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July 26, 2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most important civil rights victories in U.S. history. Some of the pioneers who worked to pass the ADA are featured in compelling videos produced by TASH. TASH is an international association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and professionals fighting for a society in which inclusion of all people in all aspects of society is the norm.
The official ADA web site has added a video which documents the speech given by President George H. W. Bush when he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990. In the video, President Bush speaks to a huge audience of activists, Congressional supporters, people with disabilities, and their families and friends gathered on the south lawn of the White House. The 22-minute film, provided to the Department by the George Bush Presidential Library, is being re-released on the Internet to increase awareness of the ADA.
I had the honor and the privilege to both attend and present at the State Consumer Conference on Thursday, July 22. There were so many wonderful workshops that I had a hard time choosing which ones I wanted to attend. I presented with Steven Batson from the Michigan Recovery Center of Excellence on Anti-Stigma. We showed the documentary that NLCMH just recently released (Look Closer: See Me For Who I Am) and got all great feedback on how well it was created.
I found it rather educating to hear folks answer the question of why they chose to attend our session after Steven had asked them. There were so many different answers to this question and it led to an amazing discussion on what people thought stigma was and how it affected their lives in so many different levels and in so many different ways.
- What kinds of stigma do you encounter on a daily basis?
- How does it make you feel?
- How can you change it as only one voice/person?
All of this consumes me at so many different levels. I’d like to hear your thoughts on these questions. Maybe your thoughts can help someone else. I’m hoping it will help continue to show that even though we might all not know each other, we all face it and deal with it daily and we might even stigmatize others daily without even knowing it. How? Why? When? Think about it and how you can help others. Leave your thoughts and help someone else.
If you are like most of us, there have been many roadblocks, potholes and detours on your journey through life. Sometimes we have to hang on while the storms blow through. That that’s what this little 3-minute movie is about – the amazing power of persistence! Just click below to watch.
The Best Way Out is Through | The Best Way Out is Always Through Movie.
A friend recently asked me two questions which have gotten me thinking: #1 Who are you? and #2 What do you want out of life?”
WOW! Can you actually answer those questions? I thought about them most of the night and found it hard to sleep wondering if I knew the answers to those questions – and they were about ME!
So I got out of bed, grabbed my laptop, and began to type. I started out with those two questions as “titles” if you will, and then put a bunch of spaces in between them to enter in the information that flew out of my brain. I should know this stuff! I live my life everyday and no one else does it for me, so why was this so hard to do? After I put the spaces in between the two questions, I went back to trying to get some sleep. But it hankered in my mind so I got back up, grabbed the laptop yet again, and started writing.
Who Am I? Here are just a few things I came up with:
- I am Mary Beth Evans. I am the baby of the family.
- I am a wonderful mother of four children.
- I am an advocate for my own needs.
- I am appreciative of small things in life because all small things equal one big thing.
- I am overbearing when it comes to getting something done.
- I am lazy when I want to be after a long day or even if I’m just emotionally drained. For example, if I’ve had a horrible day, I still come home and make sure the kids are taken care of with dinner, homework and baths, but I might just relax on the couch after and let the dishes go for the night.
- I am SUPER afraid to ask for help but yet give my help out freely.
What Do You Want Out Of Life? I had a hard time with this question. I thought it was going to be a task I could never do, but then I just started…
- EDUCATION: To go back to college and finish my bachelor’s degree in social work, continue on for my masters degree, and eventually even perhaps become a psychiatrist that has a diagnosis and would be willing to listen, learn and above all, HELP those like myself.
It didn’t seem like much after I looked at it and I knew I wanted WAY more out of life, but I could only think of headings. So I just put down the following knowing that this is MY list and I can add to it at any time:
- HOUSING
- OCCUPATION
- NECESSITIES
- TRANSPORTATION
- DEBT CONTROL
Your list doesn’t have to include the things mine does. It might be totally different. But my list continues to grow and I keep adding details to it. I’m sharing this because I thought this might be a great way to help folks continue to add to their own toolbox for wellness. I have taken my list, decided that I will revisit it every week when I revisit my WRAP plan, and use it as my goals in life. I’m going to keep this list, but I think I will get a brightly colored marker and start knocking some of them off that I do accomplish.
To me this is like a Person-Centered Plan. It’s my goals in life. It’s also my Recovery. It’s non-linear and it’s a process. I don’t have to go down the list and do everything in the order I have it. It’s a forever changing, living, breathing document. Have fun with this but be realistic that things DO change. Changes occur as we grow. Change can be very good.
Listening is a great skill to have in order to be an understanding supporter. Looking back at my own mental health history, I rarely had anyone just stop and listen to me when I needed to get things out. I always had people wanting to give me advice and tell me what to do to get through the rough spots in my life, but I never really had someone just listen to what I had to say without saying a word back before I had a chance to explain everything in detail to them (including my frustrations).
I’ve never been great at asking for help when I needed it because usually I’m the person trying to help others with their problems – that’s why I’m a peer support specialist! But asking for help and/or giving it is different than just listening to someone when they need an ear.
Someone once gave me a quote I remember dearly:
“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking.”
In my opinion, this quote should be posted inside our hearts as friends, parents, mentors, sponsors, mothers, daughters, sons, etc. Think before you react; listen before you speak; and be effective as a listener.
Effectiveness happens when you interpret and understand BOTH the message that’s being said and the way it’s being intended. If someone needs a listening ear, make sure and just LISTEN. It helps release the other person’s tension dramatically to have someone as a supporter who won’t judge them without hearing all the facts before lending their hearts.
Mary Beth Evans, NLCMH Recovery Coordinator and CPSS
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