I've sought to inspire people but tonight I was inspired by a really wonderful group of men and women who read poetry as part of a poetry slam as an early celebration of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The individuals at the poetry slam spoke about their feelings about experiences living with a disability and about why the ADA is so important and how more work still needs to be done to ensure that buildings, streets, services, and jobs are equally accessible to people with disabilities. One of my good friends- Colin Killick performed at the event and did an amazing job speaking about disability history and how having a disability had impacted his life. The message I took away from the event was that having a disability can be extremely motivating and in that sense it can be an asset rather than a deficit. After all, without having such experiences, the men and women I saw tonight might not have written such amazing poetry that everyone can enjoy. I know that their words made me want to continue to work to be a better person and to live empowered.
The event was held at the Institute for Human Centered Design. The organization's mission is to improve people's lives through experiencing art and design. It's an international organization and they hold events and lunch and learn sessions about art and design. If you're interested in learning more about them check out their website: http://humancentereddesign.org/.
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