slinkerwink

Name:	slinkerwink
Location:	Austin, TX

My personal volunteering highlight:

In the summer of 2004, I went to Canton, Ohio, to work on a congressional campaign for a candidate named Jeff Seemann. It was during the height of the presidential election season in 2004, and the first time I'd ever seen county politics up close in Ohio. I learned how to meet with others, work my fingers off on the campaign, and pound the pavement in the traditional manner with campaign flyers and leaflets. That was my first real exposure to campaign politics, and I loved it.

More about my volunteering with progressive organizations:

I am currently active with the National Association for the Deaf, Democracy for America, and Moveon.org. I've signed petitions, canvassed, and made phone calls to our elected representatives.

What motivates me:

I've always believed that it's my responsibility as a citizen in this country to be politically engaged. The motivation for that comes from the strong desire to make an impact by working to improve the lives of others by working to shape the final outcome of legislation. The work for that never ends, and there is always something to strive for, and I'm glad for that.

How I try to motivate others:

I regularly post action diaries which motivate people to call their elected representatives on behalf of legislation or issue agendas at Dailykos. I talk about my own experiences, and why I feel that it's important to stay active in these action diaries.

Where I see myself in five years:

I would love to help empower disabled Americans by engaging them about the impact of various legislative bills on their lives at the state and the national level. I want to teach them how to communicate with their legislators, and to become advocates for themselves. I would hold training workshops on how to do this, and work with each school and community volunteer organization in involving their disabled members in the workshop trainings. I strongly believe that once you actively engage a disabled person about their ability to influence the legislative process by making their voices heard, that disabled person will gain the confidence and the knowledge to speak out continually and that in itself, creates a long-lasting impact when that disabled person engages his or her community to support that disabled person’s agenda.
When it comes to empowering the disabled community, what they most want to know is what they can do, and how they can present their agendas in the most effective ways possible. I can teach them how to do that. It would be so rewarding to know that my efforts helped a community organization representing the disabled to advocate for better legislative policies that increased telecommunications access, equal access to public places, and better policies in housing, transportation, and education that help improve the lives of all disabled Americans. I would work with each stakeholder on making this possible, and work with the non-profit community in Austin to publicize these community outreach efforts to the disabled community. That is what I would love to do.

My suggested bumper sticker slogan for the Stand with Dr. Dean campaign:

HEALTH CARE, NOT HEALTH INSURANCE