How to Become a Disability Awareness Speaker

I don't know if I'll ever get through all of the BADD posts, but I tried to at least read the ones from my regular readers, such as Laura from Lefty By Default. The Seahorse left a comment to her post asking how to become a disability awareness speaker, and I thought I would answer as well. If writing is half of my essence, then my ability to publicly speak on the fly is another quarter (ADAPT is the 4th).

So here's how to become a disability awareness speaker in one easy step:

JUST ASK

It's that simple, and basically what Laura does as well.

I received some formal training, but you don't have to. Most of what I did was just go in and talk about myself, until more recently. When you talk to little kids, that's what you do, and that's what I did for my first 3 years of speaking. Or I did teacher trainings and talked about my issues with school and what I did/did not like about teachers I'd had and what the best things are that teachers can do for their students. How hard is it to talk about yourself?

Hi, I'm Cheryl, I'm 17 and a senior at XY high school (yes I started that young). My favorite class is AP psychology. I have 1 brother and my favorite thing to do is horseback ride (that's how they instructed us to start).

I have cerebral palsy, which is a neuromuscular disorder (older kids / adults) / that means that when I was born the part of my brain that tells my body how to move didn't work right (young kids). Go on to explain more about the spectrum of CP/how it manifests itself to me. Talk about school/work, whatever it is you do. Talk about how things were for you when you were their age. Give advice for

interacting with peers with disabilities. Open up to Q&A

It is just that simple. Little kids want to know if you like soccer (no) or what your favorite color is (purple). It's cute. Now of course I also talk about bipolar

So the asking part. When I was a freshman and lived in Long Island New York for a year there was a professor who always went through disability support and had students come in to talk to his special ed masters degree students. A friend who had been doing it asked me to join him, not knowing that I had 3 years experience under my belt. I jumped at the chance. Did it for a few classes both semesters.

After I dropped out of school (the first time) I didn't do any speaking for about a year and a half, and I was missing it. Then, through my mom I found out about a program where high school students were being trained to be buddies to younger kids with "special needs" (ick) so that they could participate more in hebrew school and youth group activities. In Maryland you need a certain amount of community service hours to get your high school diploma, so they got hours for this.

What did I do? I jumped at the chance and emailed the coordinator and asked if I could come in and speak. They weren't planning on having any "real worlders" (for lack of a better term) and I think they were taken aback, but decided to have me. I talked some about myself and my experiences in youth group and gave advice for how to interact with the kids, get them involved with their peers. When they asked the kids what the best part of the training was, many said me. This lead to several other experiences speaking to students/professionals through this organization, even after I moved to Baltimore, until the coordinator left for another job.

[left is a picture I used to illustrate that even visible disabilities aren't always visible. Who else in that picture has a physical disability?]

Which leads me to after I moved to Baltimore. In the last 4 years all of the other times, except for 2, that I've guest lectured have been because I've asked. I've actually gone up to professors after the first day of class and asked them if I could give a presentation and clarified that I wasn't asking for extra credit. I got shocked looks and then yes. I've also emailed groups of professors and said that except for XX times I was available to anyone who wants me to talk about whatever they want.

Since I've done some research on ableism, abuse in the disability community, family dynamics, human development, etc I've been able to tailor my lectures more and make myself sound more professional. My resume says

Presentation topics include disability & education, community inclusion, disability & the family, and disability/ableism awareness, among others

But you don't have to be that formal. I think the best way to start is to just be as open and honest about yourself and your experiences as possible. That seems to be what resonates with people the most.

So, if you're interested in becoming a disability awareness speaker, I say go for it! Jump in with both feet, be outgoing, keep an ear out, and pipe in. People might be apprehensive to approach you for a variety of reasons, but I have never once been turned down and have never once had a bad experience.

A Blast From the Past Article

I was looking for this exact picture for my postcard and I googled and it was still online here even after over 8.5 years since it was written. The article was written for a local newspaper. I was in MEL from Sept 2001-June 2003 (10th-12th grade) and was interviewed for the article. I think that little bit of hair you can see furthest away is my hair! I owe all my success in disability advocacy/activism to this program and Judy Webster. Oh, and Robert [that's him in the picture along with Jill & Mawadda. I think Carla is the half a face & Keith is the other bit of hair] got in trouble for that remark. Setting a bad example...

Challenged teenagers from Montgomery Exceptional Leaders share their stories

In their own voices or through an interpreter, in halting or quick tones and with or without the help of a temperamental microphone, members of Montgomery Exceptional Leaders made their voices heard last week at a Germantown middle school.

The 10 teenagers represented a contingent of the group, known as MEL, which takes disabled students from high schools across the county and teaches them to share their story with others.

Judy Webster, the program's coordinator, said participants learn leadership and advocacy skills as well as public speaking.

"Because these students, everyone but especially these students, will need to advocate for themselves," Webster said. "[To] let people know what they can do and what they need to do it."

And that is what the students did at Dr. Martin Luther King Middle School.

Lined up on stage, they represented a wide range of challenges. Some were evident, as the students used wheelchairs or interpreters, but others were more subtle, and the assembled eighth-graders were sometimes invited to guess at the particular disability.

The students spoke frankly of the hurt and frustration of being teased and feeling behind in classes, but also about how they had dealt with these issues and what their hopes were for the future.

They explained the accommodations made for them in school, including elevator keys, note takers or a quiet room to take tests, and how all of that helped. But most of all, the students emphasized the significance of being accepted and understood by others and the importance of striving for dreams.

It was that positive message that led parent Brenda Martin, whose own daughter suffers from learning disabilities and Tourette syndrome -- a neurological disorder characterized by outbursts and tics -- to arrange the visit to King.

"These kids are so good as examples because they're cool with their disabilities," she said.

For most of the hour-long presentation, the audience listened quietly but other times the speakers drew laughter, questions and supportive comments.

Robert Tomlinson, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School suffering from cerebral palsy -- a chronic disorder impairing control of movement -- joked with the students. He demonstrated the benefits of his wheelchair -- its speed and reclining back, for example, "that's supposed to help me rest my back," Tomlinson said, "but sometimes I just don't feel like participating in class."

The audience cheered appreciatively.

Montgomery Exceptional Leaders visit about two elementary or middle schools each month once they have their speeches down, Webster said. They also produce a video and conduct workshops with support from the Association of Retarded Citizens.

"The goal is to have schools use a MEL visit in very constructive ways to promote awareness of disabilities and teach advocacy to all students," Webster said. Teachers receive classroom materials to help them follow up on the messages they hear in the presentation, which are aimed at listeners of all kinds.

"Just because I have learning disabilities doesn't mean I don't want to do the same things you like to do," Debra Wilensky of Wootton High told the students.

Said Joanna Yen, a Wootton senior with cerebral palsy: "If you have a disability, don't be afraid, because if I can do it, you can do it too."

King Principal Carrie Miller was "very impressed with the students who came out to visit us. ...You could tell from the audience behavior that they were absorbing."

The teenagers who make up MEL believe they both educate their audience and gain confidence themselves as they share their stories.

"First thing when we had this meeting is that we had to accept this disability," said Carla Mendes, a junior at Churchill High with a speech and language disability. "We had to accept it and realize that it was just nature and that made it easier."

The disabled students then pass that feeling on, Mendes said. "Giving the message to the kids, it's a real eye-opener, seeing how the world is," she said. "It shows them that everyone is normal, they're just different."

"I think they [the audience] walk away with some messages, even if it's just for one day or one week," said Jill Bayder, a senior at Churchill who spoke about her problems with depth perception.

Marci Michael, a teacher for the deaf at Rockville High School, has been involved with the MEL program for five years and has seen it change lives on both sides. She remembered one student in particular who had difficulty dealing with his disability before becoming involved with the group.

"He has absolutely become more comfortable with himself and knowing he can be successful even with a difference," she said.

Eric Payne of Paint Branch High School is in his second year in MEL and said he no longer gets nervous when he speaks from his wheelchair about his cerebral palsy.

"I just share myself," he said.

From the stage, Payne emphasized his abilities rather than his disabilities, talking about his involvement in various groups.

"I think that being active is good because no matter what my limitations are, I try to do my best," he said. "I don't know what 'give up' means -- what that means is just because I can't do something doesn't mean I can't keep striving."

My Whole Life is a 'Happy Accident'

No, not one of those kind of accidents (I did say happy, didn't I?). [picture to the left is a car crash] And it wasn't an accident that I was born or that I have CP. No hospital negligence there. So what's the accident then? The accident is that I'm a uppity intellectual activist crip. Well, maybe not the uppity part. That's been ingrained in me. But surely the activist part.

What's the story? The story is that Monday evening I was giving a guest lecture to a bunch of undergrad students in a section of Teaching & Learning in a Diverse Society. The section is taught by the head of the center for student diversity. As an aside, I need to write that guy a thank you note. That's right, I want to thank him for the privilege of letting me speak in his class, as opposed to him thanking me for taking the time out of my day. He gets it. He really gets it. He gets that disability has a distinct culture and community and he gets that there is disability discrimination. Even though he doesn't know the word ableism he still talks about it in that context, asking people to view it in the same way they would view any other -ism. Most of all he gets that you can't learn about disability out of a textbook. You have to put a face and a story to it. It's why he looked for me (or someone like me, didn't know me before).

So of course he asked me if I'd ever experienced discrimination in the workplace (and in school and w/peers, but he didn't outright use those words). I said no. Then in my head I said 'that's not right.' It was a few hours later when I finally realized I'd forgotten about the time I tried to be a camp counselor. Doesn't matter though. I like the answer I gave better. I said no because I've chosen to work with places like the Maryland Disability Law Center, I'm involved in the Cross Disability Rights Coalition, I used to volunteer at a pediatric rehab hospital, I do this (and by this I mean speaking to students and professionals to break down barriers).

He asked me why? Why did I choose to work with my (pause) culture, in my community (I could kiss him for using those words)? I said that it's what I feel drawn to, my purpose, but that it was an accident. This was back in the dark ages when people still had VCRs and watched these things called tapes. Back when you had to put the TV on channel 3. It was 1999 or 2000. I was 14 or 15. We had rented a video. It was done. The TV was on channel 3. The TV was on a board of ed meeting. There was this kid testifying. His mom has severe epilepsy. He talked about how people stare at his mom in public and stuff. He talked about the Montgomery Exceptional Leaders (MEL) program and was there to try to get more funding to expand the program.

I looked at my mom. "What is this? What is he talking about?" I was expecting her not to know. Turns out she did know. Turns out MEL is a program for high school students with disabilities in my school system that trains us in self-advocacy and public speaking. What we did after the trainings was go to elementary and middle schools and talk to 3rd-8th graders about what it was like to have a disability. I got to skip the middle of a school day about once every other month in order to go (that was cool). Sometimes I did after school ones to grad students or as a training to teachers. I think there were about 60 of us involved from all over the county; from special ed to honors/advanced placement and everywhere in between. Usually 8-12 people went and we were broken up into groups of 4-5 so that we could hit up multiple classrooms at once. The coordinator tried to pick a good mix of us so that hopefully everyone in a room had a different disability.

My mom didn't know all of this, but she knew enough (had heard a group speak years and years ago) to peak my interest. "How come I no one has told me about this?" I asked. "I want to join. I want to do this."

"Are you sure?" my mom asked. "Kids are going to ask questions. Are you sure you're not going to be uncomfortable? You are going to have to answer them."

"YES I'M SURE. I want to do this." She was shocked. Like most disabled teens I hadn't been particularly comfortable with my disability up until that point. The rest is history. I went to school and went to my guidance counselor. "What is this? How come I don't know about this? I want to do this. I'm going to do this. How do I do this?"

We have 23 high schools in my county. 190 schools in total. We are somewhere in the top 5 biggest school systems in the country. Not every high school participates in MEL. Not every high school knows about MEL. Apparently she didn't. I made sure she found out. There is an application process. Someone in your school has to nominate you. She did. I participated for 3 years.

On my resume pretty near the top it says:

September 2000-Present Disability Awareness Presenter

• Participated in approximately 30 elementary and middle school assemblies, teacher trainings, college classes, and peer assistant trainings
• Presentation topics include disability & education, community inclusion, disability & the family, and disability/ableism awareness, among others
• Conferences:
• November 2008 Poster Presenter, Association of University Centers on Disability Annual Conference
• December 2007 Panel Presenter, Partnership of Jewish Life and Learning or Greater Washington’s Opening the Gates of Torah Conference

Above that, it says:

June 2008-Present Member, Cross Disability Rights Coalition

• Attend Bimonthly meetings along with other activists from across Maryland to advocate for better community living options for individuals living in nursing homes or state run institutions
• Testify at state legislative hearings in support of disability related bills
  

March-December 2007 Independent Study, Disability and the Human Service Worker

• Planed a 3 hr disability awareness program for the Family Studies and Community Development Department
• Received an independent grant that was used to fund the workshop
• Successfully lead 5 monthly planning committee meetings and 3 training meetings for peer workers
• Completed a pre/post study that gauged participants attitudes about people with disabilities
• Designed brochures and handouts to be given to participants

There are other disability related things on there as well. Practically my whole resume is disability related. It's a full 2 pages. I can't work and go to school, but I can do things like this. Anything to give me an edge over someone else. Anything to help myself and my community. Rabbi Hillel, a long ago dead very famous guy said this "If I am not for myself who will be for me? If I am only for myself who am I? If not now when?" I believe in that. If you want something done, do it yourself, but think about your community when doing so (if only I would live by that all the time).

I googled Montgomery Exceptional Leaders hoping to find a logo to put in here. I think we had one. What I found was a case study in a book. Google book search will not let my copy/paste into here, and due to vision problems I am not going to retype it when you can just click. I'm trying to figure out if I know him. If we overlapped in years. But the point is, that guy is me (except that my hearing is not the issue). I could not explain any better what exactly that program did for me. It's perfectly put.

My whole life is the result of a freak accident. If we hadn't rented a video that night, had the TV not been on channel 3, if we had even watched the video at a different time, I would not be the person I am today. I have a feeling I might still be a somewhat depressed, slightly bitter, a little angry, and very lonely woman. Not that I'm perfect now, but I have some pride in who I am. I owe a lot of my current existence to MEL, and in particular to the woman who ran it through those years (who is no longer). All I can say is thank you.

And now to be totally random, the indie movie Happy Accidents is pretty good IMO.