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Aaron G, a warrior of life Aaron has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy after a cardiorespiratory failure when he was 2,5 old. (13 minutes). He was 21 days in the ICU and there He had 3 Big operations in order to save his life. We spent 49 more days at the hospital and then we could come home. Now, he is 5 years old and he keeps fighting against multiple diagnoses because he has several brain damages; he has been in therapy for almost four years but he is still like a baby. He doesn't have head control, can't see, listen, talk, crawl, sit down, walk, neither eat with his mouth nor do anything by himself. We, work hard every day with @yoaarongabriel in so many techniques in order to give him a better quality of life. Especially we love him with all our hearts.

Introduction Hello Everyone! My name is Abby McCage and I'd like to talk about how God has turned something I felt was ugly and unlovable into something beautiful and purposeful. I was born with a rare neuromuscular disease called Collegen 6 muscular dystrophy. Growing up and adapting to living with a disability really affected my self-worth and how I saw myself, with that being said, living with this disease led me into a dark spiral of self-hatred and low self-esteem. Growing up with Muscular Dystrophy With my particular type of MD growing up I was able to walk and from the outside looking in, it didn't look like I had a disability. From the time of elementary school through the middle I didn't use a wheelchair. Not only that but, I made it my life goal to hide behind what physical ability I did have so that others wouldn't know that I had a disease. I wanted to fit in and be seen as "normal" that I changed my whole persona to fit what society saw as good and worthy. My whole life was revolved around others. Although I could walk it was still very difficult. However, I refused to use my wheelchair or speak admit I had Muscular Dystrophy because to me it was a symbol of weakness and I refused to be seen in such a vulnerable way. The small whispers of hope For all of the middle school, I was emotionally and physically exhausted. My body was tired of pushing itself beyond what my muscles could supply. My heart and soul were tired from trying so hard to hide something that was never going away. Every day there was a constant battle going on behind closed doors that no one saw. Anxiety was crippling, depression was drowning me. The only thing that I was holding on to at the time was my faith and relationship with God. When hard trials came and self-doubt surfaced the small whispers in my soul led me to peace that exceeded every other battle I was facing. Leaving behind the standards of the world While school was the hardest for me I was eventually placed in homeschool due to the dark place I was in. With that being said, leaving school was one of the best decisions for me. During that time my mental health became much better and not only that but, it was also when I grew the most in my relationship with God. His words that spoke to my soul were words of strength and hope, which I never really saw in myself. I only saw the bad things and the negative words that others said about me. My whole mindset was focused on how the world sees me that I forgot how God sees me. Romans 8:28 specifically talks about how everyone has a purpose and before truly knowing God I sincerely doubted someone like me that had this disease had a purpose when the world around me constantly look down upon anyone that was different. As time passed I began to open up more about my disability to others. I remember being able to present to a class about my disease and it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. at that moment I realized I didn't have to hide who I was or be ashamed of myself. Finding freedom in what God says about me I am now in college and am still learning each day to put God's truth over what the world says. Some days are harder than others, but looking back and seeing how far I've come is what keeps me looking into the future with hope and patience. I'm fully open now about my disability and having Muscular Dystrophy. I use a wheelchair now due to the progression of my disease, and can fully be okay with the vulnerability that comes along with it. I am learning to take one day at a time and not become overwhelmed with the uncertainties of life. Knowing and believing that God is beside me through every battle is the strength I hold onto today. Not the opinions of others or the unknowns of my disease. God is my strength, the one who has turned my weakness into his strength.

Adam’s Story Adam Lucio was born in Odessa Tx, and due to a car accident in early infancy, was placed in a wheelchair for life. He was West Texas’s first wheelchair student-athletes to compete in varsity athletics with all able-bodied competitors and was recruited to play wheelchair basketball for Oklahoma State University. Upon moving back from Oklahoma, Adam began his tennis coaching career in 2010 at the Bush Tennis Center in Midland and currently coaches tennis for Odessa College. Aside from coaching, Adam is also Director at the Boys and Girls Club and is in the motions of forming his own nonprofit, Anpassa Project, dedicated to advocating for adaptive inclusion and instilling optimism in others to help pursue their dreams.

Disabled toilets are NOT a storage cupboard. Imagine going to a restaurant or a bar and being told "I'm so sorry there is no toilet you can use", with no real explanation. Imagine going to a shopping center to find a perfectly accessible disabled toilet, to then see a 'CLOSED' sign on the door - also known as a storage cupboard! Imagine a life full of "Sorry you can come into this club but our toilet is broken, however, you're SOOOOOOO inspirational". Honestly, I am prepared to fight for us! These SMALL things that abled body people take for granted - I am READY to fight for us! The next time someone says to you, any of the sentences above, please think about the above, and let's fight together! We deserve to use a bathroom just like anyone else does! We deserve to have access just like anyone else does!

I’m disappointed I’m disappointed... but after a bit of soul searching I’ve realized that being disappointed doesn’t bring me any good 😊 Due to my disability and very weak lungs I’m in the risk group when it comes to Corona (and many other illnesses for that matter) 😷 Since March I’ve found myself to be a little disappointed with some of the people in my life. Disappointed with the people who didn’t reach out, didn’t check-in, or simply wrote a kind message or asked me how I’m doing in this pandemic. But instead of feeling sorry for myself and being annoyed at the people who didn’t act the way I would have, I’ve chosen a different approach 😊 Obviously, I’ve reached out to people but that doesn’t mean I can expect the same from others. I’m reminding myself that you never really know what’s going on in other people's lives if you don’t ask. Remember to reach out Maybe the people who didn’t reach out even though I expected them to are struggling with something I don’t know about. Therefore, my point with this posts is to encourage you to reach out to a couple of friends or family members 😊 Not just to people in the risk group who are highly affected by the ongoing pandemic but also to people who live alone or are struggling with their mental health - we all have different challenges in this situation. Forget about your disappointment. Forget about your bad excuses. Just grab your phone and send that message or make that call. Spread some joy and kindness - it’s Christmas after all 😊

Home Sharing for People with Disabilities, by People with Disabilities Dwellability started as an idea between two friends with disabilities over a cup of coffee. Why did it have to be so hard to find a safe, appropriate place to live or visit? We dreamed about creating a way to connect people across the full spectrum of disability because as a community, we know we are a powerful force, but society simply isn't meeting our housing needs. So we started working on Dwellability to connect people who need a home with those who have space to share. Pretty simple, right? We hope you will join our community and let us know what we can do to make the site do its absolute best for you! Who We Are Dwellability is a passion project for Elizabeth Kenney and Jeff Hinz (partners in business and marriage). Kenney has an invisible disability that affects her ability to travel and stay in hotels. Kenney is the creative soul behind Dwellability, given her textile design career and a recent graduate degree in social work from NYU. Hinz is an operations expert with 30 years of experience in advertising and startups.

Adapting to a life filled with pain and debilitation is exhausting, to put it mildly. Pain is one of the most intrusive things we can experience because it impacts nearly every aspect of our lives, especially if it is chronic. As Bonnie Prudden said, “Pain, not death, is the enemy of mankind.” I have lived with pain most of my life, but nothing ever so intense as the pain that came when I developed dystonianbsp;nearly 20 years ago. The emotional toll of pain can be just as bad, and sometimes even worse than the physical pain. It is remarkably difficult to understand, so to add insult to injury, we are often judged by others because they can’t see our pain. Most people can relate to short term pain or temporary limitation when they are sick, but life offers a whole new set of challenges when the condition is chronic, particularly for those who were once in good health. Losing one’s identity, abilities, and choices that many often take for granted is the reality of chronic pain. Adapting to a life filled with pain and debilitation (mental and/or physical) makes it so you are always being tested to the limits. It is exhausting, to put it mildly. When my dystoniasymptoms first began up to a few months before being diagnosed, I had little to no pain in my neck or back. Living with Dystonia Over a period of about 8 months, my pain increased exponentially to the point that I could barely function. It felt like there was a power drill continuously going into the base of my skull which radiated down my neck into my shoulders. It was a miserable existence. I didn’t know pain like that was possible. It reminded me of how it felt at the exact moment I incurred an injury; the kind of injury where the pain takes your breath away for a moment. Unlike those instances where the pain subsided in a short period of time, the pain from dystonianbsp;never left. It was like I was experiencing the sensation of pain at the point of injury over and over. It literally took my breath away. I used to listen to people complain about an ache or pain and say to myself in anger and frustration, “if they only knew what real pain was like!” I understood what pain was like from many sports injuries and other aches and pains throughout my life, but the pain from dystonianbsp;is a different beast. It took me a while to appreciate that pain is relative to everyone’s own experiences (we only know what we know) and pain of any kind can impact the quality of life, so I no longer pass judgment. The Life impact of pain If you suffer from chronic pain, you not only live with the unrelenting sensation of pain, but probably have trouble sleeping, you may experience anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and possibly have difficulty making decisions because pain can impact our ability to concentrate. Brain activity in people who suffer from chronic pain is different from those who do not. In a healthy brain, all regions are in a state of equilibrium. When one region is active, the others quiet down. In people with chronic pain, the prefrontal cortex, the location for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning, is always active. When this region is stuck in full throttle, neurons can change their connections with other neurons making it more difficult for people to concentrate, solve problems, make decisions, or be in a good mood. As mentioned, sleep deprivation, anxiety, and depression often accompany pain, and there are physiological reasons for all this. Areas of the brain responsible for sensory stimulation are also responsible for controlling our sleep and wake cycle. When there is overstimulation, it makes it difficult for the brain to rest. Anxiety is also very common because reduced control over pain signals causes the brain to become extremely vigilant in anticipating future pain. We are almost always on edge, essentially living in fight or flight mode. Reduced control over pain signals also contributes to depression due to chemical changes in the brain, as well as an exhausted feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. So, pain contributes to anxiety and depression, but also the other way around. It is a vicious cycle, each feeding off the other. For pretty much anyone living with chronic pain, you know exactly what I am talking about. We not only battle physical pain on a regular basis, we battle a very significant emotional toll as well. Then for people to say things to us like, “just get over it,” or “just push through it”, it in no way acknowledges the complexity of our pain. Pain managment There are many ways to treat/manage pain including, but not limited to, surgery, medications, nutrition, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, cranial-sacral therapy, physical therapy, behavior modification, biofeedback, prayer, meditation, and rest/relaxation therapies. Another important component of pain management involves regulating your daily schedule so that you have the right balance of activity, rest, social interaction, quiet time, and energy-giving activities. I do my best to remove toxicity from my life, be it people, the environment, my thoughts, or what I put in my body. I also avoid noxious stimuli that overwhelm my nervous system (certain lights, sounds, environments), and how much I push myself beyond the boundaries that my body can handle. Ultimately for me, a major change in lifestyle and accepting that lifestyle is the key to my ability to better manage my pain and other symptoms. I have also decided to simply be as happy I can no matter what is going on in my life. As you can see in the photos below, I have come a very long way. I still have far to go (pain and other symptoms I feel that you can’t see), but the point I need to super emphasize is that the way I have been able to get improvement, and lasting improvement, is years of daily dedication to all the things I mentioned. I also needed to learn to accept my situation and make the most of it. I had to get rid of the intense anger, resentment, shame, blame, depression, anxiety, and every other negative emotion for my body to begin to heal. I still slip and have really bad days physically and emotionally, but I don’t let them overtake me because I know that these things I do every day will keep me on the right track.

These are hard times These are hard times 😊 Many things are out of our hands and the uncertainty can be emotionally draining. But a thing that’s not out of our hands is our attitude 😊 Remember to sanitize and keep the social distance in order to take care of your physical health 😷 And for your mental health... try to stay positive 😊 Focus on the good and hope for the best🙏🏻

About me Hi, I am Shobhika Kalra, an Indian, 30 years old girl based in Dubai. I am wheelchair-bound due to a degenerative disorder that I was diagnosed at the tender age of 13. Things are different and difficult more so because I was to walk on paths discovered by others already, like after school goes college and after that get a job. Though I have done all this, my body did not allow me to do it exactly. I had to decide on the way things should be for me. However, this hasn’t stopped me from pursuing my ambitions in life. I’m currently working with Eduscan as a Psychologist, run a beauty blog, and lead a social initiative called Wings Of Angelz. Wings of Angelz is an initiative that aims to make the world more wheelchair accessible and is registered with the CDA as a nonprofit social club. We’ve successfully managed to convince over 1000 places to become wheelchair accessible including key organizations like RTA, Emirates NBD, Bab Al Shams, etc. This initiative is in line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed's vision of making Dubai disability-friendly by 2020. Wings Of Angelz was recently featured in a book called ‘Actions and Insights – Middle East & Africa’, which was launched by Sheikha Lubna. I personally believe that the single biggest reason due to which places are not accessible is the lack of awareness. I recently went scuba diving to spread awareness about wheelchair accessibility Inclusion and accessibility are important goals to ensure everyone gets equal opportunities. I was recently awarded for my community service by H.E.Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, U.A.E's Minister of Tolerance. I was awarded She the Change - Udhyami award from Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 in Kashi, Varanasi. I am the youngest Indian in the Middle East to receive She the Change - Udhyami award. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 was an initiative by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. I was given a certificate of appreciation from the Mohamad Bin Rashid Majlis for helping build Dubai's future. We’ve also received several accolades for our work including mentions from Kris Fade(Morning show host), LilySingh (Famous Youtuber), Hrithik Roshan (Bollywood Actor), Suneil Shetty(Bollywood actor) and various awards. We’re now keen to take our work on inclusion to the next level and we’re launching our app HeyPOD. POD stands for people of determination. The app aims to empower and enable people of determination by providing information on accessibility and career opportunities available. We are also expanding our work to beyond people with mobility impairment to people with vision, hearing and cognitive impairment. The app will be ready in Q4 2020 and we plan to have a big launch event for the app in Q1 2021.

Being disabled is a full time job Being disabled is a full-time job ♿️ People rarely think about how much time it takes on a daily basis when you live with a disability. My daily routines take much longer than most peoples because I need help with everything. Everything from getting up in the morning to eating to whatever simply takes longer because of my disability 🌸 During the day I have a lot of disability-related things that I need to take care of. It can be things like doctor appointments, physiotherapy, lung exercises, and other activities regarding my health 😊 Then there’s all the paperwork. Paperwork to make sure that I have (and continue to get) all the disability aids and medical devices that I need. It takes a lot of emails, applications, and legal knowledge to make sure that I get these things, and sometimes it takes months, even years before it happens 🙄 Then there are my assistants. My assistants make it possible for me to live in my own home and do whatever I want. Having assistants means that I’m the boss. So I have to make work schedules, make sure they get paid, find solutions when they go on vacation or call in sick. I always have to have a Plan B and preferably also a Plan C 😊 For me, being disabled means that I’ve become pretty good at planning and organizing 😊 But no matter how much I plan ahead I have to be prepared to change everything and improvise. Maybe my wheelchair breaks down, maybe the car lift stops working or maybe something I’ve never imagined happens. And whatever may happen I have to deal with it. I’m not off on the weekends because my life goes on - there are no time outs 😊 So next time you come across someone with a disability, then think about how much time and effort they put into simply living their daily life - something non-disabled people often take for granted 😊

Celebrate All Body Types “I feel so sorry for her.” Wrong. Don’t feel sorry for me. Know that I am strong, dedicated, and won’t let anything hold me back. I was born with a limb difference. Growing up, I was bullied and felt insecure. However, I learned to overcome my obstacles and to love myself for who I am. Being different is beautiful. Society, however, doesn’t seem to agree. Society’s standards for the ideal body has changed multiple times throughout history. This pressure of having the ideal body is taking a toll on our health. Celebrating all body types is important. Unfortunately, people with physical disabilities aren’t represented in the media very often. Growing up, I never saw anyone that was like me. I thought I was the only one. That is why I advocate for people who feel out of place. I decided to be a voice and share my story so others can feel confident within themselves. I created a campaign called “BeYOUtiful.” As part of this campaign, I’ve been involved with local schools, spoke with the students about my story, and the importance of body positivity. I am an influential YouTuber that creates videos on educating others who are just like me! My videos have been promoted by the Luckyfin Project and we will partner to bring advocacy to those who need it most. I am an ambassador for The Aerie Real company so I can represent people that have different body types and make a positive impact in the country. I am different and I am not afraid to speak up. That is why I will leave a legacy in society.

My Story... In one moment, I was on the best day of my life, competing for the collegiate rugby national championship. In the next moment, my life changed forever. I suffered a spinal cord injury in the first minutes of the game and found myself face down in the turf unable to move anything below my neck. My doctor told me I would never walk or move my hands for the rest of my life. Three and a half years later, I can now stand up into my walker and walk short distances, I am functioning independently and just graduated from UC Berkeley. It feels crazy to say this, but this injury became a gift in my life. I have started a career as an inspirational speaker, and it has given me a purpose that I cherish deeply. My challenges are visible, but every person faces adversity in their lives. I hope that by sharing my story of living with paralysis, I can motivate others to live in gratitude and conquer their challenges, no matter how daunting they may seem. For more information, visit my website