Abilenian's appointment to state Developmental Disabilities council a long-held goal

For Jamie Thomas of Abilene, the third time to apply to the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities was the charm.

Gov. Greg Abbott this week announced Thomas' appointment. Her term expires in 2027.

According to its website, the council is governed by a 27-member board that includes people with disabilities, family members and representatives of state agencies, university centers for excellence in developmental disabilities and other organizations.

Its mission is to create change "so all people with disabilities are fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives," by helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities achieve their potential for "independence, productivity, and integration into their communities through the development of a comprehensive system of services and supports."

“I'm still trying to process it,” said Thomas, whose son is disabled and husband is a disabled veteran. “I'm really excited to be able to do this for our community.”

Long-time goal

Thomas, who received a degree in Early Childhood Education from Cisco College, already brings a deeply personal perspective to her work.

She is a regional coordinator for Partners Resource Network, specifically the PEN Project, one of four federally-funded Parent Training and Information Centers.

Serving Texas parents of children and youth with disabilities from birth to age 26, the group helps parents understand their child’s disability, rights and responsibilities, how to obtain and evaluate resources and services and how to fully participate as a team member with professionals in planning services for their child.

“Right now, I just serve Abilene and the San Angelo area, so just a little part of West Texas," Thomas said.

She said her first goals on the council were to "get in there and start meeting people from all over," adding she was looking forward to hearing stories, sharing information and "doing my part."

Members will discuss policies, inclusion and making Texas more disability-aware and friendly, she said.

The council meets quarterly, Thomas said. Her first meeting is next month.

Longtime goal

Though she had wanted to participate on the council, Thomas hadn’t set her hopes too high, she said, for this or previous attempts.

"Typically, the big city folks are the ones you see getting named to these positions,” she said.

After being contacted in August, Thomas was told she’d hear back by the end of the year.

That came and went.

Thomas recalled talking recently with family friend Robin Wertheim, who works for state Rep. Stan Lambert, about her plans to keep trying for a council seat.

The next day, she got an email telling her congratulations.

But she still had to keep the appointment under wraps, for a while, until it was officially shared.

Expanded vision

Thomas, 42, sees her appointment as an opportunity to expand the scope of what she already does.

Helping her husband and working with their 11-year-old son, Hunter, who attends Wylie West Intermediate School, has taught her much, she said.

Hunter has various disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder and a connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The latter is a group of inherited disorders that affects areas such as skin, joints and blood vessel walls, according to the Mayo Clinic.

People with the syndrome often have overly flexible joints and stretchy, fragile skin, a problem if they receive a wound requiring stitches.

A more severe form of the disorder, vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, can cause the walls of blood vessels, intestines, etc. to rupture.

Her son is also “going through the process of some neurological testing,” she said.

Even with his challenges, “he’s a pretty special kid," Thomas said.

“He’s funny, he’s smart, he keeps everyone entertained,” she said. “He’s one of the reasons I do what I do now.”

Always a part

Looking back, Thomas sees the seeds of her current work were planted years ago, when she was a figure skating coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

One of her supervisors had a son with Down syndrome and needed someone to work with his child.

“He was really my first experience working with a child with a disability," Thomas recalled. "It was really rewarding. From that moment on, I wanted to keep doing this.”

She helped with Special Olympics and opportunities with her local rink, she said, and worked as a paraprofessional for a few years in special education.

“So, it's always kind of been a part of me,” Thomas said.

Then, having a child with a disability made the work "even more important," she said.

Following the thread

Pen Project focuses on west and central Texas – Midland-Odessa, Lubbock, El Paso, San Angelo, Abilene, Wichita Falls and the Waco areas, she said.

“(We) provide free services, support workshops and conferences,” said Thomas, who coordinates in Educational Services Center Regions 14 and 15. “What I’m in the midst of planning right now is my annual conference at the end of February. So, we provide lots of different resources and avenues to help parents navigate the disability world.”

Sharing her knowledge and insights, especially those gained as the mother of a child who has disabilities, is going to be “really exciting,” she said.

“I really want to create more awareness and inclusion, to really get lawmakers and policymakers to see that this is an important aspect of our community,” Thomas said.

The fact Abbott himself is disabled is in its own way significant, she said, and helps bring attention to the wider cause.

“I think that kind of helps a little bit because it's right there front and center,” Thomas said. “… My hope is to use this opportunity to really make some changes, to really make a difference.”

Brian Bethel covers city and county government and general news for the Abilene Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities

Mission: To create change so that all people with disabilities are fully included in their communities and exercise control over their own lives.

Other appointments

In addition to Abilene’s Jaime Thomas, others recently appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott include:

►Deborah "Debbie" Carlisle of San Antonio, a personal care attendant for Alegre Home Health Care.

►Kyle Cox of College Station is a special projects coordinator for 12th Man Technology.

►Angela "Angie" Panzica of Houston, a program facilitator for Baylor College of Medicine.

►Scott McAvoy of Cedar Park, executive vice president for the Marbridge Foundation.

►Randell Resneder of Lubbock, executive director of Disability Awareness Programs of Texas.

►Amanda Miles of Alvin, a board member for Alvin Meals on Wheels and board vice president of Gulf Coast Self Advocates.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilenian grateful for appointment to statewide disabilities council