Last week, I had the honor of being given the ACHIEVA Award of Excellence in Community Awareness. ACHIEVA has a long history in Pittsburgh – they’ve been around for over 50 years, and they’ve been continually involved in advocating and providing services for people with disabilities. They do so much, and they’re so well-known by the disability community in Pittsburgh and beyond.

I cannot tell you how special it felt to be included in this group of awardees. It still feels kind of weird for me to be recognized for my advocacy work – I feel like I’m still new and learning so much! So being honored by ACHIEVA was very rewarding. And to be able to hear the stories of each of the other community members being honored was incredible. One after another, each person shared personal stories about their ties to disability and to advocacy. It was truly inspiring to be reminded of the people out there who care deeply and are so committed to change.

It also reminded me how grateful I am for those of you here, who read and share my posts! My advocacy and disability posts are always some of my most read posts, and that means a lot to me. I know that my advocacy work would be nothing without the community that I’ve surrounded myself with. Whether in person, online, or both, I’m so grateful for you and your support!