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…
Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer
Kevin 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.
Sorry to Inform This Twitter User, but People in Wheelchairs Have Lives
Twitter is an interesting place. On one hand, it provides a platform for me to share the things I love with like-minded people and to connect with other internet and pop-culture addicts. I love waking up in the morning to memes, witty one-liners, movie conversations, 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…
How Having SMA Friends Has Helped Me
Growing up, I only had a handful of friends with SMA. As a result of my desire to be “normal,” I didn’t show much interest in engaging in any kind of disability community. Aside from participating in the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Muscle Walk fundraiser with my…
Good Friends and New Adventures
Last week, I wrote about how living with SMA requires me to be proactive. When I want something or I desire to be more independent, I often have to develop creative solutions to overcome physical limitations and logistical issues. This applies to acquiring caregivers, getting transportation, and…
Independence Means Proactive Living
Over the years, I’ve talked with many SMA individuals and people with other disabilities who crave more independence in their lives. Beyond the physical limitations that come with having a disability, the biggest frustrations have to do with finding resources to become more independent. Society doesn’t exactly make…
Using My ‘Handicapped Card’
When I was a kid, my family used me to bump to the front of the line for the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World. Despite my kicking and screaming because I was scared of the ghosts and creepy effects on the ride, my parents made me…
Using My Amazon Echo Show, Part 2
I’ve written in the past about my Echo Show from Amazon Alexa, but I wanted to provide further updates on how this device is helping me in my daily life. At the time of writing this, Skynet still hasn’t achieved total world domination, so I’m still OK…
A Balancing Act
February was a pretty exhausting month for me. I kicked it off with a two-week stint of pneumonia and a weekend in the hospital, then I got straight back to work once I felt better. To top it all off, I ended it with a 24-hour stomach virus…
