Jul 7, 2017 | Ableism, Advocacy, America, choices, Disabilitiy, inclusion, Medicaid, National ADAPT |
There were several videos I watched about the protests. I was fascinated. 10 protesters with disabilities from the Colorado chapter of ADAPT (a disability rights organization) sat in the lobby of Senator Cory Garner’s office for 59 hours (In those 59 hours many laid...Jun 26, 2017 | Advocacy, America, compassion, Disabilitiy, Government benefits, Government Programs, Helping people with disabilities, inclusion, McDonalds, Medicaid, service dogs |
It’s time for me to share a story. No, this one doesn’t have handsome princes or fairy godmothers waving magic wands. Although I wish it did. That would be so much easier. This is my Medicaid story, and I want to share it in order to put a human face behind the...Apr 22, 2017 | Advocacy, compassion, Disabilitiy, Get To Know Me, how to help, Mental Illness, negative perceptions, Psychiatric Diagnosis |
The question usually comes from good friends, at a time when I am struggling. They want to know how to help me the most. What is it like to have a psychiatric diagnosis? It’s like there is a dark cloud following me all the time. It isn’t always directly...Apr 12, 2017 | Ableism, Advocacy, changing perspectives, communicating respect, Disabilitiy, Friends, inclusion |
It was a beautiful and crisp October day a couple of years ago when I met Chris. As Director of Community Health at the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, he, like me, wasn’t officially one of a team of people spearheading the effort to renovate East Ninth...Apr 3, 2017 | Advocacy, cerebral palsy, Disabilitiy, Government Programs, Independence, Medicaid |
In one of my college classes, someone shared his opinion that when Patrick Henry said “give me liberty or give me death,” he meant that if he could not be in control of his life, then he didn’t want to live. On March 27th, Mark Smith, a businessman...Mar 28, 2017 | Accommodations, Advocacy, Attitudes, dance, Disabilitiy, Get To Know Me, negative perceptions, service dogs |
Special. The word warms my heart in many ways. Except when it is used in the context of my disability. Then it kind of drives me crazy. Maybe it’s the label. When I was in school, I was mainstreamed. It was decided very early that it would not be appropriate for...