My Greatest Hope for Him
My line of thinking about this subject is different than most. Not very popular. Outside the norm. But I believe it with every fiber of my being, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. My dance instructor is a good friend of mine who supports me in ways that I...
Free to Live a Life
We were enjoying some new found freedom on that Tuesday morning. I had recently gotten an electric scooter, which meant that I could venture out with Marshall, my yellow Lab service dog, to places we didn't previously go by ourselves because they were too far away to...
Maybe It’s a Sign
According to a story on Yahoo news, about a month ago New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that will update the logo on signs designating spaces for people with disabilities and remove the word “handicapped” from them as well. I have said for a long time that...
A Profound Legacy
Robin Williams committed suicide last week. I heard the devastating news during a casual conversation with my good friend Andrea, but it took a few days to sink in. Once it did, there was an aching emptiness in my soul that I still can’t shake. I feel like I lost a...
Expand Your Mind
Toward the end of July in 1990, I was a twenty-one-year-old recent college graduate who was struggling to find my place in the world. I had picked the college that I had attended based on the compact campus, and because, at the time, it was known as one of the...
Beauty Undefined
It was enlightening and frustrating all at the same time. The game was called Scruples. Popular in the mid 1980's, it was a game where all the players were posed morally challenging questions such as: "You invited a friend over for dinner who is a vegetarian. You are...
Gone to the Dogs
It shouldn’t have happened. Not in 2013. Not twenty-three years after the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect. But it did. And the people who witnessed the incident decided to protest. According to an article from CNN, in mid-November 2013, Albert Rizzi...
Walking the Tightrope
It’s just like walking a tightrope, and to me, it feels like it requires the same amount of focus and concentration. One wrong move could spell disaster. And just like a circus performer, if the setup is wrong or the rules aren’t followed, someone could end up getting...
He Didn’t Help
The most frustrating part was that he didn’t ask me. While the sun was melting away the icy traces of winter, and daring the world to adjust to the coming of spring, the adjustments that I was making had nothing to do with the weather. It was late February 1987 and I...
An Open Letter to Potential Caregivers
Dear potential caregiver, So you want to work for me? I think that is fabulous! I want this experience to be enjoyable and positive for everyone, so I thought it might be best to clarify a few things from the very beginning. I am in a pretty unique situation in that I...