The Voiceless Minority

 The movie-going experience has been part of American life for decades now. At the same time, being disabled has also been a part of the human experience since the beginning of time. This piece will address the idea that although we are thirty-four years into the ADA era, movie theaters in Ocala, Florida, demonstrate how little respect people with disabilities have earned in thirty-four years. Over the weekend, I was treating my friend/caregiver, who I will call Jane, on a trip to the movies for her 24 th birthday. She was nice enough to not only drive my van for only the 10 th time since she started working with me but also because my power wheelchair broke several weeks ago and there was a delay in the delivery process of my new chair; she was willing to push me around. The first of many problems we encountered that day occurred when we got to the front door. It was only then we noticed that even though disabled people do go to places by themselves without caregivers or attendant

  According to Webster's Dictionary, accessibility is easy to obtain or use or easily reached, entered, or used by people with disabilities. To me, this sounds like a bunch of words. What do they mean? I honestly don’t think anyone knows. I have not yet found anything that is " universally accessible.” This is because we are all different. That being said, I have an issue that this blog post will address.   When this blog started eleven years ago, I was twenty-seven. By then, you are supposed to be “maturing,” whatever that means. However, I believe that I am still maturing as I write today. I bring that up because back in 2013, I wrote a blog entitled “But They Said It Was Accessible,” which I have linked at the bottom of this article. The original post discussed accessibility in general and how I believed it wasn’t where it needed to be back then. The rest of the blog will discuss our improvements, if any, since 2013.   In my opinion, we still have much work to do.

As we enter August, we also enter the height of the festival season, whether it be hard rock, country, or my girlfriend’s favorite EDM; if you look hard enough, you are bound to find a festival for whatever you are into somewhere. However, if you're disabled, it is that much more challenging. When you are disabled, you have many things to consider when planning an outing indoors or outdoors. I am not suggesting that disabled people should be homebodies; rather, this piece and the article from Enable Magazine in Scotland will provide ideas so that no matter what kind of disability you may have, you can live your best life regardless of your abilities or disabilities. Anyone who knows me knows I love music festivals. I attended one earlier this summer called ‘Rock the Country.’ You can learn more about ‘Rock the Country’ and plan accordingly for next year at the following website  https://www.rockthecountry.com/ . The information on the 2025 festival is not yet available, but the sit

Hello again, yes it’s me your friendly neighborhood super advocate. A warm welcome to all of my new readers who are checking out the blog for the first time. I want to welcome you to a friendly, engaging, informative, and sometimes funny look at anything and everything that has to do with disabilities and the disability community. To all my returning readers, welcome back. No matter which group you fall into, you’ve stumbled upon the Voiceless Minority on a very special day. Yes, it has finally happened after a decade of writing this blog - today marks the 100th post for the Voiceless Minority. I could not have done it without you. I started this blog as an outlet for my anger and the hurt I was feeling after being denied the opportunity to follow what I truly believed at the time was my passion. When I started this blog, I thought I wanted to be a high school history teacher and teach theater after school. I apparently didn’t know myself as well as I thought. They say that “things hap

Mostly everyone, regardless of their age, is familiar with Legos. Some were obsessed with them as a child, owning every kit and every expansion set; however, some may be unfamiliar with what exactly a Lego is. According to their website, Legos are a series of interlocking plastic blocks that can be assembled to form buildings, characters, vehicles, and other objects.   The Lego company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1949. Since Lego’s founding, the company has always been at the forefront of the latest trends, whether it’s a hit movie, TV show, or, more recently, the concept of inclusion and universal design.  Words You may ask, what is universal design? According to the University of Washington, universal design is the process of creating products accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics. Now that we understand the universal design (UD) concept, we can apply it to a new product that the Lego company unveiled in the U.S. on S

Before I begin, I wanted to say thank you for your overwhelming support of my recent posts. I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s blog on how to have a healthy relationship. Now let’s take a detour and begin today’s post.  The first thing I want to say is, Happy Taco Tuesday everyone! If you have not guessed this blog is going to be about food and how people with disabilities can be included in one of America’s favorite hobbies, the art of homemade cooking. I know everyone except the really brainy people, the ones who majored in math in college, and hated statistics but here comes one anyway. According to a poll conducted on behalf of Hello Fresh nearly one-third of Americans still believe it is better to eat in than go out because the quality of food is better. In that same poll, it was reported that 69% of Americans cook on a regular basis, an estimated 10 meals per week.  Some of you who are reading this may question the validity of this poll and may be wondering what exactly is Hello Fres

I know I have written a lot about disability advocacy I felt it was time for a refresher/ beginner's guide for those who are reading this blog for the first time and do not know much about disability advocacy. I recommend you read this blog first and then sample my other pieces.  Disability advocacy is a formidable force that has the power to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and drive meaningful change in society. It serves as a catalyst for transforming attitudes, policies, and systems, ultimately creating a more inclusive and equitable world. In this blog post, we will explore the remarkable power of disability advocacy, highlighting how it makes a difference and drives change at individual, societal, and systemic levels. Empowering Individuals and Amplifying Voices: Disability advocacy provides individuals with disabilities a platform to be heard, acknowledged, and valued. It empowers them to advocate for their rights, express their needs and aspirations, and particip

Recently Former FL SAND President Eddie Hall who is already a powerful advocate in Florida was given the opportunity to take his advocacy to a new level when he received a grant from the Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center or as it is commonly known SARTAC. This piece will highlight how when presented with the opportunity Eddie took full advantage of it not only to further pursue his own interest in recreation but at the same time, he has furthered his lifelong passion to make the outdoors accessible for all.  I have known Eddie for several years now. We are both very involved in disability advocacy. Although I thought I knew Eddie I learned a great deal not only about his advocacy but on a deeper level I learned about what drives his passion for disability-related issues during an interview I conducted for a piece I was writing for Florida Self-Advocacy Central. At the beginning of the interview, Eddie explained why he became a disability advocate, to begin with. He

  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

   So usually, I don’t follow up blog after blog. My typical average is about two a week. I am willing to give you guys enough time to process the blog because I am not writing about the latest fashion trend or celebrity gossip but essential issues that matter. However, today I can’t help but note one.  A friend of mine tagged me in a link on Facebook. Curiously, I clicked on the link, and it was a link to a news website. The article, which was published by the site RT.com, told a sad story. It was similar to the story I wrote about earlier in this blog concerning the little boy being excluded from a photo. This story, though, hit me close to home.        I hold two degrees, one of which is in History. A lot of History can be seen in museums. Museums are one of the few public attractions that people can enjoy for little to no cost while also learning something in the process. The R.T. article told a heart-breaking story of a little girl being denied access to the museum