Feb 9, 2016 | Ableism, communicating respect, CP, disability etiquette, Facing a fear, how to help, inclusion, negative perceptions |
To The Staff in the Office Where I Had An Appointment Last Week: I won’t stand for it. I saw the look in each of your eyes as soon as I entered the office. The look of fear mixed with pity mixed with “I don’t know what to do.” I said hello and...Dec 21, 2015 | Ableism, Attitudes, changing perspectives, communicating respect, compassion, Diversity, Get To Know Me, inclusion, Independence, kids with disabilities, Look Beyond, negative perceptions |
A few decades ago, when I had fewer miles on my wheelchair and significantly less self-esteem, I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out my place in the world. As I started college, I was hundreds of miles away from home and searching to solidify what I...Dec 4, 2015 | Ableism, communicating respect, compassion, disability etiquette, Get To Know Me, Grey's Anatomy, negative perceptions |
It’s one of my guilty pleasures. Along with quality chocolate and a glass of Mascato most evenings, I love watching Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday nights. I don’t know if I can explain the appeal for me exactly, but there was something in the early days about wondering...Sep 28, 2015 | Ableism, Attitudes, compassion, definition of a hero, fast food, Helping people with disabilities, McDonalds, negative perceptions, News, Society |
This is an interesting post on Facebook by a friend of a friend of mine. The author’s name is Dany Holmes. I apologize if any of you are offended by her use of language, but I can’t say I disagree with her sentiment. A man with a disability went into...Jun 3, 2015 | Ableism, communicating respect, compassion, doctors, emergency room, hospitals, how to help, medical emergencies |
Nobody likes to experience emotions that can be negative. Anger, frustration, overwhelm. I can’t think of anyone who feels those things while having a good time. But there is one emotion that I don’t like to experience more than any of the others combined. I don’t...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...