Oct 30, 2021 | caregivers, communicating respect, compassion, disability etiquette, Friends |
“Lorraine, are you okay?” The sound of my name and the concern in his voice pulled me back into consciousness. High fever and a severe kidney infection had made me sick for days, and when Matt came into my room that evening, I had been asleep for a long...
Sep 21, 2021 | caregivers, changing perspectives, communicating respect, faith, Gratitude, people with disabilities |
On August 8th, 1992, The United States Olympic Basketball Team won the gold medal, when they beat the Croatian team in Barcelona. According to Wikipedia, they were described by journalists from around the world as the Dream Team, the greatest sports team ever...
Dec 16, 2020 | Ableism, Accommodations, Advocacy, Attitudes, caregivers, changing perspectives, communicating respect |
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...
Sep 16, 2020 | Advocacy, cerebral palsy, Disabled Sports, Facing a fear, high School, hospitals, Laughter, Laughter,, overcoming challenges |
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...
Apr 1, 2019 | Accessibility, Attitudes, cerebral palsy, communicating respect, kids with disabilities, Laughter, |
In the summer of 1990, I did something that forced me out of my comfort zone. I had just graduated with a Bachelor of Science in English from Emporia State University and I was planning on pursuing a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling at the same school, but...
Apr 26, 2018 | communicating respect, Disabilitiy, disability etiquette, disability humor, Disabled Sports, empowering language, how to help, inclusion |
As most people know, I was born with cerebral palsy, which means that I have never known any different than living my life accompanied by disability. There were many surgeries when I was young. I was in plaster body casts for months at a time. Not fun during...