With
the GiveDirect credit card processing service, no fees are taken on your
Visa or Mastercard donation. We receive 100% of your gift. A low fee of
2.85% is deducted from American Express donations.
So give with
confidence to GiveDirect,
disABLEDperson Inc. is looking for Corporate Sponsors, would you like to be one and support the disability community? If so, please contact us at 760-420-1269. Click here for suggested rates!
Community for the disABLED
|
Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans
|
Community Activism Has Been a PlusBy John M. Williams Despite the fact that I stutter, and for many years of my life I stuttered severely, I made a decision many years ago to become active in my community. I decided that since I was paying taxes to support my local schools and contributing to the financial support of my Church and interested in sports for my children, I was going to do my best to give whatever abilities I had to my community. I wanted my voice heard in deciding how my money was being spent for my concerns. I have been active in many ways. I was a volunteer teacher for three years at Lorton Prison in Alexandria, Virginia. I taught the prisoners had to improve their reading. It was a rewarding experience, most of the time. I was a player on the National Press Club softball team in Washington, DC for six years. I coached for two of those years. I was an assistant coach for my son and daughter’s little league teams. I enjoyed it. I have been a Eucharistic Minister at my local parish for five years. I have been a volunteer with many, many school districts in Virginia on issues related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and assistive technology. I was active in the Club Scouts for four years and the Boy Scouts for one year. I have been active in environmental issues and employment issues regarding people with disabilities, including African Americans, Asian Americans and other Americans of different colors, religions and nationalities. I have been personally, though not always totally, satisfied with the minor contributions I have contributed to my community. However, I have been dissatisfied with the absence of other people with disabilities in my community. I live in a county with a population of 140,000. It is called Loudoun County, and its one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Except for transportation issues, in all the years I have been active in my communities, I can count on one hand the number of people with physical disabilities I have seen active in their community. Why? I know many adults with disabilities. Their individual disabilities are hearing, speech, vision, mobility and cognitive. They live in my community. I see them working in my community. They pay taxes in my community. Sometimes I will see a few of them in church. But where are they? Their issues should be my issues. They should be interested in how their taxes are spent – after all it’s their money paying being spent. They should be interested in better schools – after all it’s their money paying for it. They should be interested in having better roads – it’s their tax dollars paying for them. They should be interested in a cleaner environment – it’s their tax dollars that pay to clean it up and for health related illnesses from a polluted environment. They should be interested in a better government – they are paying for it. They should be interested in sports and other recreational activities. Their tax revenues pay for them. They should be interested in everything that affects their lives, and they should be visible and not invisible, vociferous and not silent, active and not passive. It’s difficult for me to stand up and speak before an audience. It’s difficult for me to approach a store and asked for extra food for people who need it, especially around Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s difficult for me with a spinal injury to work long hours in my community, but I do not. I am not involved in my community to pat myself on the back. I am involved because I want to be. I am sure that my involvement is changing peoples’ minds about how they view someone who stutters. I know people with other disabilities can be role models for other people with disabilities and for the able-bodied population. If they want to change attitudes they have to become visible and active and stay active. |
