Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

wheelchair malfunction, movie theaterKevin is a writer, podcaster, and lover of all things pop-culture. Diagnosed with SMA Type 2 at the age of 18 months, he shares a vast array of hilarious and eye-opening stories from his life with a neuromuscular disability. In addition to his weekly columns, he works as the Director of Forums for this site’s parent company, BioNews. Kevin is a graduate of North Carolina State University and lives with his parents in Cary, NC. People regularly mistake him for Tony Stark, on account of his intellect and advanced technological equipment.

 

Accessible Hotel Rooms Are Pretty Suite

At the time of writing this, I’m sitting in my hotel room for the 2018 Annual Cure SMA Conference. My caregiver and his girlfriend are here with me, my parents are at dinner enjoying themselves, and this room is both accessible and spacious.

Dancing on Wheels

With my SMA, one might think that pretty much any kind of physical activity is out of the question for me. I use a power wheelchair, have severely limited use of my arms, I struggle to turn my head to the side, and if my driving…

How SMA Affected My College Transition

As I’ve written in previous columns, my college years were some of the best years of my life. I discovered my passion for journalism, made lifelong friends, became more independent, and most of all, I acquired the perfect nickname: Schaef-Dawg. Credit to my former…

People with Disabilities Want to Work

App.com recently ran a story about a college student with SMA at Georgetown University. Anna Landre graduated from Freehold Township High School, in New Jersey, as valedictorian in 2017. She is currently thriving as a college undergraduate and was recently offered a summer internship.

Looking Back and Looking Forward

This week, my Facebook news feed was filled with graduation pics, friends posting sentimental messages about the times they had in college, and of course, even sappier posts from their parents. Then, if friends aren’t graduating, they’re getting married, starting new jobs, or moving away from…

My First Spinraza Maintenance Dose

After my first injection of Spinraza (nusinersen) last November, I posted on Facebook to tell all of my friends and family how it went. Amid the “Glad it went well!” and “Praying for you” comments, my former youth pastor said that he couldn’t help but think…

It’s the Little Things

As I’m writing this, my butt is pretty freaking sore. No, I didn’t go bungee-jumping this weekend or hurt myself bull riding; nor did I go to a marathon of all the Marvel movies leading up to “Avengers: Infinity War” and…

Adventures in the Big Apple (Part 2)

Last week, I wrote mostly about my trip to New York City, and how my parents and I managed to drive through rush-hour traffic in Times Square. Once we made it into the heart of the city, plenty more adventures were to be had that…

Adventures in the Big Apple (Part 1)

Before I go any further with this column, let me go ahead and get this out of the way: My parents are awesome, and I saw “Hamilton” on Broadway with my mom last week. Go ahead and throw your virtual pitchforks at me…