After five years of conducting the various pilots, the DDSs were ready for a decision, a commitment by SSA to go in one direction. The decision by Commissioner Apfel to launch the new model through the prototype format gathered quick support from most of the stakeholders in the process. NADE was the first stakeholder group to issue a public announcement endorsing the Commissioner’s decision. While we expressed regret at that part of the Commissioner’s decision to drop the reconsideration level of appeal, we chose to express our Association’s support for the decision to move forward, to move on. The decision by the Commissioner to launch the two year prototype study should allow sufficient time for all stakeholders to analyze the results and determine if the new process will work as envisioned by SSA. NADE will provide full support for the prototype study but we will not be blind to any data that points to danger signals. We will be ready to call attention to possible problems and we will be ready to offer solutions. We will continue to offer our expertise to ensure that the public’s confidence in the program does not falter and that our professional integrity is not compromised.

I do want to express the appreciation of our membership to Commissioner Apfel for asking for input from NADE, and then listening carefully to what we had to say. The decision to launch the prototype study, rather than proceeding immediately to a national rollout of the new process, allows all parties to gauge whether or not the new process can work. The stay of execution for the current disability adjudicative process allows for the prototype to operate jointly with the current process. When the time comes for a final decision as to whether to proceed with the national rollout of the new process, there will be clear and compelling data from both processes that should quiet the critics of either the current process or the new model. Let’s commit ourselves to working together to achieve what is best for the disabled claimants who depend upon us for an accurate and timely decision, and for the taxpaying public who also depend upon us to make those decisions as efficiently as possible.

Let me take this opportunity to address another matter - that of membership. By the time you read this column, you should have received your first notice to renew your NADE membership. I hope you will choose to do so. It is absolutely critical for all of us that NADE be able to speak and to be heard. The events of the past few months should have proven this fact to you in a manner unlike any other. Try to imagine where redesign might be today if the DDS perspective had not been heard in the past few years. NADE strives to improve the membership benefits that we offer to our members. As a disability professional, you owe it to yourself to belong to the only professional association that exists for you. Through our local chapter, regional and national training programs, our national certification program for disability professionals and support staff, and our regional and national awards programs, NADE offers many opportunities for members to expand their professional horizons and to set sail to prove that the world of disability is not flat - that there is a great deal to learn and experience that will help make us all well rounded as professionals and as people who care for their fellow man. I hope that you have had the opportunity to participate in NADE. The opportunities are boundless for fun and excitement, for learning and leadership. These opportunities are provided for you. They are your benefits as a NADE member. Use them.

There is an old Chinese proverb that declares, “The man who sees only the past will not know the present. The man who knows only the present will not see the future.“ I would like to encourage you to look at the rich history of NADE, what we have done and what we have achieved. Look at what we are doing now, the impact that we, as a collective body, have on the disability program. See the future and try to envision what it will be like if NADE is not there to speak on your behalf. Be involved in NADE and encourage your colleagues to become members.

NADE regional training conferences are in full swing and I hope that you will have the opportunity to attend the conference in your region. These conferences are a great way to meet people from other states who share the same concerns you do. Even more important is the fact that these conferences give you an opportunity to voice your concerns directly to the people who can make a difference. There is an old saying, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might wind up somewhere else.” Regional training conferences are a great way to stop and ask directions so you know exactly where you’re going.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage every NADE member to check out NADE’s new Internet location at www.NADE.org. This is a construction work in progress so if there is something you would like to see at this site, please let us know. We want to make this site helpful to our members. Let us know what you think and, please, let us know if there is something you would like to see added.

National Disability Professionals Week will be recognized and commemorated by NADE in June. This is your week! It is a poor pilot who tries to propel himself forward by patting himself on the back but, in this case, you deserve a pat on the back. “Pat, pat.”

Don’t forget about the July 1 deadline for nominations for NADE’s national awards. The criteria for these awards were shown in the last issue of the Advocate and your chapter president also has a copy. These awards are a great way to show colleagues how much their commitment and dedication is appreciated. Nominate your colleagues today.

Speaking of nominations, you might also like to consider nominating a dedicated NADE member for national office. Elections for NADE president-elect, secretary and treasurer will be held at our national conference in Denver in October. The Council of Chapter Presidents will also elect their chairperson for the coming year. Serving on the NADE Board is a great way to get a headache, ahh, I mean a great way to demonstrate your leadership ability. And, if you think you don’t have any leadership ability, may I suggest a great place to learn!

Service, Commitment, Dedication. These are mere words to many people, people who have forgotten, or never known, what it is like to commit oneself to public service and to bring to the job a sense of dedication that finds its reward in seeing the job done right. NADE members know very well the meaning of these words, for we live them each day.


Jeff Price