Let’s Talk Ableism…
Over the last few years, I have read several books and numerous articles that cover the topic of ableism. There are people I know who have all kinds of lofty definitions as to what it means, but I like the definition a friend of mine came up with recently. He said...
Two Kinds of Helplessness
It is a situation I am fairly sure has happened to everyone on the planet at least once. After a long night of sleep, I woke up and had to pee. Urgently. So, after I swung my legs over the side of the bed, I got into a sitting position, but I was not completely...
Just Shaking Things Up
For as long as I can remember, one of the ways that my family and I have dealt with my disability was through the use of humor. It was a way to lighten things up and a reminder to me that, while my circumstances could be difficult at times, there were far more tragic...
Even So
When he came for an interview to be one of my caregivers, I wasn't sure it was going to work out. He was a little rough around the edges, and his answers to my questions weren't ones that I typically hear from candidates. Even so, I was impressed that he had been an...
I Will Break Out the Champagne
Today I, along with all my brothers and sisters with disabilities in this country, have a reason to celebrate. Thirty years ago today, on July 26th, 1990, George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. As he was doing so, he said: "Let the...
Beyond Disappointing
When all kinds of things were shutting down and canceled in mid-March due to the Coronavirus, like everyone else, I was disappointed. For me, it meant a reduction in caregiver staff and the loss of some income. And like everyone else around me I had to adjust to the...
The New Normal
In the last few months, as stay at home orders were issued in order to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, all kinds of people in the world have had to deal with a new normal. A friend of mine was telling me the other day about the challenges that she and her family...
Finding the Silver Lining
The significance of what was happening didn't really hit me until one of my caregivers got an email. He was here working a shift for me and he and I were going through my night routine one evening over Spring Break. He had been working a whole lot of hours because my...
Lessons from Levi
Like everyone else, the Coronavirus Pandemic is hitting me really hard right now. Several presentations that I was scheduled to give have been canceled. I also got word yesterday that my latest contribution to a Chicken Soup for the Soul book isn't going to be...
It Would Be Good for All of Us
I am a big fan of the Americans with Disabilities Act for a couple of reasons. The first is pretty obvious. It is a law that "levels the playing field' for people with disabilities in several areas of our lives. The second reason is one that not too many people think...