Opportunities for People With Disabilities, Southeastern Massachusetts

Successes

Nicole Cummings of Dennis has received an achievement certificate from the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) www.mass.gov/mddc after attending their ten-week course in Attleboro, MA. She obtained her certificate on May 27^th “In recognition of outstanding accomplishments and contributions in completion of The Self-Advocacy Leadership Series.”

The purpose of the course is to train individuals with disabilities to speak up for themselves and others, to express their special needs and to learn leadership skills to advocate successfully for people with disabilities. Nicole says, “The course was very intense, but I enjoyed it. I got a lot out of it and would recommend it to anyone else.” She also says that she learned a lot about patience, how to get a bill passed and how to work together with others in groups.

To put her recent training into practice, Nicole has undertaken a special project. She joined a website called www.TheTravelingWheelchair.com where she posts reviews of places she visits, indicating how accessible they are to people in wheelchairs. Nicole also wants to encourage other people with disabilities to contact her if they need someone to help them articulate their needs and to advocate for them. She can be reached at Nicoletraveling@aol.com.

During the week, Nicole attends Community Connections South Yarmouth Day Center. At the end of the day, she joins several of her Day Center companions on a Community Connections wheelchair van to travel to their shared home on Cape Cod, where she continues her advocacy work.