I received this in an email from Aaron Snyder today and thought I would post it here on the Crossroads blog. -- Sam J.
My name is Aaron Snyder and I have moderate cerebral palsy. I went to an audio recording school down in Orlando Florida to learn more about my passion for music production and audio. My whole intent of going to this school was to learn what I love, get a full time job and get off of social security. I just wanted to live a normal life. Go to work for eight hours five days a week and make enough money to make a living. It has been a year and still no full time job.
Now please take notice that the field I am trying to get into is a very competetive field but I am starting to think that because I have a "disability" it is harder for me to get in. There are all of these stereotypes for people but what everyone needs to realize is when it all comes down to it we are all human beings and we need to look past the differences and get people jobs.
Thanks for reading,
Aaron
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
No, you can't have my rights - I'm still using them
This morning I saw a pin.
The pin said, "No, you can't have my rights - I'm still using them."
At first I just sort of giggled to myself and thought, "that's pretty clever." But then, as I sat down to work on an article for the magazine, I started to think about what the pin was really saying and it bothered me.
So often we joke about the things we truly mean, but are uncomfortable talking about. It's a way to make a statement without being held entirely accountable for it. Was the button as funny as I originally thought? Or as clever?
My rights are so ingrained in me, so willingly given, that I rarely if ever think about them. I spend my money the way I want, I go to bed when I feel like it, I eat what I want and when, I drive my car, I go on vacation, I talk on the phone, I pick out the clothes I wear each and every day. These are simple, small rights that I take for granted because I do them without thought, without asking for permission. I want to stay up and watch a movie even though I need to get up in the morning and go to work? No problem. I want to eat cereal for dinner tonight? Can do.
Do people with disabilities have the same rights? Or do they have the rights "we" think they should have? Or only a few rights because those other rights are just a little too much for them to handle?
People with disabilities should have the right to happiness, and unhappiness. Sure, I can stay up late and watch the movie but I'll be tired the next day. And of course, if I only eat cereal for dinner I will most likely be hungry, but those are my consequences and I have a right to them. The same goes for someone with a disability, they should have the right to make good, and bad, decisions, just like anybody else.
They should have their rights, period the end.
Each day in this role, I find myself impressed time and time again with self-advocates, who are out there taking risks and doing what they can to make the world a more accepting and better place for all people with disabilities. They are out there fighting for their rights.
For me, there is great peace in knowing that they are paving the way for tomorrow, and that children with disabilities may have fewer obstacles to overcome in their lives because people with disabilities are tackling those obstacles right now.
All this, from a little pin.
-- Sam J.
The pin said, "No, you can't have my rights - I'm still using them."
At first I just sort of giggled to myself and thought, "that's pretty clever." But then, as I sat down to work on an article for the magazine, I started to think about what the pin was really saying and it bothered me.
So often we joke about the things we truly mean, but are uncomfortable talking about. It's a way to make a statement without being held entirely accountable for it. Was the button as funny as I originally thought? Or as clever?
My rights are so ingrained in me, so willingly given, that I rarely if ever think about them. I spend my money the way I want, I go to bed when I feel like it, I eat what I want and when, I drive my car, I go on vacation, I talk on the phone, I pick out the clothes I wear each and every day. These are simple, small rights that I take for granted because I do them without thought, without asking for permission. I want to stay up and watch a movie even though I need to get up in the morning and go to work? No problem. I want to eat cereal for dinner tonight? Can do.
Do people with disabilities have the same rights? Or do they have the rights "we" think they should have? Or only a few rights because those other rights are just a little too much for them to handle?
People with disabilities should have the right to happiness, and unhappiness. Sure, I can stay up late and watch the movie but I'll be tired the next day. And of course, if I only eat cereal for dinner I will most likely be hungry, but those are my consequences and I have a right to them. The same goes for someone with a disability, they should have the right to make good, and bad, decisions, just like anybody else.
They should have their rights, period the end.
Each day in this role, I find myself impressed time and time again with self-advocates, who are out there taking risks and doing what they can to make the world a more accepting and better place for all people with disabilities. They are out there fighting for their rights.
For me, there is great peace in knowing that they are paving the way for tomorrow, and that children with disabilities may have fewer obstacles to overcome in their lives because people with disabilities are tackling those obstacles right now.
All this, from a little pin.
-- Sam J.
Monday, June 9, 2008
A New Chairman and Vice Chair :)
Happy Monday!
I hope the world is treating you well dear reader and that you are enjoying the Crossroads Blog.
As you may know, the Council had our June quarterly meeting last week in Riverton, WY and it was great! The trip up was a definite learning experience for me (I keep reminding myself that cows travel by semi sometimes and that it's okay) and the Holiday Inn in Riverton treated us very well. Rich drove the tank, aka Excursion, while George, Clay and Sarah rode in the back and I rode shotgun - somehow it just seems right that we say "rides shotgun" in Wyoming, don't ya' think? Rich did a great job getting us back and forth in one piece, thanks again Rich for driving!
During the meeting, grants were awarded (kudos to the Evaluation Committee for such a great job) and a new Chairman and Vice-Chair were elected. Congratulations to our new Chairman, Victor Orr and our new Vice-Chair, Susan Fessler. The other committees continue to do great work and make plans for a better and brighter Wyoming for people with disabilities and their friends and neighbors.
One new project, which is sort of an old project, is the addition of two magazines to the Crossroads media campaign yearly, officially making it a quarterly publication. You can look for a new edition of Crossroads each season, roughly in June, September, December and March. If you'd like to sign up to receive Crossroads, visit our site at http://ddcouncil.state.wy.us/ or email me directly at sjanne@state.wy.us. Or, if you have story ideas or something you'd like to see in Crossroads, shoot me a note as well!
Thanks as always for taking the time to check in with the Council and remember, we communicate when we educate and advocate!
Keep on truckin'! (see, I'm getting the whole Wyoming thing down)
Sam J. :)
I hope the world is treating you well dear reader and that you are enjoying the Crossroads Blog.
As you may know, the Council had our June quarterly meeting last week in Riverton, WY and it was great! The trip up was a definite learning experience for me (I keep reminding myself that cows travel by semi sometimes and that it's okay) and the Holiday Inn in Riverton treated us very well. Rich drove the tank, aka Excursion, while George, Clay and Sarah rode in the back and I rode shotgun - somehow it just seems right that we say "rides shotgun" in Wyoming, don't ya' think? Rich did a great job getting us back and forth in one piece, thanks again Rich for driving!
During the meeting, grants were awarded (kudos to the Evaluation Committee for such a great job) and a new Chairman and Vice-Chair were elected. Congratulations to our new Chairman, Victor Orr and our new Vice-Chair, Susan Fessler. The other committees continue to do great work and make plans for a better and brighter Wyoming for people with disabilities and their friends and neighbors.
One new project, which is sort of an old project, is the addition of two magazines to the Crossroads media campaign yearly, officially making it a quarterly publication. You can look for a new edition of Crossroads each season, roughly in June, September, December and March. If you'd like to sign up to receive Crossroads, visit our site at http://ddcouncil.state.wy.us/ or email me directly at sjanne@state.wy.us. Or, if you have story ideas or something you'd like to see in Crossroads, shoot me a note as well!
Thanks as always for taking the time to check in with the Council and remember, we communicate when we educate and advocate!
Keep on truckin'! (see, I'm getting the whole Wyoming thing down)
Sam J. :)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hittin' the Road!
We are hittin' the road bright and early on our way to Riverton, WY tomorrow morning for the June Council meeting. Rich will be leading our "wagon train" as we journey north from Cheyenne with a fairly full van-load of folks from the Council. I wonder how many times we'll make it through the song, "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" before we get there? It's like a four-hour drive or so, not counting the numerous times I want to get out and stretch.
I am very excited about the trip to Riverton, where the Big River and Little River meet. This is my first trip to Riverton, and actually, my first trip to Fremont County. I am still blown away by the fact that you can drive for hours and hours and STILL stay in state in Wyoming. It's huge!
This Council meeting is very exciting as it is when the Evaluation Committee members sit down and go over the different groups in the state looking for grants from the Council. They compare the groups' / associations' goals to our five-year plan and see if and how they fit in to the big picture for people with developmental disabilities in the State of Wyoming.
We will also be holding elections for Chair Person and Vice Chair Person - it's going to be a busy meeting!
Thank you dear reader for checking in with the Crossroads Blog, hope the June weather is treating you well!
-- Sam J.
I am very excited about the trip to Riverton, where the Big River and Little River meet. This is my first trip to Riverton, and actually, my first trip to Fremont County. I am still blown away by the fact that you can drive for hours and hours and STILL stay in state in Wyoming. It's huge!
This Council meeting is very exciting as it is when the Evaluation Committee members sit down and go over the different groups in the state looking for grants from the Council. They compare the groups' / associations' goals to our five-year plan and see if and how they fit in to the big picture for people with developmental disabilities in the State of Wyoming.
We will also be holding elections for Chair Person and Vice Chair Person - it's going to be a busy meeting!
Thank you dear reader for checking in with the Crossroads Blog, hope the June weather is treating you well!
-- Sam J.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Welcome to the Crossroads Blog!
Greetings Wyoming and welcome to the new Crossroads Blog, brought to you by the Wyoming Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.
The Crossroads media campain was originally developed by the Council to spread awareness and to educate the State of Wyoming about people with developmental disabilities. The campaign includes a magazine which is published twice a year and a weekly radio show aired all across the state. Topics that are important to people with developmental disabilities and to their friends, family members and neighbors are highlighed in the magazine and on the show.
In an effort to grow the campaign and reach an even bigger and broader audience, we have added the Crossroads Blog, which will allow us to communicate weekly, or even daily, about events in the dd community or issues directly affecting people with developmental disabilities.
If you want more information about Crossroads or the Council, visit the Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities web site at: http://ddcouncil.state.wy.us/.
Remember to keep communicating, educating and advocating Wyoming!
-Sam J.
The Crossroads media campain was originally developed by the Council to spread awareness and to educate the State of Wyoming about people with developmental disabilities. The campaign includes a magazine which is published twice a year and a weekly radio show aired all across the state. Topics that are important to people with developmental disabilities and to their friends, family members and neighbors are highlighed in the magazine and on the show.
In an effort to grow the campaign and reach an even bigger and broader audience, we have added the Crossroads Blog, which will allow us to communicate weekly, or even daily, about events in the dd community or issues directly affecting people with developmental disabilities.
If you want more information about Crossroads or the Council, visit the Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities web site at: http://ddcouncil.state.wy.us/.
Remember to keep communicating, educating and advocating Wyoming!
-Sam J.
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