M. Michael Shaps LOI — File 23-1771

May 17, 2023 M. Michael Shaps Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities Adrienne Pomeroy, ADA Coordinator, City of Somerville, 93 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA 02143 Ms. Pomeroy. I am emailing my letter of interest to join the Somerville Commission for Persons with Disabilities. I am applying for one of the positions for people with a disability. My whole life I have struggled with Trauma based anxiety and Treatment resistant depression. It is a difficult way to live. Because of this, I have also spent my life helping others with disabilities. I was a social worker for elderly people and people with disabilities until I went back to school to become a School Psychologist. I have worked with these children for the past 30 years helping them get the support they need to progress in school. I can honestly say I have likely worked with most, if not all different types of disabilities in my 30 years. The major reason I went into these professions was because I know how hard it is to live with a disability. I wanted to make life easier/better for other people, even though life was difficult for me. This position is a perfect way for me to contribute more to a larger group of people rather than one on one. I have worked with large groups of people giving workshops for teachers on disabilities and teaching mindfulness and meditation schoolwide throughout the years. I even wrote a middle grade book to help school age kids learn these strategies to better help their emotional difficulties. Please consider me for one of these positions. I am very motivated to support all people in any way I can. I have the background knowledge to ask the correct questions and to hopefully to help make people’s lives better. I look forward to hearing back from you and possible getting an interview so I can better show you what I can do for the people of Somerville. Thank you for your consideration. Namaste. M. Michael Shaps