Ramona Harvey, author of Unclipped Wings and founder of onecandream.com started advocating not only for her rights, but the rights of others both with and without disabilities at a very young age. In 2006, Ms. Harvey was appointed by the Governor to the Indiana SILC (ICOIL) where she met and began working with Jodi James a true disability rights advocate and activist. Jodi was dedicated to doing what she could to protect the rights of others and ensure that others were also afforded opportunity.
Together Jodi and Ramona fought to put an end to the corruption and fraud of the Indiana's SILC and foster a truly informed and empowered disability community in the State of Indiana. As officers of the SILC, they attempted to bring the council into compliance with the laws that govern the council. Their own constitutional and civil rights were violated, but they continued to do their best to protect the rights of the people with disabilities they were appointed to the council to represent. Onecandream.com followed what happened and helped to document their Journey. Anyone wanting to know more about what happened should take a look at the Indiana SILC (ICOIL) Resources and directories still available and archived here at onecandream.com.
Jodi and Ramona shared a dream of a truly empowered and informed disability community that had a real voice and say in the issues that impacted them. Jodi James died on Sept. 5, 2009 at the age of 38, doing one of the things she loved most - driving just like everyone else. Jodi died, but her dream has not. Jodi was not just a disability rights advocate -- she was a human rights advocate. She is missed, remembered, and loved by onecandream.
Let us all remember the people who have come before us to help us get where we are -- and the people who will come after us who are counting on us to provide them with the foundation they need to get where we need to be.
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What you do does matter, and one person can make a difference.
Life is short -- be here for the party.... and be sure to leave the world a better place then it was when you got here.