Two events this week should get your attention:
-
DD Council meeting. As I’ve mentioned here before, I am the new
chair of D.C.’s Developmental Disabilities Council, and this week – Thursday, May
16, 3:00 to 5:00 – is our first public meeting of the year. (Others will be in August and November.) This month we’ll be holding our meeting on
the first floor of the Department on Disability Services, 250 E Street SW. (Closest metro stop Federal Center SW). Please join us to hear what your DD Council
has been up to and what we have planned!
-
On Saturday, May 18, 10 to 12, Quality Trust (https://www.dcqualitytrust.org/) will hold a special event at their offices (4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite
310 – next to Van Ness metro station, across from UDC) entitled “Choosing a
Service Provider: What You Should
Consider.” If you’re just getting
involved with adult services in DC or Maryland, or if you’re considering a
change, this is the event for you.
Besides those specific events, I want to call your attention
to two other important developments:
-
DDS has issued its first “Report to the
Community,” found at https://dds.dc.gov/node/1400986. Primarily covering accomplishments during the
2018 fiscal year (October 2017 through September 2018), it also provides a
solid overview of DDS priorities. Yes,
it’s a promotional publication and so it paints a rosy view, but that’s not a
bad thing when you’re trying to motivate the community to take a more
forward-learning approach toward people with disabilities in our city. So bravo, and definitely worth a read.
-
Second, I want you to know about this: https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/. The disability vote is getting greater and
greater attention, and it deserves your attention, too. This is one of the reasons I’ve been so
concerned about DDS moving people to Prince George’s County due to the cost of
housing in D.C. – the right to vote is an integral part of community
integration! And just in case you think
that D.C.’s voice doesn’t matter – do you realize that the House of
Representatives recently voted to support D.C. statehood and that there are plans to schedule a hearing on D.C.
statehood later this year (https://www.popville.com/2019/03/house-of-representatives-endorses-d-c-statehood-for-first-time-in-american-history/)? Wouldn’t
it be awesome if D.C.’s disabled citizens turned out in force at that
hearing? Think of the statement we could
make!
Any special issues or concerns you’d like me to consider in
my blog? Add a comment to let me know!
My name is Carol
Grigsby. I share information and advocacy
opportunities on issues affecting citizens with developmental disabilities in
Washington, D.C., including my own son. I currently chair D.C.'s State
Council on Developmental Disabilities, as well as serving on the
board of the Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities and the Family
Support Council of D.C.'s Department on Disability Services. Previously a member of the federal
government’s senior executive service, I have lived in D.C. since 1978. Follow me on Twitter
@DDinWDC!