AAPD Intern Blog

Sunday, August 5, 2012

FINAL BLOG

Well its the start of the last week of the internship. I am really going to miss my new friends and the dorm life. I had a good week last week. I helped out alot at the libaery doing all kinds of work with the tapes and started on the fliing for my supervisor Venitia while she was out. Also this I had a fun weekend this weekend. I went swimming at my friends lake out on Saturday and went to see some Chineese Ackerbates on Sunday. I am also getting started on taking my stuff out of the dorms. Well this is it no more blog after this. It has been a great summer meeting you all and getting to live in the dorms again. It reminds me of Mason all over again only it is just for the summer. Have a great year at school all and have a great trip back home...................

Disability Rights Movement in Africa!

This week in the office, we had an exciting group of visitors from Ethiopia with us. The delegation were founders of a non-profit to aid individuals with disabilities, as will as wounded veterans--much like the organizations we have here in the States. The US State Dept had sponsored their visit in an effort to assist the non-profit in working with the Ethiopian government, which apparently is a little wary of non--profit organizations.

A month or so ago at the USICD Annual Conference (which I was lucky enough to attend, thanks to my lovely Mentor), there was a delegate from Uganda present. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there is a very strong disability rights movement in that part of Africa. There are even designated positions in the Ugandan parliament for legislators with disabilities to ensure that those specific issues are fairly represented. I am extremely interested in African human rights movements, and I hope to focus on writing about humanitarian efforts in Africa at some point in my career.

If you'd like, check out the new edition of Life in Action at unitedspinal.org under "Publications." It's a very interesting issue that is focused on leading disability advocates and important issues that are being addressed by our community this year. These issues include the fight for accessible gas station pumps (which is a huge barrier to independent driving--bigger than actually getting the accessible car!) and the CRPD. Best of all, Life in Action is free to view in its entirety online :)

Happy weekend--Liz H.

Breakfast of Champions(Senator Durbin)

Breakfast with Senator Durbin Wow what can I say about this event? A few days before the meeting I received a phone call from my buddy Ben asking me to come with him to have breakfast with Durbin. As you can tell by now I have a lot of thoughts that pop into my head(some folks call them voices). The first thought was “Ben must really be enthuastic to see the Senator, it will be great to have breakfast with Senator Durbin’s Statue, I never had lunch with a Statue before”, however all of a sudden my thoughts became coherent and I exclaimed to myself “looks like I am having Breakfast with Durbin, we can leave the statue at home!. As Ben mentioned in his blog, we arrived to the Russell Senate Buliding around 8:06 where we were met by one of Senator’s Durbin staffers who was absolutely wonderful, the young lady showed us exactly how to enter the Russell bdg and escorted us to the room. As we walked around the room helping ourselves to donuts and coffee we were amazed at the room size. We learned that this room was the same place where John F. Kennedy announced that he would be running for President. As we were getting seated, we saw a tall man walk into the room giving a hug to one of the staff members in attendance. As I watched this blood was flowing down my spine, excitement filled my body and my whole body began to wake up(it was 8:30). “He is walking, he is talking and he just said good morning to the both of us, it is not a statue after all, that is SENATOR DURBIN our beloved representative from Illinois and the Majority Whip leader…. Thankfully he was not carrying a whip! Senator Durbin told us what is on the Senate’s agenda for today and took our questions. Afterwards me and Ben had our pictures taken with the Senator, when it was my turn to get the picture taken, I had an amazing conversation with the Senator, thanked him for supporting the CRPD and also explained a little bit about NDRN. One of the highlights of the conversation was when Senator Durbin told me “if you want to give a speech, you must run for the Senate. One of the most humble individuals I have met in my life and just a class act. Senator Durbin is just simply amazing. There is a reason that he has never lost an election, the man truly cares about the people of Illnois. Ben told me later that Senator Durbin asked him if he were a “packer fan”. As far as I am concerned Ben can afford to be a Packers fan, he is an amazing person as well. See folks something good does come out of Wisconsin!(just teasing) NDRN and the Disability Rights movement Secondly, I want to address another topic or issue. Folks always send me messages on Facebook or through other electronic outlets(email) asking if my "strength based approach" to Counseling is gone now that I am in Washington... my response to these individuals is absolutely not. If anything I was more exposed to the Disability community during my time in Washington and I saw highly qualified persons with disabilities' potential being undermined, I feel everyone should be treated as equal. The Rehabilitation Counselor who got to his or her level of position should not tell a client who has the desire to pursue a career goal "no". In the previous Rehabilitation agency I was at, one of the staff member asked me why I was telling a client who had been working for 22 years as a custodian that he could be a supervisor of the Janitorial crew(something he desired to be). My response was simply "Based on his experience and skill set he can probrobly scrub the floor better than the Rehabilitation Counselor who assigned him the task".... They did not like that very much. As a graduate student pursuing a degree in Rehabilitation Counseling I incoporated a strength based approach to my counseling sessions with the main philosphy of my approach being to recognize the client's strengths instead of focusing on his/her limitations. I feel that many times society tends to display an "inferiority complex" towards individuals with disabilities. From Accessibility to Education all the way down to Health Care. Persons with Disabilities are constantly being told what to do and how to behave. These individuals are often less likely to obtain jobs in the field of their choice "because their disability is much too severe for them to work". The other day I was in the elevator with an individual who was very pleasant, appeared to be outgoing and very talkative. As we went up to the 6th floor(yes elevators are like happy hours, a wonderful way to mingle with others), the young man mentioned to me that he had a mental illness and that the Vocational Rehabilitation counselor did not open his case because she felt "he was not ready to work due to his condition". A Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor making statements like this can be compared to a doctor not wanting to operate on an individual with leg amputations because "his condition is too severe". In the VR counselor case I am quite confident that there is something wrong with this VRCs medulla ombagata(just kidding). It is these cases that demand the attention of public policy specualists across the various grassroots organizations such as: our very own AAPD, United Spinal Roll and..... NDRN! Oh one thing that I want to mention is that I have learned the ways of Washington, so I refuse to use anything, but acronyms! When I was asked to become an NDRN intern for the Summer, at first I thought to myself "What the heck is NDRN?". Once I looked up the organization and discovered that it was working in Public Policy, I realized that I would be surrounded by 5 lawyers in the Public Policy department and 3 law interns. There were two thoughts that popped into my mind at the time. The first was "The only thing I know about law is that "if the glove does not fit, you must acquit". In addition the only two compelling words I can say to an audience is "give this guy a job". Needless to say despite my lack of experience the National Disability Rights Network(NDRN) was willing to take me on as an intern. Prior to coming to NDRN, I knew about Disability rights as a person with a disability, however I had no idea how much the disability community is affected by the injustice that occurs in society. Many of you know my own personal struggles as a person with disability, however I would like to recap on two of the biggest issues in Washington right now. Seculsion and Restraint: Many of you know about seculsion and restraint as being a hallmark issues. NDRN was the first not for profit agency to publish a report on this topic, within 6 months it recieved the attention of Senator Harkin's Health, pensions and labor committee(HELP) and the hearing was scheduled for July 11th. Those who are not familar with the seculsion and restraint issue are encouraged to visit http://www.pbis.org/seclusion/restraint/default.aspx. Currently all 50 states have a reported case. Ashley treatment- This issue is not very publicized, however it should be as it is a very unethical procedure taking place in our local hospitals. The Ashley treatment was named after a 1 month old infant by the name of Ashley who underwent surgery to remove her external reproductive organs. The rationale the doctors provided for undergoing this treatment was that if the infant does not recieve this treatment she will grow expotentionally and the parents will be unable to take care of her. It was the parent's desicion to remove her reproductive and other external organs because they wanted to keep her a "small and childlike", the parents referred to her as a "pillow case baby". As the reader can see, although this issue is a bit more complex than the other ones, the doctors and parents violated the child's dignity, self worth and right to grow and develop into a productive member of society. Ashley would pass away just hours after the surgery. We will never be able to see Ashley grow into a productive member of society or reach her god given potential. All thanks to this invasive medical procedure. This specific treatment is not only revelant for Ashley, but many children with disabilities. There are countless examples of a child being denied his/her human dignity by those whose are sopposed to care for them, this is not right. America is a beautiful country, however we must expand the definition of "equality" to individuals with a disability. As parents we need to be supportive of our children no matter what despite their physical limitations. I grew up in a very loving family and I strongly believe one indicator of a child's success is how strong the support system is. I am sure that Ashley's parents had good intentions, however taking the easy way out is never an option when a child's dignity is in question. Those of you who are interested in hearing more of the Ashlry treatment are encouraged to visit http://www.napas.org/en/component/content/article/24-hompagestories/258-study-finds-medical-procedures-violating-the-civil-rights-of-people-with-disabilities.html Everything I mentioned in this blog sums up why this internship has been the best experience ever. "At the end of the day it is not about our own egos, accomplishments or the praise others give us, it is about making a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities". Senator Durbin and NDRN are two examples of those who make a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities. It was a honor to get a chance to be involved with both parties even if it was only briefly. Until next time Rak

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Week 10

It was another productive week in DC! This summer has gone by so fast and it is now coming to an end. I find myself wishing we had another month or so in order to continue making connections with people in the area. I feel that I have met so many great people this summer. The networking portion of this program has truly been invaluable.

The highlight of the week for me was going to meet Senator Durbin (D-IL) with my buddy Rak. We were also supposed to meet Senator Kirk (R-IL), as the two Senators generally host the constituent coffee/meet and greet sessions together. However, Senator Kirk is still in Illinois recovering from a stroke. Nevertheless, Rak and I both got our pictures taken with Senator Durbin and had time to talk at length with one of his staffers and an intern (who were honestly two of the greatest people I've met this entire summer)!

It was very interesting to hear Senator Durbin speak at length about certain issues raised by the audience. People did not hold back with the difficult questions; the questions ranged from his stance on abortion to personal stories about access to health care. I was pleasantly surprised by how much my opinion actually aligned with Senator Durbin's opinion on a number of different fronts. Senator Durbin is truly someone who can relate to the people. He explained accounts of trying to support his wife and child when working his way through law school and some of the common struggles he has also faced in life. I came away with a newfound appreciation for the hard work our Senator has done for the state of Illinois. I actually left that morning feeling that working on the Hill could possibly be in my future.

The AAPD program has opened my eyes to the endless possibilities in the greater DC area. I look forward to finding a job in the area and continuing to grow as a person and professional. Thank you for this great experience AAPD!

Blog 10

Note to reader: I have not spell checked this document so that you can see my dyelxic spelling

What a fabulous summer it has been. I can’t beleave how fast it has gone by and how much I have done at my internship. My supervisior had me put to gether a list of the projects I have accomplished this summer—wow, I have done a lot! I think the last couple weeks have been the best of the summer. All the pieaces have come together and I am really feeling at home at the office as well as making use of some of the connections I fourged earler in the summer. It makes me think that coming back next summer would be a highly productive use of my time—allowing me to really make the most of what I have done this year.

I would also like to take this time to think AAPD for putting together a strong program and allowing us all to have this wonderful opertunity. It has been an exsperence that has trully shaped my furture. My perceptions of public policy have sifted and I have gained a much greater respect for the federal government. I am aware of so many more recources and connections then I was when I arrived here in DC. I feel much more ready to take the plunge into employment, even though I still have a couple years before I will need to do so. Yet I know that I am on the cusp of a major shift. I am ready to begin. It is the end of the beginning!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Who do we advocate for?

I can't believe her time is almost done in DC. As I look back on the summer and meditate on the purpose of being here through AAPD I often find myself thinking about those with disabilities currently living in the DC area without support.

Yesterday I was on the bus and a lady sat in front of me. She was deaf and homeless. As people got on the bus I observed how they treated her and was very appalled. Many would yell at her thinking that speaking louder would help her understand them while others ignored hers and she did not exist. She was asking people for money as they walked by, but those who knew she would deaf pretended they didn't understand what her signals meant. I became outraged at the thought that we are in our nations capital and people are without the basic needs and necessities to live a fully successful life.

A large portion of the homeless community are those with disabilities. How are we reaching them? Howe reaching the "Resourceless" portion of our community? Allowing the homeless with disabilities to continue living without the basic resources not only increases the stereotypes spread throughout society but it is very bad reflection upon the compassion of our community within itself. How can we call ourselves advocates for those with disabilities when the majority of our constituency is homeless and without the very basic needs to be successful?

Give me you thoughts and share your ideas.

Best,
Shawn