Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Grabner.
Hi Nicole, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story….Well, I was raised around the military; I spent most of my life growing up in Germany. Met my husband after I enlisted during my first deployment after 9/11. We’ve been married for over 21 years and have two amazing neurodivergent children. We moved to Florida (Space Coast) when my husband retired, at the height of COVID. My advocacy journey began when my youngest was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two. A few months later, my husband and I attended a presentation about a class called “Partners in Policymaking”, and he encouraged me to apply. This class is run by the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council every year, where they teach parents and self-advocates about how to work with policymakers to effect real change for our community. During the class we are given a ton of information about everything from health care, education and even transportation policy. These tools are given to us so we can go forward and as Michael Jackson says, “Make the change.” I decided that I wanted to work on building coalitions for advocacy; basically uniting the voices of our community with agencies, nonprofits, and advocates so we could all speak with one united voice. As a community, as a coalition, I felt we were much stronger.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, not even close. Being a special needs parent is a struggle. Not everyone understands what its like to cancel last minute because your child is having a meltdown, or when you feel like you are drowning because your home is in chaos. Then there’s the struggle as parents, trying to work together as a team; which can be incredibly challenging when you haven’t had a date night….in a long time. (Try finding a babysitter for neurodiverse children, any children with special needs, is challenging to say the least.)
That’s the base, or foundation, of my struggle. Walking into the world of policy and politics, I expected there would be tough times. Honestly, though, I had more struggles come from within my own community more so than anything I faced in the political area. Those were the attacks I didn’t see coming and those were the ones that hurt the worst. You believe that as we are all on the same side, we should all be fighting the same things, right? But, I guess, you also have to realize that everyone (whether they are special needs or not) has their own battles, and sometimes those battles spill over where they shouldn’t. People say things and do things they shouldn’t. But, it doesn’t mean it hurts any less when it comes for you. (If that makes sense.)
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Right now, we are a grassroots organization that focuses on building collaboration between nonprofits, agencies and advocates for all people with disabilities. We publish a monthly newsletter and do what we can to raise awareness and help advocate for our issues. We have attended four county Delegation Meetings this Session, and have already been to Tallahassee to help advocate for disability issues once, and the Legislative Session hasn’t even started yet. (I’ve lost count of the meetings I’ve been to this month alone.)
Our organization, sits under the umbrella/larger nonprofit called “One Voice Coalition.” This nonprofit has what used to be the Brevard Autism Coalition and Angels Bridging Gaps, combined with us, under one banner. We are partnered with dozens of other organizations, all to help each other and our communities.
One Voice Brevard, last year, hosted the first-ever disability-focused candidate forum event in Brevard County. This event had candidates from the Congressional race, to State Representative and Senator’s races, to School Board Members in to discuss disability issues in our county. It was wonderful and we hope to do more events like that in the future. Just this year, we also hosted the Helping Hands Disability Conference in Melbourne, which hosted more than 500 people, had almost 50 vendors and had multiple panels (including one with a legislative focus) – all for our disability community. Due to this event’s success, we have already booked our venue for next year and the Director of APD (Agency for Persons with Disabilities) has agreed to speak at our event.
Last, I’ve actually help draft legislation…something as a mom I never thought that I would say. In particular, this year, I wrote a bill I called, “Siena’s Chance Act” (after my daughter) which seeks to unify and update the legal definition of Autism across Florida State Statutes – which you might be surprised to learn that each agency has a different definition and some haven’t been updated in over 30 years! Representative Maggard (from Pasco County) has agreed to take a portion of that bill and has filed it for the upcoming Legislative Session! House Bill 411, as it is now known! We are still working to secure a Senate sponsor and then we’ll see how this progresses over the next few months. Even if it doesn’t make it to the Governor for signature, to even get to this point is truly more than I could have hoped for even a few months ago.
I also wanted to share that a local jeweler in Brevard County (named Sullivan’s Jewelers) actually made a ring that my daughter designed to commemorate this effort. It has fish swimming against the stream, as most of our disabled families often feel that they are struggling in a world that isn’t designed for them.
I just also want to say that none of this would be possible without my amazing partners. No one can do this work alone and I’m so grateful for my tribe who believe in me.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
That’s a broad question. I guess, I first want to say my family. For me, it always comes down to and everything I do is for them. I am so proud of my parents and feel so blessed by them. My husband, of course, who has been my rock and biggest fan all these years. And lastly, my two beautiful children who have given me not only purpose, but a new perspective and a new path. I love how I’m always learning from them.
If less broad, I’d say reading (I am a book kracken, not worm) and traveling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://onevoicecoalitionflorida.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566619943514
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-grabner-4b1698b7/
