What an incredible, historical week to be in DC and to witness the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the ADA. Witnessing President Obama signing an Executive Order mandating increased employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities within the federal government was a rare and fortunate opportunity. The gravity of the moment and the knowledge that I was watching opportunities become realities before my eyes instilled me with a surreal feeling of hope and wonder. The fact that we enjoyed witnessing President Obama sign an Executive Order, a moment that will forever be recorded in history led me to ponder how frequently people recognize that their taking part in a historical moment. Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to attend the BP Oil Spill hearing and listen to BP CEO Tony Hayward and to witness General David Petraeus testify in front of the Senate Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee. Though I recognized the historical significance of the hearings and President Obama’s signing of the Executive Order mandating increased employment opportunities for people with disabilities it also led me to consider the frequency with which individuals are aware of the historical significance of the events taking place. I’ve learned this summer through my internship that the American Public is incredibly adept at staying informed.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
An Anniversary to Remember
“It was ability that mattered, not disability, which is a word I’m not crazy about using.” –Marlee Matlin
This week I had the opportunity to attend a White House function for the anniversary of the passing of the ADA. The day was hot and muggy, but the excitement in the air was palpable. Approximately 400 guests had come out to see President Obama speak about the 20 years of the ADA and what was yet to come. We waited in anticipation while various speakers and entertainers preceded Mr. Obama. Among those present were Pattie LaBelle, Robert David Hall, and the woman I quoted above, Marlee Matlin. After much ado, the President himself spoke to the audience. He cited the legislation that has shaped the past 20 years for Americans with Disabilities, and he went on to expand upon the issues our community still faces, including high unemployment rates. After speaking about this problem, Obama then held a short ceremony in which he signed an Executive Order which established the federal government as a model employer of persons with disabilities. While this is a grand gesture of welcome to the disability community, I am not sure if it is quite enough to get the rest of America to follow suit. I have seen for myself that our federal government has gone to great lengths to hire individuals with disabilities in DC, and I certainly appreciate their efforts, but not everyone has skills or an interest that is applicable to Washington, DC. I really hope that private corporations and small businesses will take Washington’s lead and learn from it.
Later that evening, the Disability Power and Pride organization held a gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ADA as well. Jonathan Young was generous enough to sponsor tickets for each of the AAPD interns and intern alums who are still in DC. I really appreciate his graciousness because I would not have had the opportunity to attend this function without his support. Quite a few people spoke at this event also, among them were Tony Coelho, Congressman Sensenbrenner, Congressman Hoyer, and Congressman Langevin. Afterwards, live music was provided for the guests’ entertainment. This was the last formal event that all of the AAPD interns attended together, and I think it was a great way to wrap up the summer. I certainly know that these past couple weeks surrounding the ADA anniversary have taught me a lot about the disability community as a whole, and I am very proud to say that I am a member of this vast group. Until next time,
-Ericka
This week I had the opportunity to attend a White House function for the anniversary of the passing of the ADA. The day was hot and muggy, but the excitement in the air was palpable. Approximately 400 guests had come out to see President Obama speak about the 20 years of the ADA and what was yet to come. We waited in anticipation while various speakers and entertainers preceded Mr. Obama. Among those present were Pattie LaBelle, Robert David Hall, and the woman I quoted above, Marlee Matlin. After much ado, the President himself spoke to the audience. He cited the legislation that has shaped the past 20 years for Americans with Disabilities, and he went on to expand upon the issues our community still faces, including high unemployment rates. After speaking about this problem, Obama then held a short ceremony in which he signed an Executive Order which established the federal government as a model employer of persons with disabilities. While this is a grand gesture of welcome to the disability community, I am not sure if it is quite enough to get the rest of America to follow suit. I have seen for myself that our federal government has gone to great lengths to hire individuals with disabilities in DC, and I certainly appreciate their efforts, but not everyone has skills or an interest that is applicable to Washington, DC. I really hope that private corporations and small businesses will take Washington’s lead and learn from it.
Later that evening, the Disability Power and Pride organization held a gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ADA as well. Jonathan Young was generous enough to sponsor tickets for each of the AAPD interns and intern alums who are still in DC. I really appreciate his graciousness because I would not have had the opportunity to attend this function without his support. Quite a few people spoke at this event also, among them were Tony Coelho, Congressman Sensenbrenner, Congressman Hoyer, and Congressman Langevin. Afterwards, live music was provided for the guests’ entertainment. This was the last formal event that all of the AAPD interns attended together, and I think it was a great way to wrap up the summer. I certainly know that these past couple weeks surrounding the ADA anniversary have taught me a lot about the disability community as a whole, and I am very proud to say that I am a member of this vast group. Until next time,
-Ericka
Lead On!
As others have echoed before me, these past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. The AAPD/NCIL event was an absolute blast- I got to re-connect with some individuals I’ve met this summer as well as network with some new folks, including several who work in Boston where I live. Not to mention dancing up a storm with the other AAPD interns & staff! Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin & several members of her staff attended the AAPD/JFA event on Capitol Hill the following day, which was a huge honor. It shows how I am valued as part of the office team. Afterward, we had dinner with the Honorable Tony Coelho, the current AAPD Board Chair. It was incredible to be able to hear about his political experience firsthand- such as working on Al Gore’s 2000 Presidential campaign.
And of course meeting President Obama was something I will never forget. As I was able to briefly mention to him, as a member of the “ADA Generation”, his administration’s commitment to strengthening & implementing the ADA means a lot to me. While we certainly have a long way to go in order to ensure justice for all- there are too many public accommodations yet to be made fully accessible, too many businesses unaware of the accommodations they are required to have in place by law- I’m glad we were able to take this week to pat ourselves on the back for the progress we HAVE made. As someone who was born the year before the ADA was signed into law, I am quite privileged to have grown up at a time where its important mandates had just come into existence. The way older members of the disability justice movement talk of the era before the ADA, I know just how much of an impact it has had. As long as we continue finding way to advocate, to think independently, to always be ready to make noise when there is injustice, to “connect the dots” in crucial ways (such as the devastating link between disability & poverty), to take risks & hold our leaders accountable, I know we will prevail. As a younger individual, I greatly admire those disability justice activists who came before me, who worked for change & rewards they knew they may not live to reap themselves. This summer has empowered me to continue developing my leadership skills so that I can do my part to keep this movement sustainable, one that includes those from all sides of the aisle. Or as the late Justin Dart might say, “Lead on!”
And of course meeting President Obama was something I will never forget. As I was able to briefly mention to him, as a member of the “ADA Generation”, his administration’s commitment to strengthening & implementing the ADA means a lot to me. While we certainly have a long way to go in order to ensure justice for all- there are too many public accommodations yet to be made fully accessible, too many businesses unaware of the accommodations they are required to have in place by law- I’m glad we were able to take this week to pat ourselves on the back for the progress we HAVE made. As someone who was born the year before the ADA was signed into law, I am quite privileged to have grown up at a time where its important mandates had just come into existence. The way older members of the disability justice movement talk of the era before the ADA, I know just how much of an impact it has had. As long as we continue finding way to advocate, to think independently, to always be ready to make noise when there is injustice, to “connect the dots” in crucial ways (such as the devastating link between disability & poverty), to take risks & hold our leaders accountable, I know we will prevail. As a younger individual, I greatly admire those disability justice activists who came before me, who worked for change & rewards they knew they may not live to reap themselves. This summer has empowered me to continue developing my leadership skills so that I can do my part to keep this movement sustainable, one that includes those from all sides of the aisle. Or as the late Justin Dart might say, “Lead on!”
Where did my internship go?
I can’t believe this internship is almost over. This has been an amazing experience, and I’m definitely going to miss it when I go back to school. Last week was the culmination of all the ADA anniversary events, and the actual anniversary on Monday was packed with activities. In the morning, we went to a press conference on Capitol Hill held by Senator Tom Harkin and Congressmen Steny Hoyer, Jim Langevin, and Jim Sensenbrenner. Tony Coelho and Andy Imparato also spoke. After the press conference, we hurried over to another event on the Hill, a panel discussion led by Senator Harkin. Later in the day, after work was over, several of us from the office watched AAPD’s Indy Imparato and Intern Amelia Wallrich (great job, Amelia!) on PBS’s News Hour. They did a great job speaking about the current state of people with disabilities in America. The Power and Pride Gala that night was a lot of fun as well. I met several new people from the disability community, and the slate of speakers was impressive as usual. I especially enjoyed hearing from Marlee Matlin, a deaf actress, and Laurie Rubin, an opera singer who is blind. On Thursday, I went to a birthday party held at the Capitol for Medicaid and Medicare’s 45th birthday. Friday had a couple of intern events: a brownbag at the Access Board, and a behind-the-scenes tour at the Smithsonian of an upcoming disability history exhibit. This was especially interesting for me – we got to see early prosthetic limbs, an ear trumpet, a chunk of concrete from a “do-it-yourself curb cut” protest in Denver, a Barbie doll that uses a wheelchair, and several other artifacts. It was also pretty cool to see how an exhibit gets put together. Anyway, I just have the rest of this week, and then I’ll be leaving AAPD. I’ll probably be writing one more entry before I leave, so I’ll talk more then!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Week 10
This past week has incredible; the chance to go to the white and see the President in person was a great experience because we got to see his commitment to the disabilities movement first hand. The week has been stressful for me because all of the board members of the access board came into town to celebrate the 20 anniversary of the ADA but also for a board meeting on our new 8th floor meeting space. The 8th floor is done but we still have a few bugs to work out but that’s no problem I worked the audio video portion of the meetings with my boss Charles and learned a whole about A/V work and how to trouble shoot problems on the fly. We had meeting Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday so it was a hectic week. Since the meeting space is new Charles and I were down there to make sure that everything went smoothly as possible, and since its new equipment were kind of partial as to who handles it because we don’t want it getting messed up in the first couple of weeks of have the meeting space completed . This coming up week I am going to put the finishing touches on the inventory server and put it on the network and make sure that there are no major problems, and I am also do audio/video for a meeting on Thursday on the 8th floor.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Week of the ADA’s 20th Anniversary
It was an exciting time to be in Washington, DC this past week for the Twentieth Anniversary of passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA). The ADA is the most important piece of civil rights legislation affecting people with disabilities to be passed in the U.S. to date. Reviewing articles on the history behind the ADA and its passage and looking on the Internet regarding demonstrations that took place before the passage of the legislation, I was impressed by a vivid photo I saw of people with mobility impairments shedding their wheelchairs and participating in a crawl-in up the steps of the U.S. Capitol to bring to the public’s consciousness the urgent need to guarantee the access of all citizens in a democracy to their places of government. That photo reminded me of other famous images of the civil rights movement from the 1960’s of the children in Birmingham being thrown back by the force of water hoses and that of a young John Lewis as a Freedom Rider being beaten bloody and unconscious in Montgomery where the public sees those images and realizes that something really has to change.
People commemorated the 20th anniversary of the ADA in many ways. I had the opportunity to be at the White House to see President Barack Obama speak of the importance of the ADA to our nation and then sign an executive order to help increase the number of people with disabilities hired in the federal workplace. There were parades and picnics and speeches and dances and barbeques in which people across the country celebrated the anniversary of the ADA and the progress we have made so far in facilitating access to services and programs to people with disabilities, although much more needs to be done to fully integrate people with disabilities into the economy and society. One of the favorite images that I saw of people celebrating the ADA was of nearly 200 wheelchair users smiling and coming together in Los Angeles in an event organized by the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation to form the longest moving wheelchair formation in order to set a new world record. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/26/wheelchair-formation-brea_n_659402.html
I thought this happy image was a nice contrast to that of the photo of the activists crawling up the Capitol Steps without their wheelchairs to try to put pressure on for passage of the ADA. Without the first we would not have likely had the second.
People commemorated the 20th anniversary of the ADA in many ways. I had the opportunity to be at the White House to see President Barack Obama speak of the importance of the ADA to our nation and then sign an executive order to help increase the number of people with disabilities hired in the federal workplace. There were parades and picnics and speeches and dances and barbeques in which people across the country celebrated the anniversary of the ADA and the progress we have made so far in facilitating access to services and programs to people with disabilities, although much more needs to be done to fully integrate people with disabilities into the economy and society. One of the favorite images that I saw of people celebrating the ADA was of nearly 200 wheelchair users smiling and coming together in Los Angeles in an event organized by the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation to form the longest moving wheelchair formation in order to set a new world record. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/26/wheelchair-formation-brea_n_659402.html
I thought this happy image was a nice contrast to that of the photo of the activists crawling up the Capitol Steps without their wheelchairs to try to put pressure on for passage of the ADA. Without the first we would not have likely had the second.
Internship Blog for Week Ten
Wow! This has been an absolutely awesome experience with AAPD! My best memory is meeting President Obama and shaking hands with him; oh wow that was my number one most awesome experience! I enjoyed meeting different people and networking with people who have different disabilities than I; I did learn so much about other disabilities.
I wanted to say to everyone (AAPD Interns) congratulations that you are almost done with your internship and you will become an AAPD Alumni!
I was very busy last few days, working with co-workers and attending meetings on the conference call. My POC or team invited me go to the other building for the ITSO (Information Technology Services Office) quarterly all hands meeting. I did go and it was good; they had there some treats to eat, that's ALWAYS good! I was meeting some new people there, too.
I can’t believe that my internship is almost done-next week Friday is the end; time goes so fast! I have grown many ways; I learned as a professional how to look things from all perspectives. My problem solving skills did improve because I learned to ask how to troubleshooting any problem but ask last because I try myself first.
I wanted to say good luck to everyone going back to school and keep focus on your courses. Don’t forget to tell everyone that you strongly recommend any college student take advantage and participate, if possible. I strongly feel AAPD is a “must do” for any disabled person, just you need open mind and want to learn.
It is really a very awesome experience and great chance for learning, meeting professional people that have different disabilities and experience "real world".
Finally, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to AAPD. I really did learn a lot and enjoy very much. Thank you.
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