A Week Worthy of Note

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!