Educating and Advocating for a Change

It’s been a busy month! I spent a lot of time in April talking to people and promoting a dialogue about how to best work with people with disabilities.

            At the beginning of the month, I went to D.C. and did disability sensitivity training for an organization called New Editions Consulting Inc. The company makes it a priority to hire people with disabilities. With the whole staff in attendance, we talked about ways everyone within the organization can better serve people with disabilities.

PHOTO: Matthew sitting In front of a screen presenting his disability etiquette training at New Editions Consulting Inc.

            A former physical therapist and I spoke with occupational and physical therapy students at George Washington University on April 24th. These students will be affecting so many people in the future, so it’s important for them to give people with disabilities the ability to empower themselves. One important tool that physical therapists can use for themselves and their patients is something called the Good Day Plan. It’s a goal-setting plan that highlights a person’s strengths and weaknesses, hobbies, etc., and it outlines what someone needs to do in order to have a good day (one of those things for me would be waking up early to eat a good breakfast). Once everything is outlined, it’s easier to figure out how to achieve a goal.

PHOTO: The George Washington University Logo

            I also attended the 2018 Virginia Venture Summit. The Summit is for entrepreneurs and lets new businesses connect with the community. There were panel discussions about how to grow your business and Dennis Bickmeir, the President of Richmond Raceway, was the keynote speaker. I was excited to meet a lot of new people and to make new connections!

PHOTO: Matthew sitting at at his resource table at 2018 Virginia Venture Summit.

            I finished the month at a golf tournament talking about Sportable, which is an adaptive sports program, that I’ve been a part of for a long time. Sportable was the beneficiary of the tournament, and it was great to work with an organization that I’ve loved for years.

            It was a great month and I look forward to continuing my work in May. I’ll have some exciting announcements coming up soon, so make sure to stay tuned!

My Sensitivity Training for New Editions Consulting Inc.

On Thursday July 28 I made an early morning voyage to one of my most favorite places;  Washington DC.   What brought me there this time, you ask? Well, I had the opportunity, for the second time, to present my Disability Sensitivity Training to staff members of New Editions Consulting Inc.

            According to their website New Editions Consulting Inc. is “committed to enriching the lives of all people by providing premier program support services in the areas of health, disability, education and human services to government, non-profit organizations and commercial customers.”

 Last year, I was matched with Sheila Newman, New Editions’ President in a mentoring program.   Since then she has been a tremendous supporter in helping me establish 6 Wheels Consulting, LLC through connections and her resources.  She was the first person to give me an opportunity, which in turn led to my first paycheck, after 6 Wheels was born.   For that I am always grateful to her.

             This time she had me back to provide her new employees with my training to help them understand the disability community a little better.   My training covers, person first language, disability etiquette strategies, and suggestions on how to interact with individuals with all different types of disabilities.

              There were many great discussions and stories shared by me as well as the staff members who also had different disabilities.   These stories are always so rich and add such a unique perspective to this training. I thank everyone for their willingness to share their stories.

            This training is such an important tool to help us as a whole community to start to

break down some of the barriers and stigmas that surround disability and I am grateful to have a small part in that.

             I was happy that the training was well received and helped the staff feel more comfortable about disability.   I hope it is something that I can go back and do it again.   I want to thank all of the staff members for their attention and participation in the training.   I also want to, again, thank Sheila Newman for allowing me the opportunity to help her staff with some professional development.

If you would like to learn more about New Editions Consulting Inc. and the work they are doing to help individuals with disabilities and programs that help individuals with disabilities I encourage you to please visit their website HERE.  They are doing some truly amazing work.   Thank you for letting me hang out with you guys for a few hours.

             As always stay connected to 6 Wheels Consulting, LLC through all of our platforms to get the latest updates on what’s happening with me.   Some amazing opportunities are coming down the tracks.   Stay tuned!

PHOTO: Matthew presenting his disability sensitivity training to New Editions Consulting Inc. staff