On Not Being “Pretty”
My friend Cara wrote this awesome article about being "ugly" disabled. You should click on the link and read it. Go on, I'll wait. Isn't it great? The article got me thinking. Like Cara, I also have cerebral palsy. I sometimes use a transport wheelchair because I have poor balance and I can't stand for too long. When I sit down, my body "flops", or it slowly leans to my right side until I am almost lying down. When it doesn't lean to the side, it tends to relax too much, sliding down the chair. An upright position
Five Reasons You Need to Read ‘Ghost Boy’ by Martin Pistorius
For over ten years Martin Pistorius was trapped in his own body, fully cognizant, but unable to speak or move. He was surrounded by people who believed he was incapable of thinking and tried desperately to get just one person to notice. His story serves as a wake-up call for all of us to drastically change our assumptions about speech and intellectual capacity as well as the need to radically reform expectations and treatment of people with complex communication needs.
Why I Don’t Like “Awareness”
Awareness campaigns of disabilities are only effective if they are planned and run primarily by the groups that are the subjects of the campaign. This is because such campaigns are not “awareness”, but “acceptance” campaigns. We welcome support, with focus on respect, equality and access. We don’t need “awareness” of deficits and tragic rhetoric.
Being Disabled and in the Hospital
Being disabled and in hospitals is always scary because our lives is not valued as the lives of non-disabled. I was, in a way, lucky but the policies still need a lot of improvement.
Kids’ Mobility Devices Just Got Cooler
A Fun Alternative to Children's Mobility Devices
I Got 99 Problems..Palsy Is Just One- Maysoon Zayid on Ted
“People with disabilities are the largest minority in the world and we are the most under-represented in entertainment.” Maysoon Zayid
Doll Diversity Isn’t Just Child’s Play – Dolls with Disabilities
As a little girl, I had a doll collection that took over nearly every inch of toy storage space in my room. I loved them all, especially my two most prized dolls - a My Twinn Doll and a My American Girl Doll, both made to look "just like me." And there was a indeed a striking resemblance between me and the dolls. We had matching brown hair, brown eyes, glasses, and even a matching freckle above our lips. There's just one thing that didn't quite match: my dolls stood upright in their plastic doll stands while I sat in
Pro Infirmis Mannequins Video Shows Bodily Diversity is Beautiful
A trip to the mall bombards me with unattainable ideals of “perfection” everywhere I turn. Mannequins of one standard body shape and size taunt me in each store I enter, all of them wearing clothing that won’t look anything on me like it does on them. Their plastic bodies are tall and thin; I am less than 5 feet with more than my fair share of curves. They stand in casual poses; I am sitting in my wheelchair. To me, mannequins are not always inviting displays. Instead, they’re nothing more than sculptures of a supposedly idyllic body type that I
I Am Disabled and I Am Proud
"Polite society often tells us that we need to take the 'dis' out of disability, but maybe... just maybe, we should spend some time putting it back in. Take the "dis" out of disability and you remove the core of what has shaped my life. Disability puts the "D" in diversity, but in order to make that a real difference we've got to own that spot. It took me 35 years to respect and honor that truth. Others shouldn't have to wait that long..." Lawrence Carter-Long
Disability Activist Keith Jones on Community
"So let us remember that when we teach, when we educate, we make policy, we make decisions that we do it with a conscience and that we remember that we are leaving fingerprints on forever." Keith Jones
Believing in Your Child and Why It Matters
"No one affects a child's day, dreams and future like a mother. Of course we are never perfect, but perfect is never the goal." Tonya Whitlock
Yoga , Naturally Inclusive
Ryan McGraw is a 30-year-old yoga teacher who has cerebral palsy. He doesn't fit the mold, which is fine, because he's molding yoga routines to fit his needs.
No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools
No Limits: People With Cerebral Palsy v Condescending Tools.
Team Long Brothers:Inclusion in Sports
"Acceptance. I wanted everyone to treat him with respect and dignity, just like any other child". Jenny Long
Certain Proof – A Question of Worth
Certain Proof: A Question of Worth is a feature documentary about three children living with significant communication and physical disabilities, who struggle against the public schools in an emotional battle to prove their worth.