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Introduction/Definition/etc Body Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creating on 20090618

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

Announcing another event, though short notice, but with specifics so that people

can follow up, make food reservations, etc...

 

As usual space (on the bottom of this page, or create another page,

and link to it) for people to comment and discuss issues brought up at this event...

 

Body

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

Summary of Jerry's experience or similar:

 

Attending the events, the first of which later heard was for People

With Lived Experience, after introductions (I missed most, but

recognized many people, Dan was at an early FFX Co recovery event

years ago, been at SAMHSA subcommittee, and others like

DC MH feedback day, saying it takes an act of congress to change

DC MH, literally) though not knowing the person in power wheelchair.,

and I tried to add the cross disability perspective, DD/physical disabilites,

ECNV moved??? but where???..)  we started discussing voice,

not necessarily just the collective advocacy voice as I heard it,

but also  schizophrenic hearing voices like stuff, something I'm not that

familiar with personally...  I'm just in my normal bad mood...

 

Dan was facilitating, VOCAL staff kindly mirroring the peanut gallery in the

bleachers where electrical plugs were discovered poor baggy moi late,

and at least one VOCAL board member were present (Can't VOCAL

be a fiscal agent for founding a regional 501c3 here?), and how can I say vocal,

(Arlington area also has NAMI national headquarters and other interesting

stuff like The Pentagon, DARPA (read arpanet, cold war .milnet predecessor

to WWW internet), etc) but TAC (Treatment Advocacy Center)

and other places like ECNV (who supported early Drop In Center development,

as CIL and 12 Step clubs are similar too...)

 

I think I recall mentioning having problems with the difference between

consumer input and consumer directed/ driven

(reference historical RRWG proposal first item and The main

fundamental principle, imo)...  Dan gave some history on the terminology

discussion at the federal level (iirc, Dan was a Presidential New Freedom

Commission member, not to mention at the Empowerment Center

with Judi Chamberlain and others like Pat Deegan,

though I disagree with recovery being an event, instead of a process,

from a substance abuse 12 step perspective, a no-no, one day at a time).  

Discussion of which legislators are MH aware, etc,

but I don't want to talk out of school too much...  And I was tired,

so might be getting the facts (just the fact mam) a little mixed up anyway

or worse yet, dropping packets/ i.e. forgetting critical info...

 

Later in the afternoon, people attending / presenting included AREC,

a former presidential advisor? (I didn't catch that well?),

Arlington CSBExec, Arlington CSB Board members (sitting behind me,

someone has to provide parental supervision for moi and CSB Execs...),

Alexandria Peer Specialist, and RRWG founding proposal members/

lead contacts, etc, and more lurkers than I know about, but missing two presenters,

SAMHSA and AREC co director or equivalent out sick, so I offered to be on the panel,

but was rejected by an organizer who didn't believe me when I said I thought would

help me stay on topic/ focused,  being an early morning/ long commute, stressful

[proposal] time, etc...

 

After introduction by Arlington CSBExec and paid staff organizers,

where I inserted RRWG and advocacy information to have a real voice/

input having mentioned at the NVRPP aka Steering Committee meeting

that we should have town hall meetings (an Obama type strategy,

which later discovered after the fact, his highness was at NVCC Annandale

and hugged a woman who has cancer but not yet Medicare,

though didn't recognize any local MH people in the audience,

maybe Secret Service screens the people he really needs to hear

from???)

 

Several speakers, the first having the most difficulty thinking

lead contacts are writing personal checks to now hospital

employees, and giving credit where credit is due, to RRWG,

not necessarily moi, but Execs have made a decision to kill

our collective dreams and hopes and desires, without even

considering our opinions, so someone has to say something

about it, as we have lost the original dream, and vision. imho

everyone fighting over money and getting paid, but not funding

the peer positions for the original proposal up here in the history...

 

Anyway, we got into VA Tech (ala reference TheShortOfIt) with the

commissioner and interrupted by someones' displeasure with the

lack of Department response, defending us, which pissed some people.

 

I asked if there was anyplace safe in the state to say you are a

consumer/survivor/ex-patient after Tech shootings.

 

Overall, some seemed to voice some real concerns, but not as much on what

to do about it... I guess after later seeing West Wing's big cheese day

while doing personal TVTherapy (similar to van therapy, but

less gas, except from bad food...), letting the nuts into the Black/White House

and drive a system that is out of gas, we have a lot left to do

to really be part of the decision process, ala Olmstead (read Brown v. Board

of Education for disabilities, though the anniversary coming up,

how far have we really come?)... But I get in my typically depressed

and morale killing patterns, what is not done by others...

 

Some people self advocated.  One person proposed some work,

another followed me around afterwards (closed at 4 pm and went upstairs,

through the wrong elevator, but men's rooms out of service by the

library conference space) someone wanted a little green XO machine

(though not currently available, maybe we finally get some hardware out

to people who need it???  AT $$ time is over, but we haven't done a lot

of what was in the original proposal, afaict...)

 

So whining about it might not help, but keeping people in the dark

doesn't help either....

 

Maybe as the proposed Commissioner for the Day, consumers can

make some real changes, as I've nominated Jim B. of AREC fame,

who came up the idea, as the first one...

 

We spend so much time trying to get providers / administrators

to consider how our lives are like as c/s/x but haven't considered

as much what being a commissioner during the Tech Tragedy,

and other more mundane events (sitting in the audience with flood

lights in our eyes, I got up and turned out the lights on the stage,

after checking with her highness, the organizer and who's position

description was the template for our RRWG coordinator why

are we surprised when it's a gov't position how Arlington does

Clarendon House and other stuff) and state office paperwork

is like for the Richmond based department formerly known as

DMHMRSAS, now something behavioral

[that I'll need to personally rename to slight as we have all sorts

of names for others, only using the real name when being official...]

 

Anyway, it happened, and made it to that one, but missing two

other local / regional events (Institute's Traumatic event, knew most

of the presenters and RMG/RPO meeting next early a.m. cross region

w/o assistance) not to mention his Highness, Mr. Obama, sir, goes to community

college, instead of Harvard...  Sounds like a movie title doesn't it?

Like down and out in Fairfax County?

 

 

Discussion

 

A place for feedback on the page presented

(create a summary and a link to your views?)

 

1. Soteria House? Cindy, why can't we have one here?
2. Insert Your Followup Here...

 

 

Page History

 

20090703 Jerry

1. Adding some personal impressions, opinions, etc and other info after putitng the announcement in the body that early am...

 

20090618 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to share events with people in the community....

 

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