I am currently 31 years old I have a disability called cerebral palsy and I am in a wheelchair I was born with cerebral palsy and I have had three operations to try and manage it. My last operation went badly and I experienced very severe postoperative chronic pain for 10 years. I am doing great now and I want to help others with disabilities and chronic illnesses cope effectively with their conditions.
Many, many years ago, when I was only 5 months old, I became paralyzed due to a DPT shot and a doctor who refused to listen to a wise woman, whom I called mama. Over night, I fell into a deep, deep sleep, and did not wake for 10 days. The doctors declared that I would be deaf, dumb and...Aug. 10, 2009 03:53 PM EDT Reads: 581
…are scientific advancements overshadowing human values in regards to people with disabilities. I would have to say yes, most definitely. From the time I was a small child, until now, I have seen much through these green eyes of mine. That was over a half a century ago, now. I was born...
This article is mostly made up of short stories told from a service dog's perspective however the last story is told by the service dog's owner (who is a wheelchair user but not blind) Tammy.
So, if you see a dog wearing a jacket/vest with no harness, it’s likely not a guide dog. Also, if my handler is making eye contact with you while you talk and comments on how stylin’ your boots are, it’s probably safe to assume that she or he is not blind!
A Parent’s Perspective
By Conrad van der Kamp
Recently I was asked: so what’s the special role of a Dad in the life of a child with CP? What’s the role of a Dad in any child’s life? It’s all aboutproviding, safeguarding, teaching, hugging tightly and encouraging. And it’s also abou...
I attended an elementary school in BC in the early 1970’s as a ward of the Province. At that time, inclusion meant the public school system, but a separate classroom and curriculum. All the children with a recognizable disability were in the same classroom. At recess we segregated ours...
Tammy’s lucky; she does some of her work from home, with me sitting comfortably under her desk, but even so I’m at the office with her several times a month for meetings, and stuff. “Off to work” means going on the train, and that means having other people want to pet me. It can also m...
In the spring of 2007 PADS Service Dog Breeze blew into my life like a hurricane. I should have known something big was up when the voice over the phone asked whether I was sitting down…For those of you who don’t know, I’m a quad – I’m always sitting down! The big news was that I had b...
Isn’t it interesting, that still, in today’s society, we find indentations and grooves chiseled out in our expansive society which tries to prevent and stop our disabled population, our seniors, our financially limited person, and the less affluent from truly surviving, staying a float...
It hardly seems possible that I have been writing for Audacity Magazine for well over a year, now. Every article I have written has been a new challenge. Every article, I have written, has been as different as the article before. And every article I write comes from a place of unders...
Often, the reality of our disabilities can lead to an increased instance of depression.
This is an article about Rudy Sims's life with a disability and his goals and projects focused on raising disability awareness and helping as many people as possible.
