I just recently had the opportunity (again!) to travel to Washington D.C. on behalf of the Northeast Ohio United Spinal Chapter to take part in an event called Roll on Capitol Hill (Roll). Roll allows participants to talk to congressional leaders about different legislation that affects them on a personal level. This was the 6th annual Roll and I made my second appearance. I attended this event six years ago, at the very first one. My has this event grown! I remember there being maybe 100 people total at the inaugural Roll. This year, there were over 100 wheelchair users, some with loved ones and caretakers, and United Spinal staff, representing 32 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico! WOW!
The event is kicked off by a welcome reception. This year, I had the privilege of seeing The Rollettes perform. This is a dance group of six members (however only four could make this event) whom all use wheelchairs from either a spinal cord injury or a spinal disease from birth. Chelsie Hill is the leader and organizer of this group, and I have to admit I was a little star struck as I do follow her on social media. This was a fun way to start off the night and we spent the rest of the evening catching up with friends, as well as meeting new friends.
For the first full day, participants spend it in the classroom. United Spinal staff and keynote speakers address the legislation issues that they want us to address and the reasons why we want Congress to either support or oppose each issue. This was especially helpful to someone like me, who does not completely understand politics. Other keynote speakers discussed other programs that are offered throughout the United States. During our breaks, we had time to visit with some vendors. Some that were represented include Permobil, Numotion, Coloplast, Hollister, and Teledoc. United Spinal was even encouraging us to do so by promoting some give-away items for those that turned in a stamped “passport” by the end of the day. This items included Starbucks gift cards (who doesn’t want those!), Amazon gift cards, and even a Round Trip Airfare package! Sadly, although I participated, I did not win anything.
The second day was when we went to work. We traveled to Capitol Hill via the Metro, and this was the part I was most anxious about. I have never ridden any sort of subway or train before. The closest thing that I have ridden before would be a shuttle at an airport. We traveled in groups, based on what time our meetings were. United Spinal set up some volunteers through a local college that were studying to be either physical or occupational therapists. They were familiar with the Metro, and with wheelchairs, and were a big, big help. After the ride there, I decided that it was not so bad and I would ride it again. In fact, I had to, that’s how I was getting back to my hotel.
My group met with five offices that day, our two Senators and three members of the house. First up was Senator Sherrod Brown. He has cosponsored a couple of bills that we were wanting support on, so our visit with him was more of a thank you for his support and providing reasons why he should continue to support our community. His staffers were very present and responsive with us, and his office is the only office that I received an e-mail from after I sent a follow up message, thanking them for their time. After this meeting, we met with Senator Rob Portman’s office. He has supported us before, so we wanted to remind his office of why he should support our community, and give thanks.
After these two meetings, we were off to the House side of Capitol Hill, and managed to grab a quick bit to eat in the process. And by quick, I literally mean like 10-15 minutes quick. Capitol Hill was a very busy place that day. The Senate was meeting and voting for a couple different issues and media was all over the place. Not to mention all the normal chaos that occurs with tours and such. We eventually made it to Representative Tim Walberg’s office (MI-07). We had to meet out in the hallway of the office because it was not big enough for four wheelchairs, a veteran, and a caretaker. This often happens on the House side due to the antiquity of the building. United Spinal did their best to warn us of this occurrence and to not take it personally. I must admit I was quite distracted during this meeting because of my surroundings, but tried my best to give it my all. Our last two visits were to Representative Jim Jordan (OH-04) and Representative Mike Turner (OH-10). All offices seemed receptive to what we were asking of them, and with recent news about the Complex Rehabilitation Technology “win,” I think we made a difference.
After a long day, we accomplished what we came to do and it was time to celebrate. We recognized a couple of congressional leaders and fellow advocates for their work. This was a great time to unwind, relax, and recap on the days events with all participants. The next morning, we met to say good-bye. We talked about what went well, what could be better, and other general thoughts about the event. It was a whirlwind of a couple days, and even though I do not consider myself political in nature, it was a great experience. It taught me that we really do make a difference with events like this, and I encourage everyone to get involved in something that sparks passion. Politics may not be a passion of mine (none whatsoever actually), but improving quality of life for spinal cord injuries is. I don’t know if I will do this event every year, but I will definitely be going back at some point.
I learned so much about myself, government policy, others, and what other chapters are doing all within the short amount of time I was in D.C.. I will always cherish the memories gained from this trip. The good, the bad, and the awesome!
