This blog first appeared at Rooted in Rights and is being cross-posted with permission. When I was born, the doctors told my parents I was blind. That was the first line of my college application essay and the narrative starting point of my life. My parents took me to the doctor because my eyes were […]
disabled child
Everything is a Process: Musings from a Mother with a Disability
This is something I am repeating to myself constantly. It has become my mantra. Parenting is a long walk with children, featuring endless questions, lots of laughter and tears, and sometimes, if I’m being honest, anger is present. The munchkin is a fiery ball of energy, and I have to strategize when parenting. My expectations […]
Back to School When School is Done
This is it, the first time in 27 years for us. A year with no back-to-school rushes, no watching for sales, no picking out school clothes or visiting several stores to find the perfect backpack. There will be no lunches to pack and no waiting for vans to arrive. My youngest graduated in May, so […]
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, […]
I am not a Superhero
I really, REALLY want to be! I want to be able to do everything at once, and though I know it isn’t quite logical, I’m disappointed whenever I realize my aspirations to be a supermom are impossible. I have even cried tears of frustration because of it. I love pop culture! I love movies! I will […]
No One is an Island
“No man is an island unto themselves entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” -John Donne Never was the above statement truer than when it is applied to a family with disabilities. I am a disabled parent with a genetic condition which has also been passed […]
Figuring Out Life Hacks as a Disabled Parent
In 1991, my husband Marc and I brought our newborn baby girl home when she was 9 days old. At the time, we lived in an apartment with several steps to enter. This was just the first of many challenges I had to navigate as a disabled parent. I was born with Larsen’s Syndrome (LS), […]