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Remarkable World Commentary Episode #104: Ask Advocate Donna · Podcasts By Donna Jodhan

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  Podcast Commentator: Greetings, Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA invites you to listen to
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  her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary.
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  Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts,
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  insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners.
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  Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids,
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  especially kids with disabilities.
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  Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach,
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  dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur,
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  law graduate, and podcast commentator.
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  She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge,
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  skills, and expertise in access, technology and information.
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  As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles.
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  She just wants to make things better than possible.
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  Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Greetings, everybody. And I'm Donna J.
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  Jodhan, your host for the Remarkable World Commentary podcast,
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  and this is my second solo podcast for the month of August.
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  This is where I get into my ask advocate Donna Shoes,
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  and I present you with stories of advocacy and invite you to send your stories to me and
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  let me know what is going on with you.
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  Send your stories to me at donnajodhan@atgmail.com.
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  All right, so it's a nice month so far.
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  And let's get started here.
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  Okay, let's get started with this.
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  With a wonderful quote of mine that I somehow managed to get from a blog or somewhere.
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  But I really like this quote.
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  Here we go. Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you and
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  listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.
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  I find this quote to be very deep in meaning,
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  and if we follow this, it's really going to help us on our way.
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  Okay. I want to start off with my favorite word game.
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  It has to do with, you know, a lot of times advocates are faced with
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  different situations, different circumstances.
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  And I've tried to find words that advocates are often or advocates often use in their
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  daily jobs, in their daily lives and everything like that.
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  And the first pair of words that I want to present to you for your thought is,
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  are these action or conversation?
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  When does an advocate engage in an action versus when they engage in a
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  conversation? It's a very difficult decision to make.
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  Action often involves getting and getting involved in certain things getting your hands
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  dirty, getting your feet wet, right?
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  It's it's it's hard core advocacy.
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  Whereas in the case of conversation, you sit down,
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  you listen, you discuss it's more passive if you want to put it that way.
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  Action is active. Conversation is passive.
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  Nothing wrong with either of these two situations.
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  Action, conversation. It all depends on you, the advocate,
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  and where you want to go with this.
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  So action is active. Conversation is passive.
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  All right. Okay. Here is the next pair of words
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  intention or execution.
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  And in this case, intention is more again, more passive.
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  Execution is more active.
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  So it's the opposite from the above intention or execution.
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  Intention is when you you are really ready and willing to put your shingles out there to
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  get something done. You intend to do it, but are you going to do it?
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  Execution is when you've done it.
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  All right? So intention is passive.
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  Execution is active. Okay?
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  Intention versus execution.
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  Nothing wrong with either of these two.
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  You may have an intention, but are you going to act on your intention?
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  Execution is when you can say you have done it.
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  All right. So there you go for my two word game.
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  Terms that I'd like you to think of.
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  Most advocates are often faced with these two.
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  Okay. Action or conversation or intention or execution.
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  All right. All right. So we're going to move on.
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  Here's the first story that I received from someone.
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  The host wanted the parent to share their plate of food with their.
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  Disabled child. I don't like the word using disabled,
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  but you know, they wanted to.
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  The host wanted the parent to share their plate of food with their child who had a
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  disability. Okay. Lordy.
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  This is not an easy thing in many ways.
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  So Isabel went to a fundraising dinner for her
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  grandchildren's efforts to raise funds for their dance.
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  You know, she went to a fundraising dinner to raise funds for a dance troupe.
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  When she got to the buffet table and the buffet people.
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  But the food table, the host handed her a plate.
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  And when she said to the host, well, my child needs a plate of food as well,
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  the host told her. No, you guys have to share the food.
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  At which stage? Isabelle's daughter Dania stepped up to the plate.
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  You know, in so many terms.
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  Or just spoke up and said, no, I need my own plate of food.
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  At first the host refused, and when Isabelle and Dania started to raise
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  their voices in unison to stay.
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  Listen, we are two individuals.
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  We require two plates.
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  The host backed off and grudgingly gave a plate of food to Dania.
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  What did Isabelle and Dania do?
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  Well, Isabelle and Dania raised their voices in unison,
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  politely and effectively.
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  And fortunately, there were those around them who saw what was going on.
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  Nobody said anything, but the host got the message and gave two
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  plates of food to two individuals.
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  Okay, so what is the picture here?
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  All right. Who gets involved?
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  Or should I say, what is advocacy all about?
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  In this case, advocacy is when something is not right in the view of
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  Isabel the parent and Donya the child.
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  Right. It's not right in their point of view,
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  because the host only wanted to give a plate of food to Isabel so that she would share it
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  with Donya And advocacy is when they speak up or when they spoke up,
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  and who gets involved in advocacy.
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  Isabel and Dania. Okay.
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  Why is it necessary? It's necessary because of.
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  I wouldn't say it's a mishap.
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  I would say that it is an inconsideration or just a glitch on the part of the host.
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  Why? She only wanted to give one plate of food to Isabel and Dania.
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  We would never know, because she simply yielded when these two raise their
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  voices and said, no, you know, we need two plates,
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  not just one plate. Okay.
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  How do you get involved in advocacy in this case?
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  By raising your voices politely and appropriately,
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  and bringing to the notice of the House that this is not right.
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  When to get involved in advocacy.
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  As I said, as above, you get involved when something in your view is not right.
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  All right, let's go to the second story now.
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  All right. The caregiver wants to charge.
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  The patient's daughter more money for serving her her meals.
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  Now, this story is one where the patient is the mom.
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  And the daughter is visiting the mom, and the caregiver is when she serves food to
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  the patient, her patient.
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  She also gives an extra plate to the patient's daughter,
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  who is vision impaired.
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  All right. What is going on here?
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  We have to figure out why does the caregiver think or believe that the patient's daughter
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  should be paying for being served a plate of food?
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  Not sure. What advice would you give to the patient's daughter?
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  Because the patient's daughter is the one that the caregiver approached and told the
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  caregiver and told the daughter that she had to pay more money,
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  and daughter doesn't really know why she's being asked to pay more money.
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  She didn't ask the caregiver because she was taken by surprise.
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  What advice would you give to the patient's daughter?
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  Should she ask the caregiver what is she being paid for?
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  Or should she, you know, take the bull by the horn and say to the
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  caregiver, no. At this point in time, I can't afford to give you any more money
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  because you're already being paid a lot of money to look after my mum.
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  And if I were to pay you more money, then I would have to pay the other caregivers
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  more money and I can't afford it.
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  Or should the patient's daughter simply say, at this time,
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  this is out of the question instead of belaboring the discussion.
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  What would be your advice?
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  Okay. What is advocacy?
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  Advocacy is, in this case, the patient's daughter asking questions or
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  making a decision not to adhere to the caregiver's request.
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  It's a very unclear question on the part of the caregiver.
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  So does it need to be thrashed out or ignored?
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  In this case, who gets involved in advocacy is the patient's daughter.
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  Why is it necessary? It is necessary for clarification and for the patient standing
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  up, you know, for what she thinks is right.
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  Not necessarily what she thinks is right, but standing up for something that she
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  doesn't believe or she doesn't feel that it is right or comfortable.
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  And how does one get involved in advocacy in this case?
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  Well, it's a patient being active, not passive,
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  being active. And when well, the patient's daughter gets involved in
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  advocacy when when the caregiver makes this request.
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  Okay. Let's go on to the third story.
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  But I would be interested to get your feedback on this.
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  All right. And I'll tell you at the end how you can send me your feedback.
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  Third story. A senior told to go to the back of the line in order
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  to purchase their ticket.
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  Now, the senior here is wandering and the seniors name is Harry.
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  Why am I being. Why is he being asked to go to the back of the line in order to purchase
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  a ticket? Is it because he is a senior or what is it?
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  It is not really clear.
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  Harry is just being told go to the back of the line.
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  When Harry was at the front of the line, Harry is being told go to the back of the
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  line. Harry starts to query the ticket agent,
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  and the ticket agent sort of gives him a very dismissive action with his hands.
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  Like I'm telling you, go to the back of the line,
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  go! Harry is not satisfied with this, and he wants to know why he is first in line,
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  but being told to go to the back of the line,
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  does Harry have the right to query the ticket agent?
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  What do you think? I'll tell you what I think,
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  okay? If I were Harry, I would want to know why I am.
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  Am I being told to go to the back of the line when I'm at the front of the line.
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  I'm not sure how I would challenge the ticket agent by saying,
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  is it because I'm a senior or what is it?
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  Is it because of what?
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  Why am I being told to go to the back of the line?
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  This is what advocacy is all about.
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  Harry is the one who needs to get involved in advocacy to start the ball rolling,
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  because it affects Harry directly.
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  Why is advocacy necessary?
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  Because Harry wants to know why.
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  Why is he being told to go to the back of a line?
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  He's a senior. Is it because he's a senior?
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  What the heck is it? How to get involved in advocacy?
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  Well, Harry needs to do it.
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  And if Harry can get help from those around him,
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  it would help. But in this case, it is difficult because everybody wants to
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  get their ticket. It. Nobody wants to hold up a line.
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  But in this case, Harry needs to know what the heck is going on.
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  And when does Harry get involved in advocacy?
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  Now? Because this directly affects him.
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  Okay. This is it for me for the month of August.
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  Please send your feedback to me at Donna Jodhan
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  donnajodhan@gmail.com.
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  Love to hear from you.
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  Take care and we will see you next
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  month. Bye for now.
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  Podcast Commentator: Donna wants to hear from you and invites you to write to her at donna@gmail.com.
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  Until next time.