We are so honored to have been a part of Disability Day on the Hill!

We had a Dickson County Resident and colleague Ms. Mary Mangrum that spoke to Rep. Curcio about people with disabilities and the need for more local transportation here in Dickson County.

He was very receptive and open to hearing about transportation issues throughout TN.  Mary is a self-advocate here at DSDC, she is also our People First President for our Dickson Chapter and over the past month she has completed the Advocates in Motion Training to assist others!   She will be working for DIDD as a paid advocate and did a stellar job on the training classes!   We are very proud of all that Mary does for her community.

I had the privilege to stand with two Ashland City gentleman as a mentor for Disability Day on the Hill as they spoke to Rep. Littleton.   What an inspiration they were!  Both gentlemen noted they were diagnosed with Autism, both worked jobs and both were very proud of their community.   The men both spoke about needed more transportation in the Ashland City area.  How they both walk to work each day, one of them walked 54 minutes one way, the other walked a little over 30 minutes one way to get to their jobs.  They discussed the importance of having a way that was cost effective to go to work, the grocery store and also to get medications.  Rep. Littleton was very receptive and stated she would be looking into the transportation bills. 

The Changing Table Bill:  Mary also brought this up as well as another self-advocate and how much it would change the lives of so many people.   How important it is to have a place to be able to complete hygiene skills in the community and not have to get a ride back to their residence but to be able to stay out in the community with their friends, co- workers and family!  

Molly from East TN was a part of our group for both sessions!  What an inspiration with the Text- 911 Bill!  Her story about her life and how much Text -911 would change it in a positive way.  It was quite an enlightening and exciting day!

Advocates in Motion!   Mary completed the AiM course last month and we had a wonderful time taking the classes!   It is sponsored by DIDD and Mary worked very hard on a memory board prior to the class and attended an all-day training and courses to be certified.   Mary is now able to be a paid self-advocate for anyone who needs support across the State.  Congrats Mary!

We want to give a shout out to” Dream with Me” We have several people here at DSDC that are great actors and singers.  You can view the latest Dream with Me on u-tube.  Debby Throckmorton is the owner and Director of the program.  If you are interested in joining her group or being a part of Dream with Me, please feel free to email her at Debby Throckmorton debby@dreamwme.com .  She is so talented and people love be a part of her shows!