ArizonaLEND Trainees Advocate at State Capitol, Informing Legislators About Vital Work of The ArizonaLEND Program

On April 1st an interdisciplinary group of 6 ArizonaLEND Trainees and 2 faculty members traveled to Phoenix to meet with state senators and representatives. ArizonaLEND provides this opportunity annually, giving our cohort members firsthand, in-person advocacy experience. The trainees prepare in advance of meetings to educate on what our professions do, the people we treat and support, and the impact ArizonaLEND has in our state.

The day was described by the trainees as powerful and transformative. Self-Advocacy trainee Selene Amador said she was “nervous at first”, but that it quickly passed. She felt “a real" with Senator Gabaldon. Information Science trainee Divya Ramesh had this reflection: “One thing that remains in my mind from the visit to the Capitol is how much the introductions on the [House] Floor focused on this being the People’s House. It can be easy to forget that our representatives are people first, themselves. And we, the people, elected them.” Family trainee Kathy Bell related the day to her understanding of policy and the role of advocacy. She described it as “full circle,” in that “I really did not 'feel' the impact of these opportunities until I visited the capitol and 'worked' the process to better understand the JOURNEY of it all [when a bill becomes a law or a new policy].”

In relation to the anticipation of the event and the months of work the group had done to prepare, Kathy Bell added “The tightness of arriving into an office thinking we were going to be ignored or grilled - never happened. It was a fun and informative and excellent day.”