[kevin-schaefer]

I finally watched CODA last night. I liked it ok but didn’t think it was amazing. Phenomenal cast and it’s a touching, feel-good coming-of-age comedy, but I get some criticisms from members of the deaf community. Like, there’s nothing wrong with telling a story from the perspective of a non-disabled family member, but it didn’t add up that they were so reliant on her for being their interpreter when she’s the youngest and the dad grew up in the town his whole life. Part of it is the ignorance of the people around them and that they’re a close-knit family, but it didn’t make sense that they relied on Ruby so much and treated the older, deaf son differently. Why would two lifelong deaf parents treat their son, who has the same disability, in a baby-like way?

It’s done better than previous movies, but it still has some “disability as a burden” stereotypes. And the parents’ total lack of understanding of why their daughter gravitated toward music was really awkward. That’s like if I had a kid and told them they were weird for wanting to play sports. Plus I know deaf individuals who love and experience music in different ways.

Overall, it’s a decent movie and I’m glad for any progress in the realm of disability representation. I’m really glad it’s done well, and I especially loved Troy Kotsur’s performance. I just hope that future films that tackle disability move away from these stereotypes and put more focus on the stories of disabled characters, told by disabled creators.

[kevin-schaefer]

Thanks for sharing!

[kevin-schaefer]

Congrats! I know something like this would be good for me. I spend way too much on books, movies, collectibles, and eating out each month.

[kevin-schaefer]

Hey Daniela, welcome! I’m 28, type 2, and I work remotely for this site’s parent company. I’m also a writer and podcaster. Great to have you!

[kevin-schaefer]

I finally started watching this as well. It’s great! The writing is poignant, hilarious, and touching. I love how quirky the characters are, and how it tackles the nuances of living with a less visible disability. Highly recommend!

[kevin-schaefer]

Hey Blake! I have attempted NaNoWriMo before. It’s a great challenge and a really cool community. Brie here does it as well.

What kind of stories do you write? I mostly write comic scripts.

[kevin-schaefer]

I’ll be at the adult social tonight! You can still register here: https://annualsmaconference.configio.com/pd/13/?code=4g1Htmi1FX

[kevin-schaefer]

DaLiza, congrats! Fantastic news.

I can imagine it is overwhelming, but as stated above, there are plenty of successful parents with SMA and other disabilities. As DeAnn noted, I highly recommend her interview with Jennifer and Jennifer’s YouTube channel. I’ve met many other parents with SMA as well at conferences. There are definitely resources out there and people to connect with.

Thanks for sharing! Keep us posted and let us know if there’s any way we can help.

[kevin-schaefer]

Hi Zicari! I’ll put you in touch with our IT director. Look out for an email from me soon.

Hope you have a great day!

[kevin-schaefer]

Hey Mike!

I have always gotten mine through cervical injections. I’ve never had any side effects and I’ve definitely experienced benefits. I’ve written about it in my column. Here’s one from a while back. It’s an option worth at least discussing with your neuro.

Hope this helps!

[kevin-schaefer]

It’s absurd (and illegal) that this still happens. The main argument you can use here is that businesses lose customers by discriminating. And like Zicari pointed out, the actual cost it takes to make these accommodations is generally quite manageable.

[kevin-schaefer]

Ugh, I feel this too, and I wrote about it for my next column as well. I’m fortunate to still be able to go to my aqua therapy appointments and see a couple of close friends, but there have been so many days in the past year when I’ve been mentally and emotionally exhausted. Just kind of taking it day by day.

Like DeAnn mentioned the other day, the Cure SMA virtual socials and events have been really helpful, along with video chats with friends.

[kevin-schaefer]

Ugh, sorry to hear this. The bureaucracy sucks. Have you tried to contact anyone from Kinova?

[kevin-schaefer]

It’s a great story. I enjoyed meeting Shaniqua and many other contributors this year at the conference.

[kevin-schaefer]

Hey Blake, great blog post! Thanks for sharing.

[kevin-schaefer]

Hey Crystal, great to hear from you!

First off, I do think virtual dates and talking/texting are good ways to start. It gives you a chance to connect with someone first. Then you can discuss ways to meet in person. I have friends and caregivers who drive me a lot when we’re hanging out.

Regarding an assistive device, I use my wheelchair tray for everything. It came with my chair and slides right on. I put my phone and laptop on it. Do you have a service provider who can look into this for you? Let me know if you have any other questions.

[kevin-schaefer]

Thanks, Blake! Yeah, it’s definitely cathartic to let it all out.

[kevin-schaefer]

Hey Blake, I fixed it. Thanks for sharing.

[kevin-schaefer]

That’s awesome!

Yeah, so I write a column for this site, which you can read here. I also write comic/graphic novel scripts. I like sf/fantasy, horror, and comedy.

[kevin-schaefer]

Thanks for sharing! Definitely a big transition, but it’ll work out.

[kevin-schaefer]

Thanks for sharing Pamela! It is indeed a challenge most of us here have to face. Just gotta take it one step at a time.

And I’d love to have you on the podcast! I’ll message you in a bit.

[kevin-schaefer]

Nice!

[kevin-schaefer]

It’s not haha. I made a joke about that in the intro.

[kevin-schaefer]

Great idea! I’ll look into it.