E-W grad appointed to state disabilities council

Published 7:32 am Friday, February 29, 2008

Laethan Wene is a fixture at Shoreline City Council meetings, where he happily greets every person who walks into the room.

One might begin to wonder if the weekly assemblies are not quite frequent enough for his liking.

Wene, who suffers from a mild disability, was recently appointed by Gov. Gary Locke to the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council. He will attend meetings every other month and be an active participant in policy making.

“I am getting out there in the community and getting my voice heard as an advocate,” Wene said. “I want to help people who cannot get out and voice their concerns with disabilities.”

Wene, 30, will serve a three-year term on the 33-member council. Seven members are required to have developmental disabilities, 11 represent state agencies and the remainder are self-advocates such as parents and friends.

Wene learned about the council through his involvement in the Leadership Education Advocacy Partnership (LEAP) project and ARC of King County, as well as his participation in self-advocacy day in Olympia.

During his time on the council, Wene hopes to address the issue of the Fircrest School for the developmentally disabled, in Shoreline, which is in the process of being downsized. Overall, he hopes to be a support person for other people with disabilities.

“I think people there deserve the right to live in their own community,” Wene said. “I attended the march for Fircrest and the vigil.”

A Shoreline resident for eight years, Wene grew up in the Queen Anne area, lived in a group home in Mountlake Terrace for several years, then decided to live by himself in an apartment in Shoreline.

He said he left home at the age of 15 because his parents were unable to care for him. Wene attended high school at Edmonds-Woodway, then enrolled in a transition program.

Wene is employed at Arby’s in Edmonds, where he has worked for eight years. He supports himself, but receives case management services from Banchero Friends Services, a non-profit in Shoreline that supports 21 people with wide-ranging levels of ability.

CaraLee Cook, executive director of Banchero Friends Services, said she has seen Wene grow much more independent in the 12 years the organization has assisted him.

“He came to us as a teenager and needed quite a lot of support,” Cook said. “He has learned to do almost everything on his own since then.”

She said Wene, who often volunteers for campaigns, does not always take the popular position on issues to please people, but follows his convictions. Cook said she has been impressed with Wene’s ability to look out for people of differing ability levels.

“He doesn’t just see people through his eyes, but can really empathize,” Cook said. “That is the mark of a good advocate.”

Ed Holen, executive director of the Washington State Disability Council, said when a position opens on the council, it is advertised statewide, in order to have a wide diversity of people on the council.

“We saw Laethan as a very active person and very involved in the local community in Shoreline,” Holen said. “We are happy to have him on the council.”

The council meets once every two months, and has two main priorities — to ensure legislators are informed about developmental disability issues, and to design a plan to identify where there are gaps in service throughout the state.

Mayor Ron Hansen, who has known Wene for several years, said very few people are as involved in the community to his extent. He said Wene has been instrumental in working on campaigns for various council members, and he has bonded with Wene while attending Shoreline Community Church, where Wene is actively involved.

“Laethan is a person that a lot of people who don’t have a disability should look at,” Hansen said. “With his limitations he maintains a fantastic attitude and has a very keen memory for dates and events.”

Hansen said Wene should be commended for his optimistic attitude.

“Whenever there is a community event or a council event, you are very likely to see Laethan,” Hansen said. “A lot of people could really take a lesson from him on how to remain upbeat no matter the circumstances.”

Wene said attending Shoreline council meetings is a “learning tool.” He enjoys watching the PowerPoint presentations and listening to residents voice their opinions to the council.

“I am thankful for being who I am and what I am and just the glory of God that I’m here,” Wene said. “Being a part of the Shoreline community has blessed me a lot; my heart goes out to people with disabilities.”