Kile's Corner
Hey to all the self-advocates this is Kile Pelletier with a another Kile’s Corner for the month of February.
The one thing that we participated this month, February, that I really want to talk to you guys about is Disability Awareness Day hosted by Disability Rights Maine (DRM).
Starting our series with self-advocacy at the Statehouse in Augusta this past Wednesday, we had Disability Awareness at the Hall of Flags. Going to the Hall of Flags at the Statehouse face to face was very important and because of COVID, we haven't been at the Statehouse for two years. Going back to the Statehouse and talking to our representatives for the state of Maine was fantastic.
We got to build relationships with the representatives and senators that are in different committees that can help us with different issues that affect us.
I got to talk to my Senator President Troy Jackson and my district House Representative Austin Theriault. As I was talking to Austin Theriault, I found out that he is on the Committee for Transportation and transportation is one of the big issues that affect us. People with disabilities don't have a lot of choices for transportation to go where they need to go or do what they want to do, so it was good to find that out.
Building a professional relationship with your representative and senator can help you, by talking to them about issues that affect you and they will try to help you with the barriers of these issues. Self-advocates should participate at the Statehouse when it’s Disability Awareness Day. You can talk to your senators and representatives and tell them what issues affect you. They always enjoy listening to your stories because it affects us and if they don't hear from us, they can't help us. They help make and pass bills that will help us in our lives.
At Disability Awareness Day, along with SUFU, there were many other tables set up with different agencies such as Disability Rights Maine (DRM), Maine Developmental Disability Council (MDDC), and Center for Community Inclusion and Disabilities Studies (CCIDS). They can point you in the right direction to make your lives better. I’d love to talk with you more about speaking with your representatives so please don’t hesitate to give me a call.
