Articles from prior issues of The Advocate

September/October, 1998

Persident's Message
by Debi Gardiner, NADE President

THIS WILL BE MY LAST President’s message and it is with many mixed emotions that I write my last column. It has been a lot of hard work and a lot of fun but I have gained far more than I have given. I want to thank all of those members who offered their encouragement and support. I was also very fortunate in having a hard-working and dedicated Board of Directors and Committee Chairpersons. They worked diligent despite their heavy workloads and personal commitments. One of the greatest opportunities I had as President was to meet so many NADE members from around the country as I attended the regional conferences. I was impressed with the dedication and professionalism exhibited at all of these conferences. NADE is truly lucky to have so many enthusiastic and committed members. I feel very fortunate to have made many new NADE friends over the past year. As I look back over the past NADE year, I believe that we can all be very proud of NADE’s accomplishments. We have:

*Met with Social Security Commissioner Kenneth Apfel *Met with interested parties in Washington *Submitted written testimony regarding the Challenges Facing the New Commissioner of Social Security *Submitted written testimony for the Senate hearing on childhood issues *Responded to the NPRM regarding the Administrative Review Process and in Evaluating Opinion Evidence *Responded to the NPRM on the Obesity Listing *Prepared a draft letter in response to newspaper articles which had misleading or incorrect information *Drafted letters in response to S-1166

*Attended NADE’s meeting with the Disability Process Redesign Team and SSA components *Participated in the National FO/DDS Relationship Workgroup *Continue to play a critical role in DATS

However, it is certainly not a time to “rest on our laurels” as the issues remain.

We have seen NADE become an increasingly strong and effective voice in the Disability Program. In 1990, President Bruce Johnston could not have been more on target when she “predicted” seeing “the formation of additional organizations for people working in the field of disability evaluation.” I believe that NADE has faced this challenge well. We have NADE members in position from many disability related occupations throughout the country. This does, indeed, make us a much stronger voice - and organization. As I have stated on many occasions, I believe that each individual NADE member has something valuable to offer. It is only because of each member that NADE is the strong organization that it is today. I challenge each of you to become more involved. You can make a difference. I look forward to passing the gavel to my successor, Jeff Price, and I have every confidence in his ability to serve you well as NADE President. I offer him my continued support and assistance in the upcoming year. This has been a year of growth and change for NADE and it appears that the challenges will continue. Remember, to succeed in this world, you have to change all the time. In closing, I would like to thank all of the members of the Board, the Committee Chairs and all of the NADE members who worked so hard to make this organization what it is today. I appreciate the honor of being able to serve as your President this past year and I thank you for the opportunities.