The Eeorye Phenomenon
CW: Pain Yesterday I saw a Facebook post from a mother whose son has cerebral palsy. Her son is currently recovering from major surgery. Her son often apologizes for needing help. At his school, they call it “Eeoryeing” As someone who has cerebral palsy, I knew the feeling she was talking about right away. My…
The Everyday Freedom Olmstead Protects
CW: Medical Care & Institutional Bias Nicholas Papadopoulos spent 10 years in a nursing home in Georgia. He has cerebral palsy. He was living on his own before he developed cellulitis. What was supposed to be a short stay turned into a decade in the facility. He left earlier this year. His newfound sense of…
A Bigger Social Security Check Won’t Change The High Cost Of Disability
CW: Poverty Social Security benefits are projected to increase next year. Current estimates indicate that people who receive Social Security may see their benefits increase by around 2.8%. For Americans who live on a fixed income, any increase is a good thing. But for many disabled people this news brings up a question: what happens…
A Child Lost, and a Community Searching for Answers
CW: Elopement, Drowning, & Death When three-year-old Noah Woods disappeared from a playground in Suffolk, England, thousands of people joined the search. Noah, who was autistic, non-verbal, and partially deaf, had become separated from a relative. A day later, the search ended in tragedy when the boy was found deceased. For most people, the story…
Disabled People Don’t Need More Paperwork, We Need Support
CW: Cancer At the age of ten, Taya Hailstone was diagnosed with cancer. Taya Hailstone survived Hodgkin lymphoma. The treatments that saved her life left lasting damage. At 19, she still lives with health problems. Despite her ongoing health problems, she has to prove that she is still a disabled person who qualifies for the…
What Suicide Prevention Really Means for Disabled People
CW: Suicide, Mental Health, & MAID September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness and show compassion. Recently, in Edmonton, Alberta, that awareness felt very real. Families and supporters gathered around a wheelchair with a sign that said, “One disabled life lost, one too many.” This wasn’t just a saying; it was a…
The Cost of Being Disabled in Prison
CW: Incarceration, Neglect & Death Disabled people are a growing presence in our country’s prisons. However, this reality is seldom talked about, particularly in the media. In 2016, some estimated that roughly one-quarter of people in the US were disabled. Yet, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, as of 2017, disabled people make up…
The Poverty Rules
CW: Poverty Across the United States, older adults and disabled people who rely on programs like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are forced to follow antiquated rules that nondisabled people would not accept. The rules differ from state to state, but the pattern is the same everywhere: if you need Medicaid or SSI, you…
Every Child Should Get to Play
Play is how children learn. During play, they experiment, test limits, engage with peers, and explore their world. A family in Berthoud, Colorado had a dream for five years. They wanted a playground where their son, Miles Bowling, would be able to play just like any other child. Parents want their children to enjoy those…
When Accessibility Isn’t Considered Care
CW: Ableism, Death, & Medical Care A deaf patient who uses American Sign Language wasn’t provided with an interpreter while being treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Williamsport. This came to light after a complaint was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. As a…
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