Ever since I started my training at the Southern Berkshire Toastmasters two and a half years ago, I didn’t understand the true meaning of being a public speaker until I met my mentor Pam White. She really helped me a lot through the two and a half years of being together as a team. I learned a lot about giving speeches, and I also learned a lot about time frames, and I also learned a lot about competing.

When you get chosen to be the leader of the table topics at Toastmasters you have to think of a certain topic and you have to act it out and you also have to add a little bit of humor and a little bit of laughter in your table topic. No matter what happens in your table topic it is okay to make some mistakes sometimes, and it is also okay to not be perfect all the time. But if you do a lot of practicing everyday in your spare time that is what makes you better a public speaker.

After I had my two and a half years of training, my Workforce Development Coordinator Colleen Powers came to me and she told me about a paid speaking opportunity, and then I gave her big bear hug and a kiss right after she gave me that news. I gave a speech about being The Voice Of People With Disabilities and how much I care about them in front of an audience at the Western MA Association of Fundraising Professionals. I would say that we had about sixty people in the audience watching the speakers presenting their most incredible and amazing speeches ever.

I’m hoping that the government and the White House and the community and the world could just understand and see that having people with disabilities is important. Because if we didn’t have people with disabilities on this planet called earth, we wouldn’t have anything so beautiful and wonderful and special ever again. It would be a shame if we didn’t have the voice of people with disabilities in this world. The reason why I am saying this now is because we have the rights to say that we have the power and the wisdom and the glory to make a difference and a change, to make this world into better one and to make it into a better place for everyone to live in.