WEBVTT

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When you look at me , most people don't

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see anybody with a disability , 80% of

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people with disabilities , they're

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hidden disabilities . I have a

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wonderful boss . The air force has been

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absolutely great about making all these

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accommodations for me and it makes me

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work 10 times harder because they've

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hired me when other places would not

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hire me thinking Oh no she's gonna be a

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problem .

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My name is julie Cardwell and I'm the E .

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F . M . P . Family Support Coordinator .

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The exceptional family member program

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is taking care of any families that has

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a family member with special needs . He

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could be anything from a spouse with

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depression to a child with a D . H . D .

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One of the most wonderful things about

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my job is that I get to sit down the

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families and we really get to talk and

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I hear what they're saying . And

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sometimes not many people really

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understand it with the EF M . P . S .

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We not only had to have the master's

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degrees , we also had to have a special

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needs family member of our own . And I

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have a son with special needs , he's on

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the autistic spectrum and he had a lung

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disease when he was young . So when a

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family member comes up here and tells

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me all their thoughts and their

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feelings and and what's going on with

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their family . I really do understand

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because I have been there . The best

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way that airmen can really help support

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these people with disabilities is this ,

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know that they are our disabilities .

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On base . About 10% of the Bass

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population has a family member with a

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disability . That's where E . F f p

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steps in . If you're not worried about

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your family , you're able to

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concentrate on the mission more . You

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can think about it and not worry about

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it . It's like I tell people when they

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go downrange on deployment , let me do

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the worrying for you .