-I CAME TO THE WORK OF HIV
SOME THREE DECADES AGO
WHEN MY VERY FRIENDS
WERE ILL AND DYING.
FOR MANY YEARS, PEOPLE LIVING
WITH HIV WERE DIAGNOSED,
AND THERE WAS AN EXPECTATION
OF MAYBE TWO YEARS OF LIFE.
SOME PEOPLE LIVED LONGER.
SOME PEOPLE LIVED SHORTER.
DEFINITELY, THE MODEL WAS
ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE
ON DISABILITY
AND GETTING THEM THE CARE
THAT THEY NEEDED,
AND IT WAS MUCH FOCUSED
ON DEATH AND DYING.
TO BE HERE SOME 30 YEARS LATER,
WHERE WE ARE
REALISTICALLY SEEING PEOPLE ABLE
AND READY TO GO BACK TO WORK,
LIVING WITH A CHRONIC ILLNESS
AND MANAGING THAT,
AND WANTING A FULL LIFE
AND TOTAL WELL-BEING
IS TRULY EXCITING.
-PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE HIV/AIDS
EPIDEMIC AND HOW TO ADDRESS IT,
AND EMPLOYMENT IS NOT
A PART OF THE EQUATION,
WHEN WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE LIVING
WITH HIV/AIDS
ARE OFTENTIMES LIVING
IN POVERTY.
EMPLOYMENT IS ONE OF, IF NOT
THE ONLY ROUTE OUT OF POVERTY.
-THE NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY
IS A STRATEGY THAT WAS CREATED
FOR ALL CABINET DEPARTMENTS --
ALL FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS --
TO WORK TOGETHER TO ADDRESS
THE HIV AND AIDS EPIDEMIC
NATIONWIDE,
TO REALLY BRING DOWN
INFECTION RATES,
ADDRESS THE DISPARITY ISSUES,
AND ADDRESS THE STIGMA.
SO, THIS IS REALLY
THE FIRST BIG COLLABORATION
BETWEEN THE U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.
-THIS CURRICULUM, THIS PROJECT
WILL INFORM PEOPLE
OF VARIOUS OPTIONS
THAT THEY HAVE
AND THAT, YOU KNOW,
THEY CAN GO TO WORK,
AND IF THEIR HEALTH IS
NOT OPTIMAL AT THAT TIME,
THEY ARE ABLE TO GO BACK
AND RESUME THEIR BENEFITS
THROUGH ANY PERIOD
THAT THEY MIGHT NEED.
BUT, ALSO,
IT GIVES PEOPLE OPTIONS,
AND IT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO BE
CREATIVE, ENTREPRENEURIAL,
TO JUST OPEN UP IN THEIR HEARTS
AND IN THEIR MINDS,
MAYBE, VISIONS FOR THEIR LIVES
THAT THEY HAVEN'T HAD
IN 15, 20 -- MAYBE EVER.
-I BELIEVE THAT PROVIDERS FEEL
THAT THEY DO THEIR CLIENTS
A DISSERVICE
BY PUSHING THEM AWAY FROM
THE SAFETY NET OF THE BENEFITS.
I THINK THEY NEED TO LEARN
MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT
TRANSITIONAL PHASE IS,
HOW THAT AFFECTS BENEFITS
FOR CLIENTS,
HOW THEY CAN NAVIGATE
AND HELP THEM GUIDE --
YOU KNOW, AND GUIDE THEM THROUGH
THOSE TRANSITIONAL PERIODS,
AND THAT WOULD GIVE THEM
A BETTER OR STRONGER BELIEF
THAT PEOPLE CAN DO THIS.
-ADVICE FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS
WHO ARE THINKING OF CREATING
THESE WORKFORCE-DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
IS TO HAVE PATIENCE WITH US.
WE HAVE NOT WORKED
FOR MANY YEARS,
AND FOR US,
MAYBE IT'S LIKE RIDING A BIKE,
BUT IT COULD GET
A LITTLE RUSTY.
SO, HAVING THE PATIENCE --
INVITE US TO BE PART
OF THE PLANNING PROCESS
SO WE COULD START
ALL THIS WORK TOGETHER.
AND IT'S THE TIME.
WE CAN DO THIS BECAUSE
WHEN WE BECAME HIV-POSITIVE,
WHEN WE TRANSITIONED,
WE DIDN'T SACRIFICE OUR BRAINS,
SO THE MIND IS STILL THERE.
OUR BRILLIANCE IS STILL THERE,
AND IT'S WAITING
FOR YOU TO TAP INTO.
