Glory Days

Glory Days

I spent a good part of my career as manager for Access Utah Network Utah only information I dedicated to answering questions about disability. I kind of loved that job. I hated leaving the position that is why I was so disturbed this afternoon while attending an open house at UCAT that when talking to someone in trying to tell them what I did for the state could not remember the name of my organization. This did not frightening as much as not remembering the name of Access Utah Network frustrated me. It made me wonder if my job/position had been so inconsequential that even I can no longer remember the name of the organization. Actually the mind cramp did not bother me that much what did bother me was not been associated with all the good people that I worked with over the three decades that I've been here in Utah. There was a bunch of wheelchair vans on display by three different organizations/companies which either represented or built accessible vehicles. I used to work closely with all these companies only one of the folks selling wheelchair accessible vans remembered me. Like I said though that's okay those were part of my glory days!

I thought about blowing the open house off. I did not even remember the open house and tell I was asked if going last week when I was at CREATE getting my power chair adjusted. I said that I was and today I went. I was hoping there'd be some kind of a lunch. In the past they've had pizza, barbecue and cold cuts. However, funding cutbacks continue to play state programs and feeding the public always goes first. By the time I got to what was available the pickings are slim, warm pieces of cheese, limp vegetables and bottled water. I passed. Maybe I'll get lucky and find something on the way home.

There was of course a mandatory “floor show”. Various employees of different agencies working in the building gave presentations of what they did with their particular organization. I was mildly interested mostly so for the presentation of Brian. I cannot say Brian is a friend of mine, I barely know him even though he seems to always been at the UCAT facility. Brian is a major quadriplegic. I'm surprised the guy's still alive. I know you got some major traumas the past couple years one specifically being a pressure sore which is refused to heal however he looked pretty good today. Brian gave a presentation on his life as a person with a disability. Brian like myself incurred his disability as an adolescent. Brian did his University work graduating as an electrical engineer. I was impressed. Honestly, I've never really tried to communicate with this man because his disability overwhelmed me. I just didn't know how to communicate with Brian. I still don't and I doubt that I will try very hard but I will give him high marks for the most interesting presentation of the day.