Workshop Facilitator:
MESSERAT TATO  
Youth Transition Coordinator, Alliance of People with disAbilities

 

Panelists:
ERIC MATTHES
Outreach and Advocacy Specialist, Arc of King County

CHARITY RANGER
Independent Living Specialist/Volunteer Coordinator, Alliance of People with disAbilities

 

Presenters:

STUART PIXLEY            HOPE S.DRUMMOND          LUCILLE G.WALLS

Stuart Pixley: Stuart Pixley is one of the newest members of the board of directors for the Alliance for People with Disabilities. Stuart currently is a Senior Attorney at Microsoft where he oversees patent license programs for Microsoft’s Antitrust Compliance Team and has recently become involved in the Accessible Computing group with respect to and accessibility standards. Prior to joining Microsoft in December 2008, Stuart practiced for twelve years with law firms in New York, San Francisco and Silicon Valley where he represented both life science and high technology companies in intellectual property and technology transactions.

Stuart has also long been involved with the disability community. For several years after college, Stuart served as an advocate and program manager for Independent Living Centers in Riverside and San Diego, California.  While in law school he was co-chair of the schools disabled law students association –Coalition for Access and Disability Rights Everywhere (CADRE).   Now, in addition to his work for the Alliance, Stuart represents the interests of people with disabilities as a member of the Diversity Committee for Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs department as well as the Washington State Bar Association’s Committee for Diversity.  He is also very active in Microsoft’s Cross-Disability Committee, a firm-wide employee resource group for individuals with disabilities.

Stuart received his B.A. with honors in Psychology (emphasis in psychobiology) in 1990 from Pitzer College in Claremont, California and his law degree in 1997 from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law.

Hope S. Drummond: Hope Drummond was raised in Mendenhall, MS. She was born at the University Medical Center. She was born to the proud parents of Rev Jeremiah and Anna Drummond. Hope was bone with a rare bone disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). With this brittle bone disorder, Hope underwent twelve surgeries and sustained over an hundred fractures. Hope came from a family of three sisters and three brothers. Because of the severity of her bones disorder, she was not able to attend most of her schooling. She was taught at home until she was strong enough to attend classes. In 1994, she was able to complete high school with honors. From there she enrolled into Hinds Community College where she studied to be a paralegal. Hope continued her education at Belhaven College. She completed a bachelors degree in business administration in 2004 and soon after joined the Reform Theological Seminary in Terry, MS where she received her master in theology. Attending classes was very difficult because the books was either too heavy or the distance from each class was too far. Living with OI came with a lot of arthritis pains and shortness of breath. With the help of Vocational Rehabilitation, Hope was giving aids to carry her books and more time was giving her to walk to each classroom. She also had aids to help carry her breakfast and lunch try. 

For many years Hope had to learn how to advocate for herself because people looked at her disabilities and not her abilities. Through this issue Hope wanted to work in places that focused on disability rights and disability living. Hope began working at the Alliance of People with disAbilities in 2009. Living in Mississippi she had been working with different organization similar to the Alliance. She landed her first job at Life Coalition in Mississippi. This organization was based on assisting disabled Americans with their journey in becoming independent. Here she put together life skill training and became involved in public projects. She later worked on the board of Healthy Future Organization that was affiliated with Life Coalition. Throughout the years Ms Drummond held numerous jobs. Prior to relocation in Seattle she knew that she wanted to continue working with organizations that support people with disabilities. Upon arriving to this great state, she continued her search for an organization and came across the Alliance of People with disAbilities. She learned that the Alliance assist numerous of people with disability. They conduct independent living skills, have peer groups, etc.  Here people with disAbilities receive information on services that assist them in becoming independent. This may include housing, attendant care, transportation, employment, emergency financial aid, utility discounts, transportation, Medicaid and more. After much training she became an employee at The Alliance of People with disAbilities. She is the new Benefit and IL Specialist which allow her to assist people with disabilities while they plan to work.

Lucille G. Walls: Since March of 2009 Ms. Walls has worked as the Executive Director for the Alliance of People with disAbilities.  Our mission is “People with disabilities advocating for equality and choice.” The organization provides an array of services for individuals living with a disability in King County.  There are two offices which are located in Seattle and Redmond.  The majority of staff and Board are people with disabilities and provide peer support to empower others with disabilities.  The Alliance of People with disAbilities is a Center for Independent Living and has existed since 1978.  She also serves on the Association of Centers for Independent Living Washington and the Washington Coalition on Open Government.

Prior to accepting the position of Executive Director for the Alliance of People with disAbilities Lucille served as the Executive Director of the Ohio Governor's Council on People with Disabilities. She served in this position for six years under Governor Bob Taft (R) and Governor Ted Strickland (D).  The council was a 21 member governor appointed body that reviewed legislation, recommended programs and worked on the rights of Ohioans with disabilities.
Lucille attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) on a full scholarship and earned a Master of Arts in Social Work with an emphasis in Community Organization and Social Policy.  At the University of South Carolina she completed a Master of Science in Public Health.  This education was in the field of Epidemiology, Injury and Violence.  Her thesis won the Emily Thompson Award and was published by Sage Publications.  The Emily Thompson Award is given to research that contributes nationally to the health of women.

“As an undergraduate college student I lost my vision.  Since I never found it, I remain blind.  It is my opinion that this is only a slight inconvenience, and I refuse to let it limit me.  To this effect I have lived in five different States, visited 47 States and vacationed in all seven of the continents.  I had a cobra around my neck in Egypt.  In Australia I traveled on nine different modes of transportation.  And, in Antarctica felt the waves from sixteen Orca whales going under our ship at the same time.”