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...Aug 5, 2015 | Accommodations, Advocacy, boundaries, changing perspectives, church, compassion, Learning to let go, negative perceptions, Starting Over, What some people don't think about |
One of the reasons it hit me so hard was because it was so unexpected. Last Sunday started out like most others. One of my caregivers came in the morning. I took a shower, she helped me get dressed, and we headed off to church. Once we were there, we were getting...Jul 13, 2015 | Attitudes, CP, kids with disabilities, Look Beyond, negative perceptions, overcoming challenges, Physical therapy, Society, The Cerebral Palsy Foundation, UCP, United Cerebral Palsy |
This story was originally posted on United Cerebral Palsy’s national website a few months back. They asked me to describe what it was like being poster child when I was young. They encouraged me, to be honest. I appreciate them letting me do so. I will let...Mar 5, 2015 | choices, compassion, Disabilitiy, Disability and Relationships, Dogs, Health, Lessons, Mental Illness, negative perceptions, Psychiatric Diagnosis |
I am losing one of the biggest supports in my life today. It’s hard for me to look back to who I used to be, to the scared, angry, insecure woman I was when we met. I didn’t know how to communicate effectively back then. I yelled and screamed more often...