Columns

Ella Gets a New Therapist

Ella has been in therapy since before the day of her diagnosis with SMA. We knew she was late meeting many milestones, so we went to Early Intervention and started physical therapy. For every step forward, she took two steps back. We were dumbfounded. It…

Adapting to Change Creatively

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) can cause a lot of things, including muscle weakness, fatigue, and pain. It’s different for everyone. It also changes. One of the best side effects of my life with SMA is that I’ve been able to exercise my adaptability and my creativity. For me, the…

Finding Comfort in the Absurd

Between frequent migraines, sleep deprivation, losing significant strength in my arm and upper body, and the universal growing pains of being a teenager, my high school experience came with plenty of challenges. There was also that time I mustered the courage to ask a girl…

Finding a Perfect Parking Spot: It’s Complicated

We’ve all had some cruddy parking experiences. But when you have a disability, it’s usually a little more complicated. The difficulties typically occur due to other people parking. Sometimes, the problem is the parking spot. My current van is a side-entry model with a manual fold-down ramp. It’s similar…

About that Episode of ‘Dr. Phil’

A few weeks ago, reality television host Dr. Phil sparked a major controversy with his statements about interabled relationships. Much like Ken Jennings’s infamous 2014 tweet, a single statement from America’s favorite psychologist led to a social media movement for people with disabilities.

The Power of a Platform

I’ve been meaning to update my website for years, so I sat down in January with the intent of revisiting my online presence. It just so happened that my sitting down coincided with my career change, turning a website overhaul into…

It’s Not Paranoia if Germs Are Out to Get You

If it’s all right with you, I’m going to use this week’s column to vent about something that happened over the weekend. To most, it was nothing that would have stood out. In fact, I’m pretty sure my cousins who were with me at the time weren’t even…