'They had to look us straight in the eye"
By Leah Hoenen
Updated Fri August 22, 2014
Activists say United Spinal's third-annual Roll on Capitol Hill was empowering.
Kansas City resident Shantelle Rockman has done some local lobbying, but the June event was her first time lobbying at the national level.
“As a consumer, it was really great to hear that we had providers on our side, to know that what we needed mattered,” she said.
Rockman attended the Roll on Capitol Hill, held June 22-25, with The Greater Kansas City Spinal Cord Association.
She was among 120 activists who made 200 legislative visits.
Nothing beats person-to-person contact, said Rockman, who called the event and her Capitol Hill visits empowering.
“They had to look us straight in the eye and we could tell them how important it is to have this equipment so we could have that quality of life—we could get back in the community, we could get back to school,” she said. “I feel like they wanted to hear us. They wanted to see us and they listened.”
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