Observations From Below: The Young and the Restless

I certainly have been earning my reputation as a disability advocate and traveling a lot lately.  Before I left for my Washington, DC trip, I was notified that I was appointed by Governor Pat McCroy to the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities board.  I just returned from my first meeting in Cary.  This trip probably caused more stress on my family than It did on me because it was my first time traveling alone, with only my PCA to assist me.  The reason I felt more confident than my family in their view, is that this trip was actually not the first time I had to take care of myself with the help of a PCA.  My family must have selective memory regarding last year’s NC Youth Leadership Forum jaunt, where I spent four days and nights at NC State under the care of someone I had never even met prior to the event.  I obviously survived both trips, and in fact, my most recent trip was safer because I applied some lessons learned from the Youth Leadership Forum trip.  This time, I took the same PCA that I had been working with for the past several months, so he knew me a lot better than the PCA at the YLF outing.  This might sound funny, but I also made sure that I had access to a portable urinal throughout the entire trip, so I didn’t have to be transferred to a toilet and risk the chance of falling off (which happened previously at YLF).

The business part of the Council meeting went well for me.   I seem to be joining at a good time, as we just approved the next 5-year plan.  Although I didn’t participate in the drafting, I fully support it, and I’m excited to work towards its enforcement over my 4-year term.  I like the plan because it’s simple, yet ambitious.  It has three goals, which are very clear.  GOAL 1: By 2021, increase financial security through asset development for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. GOAL 2: By 2021, increase community living for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. GOAL 3: By 2021, increase advocacy for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.

I’m pleased with my committee assignment also, as I was placed on the Financial Asset Development Committee of the Council.  One way to develop assets is to get a job, so I get to talk about jobs for the next four years.  If you have been reading my column for a while, you’ll notice that I’ve written about this topic many times, whereas most topics I will only talk about once.  Jobs are a big issue, and I’m glad I can be in a place to where I can resolve the problem.  The Council loves having people talk about their work.  Stay tuned; I might be writing more on jobs in the future.   

Going to meetings like the one last week for the NCCDD has always been an enjoyable experience for me.   I’ve been to enough now that I’m starting to notice certain trends.  The most obvious one is that I tend to be among the youngest participants in the bunch.  I’m so much younger than my colleagues that some of them have good-naturedly made of me for being the new kid on the block.  The way I look at it is, I’m setting myself up for a long career of advocacy with a lot of opportunities to make a big difference.  On the other hand, I’m also restless, because I was reminded that I’m never guaranteed tomorrow.  Another one of my colleagues just unexpectedly passed away.  This incident galvanized me to continue to work as hard as I can within the time I’ve been given, which no one knows how long that may be.  The last couple of weeks has also reminded me that I would like to see more young people like me serve their communities and contribute to the meaningful conversations about the future of the disability system in NC. 

That’s how I roll……