Author: John Sikon

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Unshoveled snow is ablism, here’s why

I live in Michigan where the weather is great in the summertime but horrible in the winter.

Michigan for me is the worst time of the year. It’s depressing and hard to get around on those snow days when there are 4 to 6 inches of snow.

So, what happens when the streets get 4 to 6 inches? It gets plowed, shoveled, and salted.

One would hope that the same is done on the sidewalk, right? Not totally. Like the ablest world, we live in the sidewalks get half-ass done.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me just say why shouldn’t we treat the sidewalk like streets? Okay, let me explain further.

People who use wheelchairs like me use the sidewalk quite frequently to get around. It’s like a street for wheelchairs and bikes.

It’s very important to keep the sidewalks clear and secure at all times so people who not only use wheelchairs can get to their destinations but to use public transportation.

When you’re in a manual wheelchair it’s important to keep the sidewalks clear because pushing a manual wheelchair takes a lot of arm strength that can’t be described. I’ve been in a situation where You’re going through somewhere in the winter and I’m trying to cross the sidewalk but can’t because there’s a huge patch or patches of snow unable or pretty close to it not able to move forward. If you don’t have anti-tip bars on the back of your wheelchair that may cause injury or worst.

Using an electric wheelchair and or a power wheelchair is a lot safer, however, still comes with risks, though minimal still a risk.

The reason why power wheelchairs are safer than manual wheelchairs is that weight is significantly heavier than a manual wheelchair which makes it harder to tip, and if it’s harder to tip then it’s safer to use on curbs.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again wheelchair-bound people use their power wheelchairs like vehicles, in a way they’re made almost like vehicles, and that’s why it’s important to keep the sidewalks clear at all times.

Construction is another thing, one of the things I hate about using my electric wheelchair is dealing with obstacles like construction, only when it’s unnecessary. Mainly because it’s hard to get by.

When it all comes down to it sidewalks should be plowed shoveled and salted just like the roads.

There should be a law for keeping the sidewalks clear.

It’s time for wheelchair basketball players to get there due

For years, women have been complaining about not being equal in sports. Take, for example, women’s basketball before the WNBA was formed; players were forced to play overseas. Things have got better. However, most players still have to go abroad, even though they’re getting paid. Now, let’s talk about wheelchair basketball players. Like WNBA players,…

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Hobby lobby fires women for having a service dog, ends up paying the price for firing women

The ADA was put into place for people with disabilities to have equal opportunity. Non-disabled people haven’t got that message yet.

One of the things that I don’t understand about some people is the lack of progression that people have. I’ll never understand why some people don’t want to make things better for people.

In Oklahoma City at Hobby Lobby, a woman was fired for having a service dog.

The equal employment opportunity commission came to the rescue of a woman who has a rescue dog as they won a lawsuit against the retailer Hobby Lobby because they fired her. After all, she had a service dog.

It makes no sense whatsoever that Hobby Lobby would not allow the woman to have a service dog because they allow customers to have animals come in but not the woman for whatever reason

Because of this decision, they will have to pay $50,000 for firing the women.

This proves that big retailers like Hobby Lobby don’t care about people with disabilities and care about their agenda.

Stories like this prove that there’s a disconnect between able-bodied people and the disabled community.

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Could AI be the future for hospitals, nursing Homes

AI which is short for artificial intelligence has become the new thing in technology. It’s used for blog writing and creating lifelike videos.

If you look at the videos that have been created by artificial intelligence it does a very good job of impersonating real people. Some people are worried that it might take over humans’ jobs. Some have crazy ideas that humans might just die and there just be robots taking over the earth.

There is a serious movement toward having robots in the operating room.

But what if there’s artificial intelligence technology that helps nurses? We have Hoyer lifts to assist nurses with lifting patients, and portable air mattresses to lift patients from a gurney to an operating table, why can’t there be some sort of next-level robotics to help nurses do their jobs more effectively?

Nurses and nurses’ aids are one of the hardest-working professions in the world. If you’re assigned to a floor that has a short staff, you work all day and sometimes with no breaks.

Back in the day when you needed a nurse, you would press the call button and they would call your nurse over a loudspeaker. Nowadays nurses and nurses’ aids have cell phones to communicate back and forth with one another. Some hospitals use iPhones to communicate.

What if one day there would be robots helping nurses out, they would be the new nurse’s aid.

What if they invent something to the effect where a human doesn’t need to put on a blue pad or change a sheet? How about putting on a pillowcase?

What if there is a robot that delivers medications? Could it be possible? Should it be possible?

Is AI thinkable for the medical field?

One thing is for sure technology is getting more advanced. Only time will tell.

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Jobs that people with disabilities could do

Before the Internet shopping age, people use to go to stores and malls to buy things nowadays people buy everything online from groceries to clothes to electronics.

The only thing people go out and do on this day is go to sporting events, get their vehicles looked at, or go out to eat.

All of this leads to fewer jobs for people rather they have a disability or not.

With that said there are jobs out there for people with disabilities to get. Here are a few of them.

  • Doctors’ office: answering phones won’t ever go out of style. Also getting paperwork and referrals are a very important job.
  • Hospital jobs: there are several jobs in a hospital like an inventory of equipment, and working in a kitchen in the cafeteria. A janitor is a person to clean rooms and mop up floors.
  • Nursing homes: jobs are always scarce in a nursing home. It’s always good to have an electrician on hand, a janitor’s job, or somebody to make doctor appointments. On top of all these job opportunities at a nursing home, you can have a hand in making a better experience for patients.
  • Medical supply companies: people with disabilities that work in medical supply companies could be very helpful in this industry since they already use the same products that their consumers are looking to get.

Things are never what they use to be, people and things keep evolving and devolving. Unfortunately, jobs for people with disabilities can depend on able-bodied people.

There are opportunities for creating products and even social media if you do it right.

It takes a lot of mental and physical strength to have a disability. I would say do what’s best for you. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do.

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Why Living in a senior citizen’s apartment saved my life

In 2006 I was 24. I was in my last year of living in my mom’s house. I remember, just like it was yesterday, my mom’s house was going into foreclosure, and I wasn’t living at home then, leaving my sister and me to live with each other. Man, that was a struggle.

Earlier that year, I was moving into a house with a guy with cerebral palsy. He was a lot older than me. After getting to know one another, I started to feel that this could not work. Two factors played into it not working out, the age difference between us two, and we had different disabilities. He was a little lower functioning than I was. His mom, at the time, had deep pockets, and because she Had deep pockets, he could live on his own in a house with caregivers.

When the Guys mom had second thoughts about me moving in, I was devasted. My mom’s house was going into foreclosure, and I didn’t have a place to go.

After planning to move into a house with another person with a disability, I had nowhere to go. Time was running out. So, unfortunately, I had to think of a plan B, and that plan B was a nursing home. Even worst, the nursing home didn’t have a good reputation. I was devastated and depressed. At 24 years old and unemployed, I started the realization that I was getting ready to move into a nursing home. I had no other choice. I was not getting a place with my sister; we didn’t get along well enough.

I filled out the paperwork to get into the nursing home.

I came so close to moving into the nursing home.

Luckily I put applications into low-income apartments. I got lucky. One apartment that I filled out an application for called me at just the right time

The apartment that came calling was a low-income apartment, otherwise known as a senior citizens’ apartment.

I was relieved that I was not going into a nursing home and that this opportunity arose. Sure, it’s not a regular apartment, and I would be moving into a senior citizens’ apartment at 24, but it was better than living in a nursing home. The floor of the nursing home where I was going to be moving into the nursing home didn’t have rooms. Al, it was a space for a bed with a curtain as a door.

I always had high expectations for myself, but after a while, reality started to kick in.

People should know that just because you move into a senior citizen’s apartment and you are not old yet doesn’t mean that you don’t have any bills and responsibilities. Living in a senior citizen’s apartment, and a regular apartment for that matter, means you have responsibilities. But that’s what I love about it.

I’ve learned what it means to be independent. I’ve had growing pains and life experiences that have helped me grow.

I would be lying if I said this is how I imagine how my life would go, but at the same time, everybody needs to go through the bad things in life; if it helps people become better humans, that is if you have the right attitude.

Right now, at 41 years of age, I’m my second senior citizen in the city. I love the city. Since I got my electric wheelchair, I’ve visited different places, primarily restaurants.

Some people have to adapt to what there deal with in life.

Looking back on my living arrangement, I put things in perspective and realized it could always be worst.

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What if NBA players wore wheelchair basketball gear

For years women’s basketball players have been complaining for year’s about how women basketball players have been disrespected, then the WNBA happened, and they still complained.

Women basketball players are always saying they’re disrespected, and then the NBA players started supporting them.

NBA players started going to games and posting on social media wearing WNBA gear.

I always wonder about the sincerity of the NBA players. Are they doing it to be nice because they have daughters, or are they true WNBA fans?

NBA players have helped grow the game by posting on social media and attending games.

All of this brings me back to my next part. Why don’t wheelchair basketball players get the same amount of respect? Sure, there are not a lot of people going to wheelchair basketball games. But there’s sure not any NBA or WNBA players, for that matter, going to wheelchair basketball games.

Wheelchair basketball players have been disrespected for decades. It’s a massive problem in Society.

Right now, to be a successful wheelchair basketball player and make a living off it, you must go to a different country because of a lack of support.

The only way wheelchair basketball can grow in the States is if NBA and WNBA players come together and support the great wheelchair basketball players out there.

One thing that no one talks about it may be harsh, but it’s the truth is that WNBA players will reach what NBA players can reach physically. I’m not saying that to hate women; I’m saying that because it’s science. Will wheelchair basketball athletes ever do what NBA players have reached physically? No, it’s impossible, but if we can have NBA and WNBA players supporting each other, why can’t wheelchair basketball athletes be treated equally? Will they ever care?

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My eating habits as a person with spina bifida

When I was a little boy, I remember going to McDonald’s quite frequently, and Burger King. As a kid, I lived most of my childhood with my grandparents. My grandma would cook, but there were a lot of times that we ate out. Eating out was one of my favorite times as a kid.

Let’s talk about food and Spina Bifida. When you have Spina Bifida, you have neurogenic bowels and bladder. Having neurogenic bowels is a lot to deal with; it means you have no control, which leads to accidents.

Having bowel accidents is a humiliating experience, something I’ve gone through so many times.

When you have a lack of bowel control, you get constipated a lot which leads to stomach aches, nausea, and accidents. As a teenager, that isn’t very comfortable; when you get to adulthood, that’s even worst.

It took me a long time to get control over my bowels. I didn’t get control until I was in my late 30s. There were stretches where I got it under control, and then there were stretches where I didn’t get it under control—a lot to deal with.

There are a few different ways of controlling the bowels; the most potent mode is surgery. The other way of handling bowel accidents is a bowel program, where you use a suppository every other day and use the bathroom.

There’s a way that I manage my bowls.

Because of my bowel issue, I must watch how much I eat.

After having so many accidents, I decided to change my food intake.

They say to have three meals a day, well I can’t eat that many times a day. Because of not have regular working bowels, I only have one big meal a day.

I do have to say I live on my own, and I don’t have any kids, so I do eat out a lot. Because I have a bridge card, I also use that to get food. Once in a while, I will eat twice in one day, but most of the time, I’ll only eat once.

It can get frustrating having to get it right to where you don’t have accidents. I would say this in closing don’t give up, and if you take the only eating once-a-day approach, remember if you get hungry later, you can always eat a snack later. Where there’s a well, there’s a way.

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Is working out necessary for my physical health, or does it help my mental health?

Do you ever go to a gym and see a guy with huge muscles or in his element, in his world, while working out, just minding his own business?

I can’t lie to you when I see a guy with huge muscles; I can’t help but think that unnecessary to have that much power.

I used to work in a gym. I would see all types of people. Some people were just grateful to work out; It became a spiritual experience.

As a person with a disability, I did therapy on and off for various reasons. There were times when I had surgery, and I had to have treatment to get my strength back physically and mentally.

The role of a  physical or occupational therapist is to help people get back to a good place mentally as well as physically. But if you are not right mentally, you’ll never get right physically.

The therapist will tell you to work out every day. But that takes a disciplined person to do that. Humans are creatures of habit. Not everybody can get into a healthy state of mind.

One of the big myths about working out is that you have to work out with a lot of weight. That’s not true at all. I’m not saying always to use 5 lb weights. However, you don’t need to lift an ungodly amount. It’s all about pacing yourself and feeling good mentally so you can feel good physically.

People with disabilities need to work out, but it’s also essential to be in a good place mentally; if you can work out every day, then more power to you; however, you don’t need to lift a 100Ib to be at your best.

Lift what you can lift but also be careful of how much you lift. It’s like that old saying less is more. If you feel pain, stop using less weight to feel resistants but not pain.

If you have a disability or are disabled and are able to lift weights or ride the treadmill then you should give it a try.

You don’t have to work out at a gym. You can buy weights online on eBay or Amazon, or any store. It doesn’t cost a lot to get workout equipment.

I wouldn’t say I like that saying any pain, no gain. You don’t have to be in pain to have a good workout; however, getting tired isn’t a bad thing either.

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A wheelchair basketball team, Syracuse Flyers, had $15000 worth of wheelchair basketball chairs stolen back in February; media is just now talking about it in April

The Syracuse flyers play out of Syracuse, New York had 15 wheelchairs stolen from them in February, and the story broke today, April 3. The thefts destroyed $15000 worth of damages. The team can’t pay to get other equipment because the team’s budget is only $25000.

It’s not like the NBA, where you get multi-million dollar sponsorships.

The Syracuse flyers play in the NWBA(the national wheelchair basketball Association), which the NCAA runs.

The NBA does sponsor some teams in the NWBA. However, many teams often have to fend for themselves.

Teams do have a fundraiser. However, more help is needed.

Another incident happened in California where a teen girl with brittle bone disease had her electric wheelchair stolen off her porch. Her mom found parts of the joystick on the freeway. The teen is a senior in high school.

These wheelchairs cost a lot of money. It costs a lot of money to be paralyzed, period. The more accessories on a wheelchair, the more it drives up the cost, costing thousands of dollars.

Regarding the Syracuse flyers, coverage of the incident should have been aware sooner. However, the team could have just told the media about the incident, which was not disclosed.

If the media did know about the incident in February, then they should have reported it in February.

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Why is flying the least accessible form of transportation? Why is nothing being done to fix it

We have accessible bathrooms, accessible buses, accessible doors, and accessible vehicles. So why is flying not accessible?

It doesn’t make any sense; fly has been around 1914. You would think within 109 years, they would make at least some modifications.

This is where the lawmakers in Washington need to step up and improve there are airlines. It’s not just an overdue problem; it should have been resolved a long time previously.

There have been many instances where electric wheelchair users have had their electric wheelchairs permanently damaged. Just this past week, while using air Canada airlines, a kid with Duchesne muscular dystrophy couldn’t get his wheelchair on the plane because they refused to store it the way his mom set it up a long time ago. Months ago, a lady crawled to her seat because they would charge her to use a cart to reach her assigned seat; the incident was caught on video. I know I wouldn’t say I like crawling on the floor.

Another factor in flying for paralyzed users, it isn’t very comfortable. When getting to your seat on the plane, you must sit on a cart bench and be carted off. And if you’re not skinny, you have to be carted off to your seat in tight corners, that is, if you are not in first class.

What is mind-blowing about airlines is that they make a lot of money. Pilots make a great deal of money; captains make even more money. I know firsthand because my uncle is a captain of a significant airline.

Southwest made a record $23.8 billion in 2022. Air Canada made $16.6 billion in 2022. Spirit airlines made a modest 1,391.3 million dollars in total revenue.

When is flying going to be accessible for paralyzed passengers? Will the ADA be rewritten again? I wonder if I will ever see an improvement in my lifetime. I’m not going to hold my breath, though.

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How botox changed my life, why it’s the best treatment for incontinence

I’m writing this as a person who isn’t a urologist but as a person who has bladder incontinence; I’ve done my research. Plus, I just got to do what I’m comfortable with. That’s why I get botox treatments for my bladder.

Before I did botox, I had four surgeries to try and fix my embarrassing problem. It only fixed the problem temporarily.

Every medication I took made my mouth dry and had problematic side effects.

When I was 35 years old, I found out about botox ejections. So I looked into it on YouTube and watched videos of other people who have had injections and they all had good things to say about it. It turns out they were right.

Is botox perfect? No, it’s not, but it does work.

When I first got botox every morning, I had to urinate, but that went away. All my other treatments didn’t have that effect, but it still worked.

The way botox works is that it expands the bladder. The bigger the bladder, the more urine it can hold, the more it can hold, and the better the chance of being kept dry or at least reducing the amount a person leaks. Studies have shown that it’s 60% to 90% effective, making it one of the best treatments for incontinence.

I’m not telling anybody to do anything; I want to share my experience in the hope of helping somebody going through incontinence. If I can help one person then I’ve done something.

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In tough times in Ukraine, where war ravishes the country, let’s not forget about disabled people affected by war

As a person with a physical disability and middle age, it’s been a long rough road. Dealing with the disability and what comes with it is sometimes hard. But when you consider what goes on in other countries around the world or just the more severe disabilities that are out there, life isn’t as difficult as people with intellectual disabilities go through.

I just read a CNN article about people with disabilities and how it’s affecting them, and wow, it made me think how lucky I am to live in a country where I don’t need to worry as much.

Don’t get me wrong, the united states of America need to treat people with disabilities better than it does now; nonetheless, people with disabilities have it better then other countries but way better then what it used to be in earlier days in this country.

People with intellectual disabilities are almost being treated like animals.

Because of the war, people with disabilities are being misplaced, and their family members must make tough decisions.

Because of the grave damage that the war has done to the country’s people, the health system has a heavy burden on its hands. Because of the damage and destruction, resources have been compromised.

I read about a disabled man having to sleep where it smells like cigarette butts.

I can’t help but think millions of dollars in military assistance has been poured in by the US and millions of dollars have been raised to support the people in Ukraine.

I wish more attention had been made to people with disabilities.

When I say that, I mean everything. I’m talking about flying, education, work programs, sports, or even how disabled people are being treated, not just by non-disabled people but the way people treat other people with disabilities.

I may have gotten a little off track, but my questions are, should the US help Ukrainians with disabilies? Is it our place to help in the first place?

I hate to say it we live in a world where not many people care about disabled people. And if they care, they feel guilty about doing something about it.

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Activities,hotel chains face off in the supreme court over accessibility; who’s right?

Activist Deborah Laufer has filed multiple lawsuits with the Supreme Court.

Some hotels are fighting against Laufer.

The hotel’s argument is that because Laufer doesn’t have the right to sue because she doesn’t have intent to stay in the hotel so she doesn’t have the right to sue in the first place.

Are activists right to sue if their intent was not to use the survive in the first place?

Do establishments or businesses have a point when they are not known for good disability practices?

Should activists sue for something they aren’t going to use? Do they have a point?

Hotels should disclose if they have handicapped-accessible rooms. I’ll go even further and say it should be the law for every hotel to have accessibility for people with disabilities.

Again should we have activists and non-disabled people fight for disabled people fight for them when something hasn’t happened yet?

The Supreme Court will hear arguments about the case in October.

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What if people with disabilities could use their Medicaid for housing?

Some Adults with disabilities are often forced to live with their parents in low-income apartments, which are senior citizen apartments when there is not even a senior citizen or, even worst, nursing home.

I know I almost found myself in a nursing home. I was 24 years old and living with my moms. I had nowhere to go because I had a disability and no job on social security. On top of all that, I was dealing with family issues.

Luckily I found a low-income apartment. As I write this, I’m forty and about to turn forty-one. Sure, I’m not a senior citizen, but considering that I almost ended up in a nursing home, this arrangement doesn’t seem that bad.

In California, lawmakers are using Medicaid money for less fortunate people, like people at risk of being homeless. They also want to give people coming out of prison and foster care opportunities to live in their own homes.

Giving people the opportunity to live in a house would, in a way, be a little bit healthier for people with disabilities. When the weather is cold, and you live in a low-income apartment, you are forced to have hot, dry air over you, which causes dry eyes. When the weather is cold, you are forced two inhale unfiltered cold air, which makes you cough. But you could open a window, which would help.

Only two states are expanding Medicaid for such programs (Arizona and Oregon).

Unfortunately, when it comes to Medicaid, it’s on a state-by-state basis. Every state has different rules for what Medicaid covers. I wouldn’t say I like it, as a person born with a disability, I feel everything could be better.

We just had an election not too long ago. This election in the Michigan legislation almost turns entirely democrate.

So far, at least to my knowledge has not had any bill yet proposed that would help people with disabilities. However, there is still time for our state legislators to pass a bill to help people with disabilies; the question is will they make it at priority?

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Is religion, Christianity, worth having for people with disabilities?

When I was a young kid I went to church every Sunday with my mom.

I was always told by my mom and grandma that I needed to praise god; I was also told not to say God’s name in vain.

I was raised as a Christian. I always thought as a child that when you’re a Christian that your have to be a good person and treat people with love. To help people that are less fortunate than you. As I got older, I started to think differently. As I looked around me, watching and meeting people that considered themselves Christians, I thought they weren’t precisely god-like.

There are a few things I noticed about Christians and the church itself. Those that do consider themselves Christians are Christians because they need to feel good about themselves, not because they want to be a better person.

As a person with a disability, I found some people stuck up. If they were not stuck up, they felt sorry for you because you have a disability.

I got to say I never bought into the whole church atmosphere and Christianity itself.

If God is real, then why can’t we talk to him?

I feel like Christianity and religion is very bipolar.

Christians will admit that they don’t always follow what’s in the Bible and only follow certain things that are in the Bible, which defeats the purpose of being a Christian in the first place.

I feel like Christianity is one of the things that holds people with disabilities back.

Why do Christians say don’t judge but yet they judge other people?

Another way of looking at the church is that it’s not suitable for women because they don’t have rights like men do, according to the Bible.

Another reason why I don’t like going to church is that they get money off of people that feel like they have to give money to churches because God said so does not make any sense whatsoever to me.

A good portion of people with disabilities that go to church are on a fixed income and can’t afford to give their money away like that however they are expected to, and if they don’t, they’re frowned upon. It does not seem right.

People with disabilities do what makes you feel comfortable. I know where I stand.

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People with disabilities rally at the Capitol in Wisconsin to have better legislation for caregivers

On Thursday, people with disabilities came together at the Wisconsin capital to address the caregiver crisis.

Caregiver shortage is nothing new, and it’s not just in Wisconsin. It’s a national problem that state legislators have not addressed.

Being a caregiver can be very rewarding, and it can be one of the most challenging jobs in the workforce.

Caregivers get paid less than fast food workers. Caregiving agencies only pay at least $10 an hour. That’s not even the minimum salary.

Because of the caregiver shortage, families must fill the void of not having a caregiver. That puts families in a difficult position. With inflation people have to keep working to maintain.

There needs to be innovative legislation. Increase the wage from $10 an hour to $15 an hour. It can’t stop there, though. That number should increase by $1 annually.

They should also have full medical benefits

Being a caregiver is very similar to being a certified nurse’s assistant. However, not every case is the same; not every disability is the same. But that’s what makes the job so tricky. Caregivers are asked to do a lot. Family members who are caregivers are being asked to do a lot.

Another issue why this topic is so important is for people with disabilities that live on their own. Without caregivers to assist with daily living activities, being independent becomes increasingly challenging.

We need a change. Hopefully, it will come sooner rather than later.

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My heavyweight fight for a better education

My journey for a better education was challenging. My mom and I had to fight to get an adequate education. I will tell you my story, my fight for the education I never got.

This story is about how people with disabilities can get screwed out of a legitimate education.

This is a story that the school system can go wrong for people with disabilites.

At a very early age, I found myself in special ed. Not just your regular special ed. It was special ed for people with disabilies. It was, as I like to explain it, special ed made easier.

Some people with disabilities succeed and move on to get more man-streamed in the school sytem. I was not one of those kids.

When I first started my education in elementary school. I was in a program called physically or otherwise impaired (POHI for short). The first couple of years were fine, but as the years went by in elementary school, my mom noticed that my schoolwork would never change. I just did the same work year after year. The actual spelling work and the same math homework; I was not progressing in school, nor was my schoolwork.

I tried to get into an elementary school where my sister went; it was close to home. Not that my sister and I were close. We were not. But my sister went to a better school than where I went to.

I remember my mom had a meeting with the principal of that school. It didn’t turn out that well. She didn’t think I was ready, so she said no to me coming to her school. My mom took my Aunt Wendy. I remember my mom coming home crying because they would not let me into her school. That was a massive blow to my mom and me. All I wanted was a chance at a good education. I barely could read, so not getting in there was, well, I couldn’t even find the expressions.

Fast forward in time, my mom finally found me a different school to go to to try to advance my education. But a catch at ten years old would go to a middle school in Richmond, Michigan. I would only spend a couple of years in that school. After that experience, I tried to get into that elementary school that the principal had dined me at before. This time it worked in my favor. I had to return a grade, but it would be the right decision. I feel I lost so much time trying to get the education that every kid deserves.

After two years at that particular school, it was time to go to junior high school

When I first began junior high school, I struggled right away. I tried going to regular ed classes with aid in the classroom. My mom, at one point, was crying. It was so bad as she wanted to help me with my homework. The bottom line is that I didn’t get it. After failing again, they put me in all special ed classes. That only lasted a month. My mom got married, so we moved. That move meant that I had to go to a school that had the POHI program that I was previously in. I was in some regular ed classes, but for the most part, I was inaccessible to courses that were too easy. I was frustrated because, again, I was getting classes that I felt were too easy. Though, I did struggle. I still believe that I should have been challenged more. Nothing in life should ever be easy; I don’t think kids should be overwhelmed, either.

The teaching staff told me at the end of my first year in junior high they were looking to mainstream me more; I’m pretty sure that was a lie. When I got my schedule in the mail the following year, I had only two regular ed classes. After a few weeks, they told me I couldn’t handle it. That is the problem with the education system. Teachers think either their experts. I remember they fought my mom a little bit while expressing their opinion. I ended up getting an extra class.

Let’s talk about high school. I feel sorry for anybody who says high school is the best year of their lives. There is a lot to tell about my school career. I will talk about the education part of my high school career.

In my first year of high school, I had one regular ed class, but then I got sick and missed my entire first year. In my second year of high school, I had a style and failed miserably. I was depressed because I had missed a whole year of high school. On top of that, my grandfather was in the last year of his life as he was suffering from congestive heart failure. All though I continued to fail in school, I still believed that I could do the work.

My last two years of high school were not easy I did pass. I didn’t get A’s and B’s, but I did pass. I had to go to summer school for two years, but I did it. I never said nor thought I was an honor roll student. I believed in myself.

So in closing, yes, my school career was rough. I would be lying if I said I liked school; I didn’t.

There’s been a lot of progress. However, we have a long way to go.

Posted on in disabilities

If a person doesn’t want to work, Society should let them be; here’s why

Life is hard. The thing about life is that it doesn’t exclude anybody. Rather you are white, black, brown disabled, or non-disabled, life is unfair.

For some people born with a disability, it can be exhausting mentally and physically.

Rather you’re going to the hospital all the time, dealing with other people’s ignorance. Just trying to got buy in school is just hard.

Trying to get a job as a person with a disability is challenging. Job work shops are not ideal for a high functioning person with a disability. One of The frustrating parts about trying to get a job when you have a disability is when you have a disability your high functioning but you have developmental problems. It just complicates things.

Sure, there are social media sites out there that help you make money, but that takes time. And there’s no guarantee that anybody can make it.

There are people with disabilities that do have jobs but have little to no cognitive issues, which can affect a person’s ability to find employment and keep them not a good combination.

Sure, we all should try our best in life, but sometimes, especially when it comes to people with disabilities, you must keep trying and trying and trying. It just gets to be too much for one person to deal with.

Non-disabled people can be assholes, sure, but it also falls on the disabled community to improve and try to be the best they can be.

If you know a person with a disability and there on social security, you don’t have a job. Don’t automatically assume they are just like that free money, as they call it. Consider what it’s like for somebody to have a disability.

Nobody should ever feel sorry for somebody with a disability, nor should somebody should my them feel like shit.

I’m saying this as a high-functioning person with a disability with developmental issues. It hasn’t been easy at all. However, I don’t feel sorry for myself.

Life is hard as long as you’re not hurting anybody and live life how you want to.

Posted on in disabilities

Deaf student in Michigan gets okay from the Supreme Court to sue Michigan school system over failure to assist in school

A lot of the time, people with disabilites get left behind and forgotten about, and quite frankly, not a lot of people care about what people with disabilities have to go through.

On Tuesday, Miguel Luna Perez scored one for the good guys.

Miguel Luna Perez how Perez, under law, is entitled to have aids help him get through school; however, the school district failed to meet that requirement, and there were times Miguel’s help would be a no show.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA for short), it is required by law that special needs kids get the extra help that they need

What we have here is a problem. A failure of epic proportion of the education system

There are a few factors why this is a problem.

A lot of people are very ignorant of people with special needs. Also, there not seen as a priority, so there forget about it.

Instead of pushing kids to be the best they can be there given what, in the eyes of other people’s opinion, they can handle.

What’s sad is that there aren’t a lot of people who want to help people with disabilities. Everything that has to do with disabilities plus funding is well short of what it should be.

He was getting back to Miguel’s case. What is incompetent is that his help was stupid on the school district’s part. His aids assigned to him didn’t have training in sign language, and the service they gave him to didn’t always show up.

Despite not having the proper help, he still got A’s and B’s.

Although he got Ace and B’s in his classes, the school told his parents that he would not be getting a diploma which then caused the parent’s school to sue the school district

They put this kid through a lot of unnecessary bullshit.

Where the Supreme Court came in is that Perez wanted compensation for loss of income and emotional distress. In a Supreme Court ruling, Justice Neil Gorsuch ruled in his favor.

This is a real victory for people with disabilities.

I can’t help to think when can people with disabilities get what they’re entitled to have and not get screwed anymore.

Content from NPR was used to write this blog.

Posted on in disabilities

The highest-rated electric wheelchair on Amazon is $2,499

Whenever I get a wheelchair, I contact a medical supplies company that can help with getting a wheelchair, and the process begins through my insurance company.

When eBay was made came the idea of shopping online for products all be it used products. Since then things have changed as products brand new are being sold now a days.

However, Amazon is the place to shop online for just about anything. Well, anything. I was trying to think about something to blog about, and, well, Amazon came to mind. I found this electric wheelchair; the company Ranger porto mobility makes this electric wheelchair.

It’s the top-rated electric wheelchair on Amazon.

The material is aluminum.

It weighs 50 lb.

On Amazon, it says it has batteries on both sides of the chair, and they are long-lasting.

It got me thinking people should buy wheelchairs online.

Exactly who is in the market for a wheelchair they can’t get through the insurance company?

You know this is just an honest thought. In the future, could we see the big companies putting their wheelchairs online?

Yes, every company that sells wheelchairs has a website, but you can only look at them online and not purchase them on the website itself. You usually have to go to a wheelchair vender.

Could vendors one day work with Amazon to purchase a wheelchair one day?

Could you buy a wheelchair from Amazon, and has your insurance covered it?

If so, when could it happen?