Find Your Sense of Belonging

It's strange how that goes.
Last week at I'm Determined, I felt like I fit.
There are SO few places that I feel like I completely fit in.
I thought about it during the drive home.
I wish I had known about things like that when I
was in high school.
I'm Determined didn't exist, but I wish I had known about
a program like it.
Then, yesterday, I finished the training for staff for Youth Leadership Forum.
I love it. It's a huge passion of mine.
I'm a small group co-facilitator, I'm coordinating the Resource Fair, and
I'm speaking for one of the sessions about what I wish I knew when I was in the Delegate's shoes.
I love it, but I leave feeling as if I still don't fit.
I think I just try to do too much,
I think I think too much about it and try to hard.
I never know when it's enough.

It's progress... for me

It's funny how the small steps seem like such a leap.
When I was little, I would get frustrated, and people used to say
"you'll get there, and when you do, it will be a huge accomplishment."

Tomorrow, I'll take one of those steps of independence,
and I realize that each step is a step all on it's own.

Driving was a huge deal for me.
NEVER thought it would happen.
There were bumps and bruises and hiccups, but it did.
Tomorrow, I'll be up bright and early.
I'll be driving about 2.5 hours for a conference.
I know, it doesn't sound huge, but this is the longest trip I've made on my own.

There have already been hiccups,
people who tell me it will not end well,
and issues with the car,
but all I can do is try.
I guess that's something I've always had to do...
just keep trying.

There are nights when I don't want to anymore.
However, one of the few constants right now in my life
is the fact that I will give it my all whether I want to or not.

If I were in your shoes...

I had a team meeting today to prepare for Youth Leadership Forum.
My supervisor was talking to me and my coworker about what we would
tell the YLF delegates (rising Juniors and Seniors in high school as well as post- graduates) what
we wished we had known at their age. Tonight, I can think of a few things, and I know I'll build on that list as time moves on.

List

1. Your support circle is literally what can drag you out of bed
each morning and keep you going through the night.
Hold the people you love close to you.You don't know how long
you will have them for.

2. Some fights, you might just have to decide to back away from
until another day. Don't let that get in the way of feeling proud of
who you have become.

3. Independence is possible. Don't let anyone tell you it's not.


4.  Modifications may be necessary, and that's alright.

5. Don't brush your abilities or your disabilities under the rug.

6. You learn as you go. Mistakes teach you more than your successes sometimes.

lifelong learning

One of my favorite parts about the job
I am at now is that I am learning something new
from somebody every single day.
I have the privilege of getting to work
with amazing individuals on a daily basis.
These individuals are some of the most driven
and caring people I have ever met, and they also
happen to be parents of children who have developmental
disabilities or adults (self advocates) who have developmental disabilties.
I have the chance to work with each group of parents and self advocates for
8 months, facilitate them in learning advocacy skills,  and watch them become better
advocates as they learn about the disability system.
(http://www.vaboard.org/policymaking.htm).
Each of the Partners in Partners in Policymaking works on a final project
from November until May.
Many of these projects involve time, scribes, phone calls, e mails, letters, and A LOT of patience.
The main requirement for the project is that it benefits the community in some way.
Tonight, I promised one of the Self Advocates that I would post his website,
 http://moreservicesinthecommunity.com/#

which also contains a link to his petition.
The petition focuses on having services (such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy) in the community for adults instead of in the therapy gym.
He hopes to send the petition to DMAS, and he has already made other strides to get involved
in his community.

This is just one of the many projects that our Partners have focused on during Partners in Policymaking, and this Self Advocate is just one of the 50 I have had the honor of working with
over the past 2 years.
A lot of individuals who have gone through the program state that it changed their life.
The truth is, they have changed mine.

Fast Paced Much?

Things have been moving so fast right now that it seems unreal
that I'm still in the same place.
This weekend, though I was busy,
I realized how much I need to SLOW DOWN and appreciate the simple things.
While working and trying to take care of things,
I realize it's the time with my friends that takes the toll.
I know most people don't see this blog,
but it's the people in my life that count,
and I want to take the chance to
spread the love to the people who make my life wonderful.