Find Time To Waste Time
The need to reach our maximum productivity is intertwined with whatever drives us out of bed each morning. That need differs with you and me. But the question I ask myself is…
The 5 ELEMENTS of ACHIEVEMENT – Celebrating The 2020 Paralympics
Consider this: how we relate to the Paralymians of the 21st century originated from how the early Grecians, founders of the first Olympic games and classical philosophy, understood the world around them. Their belief that everything was composed of the four most fundamental elements — Air, Fire, Water and Earth — was supported by…
Sippin’ Up Happy Hour With CP
Instead of sharing my life’s story of overcoming obstacles in honor of Cerebral Palsy Awareness day, I’m going to spice it up a bit. Spending my 21st birthday in Napa Valley in California taught me two important life lessons… 1. Life is too short not to enjoy good...
Pieces of the Glass Ceiling
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, what piece of the Glass Ceiling do you represent in the mosaic? What narrative has been assigned to your life… are you a survivor… a healer … the victim… a student … an athlete … a creator … are you a motivator… dissenter … a protestor… or a uniter?
How Distant Are We, Really?
There is nothing “normal” about social distancing in most cultures, but having to distance disrupted virtually every aspect of life: of loving and comforting; of the way we conduct business; of the way we access education; and with or without masks, the way we communicate.
Inspiration Porn… Say What?
While not usually intended as so, the offensiveness to being an “inspiration” is that it puts unnecessary and weighted pressure on people to be “more than” who they are. Most in the disability community don’t want to be labeled as the “poster child” for (insert here). In fact, people with disabilities don’t always have to identify as a disability advocate like the path I have chosen.
Seeing Past the First Three Steps
In almost all of my presentations, no matter the topic, there’s a singular spoken line that jars people’s perceptions of disability… “I was born into a world that wasn’t designed for me.” And I’m pretty sure President Roosevelt, diagnosed with Polio and became a chair user in the 1920s, experienced this even more. With each generation between then and now.
Blinded on the 4th of July
Today, on the 4th of July, I ask you; “Could blindness be what we truly need right now?” Blind from race, blind from religious intolerance, blind from gender labels, blind from political divisiveness, blind from hatred of those unlike us? Our unique backgrounds bring “legacy” ideals of what our world should be — some that divide us, some that unite us.
Power to Speak “You!”
AAC has moved many mountains in my short lifetime and I’m forever grateful for the innovations Tobii Dynavox has made. We are in the midst of a pivotal shift in our world, and we MUST be allowed to use our voices and our minds to make a difference. Today, communication is more than just one-on-one or even group interactions — it is the central purpose of most connections through social media. It is about having the independence to explore and share your own experiences, thoughts, and feelings with the world via the Internet and life enriching apps.
Cracked
Reflections deceive in self-defeat
Crafted by glass intended to crack
Whispers and cracklings of self longing
To be undefined by the definitions of society
Reflected by the notions we are not