New Year, New Opportunities

As a part of my paying job, I post a lot of different content on my social media relating to disability. I basically use my Facebook friends as Guinea pigs to see what might be worth posting on my boss’ Facebook page, since I supply a lot of his disability-related content.  One day recently, I posted a chart about cerebral palsy that my Mom had posted.  She said that in her opinion, I had won on the cerebral palsy chart, because I don’t have any other related disabilities, such as blindness or deafness. I don’t have problems sleeping and I don’t have an intellectual disability. I can move with the assistance of a power wheelchair and I can use technology with the help of various assistive devices. I am surprised that people responded the way they did, by giving me lots of compliments. It’s true that I have many advantages that other people with disabilities don’t have sometimes. That’s one reason I work so hard to make the world better for all people. I believe in the thought that people who have advantages should use those advantages to help others. 

I’m excited about this new year, I have several new endeavors beginning in 2020. First, I have been invited to go back to my alma mater and participate in an oral history project designed to highlight the important work and growth of The Accessibility Resource Center at Guilford College. While I was at Guilford, I did a lot of work to improve accessibility and acceptance of disability. They want me to come back and reflect on my time there and talk about the work I’m doing now on the state level. It’s a huge honor to be asked to be included in the project like this one because I was only active for four years not that long ago, and yet they include me in a project about the history of the college.

This year I’ll also be branching out into a different area of work, where I can bring my disability rights perspective to help improve Winston-Salem.  The new organization is called Partnership for Prosperity, it seems to be focused on anti-poverty work in many areas across the city. Unfortunately, people with disabilities have among the highest rates of poverty of any group, so my expertise does fit in. I have a feeling that P4P work will be interesting. It will force me to stretch and learn new things about Winston-Salem, as well as getting involved in the city in new ways.

Then in the Spring, my worlds will collide a little bit, because my state work for the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities will take place in my hometown of Winston-Salem.  I hope to see many of my local readers there in May. 2020 will also be my last year as chair of Disability Rights North Carolina. We have a busy year on tap there also. All this work should create new ideas for blog posts. I hope you keep reading in 2020, and I thank you for taking the time to read so far.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day. As a young man who fights for people with disabilities and all people, it’s fitting for me to mention the holiday today. I hope you all continue to make the world a better place, as we try to build the Beloved Community that Dr. King talked so much about.