Visionary Voices: Larry Kubey Ch 3

Chapter Transcript

Chapter 3: Work and Life in Community

13:14:38:10 - 13:14:52:10

Q. What did you hope to do after you graduated, what did you want to be?

A. An actor.

Q, And were you able to become an actor after school?

A. Yes.

13:14:53:00 - 13:15:25:12

Q. Oh, tell me what that was like.

A. I've done Community Theater with experimental theater. I've been to…yeah, I've been to camps…and did shows there, and one of them was Camp Sunshine and that was when I saw Bob Nelkin.

13:15:29:00 - 13:15:37:00

Q. How did you know Bob Nelkin, what was he doing at the camp, how did you get to know him?

A. He was one of the main counselors.

13:15:39:05 - 13:16:08:25

Q. And when was that, how old would have been when you went to Camp Sunshine?

A. I think I was around ten or eleven then.

Q. And what did you do at camp?

A. Uh…theater productions, singing and a…tie-dyeing.

13:16:13:05 - 13:16:39:10

Q. Were you interested in finding…well, most actors I know have two jobs, they act and they usually have another job on the side, was that true for you?

A. It didn't happen that way for me.

Q. How did it happen for you?

A. Every time an opportunity came up I went for it.

13:16:43:10 - 13:16:49:25

Q. And so, are you still acting?

A. On occasions.

13:16:53:05 - 13:17:16:10

Q. Were you interested in doing other kind of work apart from acting?

A. I was once offered a chance to do a commercial for Giant Eagle, but they kept moving the shooting date.

13:17:31:25 - 13:17:55:00

Q. I'm wondering what kind of work you're doing currently.

A. I…a…my main work is with advocacy with "Self-Advocates United as 1" as associate assistant trainer.

13:17:59:20 - 13:18:21:15

Q. Like all young people there come a time they feel ready to leave the nest, leave their parents house, and I'm wondering when you felt it was like time to live out on your own?

A. That was back when my dad died in 2002.

13:18:24:15 - 13:19:27:05

Q. Can you tell me did you discuss [moving] before your father passed?

A. Yes.

Q. How did you plan for your life outside of the house?

A. I had to pack up all my clothes in boxes and things; it was nice moving out, they…my dad use to say that I'd be on my own now, once I moved out. And I said that's ok and when I got the place through Community Endeavors, I always thought I'd be living on my own. When I got…when I finally moved in… there were roommates already.

13:19:38:00 - 13:20:27:25

Q. Had you met your roommates before you moved to your new house?

A. No I didn't.

Q. Had you wished for the opportunity to pick the people that you wanted to live with?

A. No I didn't… Even though a lot of the Partnership trainings…ah…clearly states that a… each individual has the right to choose who they want to live with, and yet it's…yet it's amazing how ACHIEVA has all those trainings and yet they don't practice what they preach, you know, during the screening process for roommates.

13:20:31:20 - 13:20:54:05

Q. Were you able to choose the house that you lived in?

A. Yes, I've seen other places, but I chose the one on Ludwick.

Q. And how long have you lived there, Larry?

A. Since 2002.

13:20:56:00 - 13:21:25:05

Q. Before your father passed was he and was your sister supportive of you in your desire to move to the community?

A. Yes.

Q. And were they happy to see you in your own home?

A. Yes…they would always come and…my dad came in every once-in-awhile before he passed away and see how I was doing.

13:21:30:05 - 13:22:00:05

Q. Did you like the neighborhood you lived in?

A. Yes.

Q. And tell me a little bit about your neighborhood.

A. My neighborhood is pretty bustling, like cars going by, which is nice… Met some of the neighbors…that were pretty nice.

13:22:01:15 - 13:22:21:20

Q. Have you been able to develop friendships with some of your neighbors?

A. Not really, but I also have worked at Sandcastle.

Q. What is that?

A. That's a water park - theme park.

About Larry Kubey

Born: 1959
Actor, Self-Advocate
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Keywords

Board membership, Community, Disability Rights Network, Equality, The Partnership, 'R' word, SAU1, Self-advocacy, Speaking For Ourselves, Workshops

The Disability and Change Symposium is available as a free online learning module.

Combating Implicit Bias: Employment

Disability and Change 2020 logo

Go to the learning module

About this year's theme

Employment statistics for persons with disabilities continue to be disappointing, ~19% compared to ~66% of peers without disabilities. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). We ask ourselves, "is there something beyond overt discrimination and access that perhaps we need to address? Are there silent barriers such as those created by implicit bias?"

Most of us believe that we are fair and equitable, and evaluate others based on objective facts. However, all of us, even the most egalitarian, have implicit biases – triggered automatically, in about a tenth of a second, without our conscious awareness or intention, and cause us to have attitudes about and preferences for people based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and religion. These implicit biases often do not reflect or align with our conscious, declared beliefs. (American Bar Association, Commission on Disability Rights, "Implicit Bias Guide," 2019)

This year's theme challenges us to each ask ourselves "What implicit bias(es) do we have and encounter, and how do we recognize them and move beyond them to create opportunities, welcome, and full participation for all?"

As always, this Symposium privileges first-person voices and experiences.

About the Disability and Change Symposium

The stated goal of the annual Symposium is "to create conversation that transcends any one-dimensional depiction of people with disabilities, and foregrounds the multidimensional lives of our speakers - as writers, educators, performers, and advocates."

The Disability and Change Symposium is a one-day, interdisciplinary conference focusing on cultural equity and disability. The event is free, accessible and open to the public.

Acknowledgments

Organized by the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, the Symposium is an outcome of collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Faculty Council on Disability whose mission is "to foster collaboration across Temple University on disability-related projects including research, teaching, programming, publication, and grant-seeking. By connecting with one another, Council members help build community among the growing number of people at Temple whose work engages with disability."

Core funding for the Disability and Change Symposium is through a grant from the Center for the Humanities at Temple University (CHAT)

We extend our appreciation to Disability Resources and Services for providing Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and American Sign Language services for the day.

The Institute on Disabilities, Temple University College of Education is pleased to recognize some of our 2020 Symposium Partners/Sponsors from Temple University:

This year we also want to recognize the contributions of students (Associate Professor Deb Blair, STHM 2114 - Leisure & Tourism in a Diverse Society), who contributed to shaping and supporting this symposium:

  • Madeline Culbert, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management; Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 08/2021)
  • Jair Guardia, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management. (est. 08/2021)
  • Hallie Ingrim, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management
  • Thomas Leonard, School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 08/2021)
  • Bryan McCurdy, School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Bachelor of Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management (est. 05/2022)

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