First off, an apology for not posting lately! Facebook has been delegated to low priority as – didn’t think this was possible- we’ve ramped it up to another notch on the belt of busy-ness!
The campaign has taken a new flavor as Art has less time for door-knocking as he spends more time participating in candidate forums and community events, as well as calling voters on the phone. He’s still mee.ting with voters, but in different settings. Often, a conversation at the door will lead to an invitation to a deeper and broader discussion with a group sharing a common issue.
I recently attended one of these gatherings as Art’s proxy while he was at a forum. My role was to listen, take notes and report back. This group was comprised of concerned (concerned isn’t nearly strong enough- outraged and resolute, perhaps) parents of adult kids with disabilities who ecently lost their sheltered workshop jobs. Listening to their individual stories, told throughout the evening, I often felt emotionally bombarded. These are adults in their 30s and 40s with autism or Down’s syndrome, who once were working in the community and earning a small amount of money. Due to state budget cuts, they’ve been placed in more of an adult day-care setting. One parent lamented, “They’ve taken away our kids’ pride and respect.” A special guest (also a parent) at the meeting encouraged and advised the group stating, “It doesn’t take a lot of people to affect change.” This is a group determined to do just that.
Art and I both attended a Direct Care Advisory Council meeting along with several other candidates and electeds. At one point, a physically disabled adult asked the council if there were any people on this board that were receiving care themselves. Unfortunately, the answer was no. If I hired someone to clean my house, I certainly would want to provide input into how that was done. I, alone, could tell the cleaner about idiosyncrasies with my self-cleaning oven and which polish to use on my antique bedroom suite. Those receiving care should have the opportunity to provide input or feedback about training of care staff.
Anyway, we were back on the doors again today after a few days’ hiatus and it was wonderful to once again meet one-on-one with voters. I’ve got more stories to share, but as this post is already long, I believe I’ll wait until tomorrow…stay tuned!
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