Returning Home in a Fog

After my week in Raleigh, I came home and immediately started thinking about next year’s conference. Would I be able to go again? Could I wait that long to see these new friends again? I had met people from all over the country and world…England, France, Canada, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, etc. ******* The first Sunday post-trip, I was eager …

5 Questions with Hidden Disability Misconceptions

Last week I shared the top 10 misconceptions about the physically disabled. Before I wrote that post, I reached out to people online who also have various kinds of disabilities. I soon realized — we are all clashing with culture in similar ways. We face the same assumptions attached to our visible limits. I wish I could tell you I don’t hear the …

The Top 10 Misconceptions About the Physically Disabled

We’re going to talk about misconceptions. Things assumed by culture as a whole. These ideas about the physically disabled are often false: A physical disability automatically means a mental disability as well. Wheelchair users are confined to their chairs. Therefore, it’s a miracle when we actually walk. We can’t speak or do anything for ourselves, so you look to whoever is with us. …

The Me Before You Dilemma: What Makes Life Worth Living

When I first bought the Me Before You book, I didn’t know it came with controversy. I didn’t realize I was entering a story full of dilemma and debate centered around an unnamed question: Is life in a wheelchair worth living? The movie version of Me Before You premiered at the beginning of June and I found a firestorm on social media. I …

Breaking Through Barriers: Redefining Normal

Normal. How do you even begin to define “normal”? Culture teaches us what normal can mean, what normal should look like, and how to respond to what isn’t considered normal. What is normal, really? This is a question I wrestle with, something I ask myself again and again. I have to understand the way I define normal because my definition most …