ArtBizVoice:We Shall Over Come( Skills Development)

Dear Mr. Trump,

I hope you had a very nice weekend. Today I'm writing to you about some of my experiences and skills development.  I have done many things to improve my situation, develop my talents and overcome the limits of my health. My motto is not  “I can not do it” but  “How can I do it.”

One of Two of the programs I have benefited by is The PASS ( Plan for Achieving Self Support)program with the  Social Security Administration. I was told at one point that I was the first person to be admitted into the program in the state of Virginia in 1992. They actually allowed me in the program because I could prove to them that I could still paint and make art from bed if I had to.  I have, too.

The second is the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. They have been instrumental in helping me obtain much needed equipment, training and counseling in doing business better. I cant thank them enough for their hands on approach.

In addition to developing my skills at making and selling art, I also in the 1990s published a Regional Thoroughbred Racing paper, freelanced for a number of regional papers as a feature writer, researched and developed my own interest in my faith enough, so that at one point, I was leading groups at my local church and offered myself as a lay speaker.  I am a spiritual mentor now. I also from time to time worked with homeschooler families holding Highshool and college prep level art classes in their homes.  I also was able to photograph horse sports for a number of years.   All of these things were in spite of my disability and from them I gained amazing experiences. They also helped me to go out into the community for short times and connect with people I was serving.

One of the most difficult things for the disabled to overcome, in my opinion is the isolation and inability to connect with everyday people.  It is a skill they often lose by isolation. So even though I wasn’t making a living going out I was trying to maintain my social skills. I have to admit it was scary. I still don’t do very well in large groups of people especially where I don’t know anyone.   This may be the largest hindrance to successfully integrating the disabled into the work place.

Somehow in all that time I have managed to keep on developing my skill as an artist, I’ve kept up with trends in the horse industry and worked with some wonderful animal and people service charities to help them in fund-raising.

More about challenges and limits tomorrow.

Have a prosperous Monday.
~L