I was recently in a car accident. Fortunately, I was largely unharmed, though my vehicle sustained cosmetic damage. While the incident itself was relatively minor, it shone a glaring light on a significant issue – the exorbitant costs associated with accessibility for individuals with disabilities. This issue extends far beyond my recent experience with car …
Read more “The Disability Tax and the Cost of Being Disabled”
Life has a way of throwing us curveballs, and sometimes, those curveballs land us in the hospital. I’ve had my fair share of days spent confined to a hospital bed, battling various illnesses and recovering from surgeries. By the age of 12, I’d already accumulated over a year’s worth of hospital days. These days, they’re …
“Adulting” has become a buzzword of our times, often thrown around in jest to describe the grueling ordeal of managing bills, maintaining a social calendar, or just doing laundry. Sure, these daily tasks are a rite of passage into adulthood, but for me, the essence of becoming an adult isn’t found in the laundry pile; …
Job hunting and career development, while challenging for most, is a significantly different landscape for someone with a physical disability like mine. These are my experiences – the struggles, the innovations, and the relentless pursuit of professional fulfillment.
I’ve been labeled “inspirational” in countless scenarios. Whether I’m simply navigating a grocery store, sharing a candid moment about my life on social media, or just enjoying a drink with some friends at a bar, this title shadows me, attaching itself to my identity with an adhesive persistence. The ordinary is suddenly deemed extraordinary, and …
In the mosaic of my life, each tile represents a person, memory, or experience, but two pieces shimmer with an iridescent glow — those dedicated to my parents, my unwavering caregivers. To say they’ve been the silent backbone supporting my journey would be an understatement; they are the very heartbeat of my existence.
For me, each day presents its own set of challenges, forcing me to navigate through the known and unknown. There’s a poignant truth in Edith Eger’s words, especially when she notes that humans often opt for the familiar discomfort over an unfamiliar possibility. We’d rather stick with what we know, painful or untenable as it …