Jul 31, 2022 | Ableism, Accessibility, Accommodations, Advocacy, Disabilitiy, Discrimination, how to help, inclusion, overcoming challenges |
This is my latest submission to Chicken Soup for the Soul. The theme for the book is Think Positive. Happy Disability Pride Month, everyone! I sat in stunned silence as I hung on to the phone, not sure how to process what I had just heard. I was talking to the...
Nov 11, 2018 | Attitudes, Friends, Getting to know people, how to help, overcoming challenges |
“Do you need a ride?” The question caught me off guard. Not because I didn’t have the need, but because of who it came from. Will Katz is the Director of the Small Business Development Center at KU and over the years I have met him several times....
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...
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...
Jan 11, 2017 | Ableism, Advocacy, America, communicating respect, compassion, Disabilitiy, Helping people with disabilities, how to help, inclusion, negative perceptions |
I had to think about it. For a while. Since I don’t have cable, I didn’t watch the Golden Globe awards in real time last Sunday night. But several of my friends sent me the video of Meryl Steep’s speech and asked me my opinion. And after a few days of watching the...
Aug 1, 2016 | communicaiton, communicating respect, Deaf, disability etiquette, empowering language, handicapped, how to help, inclusion, Making Changes, negative perceptions, Parking Signs, Power Wheelchairs, Quotes, What some people don't think about |
Words have always been extremely important to me. Well, the right ones, anyway. Mark Twain said it best when he said: “The difference between the right word and almost the right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” I have found that...
