A. T. Council

Today was A. T. Council or Assistive Technology Council. This is a meeting hosted by an organizatio Called Utah Assistive Technology Program or U A T P. The think tank ran out of Utah State University up in Logan Utah. The Council's been around for at least 20 years the shade longer. I know I've been on the Council for at least that long. I've enjoyed my tenure with A T Council over the years. Perhaps first and foremost at least with me is that they always had a hot meal at least up to last three or four years when the economy kind of tanked. Now it's things like beans and rice pulled pork tacos are burritos or whatever they're called. It's kind of a Hotmail not like before you had things like roast beef with gravy, rigatoni, just a real classy food but hey were not in this for food readiness to serve right?

The Council used to meet one to quarter but that either became to burden some for some of the folks who had Real jobs and those who had to travel significant distance. We now meet twice a year which I think makes it hard to try to get some work done, as if we do any work. We like to talk like we do some work and every once in a while we do bring about change or offer something positive for folks with disabilities in the state. When I was a state employee and ran Access Utah I had to give a report as to how my little program was doing. Invariably I would forget the meeting was coming up in just bluffed my way through which was okay for a time nobody really cared until things got tight, then they did. This Council is one of those operations that are very loose people come and go. The Council is one of those operations Where you can do as much or as little as you would like and still pretty much stay in good standing with the Council. Like I think I was gone for maybe a year during the time I was going through my stenosis. And I doubt people even knew I was gone. Some of them knew what I was going through because I'm on other councils and advisory boards. Serving on these boards and councils Is kind of Incestuous. It seems the same members are on all these different councils.

I got involved with these councils way back when I first became employed at the Independent living center in Salt Lake. As the Community Resource Coordinator I kind of got stuck on many boards that nobody else in the office want to go to. I was always up for a meeting out of the office. It got me out of work, usually got me some form of calm time since they worked over the lunch hour In most the times offered a meal for those on the Council are advisory board. You served until you died, moved on, retired and then serve some more if they thought they could get away with having you do that. After a year to or so he became a fixture and after five years this sort of ran the system one way or the other. The usually stuck in as board chair and forgot to tell you moved on.

The meal today was some sort of Hispanic offering black beans and rice sweet pulled pork on top of the tortilla served and around aluminum pan kind of thing. With sweet churizos . I'm surprised I enjoyed the meal as much as I did. We didn't get anything accomplished we just met got a little direction and made some promises of things to consider for the next meeting in March of next year. I hope we make it till then

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