Something New

I’m starting a second blog. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a while, but it wasn’t until I finished my first training session for Partners in Policymaking that I decided to go forward.

So, I want to share a short story about what lit my fire for legislative advocacy, and then call it a day for politics on this particular blog.

Last spring, hubby and I attended a town hall meeting about our state’s new budget. There were several community members there who have a disability. There was some concern about cuts to transportation budgets that would essentially render some smaller metro area bus systems completely useless.

A young boy testified about all the ways he uses a bus during the day. Then his father spoke on a similar theme. Both were individuals with some degree of vision loss and relied on the bus for transportation. And then he dropped this ton of bricks on us and I almost got in the car and drove to Madison that second:

He had been told during a hearing at the capital about the same issue that he should just drive to work.

And one of the representatives at our town hall meeting agreed.

That’s when I saw, with extreme clarity, what we were up against. If you are going to tell a man who cannot see to just get in his car and drive, what are you willing to say to a person with a cognitive disability? And what are you willing to do behind that person’s back?

I could go on with a dozen examples of total legislator fail, but that’s not what this blog is for. Garden of My Heart will remain a blog primarily about Rowenna, sometimes about Down syndrome in general, and occasionally about goings-on around our house.

The new blog, Growing a Tree, will focus on advocacy and policy issues. If that’s not your thing, I completely understand! I do hope that you will stick around with us here at Garden of My Heart and continue our journey with us!