It’s no secret, you can’t say the same thing in the same way in print and on social media. You have about three words to get to the point on social media. In a magazine article there’s more time to dig in.
National AMBUCS made a very big, very important decision to exclude the word “disabilities” from its tagline, mission statement and all language not clinical in nature.
I wrote down my own personal feelings on the matter one evening and offered it to our then National President to use under his signature. He made some changes to fit his own perspective and then I tailored the content for use on our website, magazine and as a facebook post.
The decision was hotly contested both in board meetings and among members. The organization is nearly 100 years old, so change usually does not happen so abruptly.
I do believe the letter I wrote helped explain the decision and put it into context.
I want to mention that the Mission Statement was approved over my objections. It is way too long and awkwardly phrased.
The National President worked toward this goal even before he came into office and desperately wanted the vote to happen on his watch.
The organization pulled together as a whole to stand beside the population we serve. I am very proud of that.
Angela Labrecque 