I think that's a very interesting idea, Jason, about the micros and the professionals being side by side. By professionals, are you referring to the providers & advocacy organizations that had tables there?
Congrats, Marie on your award! That is so cool!!!
So was it People First that held the Employment First Community Conversation? How did that go?
I'm guessing it's hard to know since they don't exactly let you know 
I wonder how many other members of the SD network have sent out letters as well....
Have you gotten any responses to your letter from the newspapers yet?
Great! Now go take a break, relax, enjoy the weather this weekend....
no idea... We really won't know until they start debating the bill..... I do know that the most powerful thing people can do is to talk with their legislators now and throughout the budget process.
If you're not going to Disability Advocacy day at the Capitol next week Tuesday, you can still call or write to your legislators... share your story, tell them what's important to you and your family, etc. And remember that you can talk with your legislator's staff if you aren't able to talk with him/her directly - staff are very important in terms of informing legislators what's going on with constituents.
One of the challenges that we're facing with the budget proposal is the lack of detail about how stuff will really work. I think that's why so many people are angry, worried, etc. Please feel free to check out our budget pageshere on the SD Network. We'll try to keep them up-to-date as we get info from advocacy organizations who are trying to analyze the proposal and figure out how it might affect folks.
I totally understand your fears, April. So much is up in the air right now.
The bottom line is that we aren't sure what's going to happen. There is information about what's in the Governor's budget proposal, but that can change before the budget actually gets signed. So we are a long way from having the programs change.
In the meantime, you can learn all you can about what's in the proposal. Tomorrow, we are having an online chat (Coffee Break) with Lynn Breedlove, the Board president for InControl Wisconsin. He is going to answer questions that people have about the proposal. You will need to be signed in on this website in order to see the chat. You can choose to ask questions or to just watch what other people are asking and saying. Once you are signed in, just go to this page at 9 am. The Coffee Break will last until 9:30 am.
Another way to learn more is to go to the Budget Trainingsthat are being put on around the state. There is no cost to attend these. Probably the closest trainings for you are in Oshkosh on March 6th and in Milwaukee on March 12th.
In the meantime, know that you are not alone... there are a lot of people who are concerned about the possible changes that may take place. Thanks for reaching out through the Self-Determination Network.
There are lots of different ways that people get started with timebanks. You & I can talk more about this next week when I visit with you.
Here are a few resources that were shared on the Coffee Break:
Videos that talk about timebanks:
