Understanding Social Security Disability Benefits

Making heads or tails of the benefits offered by Social Security, a federal program in the United States, can be confusing and frustrating. Here’s some information that will lead to a better understanding of this program. Many people associate Social Security…

Reclaiming A Love Of Ballet (On Wheels)

Kitty began dancing when she was eight years old. As a young woman, she received a scholarship to the Washington Ballet where she honed her technique under the study of revered dance instructors, and performed in many well-known ballets. One…

The Impact Of Meeting Someone Like Me

I was first diagnosed with sensoneurinal hearing loss on both ears when I was 7 years old. I can still remember the vivid image of my mother shedding tears listening to the doctor’s diagnosis. Consoling my mother, I said “Don’t…

3 Financial Tips To Get The Most Of Your Abilities

After a swimming accident in 1983 left him paralysed from the neck down, Gilbert Tan start on a 33 year journey of music and painting. These days, the self-labeled ‘semi-retired’ artist is usually found planning his next trip with his…

My Identical Twin Has Cerebral Palsy

Identical twins Adrianna and  Olivia may look alike, but they have a few differences. For instance, Adrianna is a swimmer, and Olivia loves theater. But there’s another difference that isn’t just about these girls’ individual interests. Olivia was born with cerebral…

Making The Lives Of Others Better

  Javed contracted polio as a young boy, and was born with congenital deformity of one limb. Growing up in Pakistan where accessible transportation was non-existent at the time, Javed was acutely aware of the struggles faced by individuals with…

Balancing Being A Student-Athlete

Tatyana was born with spina bifida. She was abandoned by her birth mother in an orphanage in Russia, and was adopted and brought to the US when she was 6 years old. “When I came over from Russia, I was…

Accessible Transportation in France

If you’re thinking about visiting France, know that there are several accessible transportation options available to wheelchair users. Joseph videoed his experience with two modes of accessible transportation while he was vacationing in France. https://youtu.be/HaTqry4axTs Joseph boards the TGV, France’s high-speed…

Makeup Routine with Limited Finger Movement

Meag doesn’t let lack of finger function stop her from wielding a makeup brush with impeccable precision. Meag is a quadriplegic, who also happens to be a writer, comic, and actress, and she stars in a series of makeup application…

Teaching My Daughter Without Sight

Francis with wife and daughter. For 36-year-old Filipino chess player Francis Ching, who has retinis pigmentosa and is completely visually impaired, believing in love as a husband and father does not require seeing. In 2008, Francis was working as a…