Contributing Something of Value

I marked my first major contribution to national legislation this week. Are you impressed? If the answer is “yes”, I must confess my input amounted to a mere three words. But more on that later. First I’d like to tell you about a book I’m reading.

A dear friend generously loaned me her copy of Barbara Walter’s 2008 memoir, Audition. Knowing I would be living far from family and anticipating some lonely weekends and evenings, she felt, rightly so, that light reading would keep me occupied. Even though I am a former television reporter myself, I have never been a Walters fan. Still, I decided to give Barbara the benefit of the doubt. While the book examining Walters’ childhood and rise to stardom is compelling, there is something about its tone that disturbs me.

Walters admits few people ever knew she had a sister with an intellectual disability. For most of Walters’ life, her parents kept their eldest daughter, Jackie, sheltered from public view. Although she claims to have loved her sister, Walters was also ashamed of Jackie, took pity on her and describes her and her parents’ lives as a great “tragedy”.

As the parent of a child with a disability, this revelation saddens me. Without my daughter, my own life would be very different, but not in a spectacular way. So much of the richness and diversity of my and my family’s experience over the last nine years derives from the exact disability Walters continues to see through the lens of despair. (Of course even my current, incredible and very intimate view of Capitol Hill is the result of her birth.) Ultimately, I differ with Walters in believing that instead of pitying or focusing on “fixing” a disability, we must recognize all individuals for the contributions and uniqueness they provide to our society and culture.

Unfortunately, here in Washington, politicians on both sides of the aisle not only often view disability with pity, but with a price tag. When push comes to shove, decisions around investment disintegrate into which groups are most deserving. For folks with outdated views of disability, a significant monetary commitment to a segment of “defective” people cannot be justified as worthwhile.

This brings me to my three-word contribution.

There is a bill working its way through the Congressional process which deals with national service. If you were paying attention during the presidential campaign, you may have noted that one of the main tenets of President Obama’s platform included expanding service opportunities. By investing in organizations like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, offering tax credits and college opportunity in exchange for service and engaging older Americans in volunteer work, our new president hopes to strengthen communities. It is a noble charge. (An exciting side note here is that a MAJOR celebrity has been working with our House Committee to publicize this effort. My colleague a desk over is on the phone daily with Hollywood agents. Sorry, I am sworn to secrecy!)

So in light of the fast track for this legislation, I was given the job of bill review. Would I look at the text to see what might be missing. What I found was an opportunity to shift our culture forward and hopefully move us beyond a Walters mentality.

My most recent legislative lesson has been that in a bill, even the simplest word, the shortest phrase can carry great meaning. Lists define exactly who legislation affects, a sentence can frame congressional intent, an overlooked section may produce unintended results.

In this bill, although nearly every segment of America – from youth to boomers, urban to rural were listed as intended beneficiaries or important participants, people with disabilities were mostly absent. Even though one may argue that a youth with a disability has a much greater chance of dropping out of high school, finding him or herself unemployed or living in poverty one day, this group of individuals was not within the definition of folks who should be included in national service in a meaningful way.

And so, here was my opportunity for contribution. With a few keystrokes, I added “people with disabilities” to a laundry list and changed history. Well, o.k., maybe not history, but I hope it's a step toward changing a life. Barbara, are you watching?

Lisa Pugh is the 2009 Kennedy Foundation Public Policy Fellow. She will work on disability public policy for the House Committee on Education and Labor during the 111th Congress and is being sponsored by The Arc Wisconsin. She will live for one year with her family in Washington and return to her home in Madison, Wisconsin to share what she’s learned in January 2010.