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The system often seems stacked against people with disabilities who want to work. Is that a good enough reason not to look for a job?
By Tamar Asedo Sherman
Why work with a disability?
It’s not only about the money, although that certainly helps. It’s hard to live on Social Security Disability Income or Supplemental Security Income. We can all use a little extra, especially in the current fiscal climate. But there are strong disincentives that give many of us pause at the thought of possibly losing health insurance benefits and a monthly payment of $1,000 or more.
We might have [...]
Essayist Gary Presley has just published a memoir about (among other things) living with post-polio syndrome.
By Rebecca Kellogg
Gary Presley was 17 when he was diagnosed with polio after being inoculated with the Salk vaccine in 1959. Unaware of the future, he took the last steps of his life wearing his favorite cowboy boots.
In the ensuing years, Presley faced his own limitations and the limitations of the way the world works. He has dealt with post- polio syndrome, worked in the insurance industry, and married. Mining his experiences for meaning, Presley has crafted rich essays and the [...]
As scary as the idea of a feeding tube may be, having one in place before it’s absolutely needed often improves quality of life.
By Melody Chavez
The word “feeding tube” may be intimidating for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Most people have heard about feeding tubes only through debates in the media, such as the one that raged during the Terri Schiavo case that climaxed in the spring of 2005. Others may see graduating to a feeding tube as “giving in” to this disease. Learning what choices you have regarding this issue, however, will help patients to be proactive in [...]
PERSONAL FINANCES |
By Janet Rubin Fields
If you’ve been in an accident and are negotiating a lawsuit settlement, you are literally setting the foundation for your future. The decisions you make today, especially if your injuries are severe, may be the key to your financial security as you get older.
America is experiencing its worst financial crisis in a generation, and the end is not yet firmly in sight. Regardless of what happens next, there is no doubt that global financial uncertainty is everywhere—and while we are unable to predict when the pendulum will swing, settling your case [...]
THE OBSERVATORY |
By William Clarke
In her apartment, Elizabeth Ramos—her friends call her Ellie—dresses for her visit to her boyfriend. (That would be me.) She’s petite and a little shy of 5 feet tall. Her long auburn hair reaches the middle of her back. She has big brown eyes and a beautiful smile. She has scoliosis and she uses a wheelchair.
Ellie doesn’t think much about her disability; that would slow her down. I can’t get her to go to the movies; she says they’re “boring.” Once she bought me a wine cooler for Christmas. Her daughter helped her [...]
“Deliverance” is Jessica Haber’s story on the challenges she faced as a pregnant woman and mother with spinal cord injury (SCI). [...]
The Value of Sleep – Part Two. Do you sleep well? If not, there are things you should [...]
Dr. Richard L. Bruno’s roadmap for obtaining Social Security Disability Income if post-polio keeps you from seeking or holding gainful [...]
Can the right bed do the right things for your quality of life? Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD is convinced that it [...]
Just because we can’t walk, it doesn’t mean we can’t talk or think or work or participate in society. Tamar Asedo Sherman digs into being more than your [...]
ASK THE COACH |
By “Coach” Scott Chesney
If you acquired your Spinal Cord Injury, meaning you were not born with paralysis, but rather had an accident, injury, trauma, or some type of illness or disorder that left you paralyzed at any other time besides at birth, what do you do on the anniversary of your SCI?
Now you must really think I have lost it, huh? Seriously, having just passed my 23rd Anniversary of using a wheelchair and talking to many friends and contacts with SCI, I find it interesting to note what people do on their respective anniversaries. [...]
KIDS IN ACTION |
By Kathleen M. Muldoon
Yvette Silver www.yvettesilver.com
When my eighth grade class returned to school after the holidays, we were surprised to find a substitute teacher at Miss Anderson’s desk.
“I am Sister Gertrude,” she said. “I’ll be with you for the rest of this week while Miss Anderson recovers from the flu.”
Then she stood and walked to the front of the desk. I gasped. She was the biggest nun I’d ever seen! Her voice matched her size as she boomed, “I am here to tell you that in this new year, each one of you will do something [...]
If packed powder and fast slopes turn you on then check out Tom Scott on “Adaptive Skiing- Finding Friendly Mountains Near [...]
Is it okay to joke about disability? Is it okay for people without disabilities to joke about it? Read some thoughts on this hot [...]
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