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[Instrumental music]
I've been living in my neighborhood which is called Barrington Gardens
for 12 years and I live in my own home, which I own.
I have learned so much about living in my own community.
But let me start by saying
I'm involved in 18 neighborhoods in my own community.
And I'm always involved in the what they
call Southside Reunion, that means they get together
playing music, raising money for their neighbhorhood to make it better
and to change the stereotype of being the "hood."
We want to make it the neighborhood, not the "hood."
We want to get rid of the stereotype to make it better.
Well what I'm doing now is
whenever there's a meeting that has to do with the
neighborhood crime watch or have to deal with inner city intervention,
I get involved in trying to find out what
we need to do in the community to get these kids something to do.
To give them something of a positive role model.
Seeing what's out there because there's a lot of parents
that don't know that there are things out there for them.
And I get involved to let them know
that you can make a difference. And then I get another group
and say how can we solve, whether it's cultural or
structural or getting communication going with [inaudible] neighborhood.
So I try to get the grassroots of it,
try to find out what's going on out there. What is the problem?
What can I do? What can we do to make a difference?
You know, what are you not getting? I'm really in there. I'm taking a leadership role.
And that basically is what I'm doing right now,
is trying to open their eyes. There are things they can do. They don't know what's out there.
They're too busy
either leaving their kid's at home or they're doing other things.
And their kid is being in trouble and that is when I come in.
I want to give them something that is stability wise
and that basically what I'm trying to do. Trying to get everybody to come on.
We've got to make up something [inaudible]
I go to a lot of crime watch meetings. I go to the schools.
I do what they call conflict resolution
so when the schools need me I'm there.
Whether I have to roll down there or I have to take
metro or I have to take my staff to take me to the schools to work with them.
And I'm going to continue to do that just to let them know that there's somebody there.
I'm not just going to say, "Hi I'm here." No, I want to be there.
I refuse to sit there and let it go undone.
Now there's a need to be there and there's no one else to be there.
I feel I need to step up to the plate and if I can make a difference.
And it's not just our disability, it's our ability and that's all I want, I want to change
the misgivings of people with disabilities that can't speak.
Well what's it got to do with me? Maybe nothing but finally I believe
you can. Just because you can speak doesn't mean you can't get a on
machine that can help you speak, you know, to your senators.
That's why I'm involved in self-advocacy.
You advocate not just for me but I'm helping you advocate for yourself and I'm
helping you. I'm being there for you and in turn we can involve each other.
That's why I'm involved in other organizations not just self-advocacy.
I believe I can make a change.
But if it hadn't been for Everybody Counts, People First
and other organizations, I would not be me.
I don't believe in giving up. I strive on the word no.
You tell me no, I'll turn it into a yes.
And I'm also involved in my church. I was in the choir for six years.
I got baptized and I'm involved in
the youth part of the ministry called Kid's Force.
I enjoy it a lot. I love the kids. It changed my life.
They know I have a disability but they don't look at my disability, they look at my ability.
So I'm a helper for the youth director of the group
called Kid's Force. And like I said,
I'm learning and I'm still learning. I'm involved with a lot of things. I'm
uh... organizations like, I just got done with the Thanksgiving give away.
And I'm getting ready to do what they call the Christmas store,
which I do every year.
I'm excited so I'm involved in my community like I said and that's
a community project within itself.