Countdown to Phoenix

One more week until the Joubert conference in Phoenix and, despite tales of super-hot temperatures, I'm officially excited!

The whole family's going again, and we fly out early, early next Tuesday. First to Calgary, then southward. We're going early and flying out later so we can enjoy both the conference and Arizona itself. Shopping, Mexican food, lounging by the hotel's amazing-looking pool, and photos in Winslow (because we're Eagles fans and also stereotypical tourists) are all on the vacation agenda.

This will be my first conference not speaking, but I'll still have lots to do! I've been asked to lead another discussion group for the older youth in attendance, so that'll be interesting. I've also helped plan a casual meet-up for the adults who are going. Way more than previous conferences, two of whom are already pretty good friends, so this should definitely be a highlight of the week!

Add to that the Facebook friends I finally get to meet in person, and the usual cast of characters, and there'll be no shortage of good times next week.

I've also been presented with a great opportunity this conference that could lead to lots of advocacy, but more on this later.

Like Chicago two years ago, expect a huge post detailing all the great times when I return!

Until then, cheers!

Disability Stuff

The last few weeks have been a pretty mixed bag, disability-wise. A few weeks ago, I met with a caseworker in regards to the disability pension I receive. She was very nice, and gave my father and I some pretty good information, but was pretty upfront when it came to questions about getting more money (not likely going to happen). Not her fault though. At least she was sympathetic to what we were going through.

Later that same week, my parents and I met with a local politician to discuss issues I've been having trying to be more independent, and what might be done on his end to help matters not just for me, but for others. Roughly the same outcome as the caseworker: sympathetic, a few ideas but, ultimately, not much in terms of results. I'm currently drafting a letter to a few other local representatives to see what kind of assistance they could offer.

The next week brought housing headaches. During the meeting the previous week, I had been told about a new housing development I could look into. I did, but their prices were too unrealistic for the money I currently get. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. For the first time in about two years, I lost it. I didn't get angry or freak out like usual, I just sobbed for a good couple minutes. Thankfully there was a comic jam that night, and a mix of friends, book recommendations, and Chinese food put me back in good spirits.

And now comes more job searching. I've written before about how the service provider I'm currently with seems way more proactive, but it's been three years and I'm contemplating a change. Several months ago, I heard from another provider, and they think I would be a good candidate for their employment program. I've contacted their rep and pending a reply, should have things figured out when I return from vacation in a couple weeks.

In the meantime, I just applied to a few part-time jobs and got accepted for a position that could turn into a great advocacy opportunity (can't give specifics just yet), so those are wins!

Cheers