"A Change in Attitude Toward Our Community"

Managing Editor's Note: It's a day for Mother Warriors.  Here, A-Champ's Bobbie Manning talks about yesterday's meeting in DC.

Hi everyone,

Wanted to offer my impressions of yesterday's briefing.

First, David and Mark's presentations were terrific... as they always are.

I was very, very impressed with staff attendance at the briefing and the attention they paid to the speakers. It was standing room only and actually exceeded my expectations given the current financial crisis going on.

I observed a lot of notes being taken. A staffer from Sen. Lautenburg's office was next to me and had five pages of notes.

As I have mentioned before, I have sensed a change in attitude towards our community and our concerns in the last year. For a long time, staff would avoid talking to parents and rush out of this sort of presentation. Yesterday, they were engaged, smiling, sympathetic and most stayed for the entire briefing.

I had the opportunity to talk to several staffers after the presentation and everyone one of them said this was a very important issue to their bosses and they appreciated the information that was presented.

All of you are to be credited for making our children an important issue to your representatives.

If you haven't already, I want to encourage everyone to contact Congresswoman Maloney's office and thank her for making this briefing possible. Click HERE for her contact form. If your representative sent a staffer, please call that office and thank them too. If you are able to get the name of the staffer who attended, send them an email and personally thank them.

Let's keep these offices engaged.

Bobbie

Comments

[D.J. Svoboda]

>Greetings!
>My name is D.J. Svoboda and I am a Autistic Artist.I have created The Imagifriends
>based on difficult situations i have faced growing up with Autism. They are
brightly
>colored characters who help and support one another.They live in a wonderful
place
>called Imagiville where everyone is accepted " just the way they are"
>and no one is ever picked on or mistreated.I want to use my art to help encourage
>others with Autism and to let them know that they too can help make the world
a
>better place.I have just had my first book published about acceptance for those
>with Autism. You can learn more about me,my book,and my mission by visiting
my website
>at WWW.MYIMAGIVILLE.COM. I am also interested in sharing my faith in the Lord
and
>my testimony and my
>story. Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you soon.Have a very wonderful
>day everyday! God Bless.
>>

[Carolyn WEissberg]

Hi, is there any way we can find out which reps sent reps to this event!? I lobbied my congressman to attend but don't know how to find out if he sent someone (?)

[Jeanne]

Thank you Bobbie for everything!!

And Curt, thank you as well! It was great to be able to listen in on the briefing!

[Robin Nemeth]

Just wanted to point out that the contact form on Ms. Maloney's website will only accept posts if you live within her district. Don't worry I intend to try to figure out some other way to contact her to thank her.

[curt Linderman sr]

it was a great briefing and I think you're right. The tides are changing and the idiots are running scared. My congressman couldn't get there but his aide called and stated that they wanted to set up a meeting. they're listening and the docs are really worried about it.

[nhokkanen]

I'll never forget meeting Bobbie Manning in person. This doyenne of autism activism flew to my state with so many scientific documents, she needed a wheeled cart to carry them. Impressive!

Thanks, Bobbie, for your many years of hard work and dedication in building such a huge contact network. And for keeping the rest of us in touch with current political events, though we live in far-flung corners of the continent.

[Teresa]

Thank you Bobbie for your help and support always!

[rileysmom]

Thanks to all that could make it. I'm glad to see that so many did show from different offices. I was one of the people that emailed and called our Senators offices here in the Ohio area, however I'm extremely disappointed because Sen. Sherrod Brown RSVP'd and is on the Autism Caucus list but didn't bother to send a staffer or rep from his office. He is getting a failing grade on the autism list. I feel like I was personally lied to by him and his staff. I emailed him today and told him that I'm very disappointed and to please keep in mind that parents that have children with autism VOTE TOO!!!

[Keith]

Here's a warrior mom that does not get enough credit

(or probably decent BBQ these days)

[Kelli Ann Davis]

"As I have mentioned before, I have sensed a change in attitude towards our community and our concerns in the last year. For a long time, staff would avoid talking to parents and rush out of this sort of presentation. . Yesterday, they were engaged, smiling, sympathetic and most stayed for the entire briefing."

Bobbie:

Thanks so much for being there in person.

Your insight is valuable to hear because I *KNOW* how tirelessly you have been working on this issue for YEARS in DC!!

I think this whole "campaign" has highlighted the fact there really *is* power in numbers and I think AoA did an OUTSTANDING job in getting the community *engaged* in this vital and productive process.

Kudos to Mark, DK, JB, Dan, Kim, Anne and Kent for AoA's success in being a voice for our community!

Kelli