National Youth Leadership Network Newsletter
Volume 2, Number 2
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Table of Contents:
Role of NYLN in the Lives of Leaders
Interview with a Disability Leader
Federal Sponsors:
US Department of Education,
Office of Special Education Programs
US Department of Health and
Human Services,
Administration on Developmental Disabilities
US Department of Labor,
Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration,
Office Program Development and Research
National Council on Disability
A Call to Action
By Betsy Valnes
Executive Director
National Youth Leadership Network
Dear Fellow Young Leaders,
My thought for the day is this: “Don’t strive for more of what you can see; strive for what you cannot see.”
When focusing on the theme of this quarter’s newsletter, “Taking Action,” such a statement is the core of our quest. One of the most exciting, the most challenging, and the most important factors in the youth movement—whether within the disability community specifically or the all-inclusive areas of education, employment, benefits opportunities, etc.—is the responsibility to Take Action and positively affect change.
We can all identify areas in our schools, our home towns, our states, our country that would be better or improved if only something was done…if only something was changed. So…what are you going to do about it?
Some of your peers are not fulfilling the check-list of the things that they should be responsible for. No, in fact, some are rising to the occasion and doing a whole lot more…they are adding to their to-do list all on their own. Some of your peers, some of our members, are taking the responsibility to collect over 275 letters of support to send to policy-makers that emphasize the reasons why a youth organization like NYLN is not just necessary in our country, but imperative. One young person + 275 letters = Taking Action.
Some of your peers are recognizing need for change on their college campus by identifying areas that are not meeting ADA code. They have done their research, they have studied their resources, and they have prepared themselves more thoroughly than some well-seasoned professionals usually would. And when their college administrators, their college dean, and their college president were not doing anything about it, they did. They worked their way up the ladder and are now seeking action through the State Commission on Disability Concerns and the Regional Office for Civil Rights. Two young people + well-prepared, educated persistence = Taking Action.
Some of your peers are advocating for emphasis to be placed specifically on outreach to foster youth with disabilities. Not only have they talked with influential policy makers at the NYLN Institute, but they have also followed up with them by providing additional information, well-prepared documentation, and heart-felt passion about the topic. As a result, there is a realistic possibility that a federal grant could be available with this focus in the future. One young person + determination and follow-through = Taking Action.
In our world, there are those who see an opportunity and there are those who seize it. Which one are you? Think of those things in life that make you roll your eyes because you can’t believe how under-educated some people are. Do something about it! Think of those things in life that make your heart sink because some people are obviously being left out and no one is acting on it. Do something about it! Think of those things in life where you come up with an awesome idea that would make things work so much better for yourself and all those to follow you. DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Perhaps some of your goals and your visions seem too big sometimes. Perhaps some things seem out of your reach. Maybe some ideas seem too good to be true. And perhaps so…such thoughts are natural. But every goal has to start somewhere. NYLN is here to support you; we are here to empower you. We are here to serve as a resource in your efforts to find other partners and other outlets along the way. But what does it all come down to? Taking Action. And that part is all up to YOU!
By Peter Squire
Chair
National Youth Leadership Network
I think one of the hardest things to do in life is to take action. Action can mean a lot of different things. It might mean you speak up during a meeting. For example, if you do not understand something, you may want to speak up. Action could mean that you put on an event. For example, if you put on a play about disabilities. There is no right or wrong way to take action. Everyone is different and everyone has some to give. The important thing is to do something. Often that is very hard to do.
Why is that so hard? Think about a time when you had a burning feeling inside, but were afraid to do something about it. Maybe you were scared that someone would think you were stupid. Maybe you did not want to look silly in front of your friends. Maybe you did not want them to know you had a disability. You do not always have to do something, but often times when you get that feeling it is important to understand why.
An example may help. I have friends with development disabilities and they hate the word “retarded.” I know how it makes them feel and I do not want to upset them so I do not use that word. But I also listen to that word being used by some of my other friends. I know it may upset them if I ask them not to use it, and that they may think I am stupid. I think it is important to make them aware of how it might affect other people. So sometimes I ask them not to say it and remind them of what it means to my friends.
Using your voice is one of the first steps in taking action. I think another first step involves believing in yourself and your ability to make decisions. No one can make you believe in yourself; you have to do that. It is important to understand how powerful you can be. Too many people may like us to think that we are too young, or not smart enough. They are just trying to make it easy for themselves. You see…if you are not speaking out for yourself, or others then you are allowing other people to speak for you. By deciding not to speak, you are not taking action; you are allowing others to take action for you.
It is very important to know that people can make decisions about your life even when you are not there. Maybe your parents are making the decisions, maybe your teachers, or friends. I am part of a state advisory team that reviews matters and policies that affect the lives of youth with disabilities. I can tell you that when no youth is present, they say stuff like “what would a youth want” or maybe they make a decision that is easiest for them. I know that not having a youth there allows them to take action without youth input.
Maybe you want someone to decide the type of clothes you wear, or the job you have, or maybe the place you live. Life is much easier when people make decisions for you. You only have to get up everyday. Of course then, they may even decide when you wake up in the morning! But like I said at the start, taking action is a hard thing to do. I cannot tell you what to do, and someone else may want to. The question you have to think about is what you want to do.
© National Youth Leadership Network. Preparation of the newsletter was supported, in part by grant # H324F0100001 from the Office of Special Education Programs, US Department of Education. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the authors and no official endorsement by the sponsors should be inferred.
The Americans with Disabilities Act: Reflecting on the last 15 years
By Stacey Milbern
NYLN Advanced Leadership Institute Participant 2005
Ft. Bragg , NC
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said in a speech that “in the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.” Although Americans with disabilities now have the fundamental right to accessibility in employment and the public, this was not protected until July 1990. Because of the struggle fought by disability advocates around the nation, George H. W. Bush signed the legislation which is now known as the Americans with Disabilities Act.
This document has greatly improved the lives of many citizens, but it falls under criticism for many reasons. Some people complain that the legislation has not deterred discrimination and that there have not been many changes in the last 15 years. However, when one compares the number of ramps, Braille on walls, or other accommodations to the number of those resources available before the ADA , there are many more of these adaptations. Blue disabled parking signs dot almost every parking lot. In some public places, electric doors and captioning are available.
Still, there are many elemental flaws in the law – such as the definition of disability. Many Americans with mental illnesses or hidden disabilities are not given equal protection to their fellow citizens with more visible disabilities. Some people argue that the legislation is too broad in regard to what situations are and are not covered…Matt Groening even ridiculed this by writing an episode of The Simpsons where the main character, Homer, attempted to gain weight so he could be covered by the ADA.
Many also find fault in the Act’s failure to prevent discrimination. Fifteen years later, communication between the able-bodied and the disability community often remains strained. Many people without disabilities maintain that accommodation laws put too many restrictions on the free market and as a result, should be repealed. However, with greater access to these establishments, profits should naturally rise because the potential pool of customers becomes larger. Businesses should take into consideration that there are 54 million Americans with disabilities. This already staggering number continues to grow because of retiring baby-boomers.
It still seems like these new-found civil rights aren’t as readily recognized as the advancement of civil rights for other minority groups in the past century. Textbooks rarely speak of the disability culture and the average American wouldn’t be able to recognize any major advocate of the movement. Still, citizens are fortunate to have the ADA ; other pieces of civil rights legislature are geared towards helping only certain groups of citizens. Taking into account that any gender or race could easily become disabled, the ADA protects everyone.
Americans are blessed to have the ADA , and society has come a long way. However, accessibility is much more than just special parking and curb cuts. It means having the right of entry to full, productive, and meaningful lives. For society to function at its finest, it is essential that America is accessible to everyone.
The Role NYLN in the Lives of Emerging Leaders
“NYLN truly helped me to understand the meaning of self-advocacy and how to bring it back to your hometown and make a difference for OTHER individuals with disabilities, not just myself. It was wonderful for me to listen to various presentations about the struggle with rights for people with disabilities, such as Justin Dart's wife. It was a pleasure to listen to many significant people in history of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I truly enjoyed my rich experience in Washington , DC , as I am from rural South Dakota !”
Chelsea Tobin
2005 Advanced Leadership Institute Participant
Pierpont , SD
“It is difficult to select just one event from the 2005 NYLN Advanced Leadership Institute that I enjoyed, or that had an impact on me. I made so many wonderful memories and learned more than I would have imagined. Going home at the end of the week, I possessed something so invaluable; something I would appreciate greatly.
However, if forced to choose, I can isolate one evening as my favorite. This evening was a fun and social event, as well as an empowering and educational night. This was July 26, the eve of the fifteenth anniversary of the ADA . That night, we attended the anniversary celebration at the Kennedy Center .
Before going to the actual celebration I went out to dinner with two of my new friends. Our quick dinner and trek to the metro station was full of laughs and stories. I got to know these two girls and learned so much from them. Both older than me, they have done so much, which was so inspiring to hear and very interesting.
Attending the celebration was very enjoyable and extremely interesting. I learned so much about the ADA and what an impact it has made. It encouraged me to pursue my hope of becoming a lawyer and working as an advocate.”
Claire Stanley
2005 Advanced Leadership Institute Participant
Mission Viego , CA
“On June 16 th and 17 th of this year, I attended the Rehabilitation Services Administration Conference. The theme of the conference was ‘From Roots to Wings: Guiding Youth with Disabilities to Employment.’ Many different people attended the conference. There were vocational rehabilitation counselors, policy makers, and even some youth. Actually there were a large amount of youth there. This was in part to the work of Candace Jordan, or Candy. Candy is a past NYLN member and served on the conference planning team. She made it a point to make sure youth voices were heard. There were several sessions that involved youth. Betsy Valnes, the NYLN Executive Director, even had a keynote presentation. It was wonderful. Even with the increased number of youth there, I was still amazed people do not involve more youth in their activities. I think if we can learn something from this conference, it would be to follow Candy and involve youth. I had a great time, and I think a lot of that had to do with the youth focus and involvement. If your community is going to be putting on an event, I would recommend involving youth, too.”
Peter Squire
Network Chair
Alexandria , VA
Movie of the Month
Million Dollar Baby
Directed by Clint Eastwood
For those of you who have somehow not watched or heard about Million Dollar Baby, it is a movie that has caused critics to rave while those in the disability community are appalled. Maggie, a 31-year old woman, wants to become a professional boxer in a male dominated sport. A well-known boxing trainer, Frank, is reluctant to help her, but he eventually does. She soars to the top of her game only to be defeated some time later by a violent blow to the head rendering her a ventilation-dependent quadriplegic.
Thinking this is no way to live, Maggie asks Frank to help her commit suicide by removing her life giving support, killing her. Several controversial issues arise in this movie, including the message that individuals with disabilities are unable to succeed in the world, and instead lead hopeless lives not worth living. The most shocking of these issues focuses on Maggie’s assisted suicide. Interestingly, the character, Maggie, says that she fought her way into this world and she will fight her way out of it. But isn’t her choice more like giving up than fighting? Although I do not agree with the views and opinions portrayed in this movie, don’t take my word on it. Watch it and judge for yourself.
Josie Badger
2005 Governing Board Member
Wampum, PA
Book of the Month
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
By Mark Haddon (2004) Vintage Books.
Christopher Boone is a 15-year old boy with autism in Swindon , England . He hates being touched, cannot tell a lie, and cannot understand metaphors or jokes.
He is a whiz at math and enjoys
puzzles. When the neighbor's dog is killed with a pitchfork, he seizes upon it as a puzzle and math problem in hopes of understanding something that makes no sense to him. This begins a journey for Christopher that takes him places he never imagined, both physically and emotionally.
Kristen Jones
2005 Governing Board Member
Houston , TX
Website Highlights
A project of the National Coalition for Disability Rights,an alliance of hundreds of disability, civil rights, and social justice organizations united to defend and promote the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the human rights of children and adults with physical, mental, cognitive and developmental disabilities by providing the latest news and updates.
http://www.ragged-edge-mag.com/
Ragged Edge magazine is successor to the award-winning periodical, The Disability Rag. In Ragged Edge, and on this website, you'll find the best in today's writing about society's "ragged edge" issues: medical rationing, genetic discrimination, assisted suicide, long-term care, attendant services. We cover the disability experience in America -- what it means to be a crip living at the start of the 21st century.
You can freely play at anytime this game, which simulates how advocacy can promote positive changes. As advocates for disability rights, players work together in one of ten virtual communities to improve awareness and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Quotes, Quotes, Quotes!
"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg." —Anon
Opportunities for Input
-
Public Information Committee is looking for people interested in submitting articles for the NYLN Newsletter. If interested please contact Michael Agyin at mkagyin@aol.com or Kara Sheridan at karasheridan@bellsouth.net .
- The Membership Committee wants your ideas for our next teleconference! If you have a topic you'd like to see addressed on the next NYLN quarterly teleconference, please contact Jen Fitz-Roy at fitzroyj@bc.edu.
NYLN Advanced Leadership Institute Participant 2005
Hello everyone. My name is Schylar Canfield from Butte , Montana . I met many of you at the 2005 NYLN institute in Washington , DC . It was an incredible experience, and I want to take this opportunity to talk further about my recent experience.
I spent the previous summer working as a FosterClub All-Star. FosterClub is a national organization for youth in foster care. However, we also provide resources for adults. Our websites get over 15,000 hits a week.
As an All-Star, I toured all over the United States facilitating teen conferences. These events were designed for youth in foster care. I, along with my fellow All-Stars, taught workshops on a variety of topics. Some were aimed to help foster youth find reliability within adult relationships, others taught independent living skills, and other components of the conference provided many resources for youth to get further involved in the plans for their own lives. As an All-Star I encourage foster youth to take action and be in the driver’s seat.
Even though FosterClub and NYLN are two very different non-profit organizations, they are very similar in many respects. FosterClub targets youth in foster care, while NYLN targets youth with disabilities. However, the connection can be seen with the fact that many youth in foster care often end up with some severe disabilities. Many foster care have chronic depression, anxiety, and even post-traumatic-stress syndrome. Post-traumatic-stress syndrome is the same condition that war veterans suffer from after their experiences in battle. NYLN and FosterClub are focusing on improving the lives of large groups of youth. Both need every bit of help they can get.
This summer, I learned a great deal. I got to meet people from all over the United States . However, the most important part of my summer was working with the youth. It felt empowering to put my terrible history in foster care to good use. I was able to show youth through my words and actions that even though we may experience terrible things, we can rise above anything.
My goal this summer was to inspire as many youth as possible to go to college, find trusting relationships, and above all, become leaders themselves. I feel that I have met my goal this summer. Still, I am going to continue the fight for youth in foster care as well as youth with disabilities.
I, myself, have a few different disabilities. I have chronic depression and anxiety. So, I know what it is like. I know that life can be hard for youth with disabilities, and I believe we should stand together and continue to fight for each other. After all, for many of us, each other is all we have.
Please check out FosterClub’s websites. They might especially be useful for those of you in foster care. If you know of someone in the foster care system, please share these powerful resources with them.
For more information, visit either of the FosterClub’s websites:
And the Winner Is…
NYLN’s recent award recipients
“I won the Emerging Leader Award for working hard as a youth advocate. I am very excited and honored. I will be going to Billings , MT at the end of October for an awards banquet. I am also serving on the committee for the Montana Youth Leadership Forum (MYLF).”
Sierra Lode
Advanced Leadership Institute Participant
2005 Helena, MT
“I recently got an internship position with Microsoft in the Marketing and Promotions department. This internship will last until the end of the semester, but my options are open for continuing.
I will also be in the National Dean’s List publication which comes out in November. This honors the top academic achievers across the U.S. You can find this book at any public library as well as in schools across the country.
Also, I have been nominated for the “Outstanding Graduating Senior for the W.P. School of Business Award.” Since I am graduating this December, it is a real honor to be nominated (and possibly selected) for this award with a college of over 12,000 business students and over 700 graduates this semester!”
Alice Ho
Advanced Leadership Institute Participant 2005
Tempe , AZ
Timothy Moore’s “Political Hero” essay spotlighted the influence of his state leadership forum’s facilitator, John Richmond. Tim won 2 nd prize in this contest, sponsored by Virginians for Integrity in Government.
Tim Moore
Advanced Leadership Institute Participant 2005
Rockville , VA
Congratulations to these award winning leaders!
top
Disability Leader Profile
An Interview with Andy Imparato
By Michael Agyin
2005 Governing Board Member Los Angeles , CA
Andrew J. Imparato is the first full-time President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Prior to joining AAPD, Imparato was general counsel and director of policy for the National Council on Disability, an attorney advisor with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and counsel to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy. Imparato, whose perspective is informed by his own experience with bipolar disorder, is frequently called upon to write, speak or provide testimony about disability issues. Several NYLN members had the opportunity to learn from Andy at this summer’s Advanced Leadership Institute in Washington , D.C.
What is your job, and what do you do on a daily basis?
“I am the president and chief executive officer of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), a DC-based national membership organization promoting the political and economic empowerment of children, youth and adults with all types of disabilities. One of the things I like about my job is there really is no such thing as a typical day. I do a lot of public speaking work as part of many coalitions doing policy advocacy, raise money for the organization, supervise the staff, speak with the media, write letters and articles, and communicate with members and other important stakeholders in our work.”
How did you get involved in the area of disability?
“When I graduated from law school in 1990, the year the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted, I knew I wanted to use my law degree to work with people who did not have easy access to lawyers. I was placed in the disability benefits section of a legal services agency in Cambridge , Massachusetts , and I learned about a Supreme Court decision that made it easier for children to qualify for disability benefits. I applied for and won a fellowship to implement that decision in Massachusetts , and went to work for the Disability Law Center in Boston . As I was getting started in disability advocacy, I was also experiencing the early stages of what became diagnosed as bipolar disorder or manic depression, a mental health condition that affects my mood, energy, and self-confidence over the course of the year. After doing advocacy for about a year, I started being more open about my condition. I found that it was a source of strength, identity, and credibility in the work I was doing. The strong peer support network that I was able to tap into from the Massachusetts disability community helped me to come to terms with my own disability and give me direction for my career as a new lawyer.”
When you were a young individual what was one of your fondest memories, and why?
“I enjoyed getting to work with a broad coalition of disability advocates around Massachusetts on a statewide effort to fight cutbacks in the state Medicaid program that were resulting in people having less access to personal assistance services. This issue was a high priority for many organizations around the state and we developed a multi-pronged strategy to fight the cuts, including litigation, policy advocacy, media work, and coalition building. As I worked with the coalition on all of these fronts, I realized that the policy work was the part I enjoyed the most, and that led me to come to D.C. to begin my next job working for Senator Harkin on the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Disability Policy.”
How would you characterize your life, and what has made you successful and helped you develop as a leader?
“I have been blessed with a succession of excellent mentors and a wonderful network of friends and allies throughout the disability and civil rights communities. I love my work and I feel lucky and honored to hold the position I do. I have also benefited from having an amazing wife and two great children who help me put my work in a broader perspective. Success comes when I take my passion and apply it strategically to accomplish a goal. Passion, hard work, and good communication skills have been important elements of my early career successes. I like to take creative approaches to my work, always looking for ways to expand the circle of individuals and organizations that feel connected to AAPD and the disability community more broadly. By building bridges between diverse constituencies, we have an opportunity to create understanding and ownership of disability issues by a broader network and use that network to accomplish more and reach more people.”
What are the greatest challenges currently facing individuals with disabilities? How do you think youth with disabilities can help face this challenge?
“I think reforming policy to lift more disabled people out of poverty is a central challenge we face 15 years after passage of the ADA . Youth with disabilities can demand that public programs support them in their career goals and not punish them for working or make them swear that they are unable to work in order to get critical supports like health care. Youth can also help national disability organizations put more priority on higher education, leadership development opportunities, and the development of a greater understanding of disability culture and history among people coming into the disability movement for the first time.”
What do you see as your role in helping emerging leaders? How are you helping build the leaders of the future?
“I make a point of participating in youth leadership forums across the country and NYLN conferences and activities. At AAPD, we have developed a number of programs to help cultivate emerging leaders, including our Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Awards, our Congressional and Information Technology summer internship programs for college and graduate students with disabilities, and our academic-year partnership with the Washington Center for Internships in the Fall and Spring. We also host Disability Mentoring Day each October, a job-shadowing and career exploration program for students and job-seekers with disabilities. All of these programs are helping to build a stronger cross-disability consciousness and developing the skills and experience of the next generation of disability rights leaders. We also moderate a free listserv called Justice for All that is a good way for emerging leaders to learn about what is happening at the national level in the area of disability rights and policy. To sign up for the listserv and to learn more about AAPD's programs, visit our website at www.aapd.com.”
What do you think is the most important advice you could give to a young person with a disability who wants to be a leader?
“Follow your passion, work hard, cultivate quality mentors, and seek out opportunities to learn and grow personally and professionally. Try to be positive and constructive in expressing your views, and set goals and write them down.”
When you think of youth with disabilities what type of characteristics or personality traits do you think it is important to have, what type did you have when you were young and how did they change when you got older?
“I recently heard a colleague say that leaders need three kinds of bones: a funny bone, a wishbone, and a backbone. I agree with that. I think probably the most important thing is for young people to develop their own personal style of leadership that feels honest and authentic for them. The disability movement benefits when our leadership truly reflects the diversity of our constituency, so don't try too hard to fit somebody else's mold. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and don't be afraid to admit when you have made a mistake. For me personally, I find that as I get older I try to have more patience and more capacity to appreciate the contribution that everyone can make, even the people that I don't always agree with. Justin Dart had a big influence on me in this direction. I know I still have room for improvement in this area, but I am trying to be more accepting and inclusive of diverse viewpoints.”
What do you expect or desire from youth leaders with disabilities?
“Get involved in advocacy and speak out honestly about what is working and not working for you as you pursue your life goals. Find issues about which you are passionate and find ways to make an impact on those issues at the local, state, national, and/or international levels. Also, find ways to have fun as you build a stronger and more cohesive cross-disability civil rights movement. I'm hoping some of you will see value in becoming a member of AAPD and joining forces with us as we seek to build the political and economic power of people with disabilities.”
Lastly, If there was a youth sitting in front of you and wanting to know what you thought the important thing in life is, what would that be?
“Find something you love to do and work hard to do it well. View your disability as an important part of your identity, as a strength and source of connection and credibility, and not as something you need to explain away or ‘overcome.’ Seek out ways to contribute to improving your community beyond the disability advocacy that you do. Try to maintain an open heart and an open mind as you seek to make a difference.”
NYLN is appreciative of Mr. Imparato’s time and his agreement to be featured for this issue’s disability leader profile. If you would like to contact him or learn more about AAPD, the contact information is below.
Andrew J. Imparato
President and CEO
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
1629 K Street, NW, Suite 503
Washington , DC 20006
800-840-8844 (V/TTY)
202-457-0473 (FAX)
443-386-2935 (cell)
This quarter, two recent college graduates with international majors share details about how they gained real-world international experience while in college to prepare for their career paths.
Interning in Scotland
By Cindy Otis
Sometimes we have an ideal view of how the world works. We assume after putting in several long, hard years of school, possibly even working a temporary job, eager employers will be lining up outside our doors. That is rarely the case. Most of us realize too late that employers are looking for candidates with real-world experience. For those of us striving for international careers, employers expect us to have studied or interned abroad. People with disabilities are not exempt from this expectation. In many cases, we have to go above and beyond just to be treated equally. But international travel is worth so much more than just another bullet point to add to your resume—it enriches your life, and it enlightens and expands your possibilities.
[An internship in another country provides you with real-world experience while you gain important language, cross-cultural and independence skills. Here, Cindy Otis smiles from her wheelchair in front of a monument.]
As a career-minded junior at Brigham Young University (BYU), I was continuously looking for opportunities that would set me apart from the pack when it came time to apply for professional positions. While working for the Center for the Study of Europe at BYU, I learned about a newly created internship with the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh , Scotland . Before my participation, only a handful of students had completed the internship, and none of them were students with disabilities.
Because the internship program was so new, it was fairly underdeveloped. Students were expected to make all travel arrangements, find housing, and coordinate travel to and from the Parliament building each day. In other words, we were on our own. Being in a wheelchair due to Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, the prospect of being out of my element AND alone was daunting. I was fearful, and my family was concerned. But this was an adventure I knew I had to take.
Before we left for the internship, a member of the Scottish Parliament, Brian Adam came to lecture at BYU. As a soon-to-be intern, I was invited along with other prospective interns to a special luncheon to meet him. I noticed right away that Mr. Adam was passionate about his work in the Parliament. This shouldn’t have been surprising to me; the Parliament had just reconvened in 1999 after a UK-imposed, 392-year recess.
I learned that our responsibilities as interns would be significant, including tasks such as writing press releases, drafting briefs used in debate, preparing and submitting parliamentary questions, and composing reports that would be used in policy development. As students, we were slightly suspicious that a foreign political party would entrust such important responsibilities to inexperienced American students. No pouring coffee and delivering the morning donuts for us! After the luncheon, Mr. Adam pulled me aside and told me that they had never had a person in a wheelchair work at the Parliament, but that they would do whatever possible to make things accessible. With this reassurance, I was fired up and ready to go.
To read more about Cindy’s amazing experiences, visit the newsroom page on www.nyln.org. She shares advice, mixed with a keen sense of humor, to future leaders with disabilities that may be interested in pursuing an internship as well as practical information anyone traveling abroad will appreciate.
Cindy graduated in May from Brigham Young University and is currently working with the Department of the Army in Salt Lake City. To find out about internship programs overseas, view these websites: www.miusa.org/exchangeprograms (use keyword “internship”) and www.internabroad.com.
For tips on finding accommodations overseas, contact Mobility International USA/National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange at: clearinghouse@miusa.org, 541-343-1284 (tel/tty) or www.miusa.org. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, it provides cross-disability information about international exchange participation.
Interning with an Organization Dedicated to Intercultural Understanding and World Peace
By Rachel Berkston
Last summer I interned with Youth for Understanding (YFU) in Bethesda, Maryland. YFU is an international exchange organization, which sends high school students abroad. It offers programs of various lengths to 50 countries worldwide. Participating students live with a host family and learn about the culture.
During my time with YFU, I lived with other interns in housing on George Washington University’s campus. I worked with the YFU Admissions and Registration Department, where I had my own desk and computer. My co-workers and my supervisor were only a few feet away, which made me feel a part of the team.
Each week, the staff would meet and the first time I attended, I used a cued speech transliterator. Because the meetings usually consisted of seven people or less, I developed other communication strategies. I have strong lip-reading skills but can only pay attention to one person at a time, so I used a pillow from our office and announced to the staff that the pillow-holder should be the only one speaking. When finished, the pillow-holder would pass the pillow to the next person wanting to speak or back to the meeting facilitator. Before my suggestion, people would frequently interrupt each other and talk over each other.
[Rachel Burkston smiles from her office where she worked during her internship experience.]
At each meeting, I would remind participants about the pillow strategy, speaking loudly, and facing me when talking. It worked out well. Throughout my internship, my major project involved expanding promotional advertising possibilities regarding YFU’s exchange opportunities. I researched prospective publications and newspapers and online advertising and mailing lists for target populations; in this case, high school students and teachers.
To read more about Rachel’s leadership skills and how they helped establish a greater understanding for a variety of disabilities, visit the newsroom page on www.nyln.org. Future leaders can benefit from how she used her internship experience to make it possible for others with disabilities to study abroad.
Rachel participated in an international exchange program to Israel as a teenager and studied abroad in the Czech Republic while in college. She is willing to share about these experiences and her internship through the Mobility International USA / National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange Peer-to-Peer Network (http://www.miusa.org/ncde/ncde/peers/request).To learn about internships with Youth for Understanding and other U.S. based international exchange organizations, check out the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange’s internship list online at www.miusa.org/ncde/tipsheets/internships.