Hi everyone! I just finished a super super exciting week at the Center for Disability Empowerment!! The past six weeks my time with the CDE has been dedicated to planning the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and tonight the event finally took place. It was so rewarding to see everything I have been working on come together. Over the last six weeks I have been in contact with countless sponsors and sat on many virtual Planning Committee meetings, and tonight I was finally able to meet with all of these people in person. Everything with the event went smoothly, and I felt that all the hours of preparation and planning really paid off.

For the first hour of the event I was at the registration table helping to check guests in and get them their nametags. I was happy with this position as I got to interact with all of our guests at the event and see the diverse range of individuals who were choosing to spend their evenings celebrating the ADA. During the program, we heard the essay contest winners read their essays as well as a keynote address from disability advocate Rebecca Cokley. Even though I have been working with the CDE for six weeks now, I learned so much about the struggles of the disability community this evening. Whether it is personal, systemic, or political struggles, there has been true determination and resilience in the disability community to continue fighting for their rights. Rebecca Cokley is an incredibly inspiring individual who has dedicated her career to disability advocacy, and it was amazing to hear all the change she has incited for the disability community throughout her career. During her keynote address, Rebecca made sure to highlight the community aspect of disability advocacy, and called everyone at the event to action to fight for the livelihood of disabled Americans. It was clear that everyone at the event felt a sense of community and strength in all coming together tonight. 

I am so pleased with how the event went this evening and I feel so grateful that I got to be a part of it. I have learned so much more than I ever imagined I would, both about professional event planning as well as about what it means to be an advocate.

Until next week,

Rachael McCague