My days are numbered
My days here in Washington, DC are numbered. Don’t worry, its nothing bad. I have been offered a job as a Systems Advocate in Rochester, NY, and I have, of course, graciously and gleefully accepted. This has been a few weeks in the making, and I didn’t want to say anything until it was official.
I will be working for the Regional Center for Independent Living (RCIL), which is closely and permanently affiliated with the Rochester Center for Disability Rights (CDR). In fact, the two centers are in the same building. In addition to doing outreach to the disability community, I will be working on a number of local and state issues, and will be doing a lot of travelling around the state. The best part of this is that I will be working very, very closely with Rochester ADAPT, one of the largest, strongest, and most active chapters in the country. This is a powerful group of folks, and I am indeed honored that they want me on their team! My supervisor, and the center director are members of Rochester ADAPT, so there will be no problems with me going on national actions and gatherings.
CDR/RCIL has many programs, including a recreation center and a drop-in center. I have a counterpart who works with the deaf community. Rochester has the highest number of deaf people per capita in the country, so there are lots of deaf clients, and almost everyone knows American Sign Language (ASL). Of course, I fully intend to brush up on my sign language skills.
I am fortunate in that many of the folks that I will be working with are friends. I have known some of these folks for years. I intend to work hard to be a good asset to RCIL and to Rochester ADAPT. I also plan to be active within the community that I will be living in. Needless to say, I am very excited!
I will keep you abreast of how I am faring in the move. To me, that will be the hardest part (along with saying goodbye to the friends that I have made here in DC), so I’d better roll up my sleeves and get to work.