“People with disabilities can do anything!” ROBB DOOLING
Who inspired you to work this field? DOOLING: For
ROBB DOOLING ran for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner (ANC), representing his neighborhood of NoMa and Old City in Washington, D.C. in 2018 and won with 95% of the vote. He took office on January 2, 2019, but he resigned in April due to moving outside the area.
Where are you from and what is your background? DOOLING: I
grew up in Nebraska, studied Computer Science at Rochester Institute of Technology, and moved to Washington, DC in 2014 for a software engineering job. In 2017 and 2018, I moved away from programming and got into writing, editing, and local politics.
FOLENDORF: I
am from Angels Camp, California.
MCDEVITT: I’m
originally from Northern New Jersey. I graduated from Gallaudet University in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and moved to Pennsylvania shortly after. What is your occupation? DOOLING: I’m
an editor at the U.S. Department of
State. I am currently employed with the United States Forest Service and I am also a Councilmember for the City of Angels Camp in California.
FOLENDORF:
MCDEVITT: I’m
an Executive Director for the Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre (DHCC) in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
editing, my father inspired me to keep looking for my dream job even when I was unhappy as a programmer. My father was a novelist who wrote books outside of his day job and eventually he succeeded enough to be able to write full time. I enjoy my current editor job. For local politics, my urbanist friends inspired me to advocate for better walkability in DC. After moving to DC, I fell in love with public transportation, biking, and other efficient modes of moving people through cities, and going to protests with these friends inspired me to do even more to make DC one of the best cities in the world.
MCDEVITT: I
had a great experience as a volunteer firefighter which led me to a full-time career at NAD’s partner in advocacy, TDI, managing their disaster and emergency preparedness training programs. After those grants ended, I went to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency at their headquarters focusing on the issue of communication and disabilities. I left that to become DHCC’s Executive Director. What made you decide to run for office? DOOLING: I
attended my neighborhood commission meetings and then realized I could bring more affordable housing and walkability to DC if I ran for the neighborhood commission and used the seat to focus on these issues.
FOLENDORF: I
ran for city council because I believed that there needs to be more voices at the table to represent the entire community. During my second campaign for the city council in 2018, I kept that same platform along with the need to do better working with our community partners to build a better future and accomplish goals together. I am
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