I started onecandream before I ever really knew Roland, and I started it because I was disillusioned and lost. By that I mean to say, that I have seen many things in the world that I wish I had never seen, and people doing things solely for the material wealth, personal gain and comfort today without any consideration of who they were hurting, or where they would end up.

I also saw many people who somewhere along the line had given up their dreams and decided to settle, for the best that they thought they could have, even if they deserved more. I believed that there had to be more to life then what people were trying to get me to settle for. There were certain things that I knew to be true:

1. That all people, no matter who they are, where they come from, and what they have done, are important and it is not inherently more difficult to choose to be a positive impacting force, it is just an awful lot more scary.
2. That it is not inherently more difficult to create then it is to destroy.
3. That anything was possible, but first you had to believe it was possible, and conceive that it was possible.... in other words, one had to be able to dream.
   

Onecandream came about because a lot of people were telling me to stop dreaming and settle, because that is the way that it works.... and I was starting to believe that they were right. So truth be told onecandream began as my last ditch assertion that I was not going to give up on myself and my dreams, or others that I cared about and their dreams. It was and is an acclamation of hope, and personally for me.... it is how I decided to answer the question Can one dream? I answered yes, one can dream. At first, I answered that way because I could not bear the thought of living in world where I had to settle for something less then what I was just because society or people who didn't know me told me that I had to. But later, (sometime between when I started the site, and when I lost control of its content and created the Secretary's Chronicles because there was a truth that had to be told) I discovered that I was not any longer answering the question, Can one Dream, as yes one can, because I was afraid of the alternative, but rather because I truly believed that one could dream.

Roland Sykes was a friend of mine, and onecandream.com, because at some point in his life when he could have chosen to settle, he instead chose to also answer the question Can one dream, by declaring with his actions, that yes one can.

There is a memorial for Roland, that you can go to on dimenet.com the site that he founded. You are welcome to go there. On the site you will find a lot pictures, and even the thoughts about Roland that I submitted that you can read below. While I do have some pictures of Roland, I am not going to post them, but you can see plenty there.

Roland was my friend, and I got to have several conversations with him, some of which were about advocacy issues others were not. During one of these conversations I remember exclaiming, yeah, but you’re Roland, you’ve got dimenet, and a bus, I am just me, I don't have any money and all I got is onecandream, there is a lot of info on there, but it is not anything fancy. What he told me was, it did not matter that I did not have any money, or whether my website was fancy, he said because when you speak the truth it does not have to be fancy, just true.

So if you don't mind, I am gonna leave the fancy stuff to someone else, and just stick to the truth, my truth as I know it.

The truth as I see it, is that my friend Roland never wanted to be in the spotlight, or a martyr. What he wanted to be was a man who could continue to answer the question, can one dream, with the answer yes one can... and he wanted to share that ability with others I think what Roland wanted to do was to give people the knowledge and the tools that they needed to be able to stand up for their freedoms, and dreams, especially when there are so many people in this world trying to take those things away when we aren't looking.

I don't think Roland wanted to much of anything fancy, just to live his life the way he wanted to live it... and to give others that same opportunity. I had the opportunity to be in several advocacy situations with Roland, and I never once saw him grab for the microphone. I am not saying that he was not willing to say something, when he thought there was something to be said, but what I am saying is the Roland I knew was happier just being the dude in the back of the room who occasionally spoke or smiled.

So I do have a few pictures, a few encouraging e-mails, and a few conversations that I could share, but you won't find them here not on onecandream.com. Because I believe my friend Roland would rather share his dream not him as his legacy. Because you see Roland never did what he did for glory, he did what he did because it was the right thing to do and because he was a man with vision and dreams, and enough bravery to try to achieve those dreams not just for himself, but for others.

I know that is not fancy, but it is the truth as I see it, and the reason why I am taking the time to acknowledge someone I grew to respect. He was someone who thought I mattered when he did not have to. He was someone who believed it was possible to dream and acted accordingly. That is a rare thing to find, and something that is missed when it is gone,

But some day when I least expect it and need it most I will look back to the back of the room and see him smiling... not broadly, but just enough to say, I know they are shooting at ya kid, and I even know it is not fair, but don't worry I got your back.

Below is what I posted on the Dimenet Memorial with the Subject: My thoughts and Experiences about Roland.

I only met Roland recently, (within the last few years), but I did get a chance to meet him, and talk with him and more importantly to learn from him. The opportunity I got to meet Roland Sykes was one that money could not buy, but I did not only just get a chance to meet him, I got to know him a little bit, and for that I am glad.

Had my life been different, I might have met him at all, or I might have just been one of those people that got to ride in his bus once, and thought that was kind of cool. But I decided that people were important, and that people really did matter, and I decided that I would try and make a difference for people with disabilities in Indiana. I did not know the road I was getting on when I decided to become involved with the Indiana SILC. Had I known I probably would have been too afraid to take the first step, and I would never have got to know Roland in the way that I did.

I got to meet Roland at an Action, but I got to know Roland when he came to my state to support me and many other people in the state of Indiana with disabilities that are trying to get their voice heard. I am not anyone in particular, I am known as the former secretary of the Indiana SILC who got removed from office for attending an ADAPT action, and the person who had her first amendment constitutional rights violated when she tried to read a statement of truth. I am also the founder of www.onecandream.com.

But the point is, when I tried to introduce myself at a SILC meeting a year ago, they tried to have me arrested,. but when I introduced myself to Roland Sykes, he shook my hand and invited me along for a ride. I will always remember that.

I only really got to know Roland as well as I did because I was some kid from Evansville Indiana that got in over my head, and was crazy enough to stay there. But I am glad I got to meet him and learn from him, and that I got to sit at the table with him not once, but more then once. He believed that I mattered, and that what I was doing mattered, and he provided support where he could. Many people here in Indiana appreciate that.

I am not one of those people that knew him for years, but I am one of those people that he supported, and I feel honored. Because he did a lot of great things and helped a lot of people, and what he did mattered. I got to be a small part of that, and he allowed me to learn from him, and for that I am thankful.

Ramona Harvey
Friend of Roland Sykes
Founder of onecandream.com

Just a moment of Silence for the those people who were killed,  or injured in the Valentine's day shooting at Northern Illinois University located in DeKalb.

Onecandream wishes all those who were negatively impacted, quick healing and peace of mind.

When I got up this morning, I thought I would go to church but instead God decided I had something to learn.  Don't get me wrong, I am sure the Pasture gave a great sermon in church and that there was a very good moral to be learned about the value of faith.  I am not diminishing that at all, just saying that I was pulled out of the classroom.



When I first got up, I didn't think I'd even go outside because I had heard the weather might be bad.  It is much harder and not as safe for me to get around during the winter.  Often, because of ice and safety concerns I cannot use my crutches at all, and have to rely on my wheelchair.  But when I looked out the window, I decided to chance it.

I proceeded with caution.  I dressed warmly and put on my gloves then went to the front door and opened and carefully stuck my crutch out to  a test if there was any black ice that had gone undetected by my sight.   My preliminary test found none, so I went and got my chair and my cell phone. 

Having learned from my previous mistakes, I knew it was important to not try to use my crutches and to make sure I had my phone.  But God had more in mind, to teach me then that I should use my chair in the winter and to make sure I bring my cellphone.

Though I knew I could not make it to my car on foot, my chair gave me confidence.  Now in order to get to my car I had to go down a somewhat curvy ramp.  I took it slow, and things went well until I hit a patch of ice about halfway down the ramp.  I wasn't standing, so I didn't fall, but my wheels lost traction.



Being relatively good at maneuvering a wheelchair.  I managed to turn myself perpendicular to the slope and keep from sliding all the way down.  It was at this point I decided that I wanted to go back inside, but I was at the point of no return.



Unfortunately for me, while I could keep the chair from going down the ramp,  I couldn't get enough traction to go back up.  Worse yet, it soon became clear that if I was not careful my wheel would roll off the edge of the pavement and then I might flip my chair over, or be forced to wait until somebody happened to walk by and noticed my predicament.  Neither option sounded very pleasant.



Ultimately, I accepted my fate, and did my best to guide my chair down off the ramp.  When I got to the bottom of the ramp it was relatively easy to get to my car.  I transfered relatively easily into my car, and eventually got my chair in the car.  By this time I was running late, and were it not for the fact that I couldn't get back in until the ice melted, I probably would have stopped my adventure of there...

But I didn't really have any were in particular that I needed to go.  So I proceeded with my original plan.  I drove to the church, but as I expected the parking lot and pretty icy and I realized quickly that no matter where I parked.  I would have to go up or down a slope (the kind that is noticable by chair, but not so much if you are walking) and either way there was a possibility that I could get stuck.



Now I have no doubt that someone would of been there willing to help me.  But if you like an awful lot of work, and so I weighed my options, and decided that instead of arriving late.  I would go TGI Friday's and wait until got a little warmer so that the ice on the ramp would melt, and I could get back inside.  My plan worked, but not before I learned these lessons:

1. While you may be able to make some choices, you cannot always control where you are going to end up.
   
2. Sometimes no matter what precautions you take and how routine things are, there will be unforeseen obstacles.
   
3. Sometimes when your on a slippery slope, the safest thing you can do is try and keep from falling off the sidewalk.
   
4. Sometimes you may set out to go one place, but end up at another.  And that is okay.
   
5. While it may not always be possible to accomplish what you want in the current climate, just a few degrees changed can make all the difference.  
   
6. Always carry a little bit of Rock Salt because you never know when it will come in handy.  While it may not be 100 percent effective it may give you just enough traction where you can get to where you need or want to be.
   
7. Ultimately even when things don't go as planned they tend to work out in the end.

Update on what is going on with the Indiana SILC. Below are copies of actual e-mails.

First I sent the council a reminder e-mail that I had officially requested that I receive council meeting minutes electronically:

Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:13 PM

Subject: ICOIL: Another official request for the minutes and the agenda

ICOIL Council and interested others,

This is a repeated official request that I be sent all icoil minutes electronically to this address. Al Tolbert, your acting secretary/treasurer committed to doing so and it also happens to be an accommodation for my disability.

Before the November ,meeting on weds, please send me your minutes depicting your version of reality for September 2007, and October 2007 so that I may be prepared. Please send on Monday. Also, I need a copy of the agenda for November.

As I have not heard otherwise, I assume you still have all of my official requests that you were sent numerious times. If you need this information it can be downloaded from www.onecandream.com/ICOIL

Thank you,

From: "Richard Simers"
To: Ramona Harvey
Subject: Re: ICOIL: Another official request for the minutes and the agenda

Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:20:11 -0500

According to Webster's New World College Dictionary Fourth Edition a definition of official....

adj. 1) of or holding an office, or position of authority

2) by, from, or with the proper authority; authorized or authoritative [ an official request]

3) in a formal or ceremonious manner, often involving persons of authority [ an official welcome to the city]

4) formally set or prescribed [ the official date of publication]

5) Med., Pharmacy contained in the current pharmacopeia; authorized for us in medicine -

n. 1) a person holding office, exp. public office

2) sports one who supervises an athletic contest, as a referee, umpire, etc.,

Which of these makes you an "official" to be making an official request?

Richard L. Simers

I Sent the following e-mail to Felipe Lulli, James Billy, Tom Kelley and other interested parties. E-mail here is the exact e-mail that I sent, but the response of the Vice Chair is above not below:

Subject: Fwd: the councils reply to my minutes and the agenda

To: Felipe, James, Tom and others

From Ramona Harvey

Date: Monday, November 12, 2007

Felipe, James, and Tom and everyone,

Below is the response that I got from the current Vice chair in response to my request to be given a copy of the September and October Minutes before the agenda for the November meeting this month.

Not only was this a repeated official request but it was also a repeated Accommodation Request

This council is not made up of a majority of people with disabilities not associated with a CIL, and should not even be allowed to act because of this. But it is Indiana, and so they don't care about the law.... even if it is federal law. They would rather try to hide their corruption even if it means degrading and demeaning people with disabilities and suppressing them in the name of empowerment.

I am a resident of indiana with a disability. I am a person they are supposed to be serving. They are supposed to be representing me and they claim to be advocates with a goal of empowerment. This is not empowerment.

Ramona Harvey

We the people with disabilities can think for ourselves. We can ask our own questions and come to our own decisions. We know what it is like to be treated differently, and we know what it is like to be excluded because we cannot get in the door or because people are afraid we will be hurt. We are important. Our lives, needs, and dreams are important and we deserve respect. We are just like every other person driving down the road. We demand our needs be met and that we be included in the decisions that impact our lives - we do not wish to sit on the sidelines anymore and watch others play. We want to be allowed on the playground just like anybody else.

www.onecandream.com