Thursday, September 18, 2014

I'm Back!!



Over the last 24 months or so of my retirement maybe even a little bit longer, I have kind of fallen off a number of boards I have been involved with over the course of my career. When I was out stationed over to 211 at the United Way, I pretty much stopped going to my board responsibilities. I don't know why I think I was just trying to adjust to the new work scenarios I was involved in plus trying to figure out the end of work issues I was facing at the time. However, I'm pleased to say I have found my way back to a couple of the boards I really did want to stay involved with. It was suggested that some of the boards lost my email address and hence I did not get announcements of the meetings. You know,I'm going to put energy in to thinking those comments through right now, I will just say I have renewed my email addresses (none of the emails of changed) and now and hope I will get the new emails as they are posted.

Yesterday was A. T. Council or Utah assistive technology Council. I like the Council have been part of the Council for over 20 years and many of those 20 years I was actually chair of the Council. I've never really given the Council it to do I must admit, and that is my fault, and I realize the Council is pretty much a rubberstamp Council, an entity that has to be in place for larger programs to receive money and funding and validity to some extent. What I have really been impressed with this Council from the first days that I attended and served on the Council has been it was one of the few platforms that a person with a disability could actually have input and to some degree make a difference and get a decent lunch. I still think the council is a lot of smoke and mirrors but at least they are my smoke and mirrors. The Council is held at the Judy Anne Buffmire building, a rehab fortress on the Salt Lake City Westside. I cannot believe how long this is taken to set up – – there is so much I need to write to really do justice to this whole entrance. Suddenly get to the point and spend some time developing the whole idea of assistive technology in the Salt Lake Valley at another point time.

I am really not a bad boy, though there are those who will argue that statement, I was kindly greeted by colleagues and friends on my entrance to yesterday's meeting. I was nice explained my absence and my adjustments to retirement, really trying to say the things these folks wanted hear and I think I did pretty good. There is always a moment at the end of each meeting where comments are requested in the area of assistive technology statewide. I just suggested that someone need to take up the slack that was left when access Utah network was shut down. Everyone seemed astounded that 211 did not pick up the slack. They all hid behind the facade that 211 operators were being trained and handling the problem—not! So I dropped the bomb and now all the agencies who have to have information lines out in the committee are scrambling to see what they could do.


I was not too worried at the time but that's I thought about this problem since I am curious did I just cut a huge fart? We shall see.

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