Dear Readers ,
Thanks to all who have supported us this year , lending us your moral support , networking contacts , volunteer energies , and donating money when possible . Our work keeps rolling along - let me tell you what we ' ve been up to .
Our effort to continually reach out to more people means that from time to time we take a snapshot of who is asking us for help . This helps us continually think about the information we share , where we need to show up more visibly , and address issues specifically when disability intersects with other factors that limit people ' s access to services and supports . Please see the graph on the next page showing the answer to our recent question about how people identify racially and ethnically , if they chose to .
It ' s nice to see healthy diversity in folks contacting and trusting us for help , yet the percentage of people in minority groups in need may be higher than that in our region generally , because have of even larger service gaps and longer waiting lists in communities of color . We appreciate all those we support and continue to work to reach new contacts from all over PA .
" All over PA " makes me think of the PA Developmental Disability training project we are planning . Together with self-advocate and paramedic Ethan Puskar , and police lieutenant and parent Eric Kroll , we are assembling a meaningful presentation we will roll out at Crisis Intervention International Conference in Pittsburgh at the end of August . After that , starting in January we will be developing short videos and delivering other training pieces to spread across first-responder and justice professionals , helping bridge understanding between our disability community and law enforcement in particular .
There ’ s more in store - check out our seminar offerings and please stay in touch . We plan things based on your needs and wants so let us know what those are !
Thanks for connecting !