THREE IS MY LUCKY NUMBER

 August 31, 2018. Three years ago. I moved here with the goal of making my life better life. 

August 31, 2021, I toured the most amazing nursing home. Yes, if things work out the way I hope they will, I am moving.

I need people to talk to. I need people taking care of me who care about me. I need the staff who takes care of me to conform to my needs. I should not have to conform to their needs. 

I am always getting on the staff's nerves here. I know this is true because they have told me. I have been told what I need to change about myself. I am tired of trying. People here do not accept me for the awesome person I am.

I am going to spend some time at the nursing home before finalizing my decision. I am eighty percent sure this facility is the right place for me. The staff is more willing to work out bathroom logistics. The facility itself? It looks like a freakin' hotel. I can't believe they have Medicaid beds.'

Their activity calendar is jam-packed. Happy Hour is every Wednesday. A wine cart twice a week. They even take residents on outings. If you request to be taken somewhere their transportation will take you. The nursing home offers lots of food choices at mealtimes.

A dog lives there too.

The big deck and the small patios mean there are a plethora of spots for quiet/alone time.

I hope I am never again told by a staff member that they are not required to talk to me. Told I'm extra, or that I do too much. I am too old for all that. I want peace.

Do you want to know the most amazing thing I noticed during the tour?  Not a single staff member was talking/ on or staring at their cellphone while working.

I haven't felt this excited about making a change.....Wait, I have never been this excited about a life change.

I deserve to enjoy the rest of my life. Stay tuned/ 

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

 Connections. Conversation. Every human being needs to feel connected. Included. Those of us with disabilities are no different. In fact, it is even more important for us. 

No matter how hard we may try. We will always be on the outside looking in screaming, "see me," but many people won't hear us. 

We do not crave attention We just do not want to be overlooked or left out. We are proud of our accomplishments. We want to share our successes with everyone.

People with disabilities fight to be included. We fight to have our voices heard every day. We.need to know that we are viewed as more than our disability.

It sucks being needy. Dependant. Our need for validation, reassurance that we are good enough stems from a lifetime of being told. negative things about ourselves. Tell us positive things. That would  be much more beneficial  to us 

For many of us, the internet connects us to the outside world. Our friends, family. Since COVID we have relied on social media more than ever. When service is interrupted we become depressed We may not know how to pass the time. Computer technology is what many of us rely on as an outlet for our creativity.

People do not want to really get to know us. It takes a little extra time and effort. If we talk about the things that are important to us too often we turn people off. They become tired of hearing our stories

When we meet someone who is willing to look past our disability something as mundane as a trip to the supermarket can be a blast.

Change is hard on us. Change is a fact of life. We  may need assistance in dealing with major life changes/

People are not required to have conversations. with us. Becoming too attached to someone is not a good idea. When the person moves on we are the ones that are hurt.

What's the best thing you can do for those of us with disabilities? Treat us as equals. Talk to us. Connect with us.

No man is an island. People need people.

ROLL THE VIDEOTAPE

 

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that in 2015 I was a part of the spoken word Mother's Day program Listen to Your Mother. My essay about my mom was chosen. I would have to read it out loud in front of an audience in an auditorium. Gasp!

Me. The person who shook so badly when she spoke in front of the congregation of her church about why installing an elevator in the church was so important to the church's accessibility. She could hardly get her words out.

Me.The same person who submitted an essay to LTYM. Why?  Because she just wanted the experience of submitting. There was no way she'd be chosen. She knew that for certain.

I told my mom's story via videotape. Making the video was a little challenging for me. I had to try to speak as clearly as I could and not speak too fast, and take deep breaths. I did not want to sound like I was gasping for breath at the end of a sentence. It was a challenge, but I would not change anything. I appreciated that the producers of  LTYM  St. Louis allowed me to record my speech. LTYM was a dream come true for me. Six years later I am still writing about the experience. It was one of the best days of my life.

I have another goal, dream, crazy idea.  I want to apply to be a TEDx Talk. speaker. 

I have watched many TEDx talks on YouTube. I have reviewed the submission process. That's not what's stopping me from proceeding.

My voice is.

 In the six years since LTYM, my speaking voice has gotten worse. I speak softly. I do not know how I would sound on the video. Would people watching it be able to understand me? Would I be allowed to have my talk videotaped?

If  I have all of these questions and issues, realistically I should abandon the idea. I know that's what you are thinking. I am wondering the same thing. The idea keeps popping up in my head. I can't seem to abandon it. 

My topic: How the use of labels has affected my life as a disabled person. More specifically, as a female with CP. The title of my talk is Labels: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I achieved the majority of my accomplishments in the Dark Ages., Translation. before the ADA was passed. Before the ADA life with a disability was an entirely different ballgame. Non-disabled people said anything they wanted to me.  Most of their comments were negative. People told me what I couldn't do, Instead of encouraging me to try.

 

\I will write my talk. Then decide if it's worthy of submitting. The video?  My mind has not gotten that far yet. If I see this through to the end making the video will be the most challenging part of the process.

Stay tuned...

    

IS INCLUSION A FARYTALE?

Image Courtesy Of Screen Rant

Disney has come a long way when it comes to princesses. It's not just Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty anymore. Disney now has princesses of all races and ethnicities. 

One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability. 93 million are children. 

 

Yet those of us with disabilities do not have a Disney princess to represent us. Why?.

Are those of us with disabilities not pretty enough? Are we not perfect enough? Everyone has flaws. Even a princess. Are the folks at Disney afraid that a princess with a disability could not t execute the royal wave properly?  

Having a princess with a disability may not fit the traditional model of who a Disney princess is. I challenge the folks at Disney to expand their princess model by thinking outside the box. A princess in a power chair. a princess using a walker, crutches, wearing a brace on her leg, or a princess who is deaf. Just imagine it.  Just one Disney princess with a disability could make all the difference to a child with a disability.

A Disney princess is strong, courageous, and kind. She not only possesses outer beauty but inner beauty as well which is even more important. She has faced challenges in her life. She has persevered. I was wrong. A Disney princess with a disability would fit the princess model quite well.

So Mickey, how about it? It's 2021. The time has come for the larges minority group to be represented.

Don't make inclusion at Disney just a fairytale.

Disability references in Disney and Pixar films.

 https://newzhook.com/story/disabled-animation-characters-disney-pixar-films-disabled/?fbclid=IwAR3OC5lv7TbPYpWw9dgebyMTuMouz1rDlsjq1Ew4mQs2p_R-JsVVvkEbNkE

This is a great beginning. let's hope a princess with a disability be the star of her own animated film soon. 

Here's my story about a princess with a disability.  https://busyworldofbiancabear.blogspot.com/p/pri.html

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THE ROAD TO NOWHERRE

Cul-de-sac. A route leading nowhere. 

No  Beginning. No end.

I can't get lost.

I can't go far.

On this ride to nowhere.

    What I can do is imagine.

While my chair's motor hums.

I zoom past houses at breakneck speed.

Feeling free.

Feeling alive.

(Five miles per hour.)

Stories, characters, this post.

All take shape in my head.

I keep riding.

I pass the same person mowing their lawn.

 (Approximately five times.) 

Time for my ride to end. 

I don't want the neighbors to think I am crazy.

The road to nowhere does in fact lead somewhere.

It leads to creativity.