Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

March/April 2000

President's Message

SPRING IS IN THE AIR – at least for those of us living in the South! It’s hard to believe that we are only a few short weeks away from the beginning of the 2000 Regional Training Conferences. I have had the opportunity to review several of the agendas and I must say that I am impressed with the variety of training opportunities our membership will be offered. I am looking forward to attending the conferences and feel privileged to have the opportunity to do so as this is a far better environment for training than, as Jeff put it, “to be stuck in front of an IVT.”

As you plan for the upcoming Regional Conferences, please do not forget to start making your plans for the 2000 National Training Conference in Puerto Rico. I understand that the hotel registration cutoff has been set at June 15th so you will want to make sure you reserve a room for what promises to be a very informative and fun conference.

Spring is also the time we should begin making plans for National Disability Professionals Week as well as our annual membership renewal. Our membership is comprised of experts in the field of disability adjudication. NADE’s success as a professional association depends the expertise of our membership. I encourage each of you to participate in your chapter’s celebration as well as take the time to say “thank you” to your coworkers for the dedication to and accomplishments made in the Disability Programs. NADE’s NDPW Chair, Melissa Robertz, and her committee are ready to offer any assistance you may need as you plan you activities.

NADE will again be offering membership grants for a limited number of chapters to help offset the expenses incurred during membership recruitment and retention. If your chapter is interested, please contact the NADE Membership Chair, Debi Gardiner.

NADE continues to be a viable, growing professional association. We continue to provide testimony for hearings on disability related issues. We continue to provide input to SSA; input from disability experts on issues impacting the program, our profession, and the individuals we serve. In order for NADE to remain the respectable resource of “expertise,” we need to hear from the experts – YOU!

Our Regional Training Conferences offer us the opportunity to network and I hope that you will utilize that time to fill my ear on issues you are facing and issues NADE should be addressing. Your voice in SSA and in Congress is NADE…Let NADE be YOUR voice.