Fifth Freedom Staff Profile

Carmen Kirkpatrick of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Hello, my name is Carmen Kirkpatrick and I am excited about joining Fifth Freedom as the new ACT Team Coordinator. ACT Teams are a network of small, grassroots groups that take action on local, state and national disability policy issues as they occur. ACT team members also work in their local communities to remove barriers that impede their inclusion. As the ACT Team Coordinator, I will facilitate the flow of information about important and time-sensitive disability issues to the Fifth Freedom members. I will also work with ACT teams as they work in their local communities to teach awareness of the issues and barriers to full inclusion experienced by people with disabilities.

I am married and together my husband and I have three children. In December 1999, I graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. Currently, I am pursuing my goal to obtain a Master of Arts in Sociological Practice. During my childhood I learned the power of self-advocacy by watching my family and friends. It is my hope to use my personal knowledge of advocacy and my educational skills to help many more people through my work at Fifth Freedom.

My mother was born Deaf. While I was growing up I watched her walk through life with her head held high and always smiling. During her childhood she attended the Detroit Lutheran School for the Deaf in Michigan. The focus of the school was to teach students to lip-read and verbalize. The staff forbade students to use sign language while in class or during meals. If the students were caught signing, which was their preferred method of communication, they were punished. Therefore the students learned ASL (American Sign Language), on the sly in the dorms. My mother was later mainstreamed into the local high school in her hometown, where only a couple of teachers strove to include her. Throughout her high school years a sign language interpreter was never provided to help her understand the course work.

My father was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in 1994. On a good day my father can walk with the use of a cane, although at times he is not completely steady. On bad days he uses a wheelchair or a motorized cart. Now, our family is learning about wheelchair accessibility and the civil rights laws and building codes designed to provide site access.

When I was a child, my parents along with another couple who are deaf strongly, advocated for a Deaf Ministry in their local church. I also witnessed their frustration and their fight just to get an interpreter for my high school graduation. My mother's best friend Velma is my favorite advocate. She often would loudly tell my mother that she needed to advocate on her own behalf, even if it is with her own family! It didn't have to be "family" for Velma to get involved, she often advocated for students in the local schools for appropriate and competent interpreters.

I know that conditions have improved for people with disabilities over the last twenty years, but they haven't improved enough yet! I still witness my parents struggling to obtain employment comparable to their education and experience. Also, I notice when our family decides where to have dinner we must make certain that the site is accessible to all. My hope is to be a strong advocate for all people with disabilities as the ACT Coordinator for the Fifth Freedom Network by following the example set by my family and friends.