Springtime is finally here! My five-year-old is beyond excited to finally be able to get out of the house and go to the playground. While I love the warm weather and spending time outdoors, going to the playground with my five-year-old fills me with instant anxiety. Let me explain: I have a physical disability that […]
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Not Ya Mama’s Cookin’!
Like many others, I grew up watching sitcoms on television that depicted joyful, loving families who’d sit down together for meals that were often cooked by the mother. I had no idea that I was learning anything; I simply watched for my enjoyment. But, I was learning life-lessons about family dynamics, familial norms and expectations of […]
School’s Touching Accommodations
If you are a parent, you know the feeling of pride that comes from watching your child(ren) perform in a school play or sing at an event; you’ve experienced the joy that occurs when you visit the classroom or engage in school activities with your child(ren). But, imagine if you had to stay outside the […]
Freedom with the Firefly: Off-Road Parenting with a Disability
The Firefly, made by Rio Mobility, lifts up the front wheels of a manual wheelchair to transform it to a three-wheeled chair pulled by an electric motor. I’ve had the Firefly for a little over a month. It was a significant investment for our family. I wish insurance would cover products like this. Our decision […]
A Party Invitation Also Invites a Change in Perspective
Typically, when my daughter receives an invitation to a party, I’m excited. I’m thrilled for her and look forward to having fun together while celebrating a special occasion, usually a birthday. Yet a birthday invitation came for a slightly older friend who was having her party at the skating rink. Now, there are several physical […]
The ADA: How Far We Have Come, Yet How Far We Still Have to Go
The ADA. Here is another view. A view you rarely hear. A view from the other side of disabled parenting. For you see those children with disabilities, they grow up and you are faced with their disability and yours in a different light. Only these days I feel do you truly see the effect of the […]
Walking and Rolling with My Daughter Thanks to the ADA
Before I became disabled, I knew what the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was and the reason it was implemented. I understood on a cognitive level why it was important. But when it’s significance became personal to me, the journey from the head to the heart was complete. Now, as a parent with a disability, […]
Happy 27th Birthday to the ADA from a Disabled Mom!
Happy 27th birthday Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)! Because of you, my daughter, who shares my orthopedic disability, is growing up in a world where having a disability is a less isolating experience. Because of the ADA, we both can navigate our local community or a big city in our wheelchairs. Because of the ADA, […]
The ADA’s Influence on Parents with Disabilities
When thinking about what the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) means for parents with disabilities, multiple answers come to mind. While one of the main goals of the ADA is to assist people with disabilities with employment, it has had a farther-reaching impact on daily life, even for a parent with a disability, […]
What the ADA Means to Me
So, the Americans with Disabilities Act turns 27 this year. And that’s something worthy of celebrating. Now, before you point out that this might seem to be an odd thing to celebrate, let me quote a scene from the iconic television show Sports Night, where two characters are debating celebrating Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round […]