The Voiceless Minority

  My name is Gizelle Koontz, and I am a woman in my fifties currently residing in Belleview, Florida, a small town outside of Ocala. I was born in Canada and moved to Florida as a child. I graduated high school in Florida and eventually became an American citizen. I have worked in healthcare for a few decades, mainly as a Phlebotomist and Laboratory Technician. However, I have also worked as a Medical Assistant and have had employment outside of the medical field, such as working for the post office as a mail carrier. I am currently studying medical billing and coding and working in home healthcare, which is how I met my current client (and friend) Jason, for whom I am honored to write this article. Many of Jason’s blogs discuss the physical side of disability; however, this piece will discuss a hidden disability. I am an individual who has struggled with depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember. When I first started experiencing depression, I was a teenager. Needless t...

In Tuesday’s blog post, I talked about a speech I heard this past weekend from a young man by the name of Matthew Walzer. His speech came at a perfect time in my life. As I said in the blog Tuesday, until this past weekend I had been lost and in a sort of never-ending fog. Since Matthew’s story impacted me so much, I thought I would share it and its similarity to a point my dad has been trying to get both me and my sister to appreciate for years. By the end of this piece, you will not only understand the great wisdom of my dad but also you will hopefully appreciate the tenacity Matthew showed in his effort to redefine sneakers for people with disabilities. In short, by the end of this piece, you will understand why I believe in the saying, “Attitude is altitude”.  Every good story must start with a problem that the protagonist must face. Only this time, Matthew Walzer wasn’t writing fiction. Matthew was born with Cerebral Palsy. While some with Cerebral Palsy are wheelchair bound l...

 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...

Late last year, I brought up an issue that was not discussed very much in the disability community, disability and mental health. As I thought about this blog, I remembered a recent email that I got, and it inspired me to revisit the issue. In the email was a story about how colleges are flunking mental health treatment.             The article described a young boy, Dan, who had mental health issues and made a wrong choice one night in an attempt to overdose. To summarize, he did not overdose. He was having trouble dealing with a new medication, and once his medicine was adjusted, he was fine. However, his college did not treat him appropriately.             His health center referred him to a hospital, which they should have done, but the administration's actions were incorrect.  Instead of recognizing a student in trouble, they treated Dan as if he wa...

The last blog I wrote was entitled “The Acceptance Problem.” It talked about an issue that is not often discussed within the disabled community, that of disability identity versus complete identity. Now it is only appropriate to talk about another issue that is not talked about which is disability and depression.         There are a variety of disabilities. There are the obvious types, which can be seen, in physical disabilities. There are also hidden disabilities that impact a person’s learning style such as Asperger’s, Dyslexia or Dysgraphia , just to name a few. However, one type of disability that is not often considered a “disability” is that of mental illness. Whether it is Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Depression these can be very debilitating, when one combines these disorders with a physical disability, the discussion virtually stops.        My battle with depression has led me to come to several c...