So the trip to the capitol went well today. Well yesterday as I write this after midnight. My body is finally rested up enough for me to think. Jason took my scooter in so I could use it instead of walking everywhere. This turned out to be a stellar idea as far as things go for me. Jason on the other hand got a work out! He hooked up the trailer, dismantled the scooter, loaded the scooter, drove me to the capitol, found a place where he could park long enough to drop the scooter Luka and I off.. parked, assembled the scooter, then Luka and I met up with our new friends Dan and Jackson (SD) and started our roll towards the capitol.
Jason then drove around for the next 20 or so minutes looking for a spot to park his vehicle and the trailer we pull to keep the scooter in. He found a spot about 5 or 6 block lengths away… He parked, walked back to the capitol, met me in the lunch room of the capitol.. we ate, and then we attended our meeting.
The meeting… it went very well. I was thrilled that Jason agreed to sit in on it. I wouldn’t have been upset if he hadn’t, but I do love when he takes an interest in these things, even though he hates meetings, hates sitting and waiting and would have rather been doing almost anything else! He’s such a great husband! He got left over Pudgyville Pizza when we returned home for his efforts! I warmed it up for him and everything. =)
We had less of a turn out than we did for the Proclamation signing event. But good none the less. We had issues discussed from a variety of stand points and perspectives. Folks from many agencies a couple training organizations were also present. That was nice.
Of course Nebraska State Senator Kate Sullivan and her fabulous assistant Mikki were in attendance. My friend Morgan and her SD was able to attend along with Nike and her SD and Roxanne ( her SD has been attacked by a dog roaming at large and is recovering but now is having some fear issues.. ) along with my newest friend Dan and his SD. A gal who’s name I didn’t catch was also in attendance as well as her SD in training and a young lady who was a daughter of one of the aforementioned persons.
Rich S from the Great Plains ADA Center was there and Rich from the League of Human Dignity in Lincoln were present. Rich S gave a great power point presentation, and Rich was handy to clarify and share his knowledge as well. Michelle from Domesti-Pups shared good perspectives, as well as Michelle W. from KSDS Inc. she also shared her perspectives.
I also met a man who works at the capitol who’s son has autism and has been looking into getting an Assistance/Service Dog for him as well. He was able to sit in and listen as we learned and discussed. All in all a great turn out.
What is going to happen next? Well, I think that depends upon the interest in the Assistance/Service Dog community. It also depends on the political climate I am sure as well as the interest from the public.
One of the key things discussed was the need for public education. I think once people are educated most of the barriers disappear. However doing the educating is an incredible task. These days it happens one person at a time.
The other thing is with the updates coming into effect in the Federal Laws regarding Service/Assistance Dogs in March 2011 it will make much of Nebraska’s current laws null. It was discussed that we just adopt the Federal Laws as State Laws and then go from there in the future. Does it make sense to change Nebraska’s Law to come into compliance with Federal Laws??? What is your take on this?
Ok I really would like comments if you have a SD or are a person with a disability who might be reading this. We’d love to have your input, even if you are not from Nebraska. ( I know I don’t have a large blog following but I thought I’d ask just in case you are out there and willing to comment!)
There were other things discussed as well. I will probably talk about some of those things later. Eye opening discussions were had as far as I was concerned. But all things in time I suppose.
Luka did rather well on this outing with other SD’s. I was proud of him. He is rather vocal which I guess can be attributed to being a talking Doberman Pinscher. Ha! Just like having a three year old at your side.
After the meeting I stopped by another office down the hall from our meeting room to see a high school and ballet classmate’s father who is now a Nebraska State Senator. I ran into his aid who oddly enough also had a son I attended high school with. We had a nice chat before we left. It was good to see some folks I recognize from my childhood. I later facebooked my friend about seeing her dad.
Jason walked with me as I scooted and Luka drug my scooter along the sidewalks to our vehicle. It was a bumpy ride but nice all the same. The spot Jason had found to park, was by a street edged retaining wall about two feet tall. I couldn’t get in to sit down since my side was next to the retaining wall, Luka and I had a nice sit, while we waited for Jason to disassemble the scooter, load it into the trailer, start the vehicle, pull away from the curb, get back out, come open my door, move the seat load Luka, move the seat, help me in.. and drive home in Friday’s after work traffic.
Let’s just say that he was less than communicative on the way home. Pizza did however brighten his evening, and we had a relaxing night. I guess I should say I had a relaxing night.. He cleaned out the gutters and fiddled with antenna’s..
Luka has his Comfey Cone on and his Muttluks off! He’s sacked out, Jason’s sacked out, and I am finally feeling like a person again after today’s events.
Please also note that I don’t receive any discounts or payments for sharing these places with you! I am just doing this as a courtesy because I love these things, I have found them to be beneficial, or I think they are worth noting. Hope you enjoy my links. They are for your information only! And I like promoting things that I like!
Blessings,
Pink Doberman
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