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...Mar 11, 2017 | Accommodations, cerebral palsy, dance, Disabilitiy, inclusion, kids with disabilities, Sports |
In her poem “Human Families,” one of Maya Angelou’s lines is “We are more alike my friends than we are unalike.” __________________________________ The trip was more than thirty years ago, but because the lesson I learned was so profound,...Feb 12, 2017 | Advocacy, caregivers, Disabilitiy, Facing a fear, Government benefits, Government Programs, inclusion, Medicaid |
It is a lesson I learned when I was about fourteen years old. About halfway through my freshman year in high school, I started going to the varsity basketball games. Some friends of mine were on the team and I liked to attend so that I could cheer them on. Up until...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...Jan 6, 2017 | Disabilitiy, disability etiquette, empowering language, Helping people with disabilities, inclusion, Journey, people with disabilities |
A few years ago, I was introduced to the concept of mindfulness. I really liked it. The idea of being fully present in every moment, and using our thoughts, senses, and experiences to appreciate every minute that we can. Practicing mindfulness has helped me in many...Dec 22, 2016 | Advocacy, cerebral palsy, changing perspectives, CP, Disabilitiy, Disabled Sports, inclusion, Independence, Journey, negative perceptions |
When I was a senior in high school, I was in a kick ass creative writing class. The woman who taught it had also taught me junior English and I liked her immensely. In fact, thanks to Facebook, we are still in touch today. We have always had a nice connection. One of...