Sep 4, 2016 | Ableism, Advocacy, Attitudes, Olympics, Paralympics |
In this season of the Olympics ending in Rio last week and the Paralympics getting ready to begin, I have been thinking about the athletes often lately. It is common knowledge these days that Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history, with a total of...
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...
Aug 31, 2015 | Down Syndrome, Politics, Special Olympics |
There have been numerous occasions in my life when someone I am with chooses not to understand my “disability quirks.” Sometimes my cerebral palsy means that my body goes into spasm or I laugh at inappropriate times. If that is not embarrassing enough,...
Jan 29, 2015 | Attitudes, can do, communicating respect, disability etiquette, kids with disabilities, negative perceptions, Society |
I have heard of great expectations before, but when I listened to an interview on NPR recently, it gave the whole concept a new twist for me. Bob Rosenthal is a research psychologist. Early in his career, he went into his lab and put signs on his rat cages. Some of...
Dec 4, 2014 | changing perspectives, CP, Making Changes, Ms. Wheelchair America, Ms. Wheelchair America pageant, Ms. Wheelchair Kansas, MWA, negative perceptions |
In 1974, at six years old, I saw myself as pretty typical. However, much of the world saw me as “Tiny Tim.” I was a scrawny kid with skinny arms and legs, pigtails in my hair and a smile that was waiting for the tooth fairy. Because of the cerebral palsy...
