Meet Jordan Smelley

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jordan below.

Jordan, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
So for me because I am a certified Mental Health Peer Specialist here in Texas and I am also a person in long term recovery from Intellectual and Developmental Differences (clinical term Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and abbreviated as IDD) with co-occurring Mental Health struggles my resilience comes from understanding as hard as it is sometimes that not everyone, I interact with will completely understand how to best support me. Even if I specifically share my support needs with someone, they may not fully understand how IDD can impair a person’s ability to process and understand and while that can be traumatizing to me at times, I have learned to realize that it is not reasonable for me to expect everyone I interact with to understand how Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities can affect how a person processes and understand information “right off the bat” so to speak. I have to calmly express my support needs and how the person can meet them if I want them to be able to support me in a way that is helpful instead of traumatizing. However, I also have to keep in mind that even if I try to help the person better understand how to support me not everyone will want to put forth that effort and that is on them not me which helps me from getting anxious or depressed.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
So since the last time I did an article for Voyage Dallas I have been working on a IDD Peer Support Bill and managed with the support from Senator Zaffirini’s staff member Mark Onorato, Representative Liz Campos chief of staff Manuel Medina, Logan Archer a fellow IDD Peer Support Specialist from a recent IDD Peer Support Pilot here in Texas and a few other individuals to get a IDD Peer Support bill filed in the Texas Senate which is SB 2191 and a companion bill filed as HB 4702 in the Texas House of Representatives. What either of these bills would do if passes and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on the most simplest level of explanation is direct Texas Health and Human service to create a workgroup to establish the framework for Texas IDD Peer Support Certification and Services.  HB 4702 was heard in the Texas House of Representatives Human Services Committee on April 18. 2023 and had testimony taken which I was there to provide testimony.  It is hoped that HB 4702 will be voted favorably out of the House Human Services Committee and then go before the full Texas House of Representatives for a vote and pass and go on to the Texas Senate to go through the process all over again and hopefully pass as well and sent to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Um well if we are talking about Texas SB 2191 and HB 4702 it is important to understand the whole process of just getting a bill filed. First off it takes finding a Texas Senator or Texas House of Representative member that is open to filing a bill to create the change you are seeking. Next it is important to remember that typically the Senator or House of Representative member will more than likely connect you with their member of staff that would help draft a bill that creates the change that you want. Finally if you are going to do what I did and submit a draft of bill language understand that more likely than not once the language goes through the full process to be in the correct format to be filed the language will most likely not be word for word due to the format required and other rules or guidelines that have to be followed but it should still be worded in a way that would create the change you are wanting if the bill gets passed and signed into law.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking for people especially Texans with and without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities that are willing to help me advocate to get SB 2191 in the Texas Senate and HB 4702 in the Texas House of Representatives passed this legislative session so the process to start offering a employment pathway for Texans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities living outside of Texas state living centers and another support option to Texans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities living outside of Texas state supported living centers. I can be reached via email at [email protected]

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jordansmelleyprss.com