the American History Museum (I forget it's formal name) with a friend into a bagel and nice conversation thanks to bad timing.

- Consumed two boxes of Nature Valley granola bars, along with other junk laying around the house.

Exciting, no?

I will say that it's been a lot of fun getting to know my fellow interns. Learning how all of us deal with our disabilities in the real-world has been both an eye-opening and humbling experience for me - it's too easy to focus on yourself and forget that all humans (disabled or no) have their own limitations and talents. Looking forward to revolutionizing outside the box and letting you all know about it.

James

Person First Language

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the day I arrived at George Washington University for my summer internship with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) on May 24^th.  It was exciting, but I particularly remember that the university summer staff giving out our room keys kept saying “AADP,” instead of “AAPD.”  It’s a simple mistake, but I really wanted to joke about it with them about how the politically correct term was now PD or actually PWD (for “people with disabilities”), instead of DP (for “disabled persons”), but I decided that they probably wouldn’t get it if they couldn’t even get the name of the organization right. 

But then I thought a little more about the difference between PD vs. DP, and I wondered why the disability rights movement was so insistent on people first language, particularly when most other civil rights advocates actually embrace identification with their respective differences.  For example, you wouldn’t say “persons with African American heritage,” but rather “African Americans,” which directly ties their heritage to their identity.  Likewise, one of the chants in the gay pride movement was “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” not “We’re here, we’re people with queer tendencies, get used to it.”  The slogan shows pride in gay sexual orientation as a source of identity. So why is it different for people with disabilities?

Person first language puts the person before the disability literally, emphasizing that someone is a human being first and anything else second.  For me however, there is another level to this reason for the difference in wording and attitudes between the disability rights movement and other civil right movements. By definition, disabilities detract from a person’s ability in one way or another. Having dark pigment or preferring one gender over another are differences, which only become detriments through society’s perception of them.  On the other hand, persons with disabilities will always struggle because of their physical or other conditions, even in a society that is tolerant of them.

But it is of course from these struggles that people with disabilities can draw the most pride.  Persons with disabilities must constantly posses the strength to overcome the many challenges that their conditions pose. This strength can be the physical muscle needed to roll a wheelchair down a street or the mental willpower a person with Autism needs to look someone in the eye. Given this, the insistence on person first language makes sense, because defining individuals by their disabilities first would give too much credit to the disability, rather than to the strength each one of us brings to each day of our lives to make ourselves more than our disabilities.
Jackson

Spell Checked and Whoops

So I spell checked the latest blog I posted and submitted it. Then I realized I have to save it first to make the spell check permanent. Sorry guys for all the nasty misspells. Oh well. Nobody is perfect.
Peter

Week One...Yeah!

Hello Everyone,

We made it past our first week. Hurray! Well most of us have started work. There are a few needing security clearances still, sorry.

Anyway, It's been great. I have really fit in well with the Coast Guard. They put me right to work. I have been doing the drawings or rather some of the blue prints for their fifth floor remodel. It has definitly been a learning experience. I have had to relearn the archetecture programs to be able to draw the blue prints and then I have been learning all about wiring codes for secure and non-secure sites. In addition I have revisited how to use MicroSoft Project and learned Visio. Another program I am learning is the MindGenius application in a more complex software. I feel all of this will make me more marketable in the future.

It has been a busy yet rewarding week and I hope to be able to keep focused and stay ahead. Know this, it takes many failures before one suceeds. Think of Eistien or Newton, how many attempts did they make before creating great works. So keep your head up and believe in youselves and know that the world needs you. Keep up the good work everyone. Till next time.

Peter

David McKee's work week... well week work was scheduled anyway

David MI only gave it this title because for the last few days, we weren't doing anything because our security clearance hadn't gone through yet.

So today we finally started work; We being Mitch and I. As I just stated, we first thought work would start Monday, but because of security reasons, we just started our job today and so far we just walked around a bit. Not too much happened actually. It seems I’m going to be working with Microsoft and making SharePoint sites… Hopefully I’ll get to be at least a LITTLE creative with it. I asked if I could make it "all sparkly" and I must say, the answer was less than a yes... a lot less. I never really use sharepoint so I guess I've got a bit of research to do. Luckly, I think it's on DreamSpark so I should be able to get it from there.

Oh yeah, incase anyone didn't know, DreamSpark is sort of Microsoft's... "hey, since you're a student, we'll give you free stuff." site. www.dreamspark.com is the website, I THINK. If it's not, you can put that in google and it'll come right up. Just prove to them you're a student and then you get access to all sorts of nice development tools that you can use such as Visual Studio, SQL, and many other things. I suggest you take a look. You don't have to be an IT major, you just have to be a student.

Ok I think that's all for now. See you next week!

-David McKee-

PS: cookies are tasty. :3 (Happy cat face)

An experience that is truly unforgettable

By Mitch Paschen

Outside of the window of the airplane as we approached Reagan Airport, I spotted the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, Gravelly Point, and other DC landmarks I was dying to visit. I could barely contain myself as I waited patiently for my luggage at the baggage claim. I had decided against taking the Metro to GW because I had three suitcases to roll. Instead, I opted for a taxi. I’m glad I did. The taxi driver and I had a wonderful conversation about the various places to visit in DC and about the very humid summer. I had been waiting since February when I had first heard that I was accepted into this internship program to get out here, and I had finally made it.
Over the next few days, I slowly got acclimated to campus. The Watergate, being only two blocks away, proved all too irresistible. This is how the post office and the Safeway grocery store were discovered.
I really enjoyed meeting all the interns on the first day. It was great to find out where everyone was from. Although I am the only intern from Wisconsin, I still share a bond with a few other interns. I, being Jewish, did not expect two other interns to also be Jewish. We hope to attend a Friday night service soon.
Today, June 4, was my first day of work. After navigating a few shuttles and obtaining ID badges, I was ready to start. First and foremost, I was introduced to a former AAPD intern who works for CBP now. Next, the staff took me and the other intern I am working with to lunch at a delicious Chinese Restaurant. Finally, I started on my first project which included checking computers for a certain piece of software. I imagine more is to come!

Fabio Botarelli (1st Blog & Orientation

My First Blog

My first days in Washington DC were a real eye opener for me as I found myself among one of eighteen interns in a process of adjusting to a brand new milieu. Housed in the Ivory Towers on George W. campus, I was in incredible living quarters with two roommates by the names of Austin Slaymaker and Adam Dovens. I must admit, I was very reticent, as I am with most people whom I meet for the first time, but they were individuals of charismatic qualities who took gratitude in my company and happily joined me in our shopping spree for our room’s necessities on Memorial Day.
During my three days of orientation, there was much to be elated about. On the first day of orientation I found out that at least half of the interns had a practical knowledge of the game of chess and that David Hale had a profound respect for the game. This led to me playing four people in our room on Tuesday night. The following day, I was fortunate to be paired up with Day Al Mohamed, a very understanding and sincere mentor who understood what it was like to be an introvert in the world of politics and government. I will never forget when she told me to make friends to extroverts because an extroverted friend does the job of promoting you to other people. For many years, I have worked on achieving personal growth and I have no doubt that my friendship with Day it will enable me to come up with other strategies to address them. By the time Thursday came around, I was very thrilled when I was given to opportunity to explore my working destination at capital hill. After a short visit to my job location, I was given a succinct but significant summary of the history of the disabled movement. The movement, as I later found out, was in a state of contention, with lobbying groups for different disabled organizations fighting each other over the necessary funding for their programs and policies. People with different disabilities find it very difficult to see eye to eye and this lack of cooperation stands as a painful bulwark to the favorable legislation that would benefit all people with disabilities. One of these days I hope to be one of these individuals who will unite all of these factions in to one powerful organization, under one voice and one goal; “the improvement of the lives and opportunities of people with disabilities.”