Game Night

My office shares office space with the State Developmental Disabilities Council. When I first came on board here at Access and the DD council were quite separate. But as my funding streams eroded during the conservative occupation of the White house and Congress, Access and DD Council have blended as the Council has had to “bail-out” access when we could not make rent. Now good, bad or indifferent Access is nor firmly a part of Council. We cover their phones and they use our “800” number and there is much confusion as to the separation between Access and the DD Council. On the Outside people constantly think we are the same. So I guess now we are more the same then we have ever been before.

Today was Council Day, council members converge, are fed and progress is , hopefully, made on the Council goals. Since I am “Staff” I staff one of the Council breakout groups. In this case, I staff the Transportation committee. The Transportation Committee is chaired by one of the Council who IS actually developementally disabled. As Staff to the committee I make the copies, keep the minutes of the meetings and help the committee chair run an effective meeting. My Committee is great—she works hard to make and take assignments. Chairing this committee is hard for her and I watch her struggle with the challenges leading such a group can be. But She is doing it, she is chairing the group from calling the meetings to making the report to the full council of the Committee’s work.

I have chaired many various committees and meeting over my career in private non-profit/State government. So, at times I bridle at the bit as I sit through meetings chaired by some of these new “legions” of people with disabilities gaining the skills they will need to be tomorrow’s leaders in the Community of people with disabilities. Then I sit back and remember the first meetings I chair and some of the meeting I still chair today. I am not a good public speaker, I stumble and fumble all over but the folks in these groups put up with me. I continue to grow…and maybe one day I will be the chair I think I am.

So I am happy to sit back and enjoy Keli leading the meeting. I have the easy job to be the inviseable ninja in the background making sure the Chairperson has everything she needs to bring off a perfect meeting.

The sun has almost set, as I near the end of my work day, even though we are now lengthing the day every day by a few moment each day the sun still set early. Looks like a game night though—the local pro basket ball the local parking lot hawkers are in place with their orange cones, green vests and and flash lights trying to encourage game goers to use THEIR lot to park for the night…only S9.00 bucks.