State of Washington - Dept. of Labor & Industries
Dear Al,
I want to thank you for your recent humorous and informational talk on Disability Awareness to the Department of Labor and Industries. Over 220 people attended and their reviews were excellent. The story of your perseverance in your recovery was wonderfully told and I believe demonstrates what an amazing person you are.
While you are very funny guy and your personal story was fascinating, your straightforward behavioral recommendations about how to relate with respect to individuals with disabilities were most important. Agency staff with disabilities and parents and relatives of folks who are disabled said they thought they knew it all but you taught them and made them laugh at the same time.
As a Special Events Chairperson, my plan for Disability Awareness month was to offer a unique event that could educate and entertain, a large number of our staff.
While my recommendation that a comedian could educate and change behavior was at first questioned as an effective agency wide training program, all those that attended felt that the disability awareness training and the humor break in the workday was a wonderful and educational experience. Increased awareness of diversity helps our staff in their work with customers, with their families, and with their community. It is an excellent service that you offer and one any organization wishing to educate themselves on disability awareness would greatly benefit from.
Thank you again,
Pat Delaney
Special Events Committee
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