Mr. Gary,
I have put together a couple of questions for my interview for the “TASSC Q & A”. It’s quick, easy and virtually painless.
After you’ve filled in the blanks, please “reply” the interview back to me.
Shall we begin?
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Q: How long have you been a member of TASSC? TASCC
A: I got involved with TASCC in 1992, after learning about our sister city of Almaty one day at a City Council meeting. I had been wanting to do an international outreach program for a group of people with disabilities, and this discovery was a perfect match.
Q: How long have you served as the President?
A: I was elected Chairman of TASCC in February of 1998.
Q: What made you decide to become a member?
A: I had been the Chairman of a committee for the employment of people with disabilities for two years and was looking for a way to inspire some enthusiasm in the membership. It occurred to me that perhaps an international outreach program, maybe in Mexico, would generate some excitement among our members. As you may recall, we were in the process of writing the Americans With Disabilities Act, which became law in 1990, and a significant part of that Act dealt with employment inequities for people with disabilities in the USA. I thought that we could became a proponent for change in other emerging countries. So, when I discovered that we had a sister city in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan, it appeared that fate had stepped in and shown me a direction for our energies.
Q: Which project has been the most rewarding thus far, and why?
A: It is hard to name one specific project, because the last 15 years have produced so many meaningful ones. But, I suppose that taking a group of teenaged Mariachi players to Almaty in 2003 and introducing Tucson's rich and cultural Hispanic heritage through music in Central Asia has to be one of the best projects to date. When the shrill mariachi trumpet would sound and the staccato accents provided by the boots of the musicians hit the ears of the audiences, there was an audible intake of breath and eyes would widen with the sheer joy of hearing this style of music for the first time. This type of international exposure does great things for the minds and imaginations of teenagers in Tucson and in Almaty.
Q: What are some of the projects you are looking forward to, and why?
A: A.R.D.I. is a school for children with disabilities in Almaty that was started by the parents of those children. Society and government in Kazakhstan has not yet recognized the rights of people with disabilities to live as equals, so the task of providing educational opportunities falls on the shoulders of the private sector. Our committee has supported A.R.D.I. in its quest to obtain a city-owned building in Almaty to conduct their classroom activities. Over 240 students currently are receiving educational opportunities there. A current project of our committee, under the direction of member Jay Fulcher, is to send a 40-foot container filled with orthopedic equipment such as walkers, canes and power wheelchairs, to A.R.D.I. in 2005. Included in that container will be a wheelchair lift that will enable them to use the second floor of the building that they now occupy.
Future projects include a library exchange, sending the Arizona Boy's Choir to perform in Almaty, an increased participation by the Almaty Artisans Guild in future Tucson Gem and Mineral shows, working on establishing a private sector elder care facility, creating a video-conferencing opportunity between students at Cholla High School and their sister school in Almatyand hosting a martial arts conference.
