My NEXT CHAPTER.....I'M READY

I finally got the call.  It has been over three months since my initial meeting with my case manager.  I had almost given up hope. I thought my profile was in the system. I thought they could not find any agencies that were willing to offer me support. I was wrong.

My case manager had been meeting with her director as well as someone from another department to discuss my case. She had not forgotten about me. My profile is now in the system

In a week or so my case manager and I will begin to be contacted by potential providers  (agencies) who have viewed my profile and are willing to support my needs. I will choose the provider I  am comfortable with.  Then my case manager and I will visit community-based housing. in my chosen locations. I will have the opportunity to spend time in my perspective home before making my final decisions.  I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I am almost free.

Everyone is happy for me. Both at this facility and on social media. Everyone. has been so supportive. Your messages have been overwhelming. Today the woman from the state, who forced me out of my home over three years ago,  came to this facility. I ran into her by coincidence. She knows the first social worker I'd met with last fall  She was aware of everything.  She asked me if I was happy to be getting out.  I replied that I am. She said that she was happy for me/She wished me well. It felt like she was giving me her seal of approval.  I appreciate her positive response.

You, my, readers, know what is important to me. Having my own room, not having to wait as long as do here to get the care I need, a bathroom with a door on it, and. a peaceful environment. Just being in a house again will mean everything to me.

There are so many things I want to do. My goals are to write my column for The West End Word again and to find a way to publish another book.

I worry about how everything will work out. I have faith that everything will be fine.

My next chapter is about to begin...I'm ready.

A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS

This illustration was done by artist Mitchell Toy of Melbourne Australia. Columnist Rita Panahi shared it on her Facebook page. This illustration has the disabled community talking.

They say the illustration is ableist. The term ableist refers to an individual who discriminates against someone with a disability in favor of someone who is able-bodied.

Stephen Hawking was a physicist, a lecturer, and an author. He explored black holes and other mysteries of the universe. He was a husband and father. Stephen Hawking focused on his work, not his disability.

This illustration is a tribute to Stephen Hawking, a great visionary and scientist.

 Some people think that the message of this illustration is that when we die and we are free of our mobility devices,  then and only then, will we be whole and equal to people in the non-disabled community. I do not view this illustration that way. In my opinion, this illustration has a very positive message

I have had to depend on other people my entire life. I have used a power chair since I was sixteen years old. I appreciate the people who care for me.  I would not have any life without my power chair and caregivers. As much as I appreciate the people and technology that allow me to function depending on them can be a pain,  I wait a lot for my needs to be met. Outings have to be scheduled days in advance. I would rather be able to depend on myself.  I'd love to be spontaneous.

I am not less of a person because I have a disability. Neither was Stephen Hawking. 

The illustration does not diminish in any way his brilliant discoveries and accomplishments. All it means is now that he has left this Earth Stephen Hawking can walk and speak without the assistance of a power chair, a computerized voice, or, a caregiver. He is free to go and do whatever chooses. He is on his own again. I believe that is what Mitchell Toy was trying to convey in his illustration. I do not believe he meant to detract from Stephen Hawing's great accomplishments or discriminate against anyone.

Sometimes a picture is just a picture

Rest in Peace, Mr. Hawing, Your legacy lives on.


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BUILD BRIDGES, NOT WALLS

I know a lot about barriers.  Before the ADA was passed on July 26, 1990, people with disabilities were segregated. I attended a "special school."  Society did not think anyone with a disability as severe as mine could do very much. Being segregated from my able-bodied peers affected me not only academically, but socially as well.  I often wonder how different my life would have been if I had been allowed to be mainstreamed. If I had judged on my intellect instead of my disability.

When I entered Washington University's School of Social Work in 1980, the dean of admission told my mom the school did not want me. The school had to accept me based on my GPA. Imagine my mom being told that I was not wanted.  I started classes knowing I had to prove I was worthy of being there.

I have encountered more architectural barriers in my lifetime than I can remember. I have been taken through restaurant kitchens because there was no other way for me to enter a restaurant, I have ridden in a freight elevator because the building did not have a public elevator or the elevator was not working.  Curb cuts did not exist when I was growing up.  The lack of curb cuts made it difficult to get my chair on the sidewalk, forcing it to be pushed into the street.  Narrow doorways and bathroom stalls made it difficult for me to use a public restroom. When it was too difficult we would just go home.

The biggest barrier I have faced is people's perceptions of me. People form opinions about me before they even meet me. They base their perceptions on what they see. on the outside or what others have told them,. I have to prove to them that their opinion of me is not justified.

I love my country. However, the idea of building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is an embarrassment to me.  How can the United States deny help to people who just want a better life?  How can we deny help to people we don't even know?. Do we really want to be known as the nation that denied medical care to someone who is ill?  Do we really want to be known as the nation that denied someone an education?   Do we really want to be known as the nation that deports someone who has made a life in this country and whose children are American citizens?   It is not right to tear families apart. Help them to become legal citizens.

The knowledge I have of Mexico and its people is based on what I have read on the internet and social media/ I am not political. I have been called a bleeding heart. I guess I am. Building a wall to keep people out is wrong. Walls won't lead to peace.

Barriers make me feel like I  am inferior. Barriers make me feel like I don't belong. No one should be made to feel that way.

I read a post on Facebook, "Walls won't lead to peace, bridges will."  Wouldn't we rather be known as the nation that built a bridge rather than a wall?

That's the first step to peace
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