Chapter 6: Accomplishments and Inspirations

13:50:39:10 - 13:52:47:15

Q. Larry, what do you feel when you look back over your life and your work and your advocacy, what do you feel your greatest accomplishment has been?

A. Uhm… I think the greatest accomplishment was well they always use to have….every year they have a staffing report for people with disabilities and they use to…they always use to say a…tell a person's name…and I…and when they described the person…they say an individual with a disability, but at that time they used the work "MR" so, I…went in and wrote a letter to the head of…the "MR" meets department, to Mark Chernoff. And said that I felt it was time to make some changes because it can really hurt people's feelings who have disabilities, and still have to go through…uhm…being called "MR" when they can be called individuals, as we all are.

13:52:51:10 - 13:53:33:10

Q. What do feel that you would still like to accomplish through your work that maybe you haven't accomplished yet?

A. Uhm… I hope to accomplish as much as I can… to help in the rights…help people with disabilities…have their…day in the sun, so that uhm…their future will be brighter and happier.

13:53:38:20 - 13:54:16:25

Q. What do you hope to accomplish for yourself personally, is there something that you would like to accomplish in your own life that you have yet to do?

A. Even though I'm already a better person I think I can be a little more, but uhm…I've come a long way since I was born, and I'm sure everybody…all others like me are trying to do the same…but let them know that they're not alone.

13:54:20:05 - 13:54:57:00

Q. Who or what inspires you in your work particularly in your self-advocacy work?

A. A lot of people inspire me a…in the work that I do in advocacy, Kay, for one…I'm thankful that the organization has someone with great knowledge and wisdom that she has, and she does a great job.

13:55:00:10 - 13:55:39:05

Q. Are there any other inspirations in your life?

A. I think a…my biggest influence is Kristin Ahrens from Temple University…for getting the movement started…for people with disabilities…and I'm really proud of her accomplishments.

13:55:42:15 - 13:56:51:00

Q. What do you think people without disabilities know about people with disabilities?

A. Yes, in fact they should…I believe they should mainstream.

Q. What does that mean?

A. I mean take…instead of…I mean, why have just people with disabilities living amongst themselves in a group home when they could have people without disabilities. Let's say a…let's say you get a girlfriend and…you want to move the person in…that should be a right because it's in all the Partnership material…that everybody has the right to choose…who they want to live with.

13:56:58:10 - 13:57:18:10

Q. So, people with…people who don't have disabilities should, if I understand what you're saying correctly, people without disabilities should know that people with disabilities should have the same rights as they?

A. Yes.

13:57:18:25 - 13:57:35:00

Q. Is there anything else they should know? What should they know about people with disabilities as people?

A. That we all are the same…we're all equal…and should be treated that way.

13:57:38:10 - 13:58:52:05

Q. Thank you. Larry, those are all of the questions I had for you today, but I was wondering if there is anything that you would like to add?

A. Let's see, what I could add would be uhm… The future can be how you want it. Like my mom use to say before she passed, that my future is… hasn't been written yet…and that I'm the one who has to write it…not the outside world…not…not organizations, but it has to come from me…that the work for everybody…with disabilities…and those without disabilities…because we are just as equal…as anybody else.