"Building Connections Towards a Common Goal"

"Imagine being surrounded by people who have similar challenges to you and who are fighting for the same outcome." This is what I experienced last week as I attended the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) conference in Washington, D.C. for work.

I felt an energy in the room that was unexplainable as we all cheered for rights for people with disabilities. In one of the sessions, someone said that people with disabilities are not a group that is often thought to be discriminated against but people with disabilities do still face discrimination and we need to fight to end this inequality. As a person with a disability and an advocate for others, I totally agree with this statement as I feel I have faced discrimination in areas of my life and have heard stories of others with disabilities facing the same. 

My favorite part of the conference was connecting with people with all different types of disabilities and seeing and hearing about the tools they use to live their most independent lives. 

Everybody was so nice and willing to help each other. On the first day of the conference, I asked a girl who I had met that morning if she wanted to eat lunch with me. We decided to walk to lunch outside of the hotel and it ended up being a pretty far walk for me. Since it was a new environment and my legs were getting tired, I asked her if I could hold her arm during certain parts of the walk. She was happy to help me and actually told me to stop thanking her because she was happy to help. 

This was a very powerful and uplifting conference and I can't wait to use the messages and knowledge that I learned to serve other people with disabilities. 

Written by
Sydney Breslow 


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