The Voiceless Minority

It has been a few days since I've written. I'm just writing this as a quick update. I have been in Florida for almost nine months. For the most part, things are going well. However, there is one issue that has still been a struggle for my family and me. As some of you may know, taking care of a person with a disability often requires that one rely on others' help. People who are forced to rely on support from others usually have two options; they can either pay out-of-pocket or go through a state waiver.             It is impractical for most people to pay out-of-pocket if I used myself as an example. I need 24-hour care. Suppose one was to pay out-of-pocket at the rate of $10 an hour that would equal the following.: $240 a day, $1680 a week, $6700 a month, and $80 640 a year. This is not a practical solution for the long term. The only long-term solution is to go with a state waiver. However, the waiver itself presents probl...

           The news in America has become constant recycling of all the same stories. With the advent of cable news, the news is on 24/7 on some channel or another. You have three major providers, Fox News, CNN, and MSMBC. Along with these providers, you have local affiliates of ABC, NBC, and CBS. But all these channels tend to tell the same stories. Now there is a new type of news network out there.                The Disability News Network, or DNN, is a news network run by DST, Developmental Service Trainers, in Ocala, Florida. DST is a personal care company, which uses the radio station to provide a voice for people with disabilities. Currently, they do not broadcast all the time and are in the process of re-vamping their broadcast schedule. Even though they are based in the U.S., now they only have 1200 listeners. Most of their listeners come from China and Switzerland. Although this is a young radio station,...

s .  If you have a disability, life is generally a struggle. It can be a struggle that can make you healthier or a battle that overwhelms you. In America, since the 1990s, the disabled community has had some form of rights to protect various aspects of life. Those rights have been talked about by me and others extensively. What has not been discussed much is the financial burdens that people with disabilities and their families have to undertake.             To care for a child with a disability is a monumental task. It will consume the lives of people around him/or her. It will strain all parties emotionally and physically, but perhaps most of all, financially. The financial burden can range anywhere from a couple hundred thousand to millions. The financial struggle covers every aspect of life- from transportation to aid care to medical care. When the child grows up, the battle does not end.     ...

  I recently moved back to the south after many years away. Not much has changed; people are still quiet, welcoming, the BBQ is always right, and dirt track racing is still the thing to do on a Friday night. Or at least what all the brochures say.  I was never a fan of dirt tracking racing when I was a kid, but I decided to give it a go since I moved back. One of the "best dirt track racing in the south" is in Ocala, Florida, at Bubba Raceway Park. When I first heard the name, I was skeptical. But then, I did more research. It's a racetrack sponsored and owned by a radio show host known as "Bubba the Love Sponge" although the name may sound different, and his show may not be your typical morning show, the racetrack is what it is advertised to be. Every Friday night beginning in March until the winter months, it is a premier dirt track course and family event. The first time I went, I enjoyed the action-packed show while sitting near the gate while getting co...

This year will mark the 25 th  anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was signed in July 1990. As a part of that Act, titles II, and III specified building accessibility requirements. The latest notifications for those requirements came in 2010. A small excerpt for those requirements is as follows:  Each facility or part of a facility constructed by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public entity should be designed and built in such manner that the facility or part of the facility is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities if the construction was commenced after January 26, 1992.  Each facility or part of a facility altered by, on behalf of, or for the use of a public entity in a manner that affects or could affect the usability of the facility or part of the facility shall, to the maximum extent feasible, be altered in such way that the modified portion of the facility is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with d...

It has been nearly eight months since there has been anything new posted on this blog. A lot has happened in eight months hiatus. I have finished my master's degree program in Teacher Education. However, due to the trials and struggles that have occurred during that process, which can be read about in earlier entries, my focus has drifted away from teaching and advocacy for persons with disabilities. Most of this blog has been dedicated to advocacy and discussing various issues that people with disabilities encounter. However, the point of view of the author, me, has changed. A lot of the writing in earlier entries came in a time of my life when I was unhappy with the circumstances faced with. I have since re-evaluated The Voiceless Minority. There was a time where I thought about abandoning the project altogether if I'm honest. However, I decided I would resurrect the blog at this time and take it in a slightly new direction. It will still address social issues, but I will als...

 I suffer many trials and tribulations like everyone else. My physical disability is an apparent battle that I struggle with. However, other battles aren't quite as obvious. Recently, the well-known actor Robin Williams took his own life because he battled depression. This is a disease, which I battle as well. The stigma of depression is overwhelming sometimes. If one finds out you suffer from depression, they look at you negatively. There are more negative consequences of depression in my estimation than with being obese or having afflictions.             With Robin Williams's death, I was set back. It shocked me that someone with such a promise and an appreciation for humor like myself, could not fight his demons anymore. It got me thinking, and to be honest, it got me questioning myself. I often wonder if I am strong enough to battle this internal struggle that I deal with every day. Hopefully, with Mr. Williams's dea...