Taking Action

Many years ago when I was a beginning social work student one of our professors told us that, as a group, we were good at advocating for other people but not ourselves. I realized he was right, took that as a challenge and decided that I would use that two year period to learn to advocate for myself and other disabled people. Without going into details, over that period I learned to quietly, politely and forcefully push for changes that made the school more handicapped friendly. I also met with considerable resistance and found out later that I had been given the nickname "the bitcher". I then realized advocating for self was not always popular with everyone and that was one reason it was not practiced. Recently I wrote and published a book not out of any sense of grandiosity or arrogance, but simply to be of service. I now find that, though many people appreciate the effort, some people are reacting negatively, reminding me of the past. In each case, I learn & grow - and will continue.