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What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about people who have a disability ? How do you think we can , as a society and the people working in your field , change that ? Stigma , low expectations , and not seeing people as people first . There ' s a place for all of us . I think one benefit of working in the disability community , as long as I have , is that everybody can make a contribution . Everybody can be successful in the community . Certainly , physical access with curb cuts and electric doors makes everybody ' s life easier and is beneficial , but we haven ' t really realized the benefit from an employment perspective . I think in a twisted way the pandemic has opened new opportunities . We ’ re doing things today , [ where ] we don ' t have to physically be together to have this conversation . You don ' t have to have somebody in the office to do that job . I ' m hoping that the creativity that was forced on us because of the pandemic will change our perspective of who can do what , and that we can continue to have that creativity applied to new industries so that more people can have more choices on what ' s right for them .
The other thing that I think is going to make a big difference is the bill that the President is signing today , the Infrastructure Bill , where green jobs , roads and bridges , [ and ] all of those things are going to be jobs with different layers to them . Not everybody needs to be the engineer . Somebody needs to be the guy that plants the tree , right ? These jobs are going to have such a wide range of goals resulting in the creation of new jobs for people with different skill sets . I ' m very hopeful that this is really a major turn in our employment opportunities for people with disabilities .
Why do you think it ' s important for society to consider inclusion and inclusivity when thinking about jobs or leadership roles , and companies hiring people ? As an able-bodied middle-class , white woman , over 50 , I have learned in my career that we are individually better off when we can collaborate with someone who is different from us . Hands down , no contest . We all bring the stories of our upbringing with us , we all have different experiences that shape us . I think having genuine , authentic experiences shaped how we make policy , how we think about the implementation of policy . Without that diversity , the policy just isn ' t that good . It ' s not as good as if it was informed by these different perspectives .
Who has been your role model or inspiration throughout your career ? Has anyone shaped you or guided you in the work that you have been a part of ? There have been a number of both personal and professional role models . Certainly , Senator Harkin helped launch me and without him , I wouldn ' t be sitting here . I ' m just profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have been able to learn so much [ from him ]. When I worked in the Senate , Bobby Silverstein was my boss , and now my dear friend . One of the things Bobby taught me was you can never be overprepared , do your homework , and always treat people with respect .
My parents and especially my mother [ too ] who just turned 90 . She ' s had some health challenges and just moved into assisted living . Her vision and hearing are not great now and she ' s now walking with a walker . But man , she has rolled with what life has thrown at her and [ has ] always come out with her head up and lipstick on . She is creative and smart , there ' s not anything she couldn ' t do . Her confidence in who she is and her personal strength are things that make me proud of