Backpack? Check Notebook? Check Pencil Case? Check Nervous Tears? Check Many parents get emotional for their kids’ first days of school. For Maria Palacios, disability activist and writer, her tears spawned both from her history as being the disabled girl…
Mandy Crowley is a parent to her son who has autism. She has become a disability activist, and has a message to share with the world. Mandy says she is done with apologizing for her son’s behavior. “Why would I…
For able-bodied parents, seeing disabled parents may seem outside their scope of perception. We are ‘exotic’, ‘inspiring’ and indeed ‘not normal.” For disabled mom Jennifer Senda, parenting her six-year-old son comes with a slew of questions. “I often get asked…
In 2005, 16-year-old Matthew sustained injuries in a motorcycle accident that left him paralyzed. Matthew’s mother, Angela, reflects on Matthew’s progress since his accident. Angela recalls that in 2009, Matthew was determined to earn his associate degree post-injury. He had…
Melanie Reach was born with multiple disabilities, including vision loss and cerebral palsy. She shares some important advice for parents who are raising children with disabilities. Melanie bases these tips on her experiences with her own parents. Self Advocacy Self…
“There is nothing more enriching than having a family,” says Jeff Thorn. Jeff, who refers to himself as ‘totally’ blind, is a parent in every sense of the word. He is a father to his three biological children. A grandparent…
Laurence and Adele Clark say they fell in love nine years ago while on their first date. Besides the fact that they were both born with cerebral palsy, they bonded over their shared desire of one day becoming parents. The…
Jeff, Kristen and their daughter Evie are like any other family who love each other, take family pictures, and help each other. In 2013, Jeff suffered a spinal cord injury and became a quadriplegic. The accident deeply impacted their lives,…
Quadriplegic Glen Dick and his daughter Elaina are always up for an adventure. Glen and his family have traveled around the US. They've experienced sites ranging from Mount Rushmore to Glacier National Park. Glen decided to capture his adventurous spirit…
Megan became a paraplegic when she was still a teenager. Her parents went through the injury and recovery with her, and now as an adult, Megan shares advice on parenting from her perspective as a daughter with a spinal cord injury.…