The Voiceless Minority

  The simple act of getting dressed in the morning can be a genuine struggle for someone who has a disability. For not only themselves but for those assisting them. Adaptive fashion has made this simple task that many may take for granted much easier. Many recognizable clothing companies have now made it part of their mission to include adaptive wear in their collections. Some notable mentions include Zappos, Steve Madden, Tommy Hilfiger, Kohl's, Target, Victoria’s Secret, and PINK. Adaptive clothing is clothing designed to be more comfortable and easier to use for people with disabilities, injuries, or age-related limitations. These clothes feature modifications like magnetic closures, wider openings, and adaptable fits to address challenges with traditional clothing. The goal is to enhance independence and dignity during dressing and undressing.  In the past, if someone needed clothing tailored to fit them specifically due to a disability or condition, they had to either cre...

 I was born country, and that's what I'll always be. This old Alabama song lyric came to mind while I was researching for this article. For anyone who knows me, it's no secret that I love country music. Still, I prefer city creature comforts over country life, despite my claims to be a country enthusiast. However, my research for this article has given me hope that outdoor spaces may become more accessible to me and others like me in the future. I know nature is going to become less hilly and treacherous, but I mean that camping outdoors may be more accessible than I had previously thought. The rest of this article will outline some key considerations for making your outdoor adventure accessible. I live in Florida, where we're known for Disney World and election headaches, but we also have some pretty cool places. However, when you are a wheelchair user like me, camping is not usually high on your priority list. In an article that was published late last September in ...

Mental health is as important as physical health, but the way we treat people’s mental health needs in the United States, you wouldn’t think that we value mental health. A disturbing study that came out last summer in the Journal of JAMA highlights the poor standing of mental health in our society. The study focused on people who are on Medicaid, i.e., low-income or those with disabilities. While the study found that there were clinicians who “accepted” Medicaid, it found that in the five cities studied, only 15% of providers who were accepting Medicaid were available for appointments. This is not only sad but ridiculous. I am going to open up for a minute and let my readers know that I take advantage of psychiatric and counseling services. I think everyone should do so, especially with all the garbage that life, the universe, and other humans throw at us. I have been using psychiatric services since the age of 18. Let’s just say I wasn’t always as okay with my disability or other as...

One of the biggest misconceptions about disability is that just because one has a disability, one cannot learn. Pieces of legislation in recent history, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) and the Individualized Education Program (IEP), have mitigated this misconception to a degree but are they enough to break the glass ceiling that society has imposed on disabled individuals as a result of what they have been taught about disabilities in the first place? The term ‘glass ceiling’ is typically used in business settings, and it refers to the final position an individual reaches beyond which they are unable to advance despite having qualifications that make them eligible for higher-level positions. To be clear, this has to do with bias that exists in those environments, not necessarily the policies that are in place. However, for this piece, I will use it about those who have disabilities that have been, or are currently being, educationally stunted by those around ...

Do you think your life is challenging? You must pay bills, work forty-plus hours a week, take care of a family in some cases, and find the energy to get out of bed, and that is just on a typical day. The above scenario may seem challenging or tedious to some people. Still, when we compare it to the struggles that noted disability advocates such as Garret Frey go through every day, we begin to realize that maybe we don't have it so awful after all. You may be wondering, "Who is Garret Frey, and why should I care?" This blog piece aims to answer that question by the end. The answer is quite simple. Garret Frey is a noted disability advocate from Iowa. I'm not just celebrating him because he is a disability advocate; instead, I'm celebrating him because of his story and what he has done for others in the disability community. He was paralyzed at age four due to an accident. He is now forty-three years old. He does not let his accident stop him from living his life,...

  As a journalist, it is your job to always be on the lookout for the next story or trend. I am no different; I am always looking for the next topic to cover on this blog; however, I never thought I would find it while chilling with my dad on a Tuesday afternoon. For those of you who don’t know him, let me quickly make an introduction. My dad is a loving, caring, ornery 63-year-old pain in my butt, but I love him with all my heart. Approximately 13 years ago, he became disabled, and we have grown closer since. Due to the nature of his disability, my dad has changed not only physically but also in other ways as well. He no longer has the attention span to watch a whole TV program or even read an entire chapter in a book. This means he enjoys doing so; it simply means that where you and I can watch a half-hour program in one sitting, it takes tremendous effort for my dad to do so. Therefore, he spends most of his time in his man-cave watching short YouTube clips. They can range from ...

Some people with disabilities require the assistance of a caregiver. Below are some questions you can ask during an interview. Interviewing a caregiver beforehand allows both you and that potential caregiver to get to know one another and see if the care they can provide can meet your needs.  Note, these are not the only questions you should ask during an interview; the questions below are a good place to begin if you are unsure of what you should ask. These questions were transcribed from one of Samantha's YouTube videos entitled "Top 10 Questions To Ask A Caregiver in 2021", which can be found on her YouTube channel called Being Sammy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPytfu95odc How many clients do you have? Ask this question right away because it will let you know how much time they have to dedicate to your needs. Sometimes, when they have too many clients, it can lead to schedule conflicts, double bookings, and even emotional stress for the caregiver, especially if tha...

“Casting call! Casting call! Calling all actors and actresses. We are looking for someone to play someone with a disability.”  Anyone who knows me knows I'd jump, not literally, unless we are talking about a spasm, if I saw a casting call flyer with the criteria listed above. The sad reality is, crip casting is a thing. Crip casting, for example, happened in the movie The Upside. Bryan Cranston, who I am not denying is a great able-bodied actor, was chosen to play the disabled character Phillip, even though it does not appear as if he has a physical disability himself. The example of crip casting in The Upside is not unusual.  For the most part, disabled characters in TV and film are not portrayed by people with disabilities but rather by the able-bodied community.  Perhaps this is why there are three archetypes of disability. We are either portrayed as someone who needs saving, needs to be cured, or is a villain. Let me further illustrate what I mean. The earlier example...

Did you know that Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is required to help out with paying for out-of-state services if similar options cannot be found within the state? That’s right, the U.S. Department of Education’s guidance shares what to do when out-of-state requests are made. This also includes requests for postsecondary programs for people with Autism and/or other developmental disabilities. The document states that if a VR recipient is seeking services that fall into their Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE), the agency should accommodate an out-of-state option if there are none available in-state.  I have not personally had any experience working with VR, so I cannot speak on that front. However, I do think that it’s important to note the importance of accessibility. If states do not have programs that fall in their IPE, are those states doing anything to create them? Having to uproot your life to access a program is not an easy thing to do - not just financially, but emot...