2019 has been a busy year at 6 Wheels Consulting! I’ve had the chance to make new connections and work with some amazing people, and it’s been exciting to see 6 Wheels Consulting continue to grow!

At the start of the year, I went to the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, and shared a presentation called “Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.” A month later, I worked with ACAC, the health center, and helped them with disability etiquette training to ensure they are able to work with people in our community who have different kinds of disabilities.

In April, I joined Gayton Elementary School in their Gators Choose to Include Campaign. It was great to have the opportunity to talk to such engaged and curious kids about celebrating our differences. Following that, I talked to more students, though this time, they were students at George Washington University who were studying to become physical therapists and occupational therapists. It was great to discuss the ways these future medical professionals could improve the lives of people with disabilities with their interactions.

On May 20-24, I attended the 2019 Global Pathfinders Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. This summit brought together delegates from all over the world to discuss important issues from global warning, to democracy, to corruption in politics. It was amazing to see how similar our lives were even though we all came from unique backgrounds.

I headed back to school in June, this time at Echo Lake Elementary School. I attended the school’s career day and shared my experience as a consultant, speaker, and lobbyist. It’s always great when I get to answer kids’ questions and share my experiences.

A few days later, I went to the No Barriers Summit. I’ve attended this summit for several years now, and it’s a great way to meet new people and try out some really fun activities. This year, I participated in improv and falconry.

As fall began at the end of September, I took part in the Visit Richmond Diversity Panel. There were several other speakers on the panel, and it was interesting to hear others’ perspectives and share my own perspective about what Richmond does and doesn’t do well well along with travel writers in terms of making there writing and destinations more inclusive to all minority groups including those with disabilities.

In August, I was a keynote speaker at the Central Virginia Mass Care Symposium. There, I talked about emergency preparedness for people with disabilities and the elderly and discussed the importance of inclusive planning when prepping for emergencies and disasters.

Towards the end of October, I went to Toronto, Ontario to attend the 8th annual DEEP (Designing Enabling Economies & Policies) conference. This year, the conference focused on inclusion, particularly in regard to technology.

On November 8, I attended the Diversity Summit at George Washington University where I served on a panel. While on the panel everyone discussed entrepreneurship and what it takes to start your own business.

Throughout the year, I’ve worked with a great team of people who have helped 6 Wheels Consulting continue to grow and expand. To everyone on the team: thank you for helping me to make 2019 such a wonderful year 6 Wheels Consulting! I appreciate your talents and hard work.

I’ve also continued to work on the 6 Wheels Consulting Disability podcast throughout the year. It’s been great to explore current disability events and interview different disability stakeholders. I always love hearing feedback from our audience. Please let us know what you would like to hear about next on the podcast!

Overall, it’s been a great year for 6 Wheels Consulting! I’m grateful for an amazing 2019, and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2020 has in store for 6 Wheels Consulting!