Every week I try to find an inspiration person with a physical disability. This week's inspiration is Cindi Bernhadt. After reading her story in the article, Drawing From Inner Strength, it is clear that Bernhadt does not let disability stand in her way.
After becoming quadriplegic or paralyzed from the shoulders down, Bernhardt had to learn how to write with her mouth. After learning how to spell her name and began to doodle. She never dreamed she could or would become a professional artist, but doing so has definitely given her a life purpose.
"When you're first disabled of course, it seems hopeless and helpless. But there is always something that we can contribute to society,'she says." "'Whether you have a physical disability or an emotional, or whatever it might be, if you can't change it, you got to work with it,' Bernhardt advises."
Before becoming a successful artist, she was a student at the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, which is an organization that helps disabled artists advance their skills and create a community to display and sell their work.
Bernhardt's story sets the example that whether you are born with a disability or acquire one later in life,it does not have to stop you from discovering your dreams!
For many people with physical disabilities, dating is a hard subject, but if you've ever been afraid of dating before, college is the time to break out of your comfort zone. Growing up with cerebral palsy I never experienced many problems in the dating department. I was your normal teenager with crushes and things, and had my first real boyfriend at sixteen. That lasted on and off for 4 years, but I had other boyfriends in between the breaks and after and my disability was never an issue for him.
Although we broke up for reasons unrelated to my disability, when we became serious (being together for three years), his father had A LOT of degrading concerns. He asked my mother who is a strong woman who would stick up for anyone if "Our kids would be messed up?" and if "My problems were genetic." This made my mom enraged and caused a huge feud between his father and I for a long time. He regrets saying that now, but exemplifies the ignorance of some.
Besides the run in with his father, I have never had any other issues with dating prospects or their parents.
For Sacred Heart graduate Emily Lupica, 23, who also has Cerebral Palsy and walks with the aid of a walker, dating hasn't been impossible, but she has had some challenges.
"I always have to disclose right away for the most part because the walker is there," Lupica says. "I mean with people I talk to online I let them get to know me first before saying it, and I wont bring up what I have unless asked so even if I'm standing talking to a guy in my walker I wont be like by the way I have CP." She claims that no one has refused to date her because she has a disability, but she too has seen the ignorance of people. "My last ex told me to get faith healed, so obviously it can be an issue!" Lupica adds.
Best Advice for Dating --Be open and honest about it --You don't have to tell him/her right away, but embrace questions --Relax! --Appear confident, even if you totally don't feel confident! (If you appear confident, it will radiate and you'll be very surprised of the positive results and encouragement) --Don't let your disability stop you, let your awesome personality shine
Stephen J. Wampler is a prime example of my life philosophy, just because you have a disability does not mean you're disabled! In Summer 2010, Steven Wampler will become the first person with cerebral palsy to climb to the top of El Capitan peak in Yosemite National Park,according to an article put out by PR Web entitled, New Website Launches Wampler Foundation:Helping Physically Disabled Kids Have Richer Lives The peak is twice the size of the Empire State Building.
He is doing the climb for two reasons: 1) To prove anything is possible 2) To raise money for The Stephen J. Wampler Foundation
This foundation provides wilderness programs for disabled childern. It is a week long sleep away camping program set to teach disabled childern that they can be independent and live fulfilling lives. It provides them with many oppuntunities to gain daily living and social skills. "As one participant noted, 'I now realize that I'm NOT just disabled, I've got so many things to do and accomplish!'", as stated in the article.
Wampler decided to create this foundation that provides these services because he too was sent to an Easter Seals camp for disabled kids at the age of nine. He calls it a "life changing adventure". He wants other disabled kids to have these experiences and thats why he created a foundation that pays for kids to attend various programs.
For more information about Wampler, his life and his efforts, you can visit his wife's blog, Elizabeth's blog and check out this Saturday Night Live video below.
Under the ADA, college campuses and universities must provide students with a disability services office that contains educational resources and the proper handicap accessibility options. Connecticut Colleges and Universities, specifically CCSU, WCSU, SCSU, ECSU, and Uconn, have done a lot to make their campuses more accessible to students, but some still have a long way to go.
Most of the CSU System's disability services goals are the same. "Our principal responsibility is to provide services and supports that promote educational equity for students with disabilities," SCSU's Disability Resource Center. "The Office of Student Disability Services has been charged by the University to provide students, faculty, and staff with assistance and information on issues of access and full participation for persons with disabilities at Central Connecticut State University," CCSU Disability Services mission statement.
Although Central and Southern sound similar in their mission, Eastern and Western seem to take a more personable approach to help those with special needs. "We foster a welcoming environment of mutual respect that treats all people as individuals in a courteous, friendly, fair, helpful, and respectful manner. We strive to identify and remove barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from being full and equal participants in the university experience," says AccessAbility Services representative, Laurel Obstgarten. **To the right is Laurel (3rd in back row) and other staff at Western** (WCSU Website)
For anyone with a physical mobility issue, one of the biggest concerns on a college campus is handicap accessibility.
As far as CCSU is concerned, there are ramps throughout the campus to help students get to class and elevators in each building, but from a personal standpoint, I believe disability access needs to be looked at and reworked. I am afraid of some of the academic and dorm building elevators because they need to renovated. I often refuse to take the elevator and prefer to take the stairs, but for students who cannot do that, I suggest CCSU Disability Services look into this issue. Southern, Western, and Uconn seem to all be very accessible. Uconn even being one of the top universities in the country for their handicap accessibility and disability resources. "It is very handicap accessible," says SCSU Disability Resource Center Director Deborah Fairchild. "We pride ourselves on that. Every building has an accessible entrance and elevator." "As of right now, all buildings have handicap accessible entrances, and working elevators. We have worked with the Facilities department by developing a new curb cut outside of the Science Building so that wheelchairs can move easier," adds Obstgarten. "We are also working with that department to ensure that all bathrooms are handicap accessible. Students with mobility impairments that are registered with our office are also granted the accommodation that if an elevator breaks, the class is asked to move to an accessible floor. We have a student/faculty group called the Accessibility Committee that meets to discuss any changes that need to be made to the campus."
On top of having a great disability services center Uconn is taking their services above and beyond the CSU schools with their Beyond Access Program
Beyond Access can be broken down into three separate programs:
--SEAD (Strategic Education for students with Autusim spectrum Disorder) --FAST (Focused Academic Skills Training) --TASE (Technologies for Academic Skills Enrichment)
The overall program goes above and beyond "typical" disability service duties, and I would highly recommend you check it out. Once again, if you have a disability a lot goes in to picking the right school for you. It is hard to know which campuses will be most handicap accessible and/or fit your personal needs, but it is important to look into the Top 10 most accessible universities in the country.
In today's world, it is hard to imagine a disabled person not being able to access the educational resources or having the educational opportunities they need to succeed. In previous posts, I discussed the ample amount of accommodations and resources one can receive upon venturing into higher education, but disabled people have not always been as lucky or accepted as you and I.
Historically, people with disabilities, physical or mental, were often thought of as dregs of society. Many "able-bodied" people felt those with disabilities could not be functioning members of society, hold a job, or even be capable of getting an education.
Prior to 1970, disabled people had little to no rights! It was not until the passage of the Rehabilitation Act in 1973 that the disabled were recognized as regular people, able to live stimulating and fulfilling lives.
Under the Rehabilitation Act, the government recognized that:
--there were a number of Americans with disabilities --the number would always be increasing --a disability is a natural part of life for many humans and their rights should be diminished because of it
The Act provided people with disabilities with many opportunities such as: --living independently --the ability to pursue a career --integrate themselves in all aspects of society
Before the Rehabilitation Act was instated, few college and universities were accessible, both literally and figuratively, to the disabled. If they did have access to higher education, they were often segregated attending schools that only educated individuals with certain disabilities. Gallaudet University and Rochester Institute of Technology targeted only hearing impaired or deaf students. Today, both universities service both deaf and non-deaf students.
With the Civil Rights and Womens Rights Movements in full swing, many disabled people felt it was their turn for rights. This led to the passage of the Rehabilitation Act, which gave disabled people equal access to colleges and universities, but the act did have its flaws. The Act provided the disabled with program accessibility, but did not mandate handicap accessibility.
In 1990, President George Bush Sr. passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, which "prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications" (ADA.gov). Under Title II Section 504, all public and almost all private colleges and universities are required to be program accessible and handicap accessible. If a building or course materials are not readily handicap accessible to the student, the university may have to relocate classes or provide other alternatives for the student. As of 1992, buildings on public and private campuses must meet certain accessibility guidelines, thanks to ADA.
Overall, the disability rights movement has come a long way since 1973 and has provided you and I with access to education and other resources we need to live independent successful lives. With the ADA's 20th anniversary coming up in 2010, a documentary and stage production entitled "Invisible Voices" is being put out to convey the struggles and triumphs of those involved in the disability rights movement.
Since my blog has a very narrow focus, I felt it was important to provide my community with links to blogs about other disability topics.
My goal was to find links to blogs about specific physical disabilities, but I came across a bit of everything.
I plan to add to the list throughout the semester as I come across others, but for now I have found the following:
1)Coral and Opal-- This is a blog about various disabilities. It focuses on new technologies made to assist those with disabilities and tells disabled people's stories.
2) Disability is an Art-- Written by the Director of Disability Services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, this blog contains some great information for college students. It also analyzes how having a disability can be an art and a blessing.
3) Down the MS Path--Written by a woman with Multiple Sclerosis , this blog contains information for all types of people that may be affected by MS or know someone who is.
Again, I will be adding to the list as the semester continues, but feel free to leave other blog suggestions!
Along with your education, your social life becomes a high priority when you enter college. Having a physical disability may hinder your confidence in yourself and/or social interaction/dating. Within the American culture, physically disabled people are widely accepted among their communities, and disabled advocacy is more prevalent than ever before, but not all countries are as accepting.
In Nigeria and other African countries, physically disabled people are discriminated against and often even segregated in their communities. Upon doing research for my "Dating with a Disability" post, that I will be doing in the near future, I found this article in Vanguard, a newspaper that has a basis in Nigeria.
The article entitled "Physical Disability, a barrier to true love?", is a great prequel post to my "Dating with a Disability" post. Because Nigerian people often view physically disabled people as "having a disease", it is hard to believe (for Nigerian people) that people with disabilities can even have a relationship.
The points brought up in the article seem outlandish to me on a personal level, but I felt I needed to share this with my readers and get their feedback. Basically the writer, Bridget Amaraegbu is talking to celebrities and upper class people about their views on the physically disabled. The view of the majority is that physically disabled people often use their disability as an excuse to be lazy, allowing them not to have careers, thus making them less appealing to the opposite sex.
These celebrities and upper class individuals in the article actually advocated for physically disabled saying that more and more are becoming actors and actresses, writers and celebrities alike. The only reason they would like them though is because they were making lots of money.
I did appreciate one source who was in love with a physically disabled person at one time and was willing to do anything to help her, but the overall view is that the physically disabled cannot have a relationship because they are incapable of holding jobs and making decent money.
I felt the article was extremely bias and the people in it were materialistic and money driven. Maybe I find it such an extraordinarily negative article because I have never encountered such a negative view of the physically disabled and relationships.
What does everyone else think?
Has anyone ever encountered relationship problems because of your disability?
Or has the American public viewed you as incapable of having a relationship because of your disability?
