Miss Cummins goes to Washington

A Colorado teenager’s journey into D.C. lobbying

BY CAITLIN KIM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

On any given day, dozens of people visit their lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for one cause or another — from energy policy to research projects to the Farm Bill.

They usually have very personal reasons for making the pitch. That was certainly the case for 19-yearold Maddy Cummins, and her parents, Amy and Matthew, when they came to Washington, D.C. for the first time last week.

When she was two years old, Maddy was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a neurological disorder. She now gets around in a wheelchair and is non-verbal. She communicates with the help of an iPad-like device she operates with her eyes.

In between meetings, Maddy practiced. As her eyes flicked across the boxes on the screen,