My daughter is only allowed to watch a small number of television shows (yes, I am one of those parents). One of her favorite shows is Paw Patrol; I don’t use the word favorite lightly – she owns Paw Patrol dolls, pajamas, figurines, vehicles, stickers and don’t forget the light-up tennis shoes!! Nearly 4 months […]
disabled mom
Why Play Dates Make Me Nervous
My daughter is five and has quite the social life! She’s made many friends from various facets of her life and my life combined – school, church, sports and recovery meetings. She’s the type of child who writes an invite list to her birthday party that’s longer than her Christmas wishlist. Needless to say, she […]
Christmas from the Chair: Advice from a Disabled Mom
My name is Amanda Northrup. I am 34-years-old and from Tennessee. I am a wife, mom, working artist, gym developer and an advocate for inclusion in fitness for the disabled. I also happen to be a quad amputee and in a wheelchair. I had meningitis at 4-years-old and have been disabled for 30 years. I […]
Learning to be Thankful
First of all, I would like to say that this is in no way a religious post. I am all about attitude- and character- improvement. I am not here to judge anyone, though I do spend a whole lot of time judging myself. Being disabled doesn’t change the fact that sometimes I compare myself to […]
LapBaby: The Babywearing Solution for Wheelchair Users?
The Disabled Parenting Project (DPP) recently had the opportunity to review the LapBaby, a hands-free baby carrier. The LapBaby was designed to allow parents to safely hold their baby hands-free while in the sitting position. While not specifically designed for parents who are wheelchair users, the LapBaby holds great potential! Below are reviews from DPP […]
Spastic Mama: International Traveling with a Toddler
I’m turning forty next year. When discussing possible plans with a friend of mine she echoed my feelings exactly, “When you grow up with a disability and you turn forty you deserve a parade.” A parade not because you are an inspiration, but for dragging your body through forty years of physical pain, while attempting […]
Trunk-or-Treat as an Accessible Option for Families with Disabilities
Our family loves Halloween-the decorations, the spooky factor, the costumes, and for the kids-the candy! The ultimate culmination of Halloween is trick or treating. My husband and I are both wheelchair users and we don’t live in a neighborhood with sidewalks. Even if we did though, most porches would make it impossible for us to […]
Getting the Team Back in The Game
“I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” ~ Mia Hamm As a parent, I feel that the perfect metaphor for what I do as “Co-Captain” of my team is to be as organized as I can and build up my […]
It’s Back-to-School for Us
Okay, so I know I haven’t written in a while, but I’m sure we’ve all been busy parents. Back to school this year was a little different. Last year, we tried online public school at the beginning of Kindergarten. It was a good program, but it didn’t work out for us. This year, we took […]
What Every Disabled Mother Should Know About Breastfeeding
Nicky Boyte was wearing a flowered sundress when I meet her to talk about her experience breastfeeding her son. The two of us zoom into the restaurant in our power chairs, swapping crip war stories as we settle in. Nicky’s been a disability advocate for years; she’s active with both ADAPT and Not Dead Yet. We […]