During the 9th Annual East Hawaii Island Disability Legislative Forum on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Full Life and Abled Hawai‘i Artists presented the Mana I Ka Leo – Power of the Voice Award to Jesse Floyd, Program Specialist for the Hawai‘i State Council on Developmental Disabilities on Hawai‘i Island for the past 11 years. Presenting the award was Mar Ortaleza, Full Life Program Specialist and Benefits Counselor, and organizer of Abled Hawai‘i Artists. Auspiciously, Mar was the very first recipient of the Advocate of the Year Award, given to him by Jesse in 2017.
As Mar offered the plaque to Jesse, those in attendance roared in applause at Auntie Sally’s Luau Hale, expressing great appreciation, gratitude, and congratulations. Jesse expressed heartfelt surprise, and reciprocated appreciation to those who supported him as he lead with a strong voice of advocacy for persons with disabilities in Hawai‘i County. Mar also chuckled “Jesse doesn’t only have a strong voice but a long one…my last phone conversation with Jesse was 39 minutes…who talks on the phone that long anymore?”
Jesse’s long service to our East Hawai‘i Island disability community began in August, 2012 and will end on December 31, 2023- “That’s 11 years of talking out loud…I mean advocating”, said Mar Ortaleza, co-emcee for this year’s East Hawai‘i Legislative Forum. Some of Jesse’s accomplishments over the years include:
- Coordinating the many years of Day at the Capitol for Hawai‘i Island
- Establishing the East Hawai‘i Island Disability Legislative Forum in 2015, West Hawai‘i Island Disability Legislative Forum in 2016, and developing and incorporating the 5 important areas of living- Education, Healthcare, Employment, Transportation, and Housing- which is part of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities Five Year Plan.
- One of his biggest accomplishments was to help with the implementation of accessible transportation in the Puna Community Development Plan. Another is supporting agencies to be more educated about Employment First, National Disability Employment Awareness Month(NDEAM), Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
What will Jesse miss most from 11 years of supporting our disabled community? Jesse responded succinctly “I will miss the people the most: front line staff and participants.”
Full Life and Abled Hawai‘i Artists congratulates Jesse Floyd, recipient of the Mana I Ka Leo – Power of the Voice Award. We will surely miss your strong voice of advocacy and long conversations!
To watch the event, click here: 9th Annual East Hawaii Island Disability Legislative Forum
Full Life 