“I want people to see me not my disability.” “Don’t label me disabled.” “I may use a wheelchair but that’s not the most important thing about me.” I am more than my disability.” “I see you as you, I don’t notice your disability.” “They people I work with are just like regular people.” “I don’t […]
A long time ago, when I first became disabled, a little boy stopped, looked at me, and asked, “Does it hurt?” I knew the question was about my disability and my use of a wheelchair and I was touched by the softness in his voice, he was young enough, still, to care for everyone’s well […]
On Sunday Joe and I, along with Marissa and the girls, went to see ‘Love, Simon.” For those of you that don’t know, this is a movie about a teenage boy who is dealing with coming out as gay. The movie has the critics strongly on its side and the gay community holding its breath […]
We arrived at the hotel yesterday after a long ride and were looking forward to getting out of the car and into our room. The lineup to check in was simple and we had our keys in moments. We’d asked for help with our luggage and the porter followed us along towards the elevators. The […]
I could feel it in my hands, even though it wasn’t there. I was sitting in my wheelchair, alone and overwhelmed. I felt my inadequacies keenly. It’s in moments like these that I come closest to despair. It’s in moments like these that I question who I am, who I’m supposed to be, and feel […]
It was a demonstration of drumming and the kids, at least 70 of them, were totally into it. The instructors were having fun and were clearly well trained in both drumming and how to control a mob of kids. They taught them a rhythm for stop and another for start. The kids loved understanding the […]
Joe was in a long line up. I would have been with him but the area was cramped and I didn’t feel like having people towering above me. One of the shocks of becoming a wheelchair user is that my 6’1″ frame is always folded down into a seated position so I went from being […]
We had taken our seats in the movie theatre and were enjoying the trailers. People were still pouring in and choosing seats whispering louder than a normal speaking voice. I love the movies, I love being in a room full of people there for the same experience. I was relaxed into my wheelchair and just […]
I was rolling over to one of the exercise machines at my gym when I noticed a young woman, new to the gym I think, struggling to use the cable machine. She was having difficulty figuring how to move the ‘do-hickies’ up and down. I don’t know what they are called. She glanced around and […]
I don’t know who he is but some YouTube guy has taken over the imaginations of both Ruby and Sadie. We saw one of his videos and he makes box forts, that’s it box forts. It’s been a couple weeks now that we’ve been invaded with cardboard, tape and razor sharp focus. We live in […]
