Enter the fray...

Hello and welcome to my blog! Here I'll be speaking about and commenting on all issues under the sun that relate to disability and disabled persons. For those in the know -- that is for people who have an understanding of this subject because they have a disability or those who are very close to a person with a disability -- this is a huge topic with endless variance and nuances. So let me first start by formally stating that what is said here is not the Gospel of Disability (obviously). I am merely sharing my direct experience of being a disabled person and being a social worker whose clients are primarily persons with a physical and mental disability. If I've learned anything from my experiences in life it's that what is successful for person A doesn't automatically translate to a solution for person B.


So onward and upward. I promise to not always be so redundant but my first post will revisit much of what is stated in the "about me" section of my profile...


My name is Robin. I am a University of Texas School of Social Work alumni living in Southeast Austin and working at a law firm in Round Rock. I graduated with my Masters of Science in Social Work in the Community and Administrative Leadership tract in May of 2009 after successfully completing my coursework and two graduate internships.

After graduation, I passed the Social Work Licensure Exam (and became a LMSW) and promptly accepted a contract position working with the Ready By 21 Coalition. There I helped to create Central Texas’ Youth Services Mapping (YSM) system. Shortly after beginning the project, I received an offer to work with a former professor at his law firm. I joined him and worked both positions until finishing the YSM project. 

For over two years I have in worked in concert with the firm's attorneys as a social worker. My roles are fluid and dynamic; they include educational advocate (ADA, Section 504, IDEA), disability advocate (ADA, 504), SSA benefits representative (Title II and XVI), case manager, consultant, accessibility specialist, and quasi paralegal. My success in these roles is pursuant to, and measured by, the success of my clients.

I have also worked with DARS Disability Determination Services. This division of DARS determines claims for the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Texas. I underwent months of extensive training dealing with SSA's policies and procedures combined with receiving the medical and vocational knowledge required to accurately determine claims. I eventually left this position and opened up a new practice area at the firm using that training to assist claimants going through this complex process.

My current trajectory was set nine years ago when I joined an Austin-based AmeriCorps program to raise money for college. My time there taught me valuable lessons of hard work, service, serenity, and sacrifice. These lessons guided me through school and eventually led me to a path that included many of the public service career options for which I was searching.

While heading down that path, I was injured in an accident in 2004 and partially paralyzed below the chest. Since that day, if I want to physically get my body anywhere, I push it there with my manual wheelchair. Having to re-learn to navigate a world built for able-bodied people delivered to me lessons in humility, dignity, adaptation, and resilience. I was so very lucky to have such strong family support as I don't know how I would have overcome the more difficult challenges without it. Over the next six months I continued recovering in physical therapy sessions while finishing up my BA in Sociology. Upon graduating I enrolled in the School of Social Work where I engaged lessons that championed person-in-environment, self-determination, empathy, and community leadership.

My experiences and education have provided me tools that enable me to assist and zealously advocate for my clients – be they individuals, families, agencies, or whole communities. My path has led me to a public service career where I work with clients with disabilities and their families. Drawing on my own experiences helps me when working with this population because I possess the understanding and sense of justice of a member of this group. I actively pursue the great satisfaction I get when I’m able to empower individuals and their families to gain access to valuable programs, services, and resources.

Along with my current work through the firm I am also involved in several civic and professional organizations. I am a sitting board member of Knowbility, an incredible non-profit with national presence that promotes barrier-free IT access (think website and Internet content accessibility for the visually impaired - among other services). I am an associate member of the Austin Mayor's Committee for people with Disabilities (AMCPD) as well as a member of the Austin Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Steering Committee. I serve on the Austin ADA Task Force in addition to being a member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD).

My wife is a nurse at a local pediatric hospital. We own a modest home and live with my brother-in-law, a pharmaceutical student at UT. Our abode is shared with two awesome dogs - a chihuahua mix named Remy and a small heeler mix named Brody. My wife and I have been actively trying to expand our happy little family, both through traditional and unconventional means (adoption). We are so excited (and a little scared) at the prospect of children!

That is a just an overview of who I am and what I do. I can and will be expanding on all of the above as I go along in addition to the many hot topics that I frequently come across in my line of work. Additionally I welcome comments on every post (relating to the theme please) and any suggestions for future topics.

Thanks for making it this far and I hope you to see you again!