On March 4-6, 2007 Jackie Mallow and I had the opportunity to go to our Nation’s Capital to attend the Annual Disability Policy Seminar. The focus of this conference was to educate people on the current legislation that is being proposed in both the Senate and Congress. We spent 3 full intensive days listening, learning, and sharing how to become an informed Advocate for people with disabilities.
Our final day in Washington, DC I was able to get an appointment with the Representative for our district. We met with Representative Thomas Petri and his Human Services’ Aide to briefly discuss, briefly educate, and to request that he support a few of the bills that were up for vote. There are so many bills regarding budgets, Autism, Social Security, DD Bill of Rights, State Insurance Program, Medicaid, IDEA, No Child Left Behind, Direct Service Workers, Community Living Assistance, ADA, and Voting Rights. I chose three that were close to my heart that directly impact us who either support an individual with a disability or have a child with a disability.
As I reflect on the conference and what I gained as an advocate, is that we all need to take a more assertive role in forming relationships with our Representatives and Senators. By that I mean that we vote for these elected officials and as a constituent it is our responsibility to watch if they are supporting the legislation that matters to us. The more we are involved the more we will be heard. It does not take much time to take a piece of legislation and monitor its progress but inactivity gains nothing.
No longer will I remain a semi informed voter. I have begun to advocate more intensely by emails, phone calls, letters, in person meetings and have been watching the voting history of who is in office currently. We all need to break down the Partisan walls and get whoever in office to see the desperate need that is out there for some of the nation’s most vulnerable people. They need my voice and they need yours.
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