Feb 28, 2015 | Accommodations, Attitudes, Health |
Yesterday was a good day, and it was a long time coming. I got a new bed. Sounds simple, right? Sounds like an ordinary, no big deal thing. The process was anything but. I had been sleeping on the same mattress for fifteen years or so, and have many a doctor and...Feb 18, 2015 | Ableism, Attitudes, can do, cerebral palsy, Disabilitiy, Disabled Sports, Dogs, Ms. Wheelchair Kansas, MWA, service dogs, UCP |
The following is my first (sort of autobiographical) guest blog post for United Cerebral Palsy’s national website. It was originally published on January 12th, 2015. I feel honored to have been asked to write for such a great organization! Lorraine Cannistra...Jan 29, 2015 | Attitudes, can do, communicating respect, disability etiquette, kids with disabilities, negative perceptions, Society |
I have heard of great expectations before, but when I listened to an interview on NPR recently, it gave the whole concept a new twist for me. Bob Rosenthal is a research psychologist. Early in his career, he went into his lab and put signs on his rat cages. Some of...Dec 30, 2014 | Attitudes, communicating respect, CP, Dancing, disability etiquette, negative perceptions |
It was a summer evening a few years back. The days were long and green outside and a new caregiver was still green around the ears. He had just started the process of learning the ropes. The sun was setting and we had just finished making dinner on that particular...Dec 20, 2014 | Beginnings, co-bedding, doctors, hospitals, kangaroo care, medical emergencies, power of touch, preemies, premature babies, rescuing hug |
I know the story only in the retelling. In the predawn hours of an early fall day, the chill in the air was both outside and inside the walls of that stark, barren hospital. The medical team had been assembled unexpectedly. This wasn’t part of the plan. I had...