Not Just a Click of a Button

By JRC Reporter Sophie Huang

With my own eyes, over the past few weeks, I have watched the current social, political, and legislative climates of the United States become increasingly hostile to those that do not fit into the mold of a typical American citizen. For me especially, as the older sibling to a special education student, this only intensified the worries in the back of my mind about the preservation of the already meager resources the community has.

Founding the Special Education Equal Development Society (SEEDS) has been my main facet to reducing inequities in community resources for people with disabilities. We mainly focus on providing free classes and events for them to build connections and share experiences in a community-based environment. However, advocacy has always also been a part of our vision for the future.

Recently becoming a part of the Maryland Equity Coalition for People with Disabilities, SEEDS has been exposed to a plethora of opportunities to join in on advocacy movements to fight for equity for the disability community, and especially now, when a large amount of bills are being processed and voted on through the Maryland General Assembly. Just two weeks ago, I learned the process for and submitted my first testimony, on behalf of SEEDS, in favor of SB599, regarding funding for Maryland’s Behavioral Health Crisis Response Grant Program, which would provide diverse and accommodative behavioral health services that are extremely crucial for many neurodivergent children, who may face challenges in adjusting well to a typical hospital emergency department environment. Although our participation was in support of conjoined initiative between the organizations within the Coalition, seeing my name, SEEDS, and our independent written testimony listed amongst others truly made it feel like even our voices, as regular citizens, were being heard.

It only took the click of a button for us to take our first step, yet in many ways, it means so much more. There is no greater feeling than the wave of surreality that washes over you when you are able to see your contributions increase the possibility of a larger positive impact on a community. As this bill moves through the Senate, and its counterpart moves through the House, SEEDS and I will both continue to follow up with its progress, while also exploring further advocacy opportunities and incorporating it into our regular operations. The process for testimonial submissions was surprisingly straightforward and we encourage all readers to look into the legislation present in the Maryland General Assembly database. When you discover one related to an issue you are passionate about, we hope that you can be inspired to write or speak your thoughts to your policymakers in just a click of a button. And remember, it is much more than just a click of a button!

This article was provided by Chinese American Parents Association Junior Reporter Club (CAPA JRC) with members who interviewed, audio recorded, wrote, translated, and video recorded. CAPA JRC has 25 Montgomery County middle to high school students. They have created a bilingual platform delivering news and serving the community.

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