Spirit of the ADA Awards

On October 5 I attended the Spirit of the ADA Awards Luncheon, hosted by Disability Rights Wisconsin.  The event was held at the Wisconsin Club, here in Milwaukee and was attended by more than 275 people.  It was a great opportunity to celebrate some of the people who make it possible for persons with disabling conditions to participate as equals in community and economic life.

Among the many people who spoke at the event, three stood out for me.  In all three cases I found my initial impression of the speaker was quickly replaced by an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the speaker and to learn something about myself.
 
The first speaker was Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner.  I didn’t know much about the Congressman other than what I’ve heard through the news media and friends who have met with him.  I didn’t have high expectations of him based upon the fact that we have very different politics and don’t seem to agree on much.  As I listened to the Congressman I realized I was too hasty in my conclusion.  Jim Sensenbrenner was the first co-sponsor of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.  He sees the ADA as a civil rights law, a tool for allowing people who want to work to have access to jobs, and as a means of reducing pressure on the Social Security Disability Insurance fund.  These are all things I agree with and support.  While we may not agree on many things we are clearly allies in this situation.  I realized that just because my politics don’t match the Congressman’s doesn’t mean we can’t be allies on issues of importance.

The second notable speaker was a gentleman named Chad.  I found it very hard to focus on what Chad was saying as he had some challenges in expressing his words.  As I listened to Chad I realized he had a well prepared, clear and concise presentation.  The problem wasn’t Chad’s speech.  The problem was in my listening.  At one point Chad found himself struggling to express his intended words.  He quickly pivoted to make a simpler statement with the same meaning.  You’ve got to admire a guy who is “light on his feet. even if he is using a wheelchair.  Just because Chad was hard to listen to, it doesn’t mean he has nothing to say.

The third speaker, Amy, shared a story that I found hard to empathize with.  Amy’s son is often uncooperative, hostile, and defiant of authority figures.  As I listened to Amy I learned that her son experiences something called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).  As I listened to Amy I realized I was hearing the words of a resourceful woman whose love for her son and persistence was able to change the course of a life that some people may have already written off as a failure.  Amy shared that in a few short years her son has gone from being ready to quit school to considering going to college.  Wow. 
I have great admiration for Amy’s persistence in finding out what her son needed in order to be successful.  I couldn’t help but wonder how many other people are in a similar situation as Amy’s son but just didn’t have the support to get connected with an organization like Disability Rights Wisconsin.  Those are the kids that end up as high school dropouts, under employed, or worse.

Questions for reflection:

• What are the criteria used when we generalize our expectations of others?  Are the assumptions we make valid?  Thoroughly examined?
• How often do we conclude that because we have a hard time understanding someone, they don’t have anything to say?
• How do we determine when a lack of understanding of someone else is a challenge to pay closer attention and/or be more patient?
• Do we consistently acknowledge and support the efforts of others to do their best for themselves and those around them or only when we’re in agreement with their motivation?
• How and wen do we act as connectors of people and resources?

This article was first published as a part of “The Affinity News””,” amonthly newsletter I share through my mailing list.  If you would like to be aded to the Affinity News/MoMS mailing list click here.

 

References:

Disability Rights Wisconsin:  http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/
Sensenbrenner Statement on ADA Bill:  http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=102681
ADA Amendments Act of 2008:  https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/3406
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990:  https://www.congress.gov/bill/101st-congress/senate-bill/933