Feb 29, 2020 | Ableism, caregivers, cerebral palsy |
Her words stung with such intensity that I felt like I had just done battle with a porcupine. On that Saturday several years ago, I had some errands to run out of town, so after the regular morning routine of getting me out of bed, getting into my wheelchair and...
Apr 4, 2019 | Ableism, caregivers, Love, overcoming challenges |
Do you know how sometimes there is an issue that is in your head and you just can’t let it go? That can be nerve-wracking at times, but to me, it also means that the issue is important. The following issue is one of those for me. In the middle of March, Dr. Phil...
Mar 30, 2019 | Ableism, Accessibility, Advocacy, cerebral palsy, Discrimination, Diversity, people with disabilities |
It’s one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to swallow. That there is a difference between reality and how things should be. It makes sense in my head that if I treat my caregivers well and accommodate them to the best of my ability, then nobody will quit without notice,...
Mar 14, 2018 | Ableism, cerebral palsy, Christopher Reeve, communication, Disabilitiy, disability etiquette, empowering language |
I first heard about person first language when I was in graduate school. The concept was familiar to me long before that. The idea that it was much more respectful to refer to “the woman who was blind” rather than “the blind woman” just...
Mar 1, 2018 | Ableism, boundaries, caregivers, Disabilitiy |
The weird thing was it wasn’t throughout my whole house. On a Saturday morning a few months ago, I noticed something strange soon after I woke up. There was no electricity in my bedroom or my office, but the rest of the house was fine. At first, I thought it...
Feb 18, 2018 | Ableism, Advocacy, America, Disabilitiy, Discrimination, Friends, inclusion, Politics |
A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me a video. (Thanks, Beth!) It profiled Kevan Chandler, a young man who is a wheelchair user because he is affected by Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Kevan loves to travel, but because of his disability, he was limited to only going to...