Within the past year, I feel like I have understood for the first time that a) future planning for someone with a disability is more complex than I ever realized and b) as a sibling, I am uniquely equipped to play a huge role in the process.
In the video, “Down syndrome entrepreneur sews successful six figure sock empire” (available at https://youtu.be/Vb1ELIa8dII) we get to see the “success” story of an individual with disabilities making it within the employment industry. Not only has John successfully started a business, but he has created an entire company that offers employment opportunities for other individuals with disabilities. Though this is a happy story, it begs the question of how often the employment industry is open to working with individuals with disabilities? In addition, how often do those individuals get to work within the entrepreneur status?
While the terms “speech” and “language” may seem interchangeable, it is very important to differentiate their meanings and understand how they are involved in communication.
There is only one museum in the country dedicated to the history of people with disabilities. Located in Buffalo, New York, the Museum of DisABILITY History offers a variety of permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits, from “The Evolution of Adaptive Equipment” to “Self Advocacy: A History of People Speaking Up for Themselves.”
As of August 2018, physical therapy services in Illinois are available without the referral of a doctor. This is called direct access. What exactly does this mean? In the past, and still in some states, you would have to first make an appointment with your doctor who would then decide to send you to physical therapy.
People with a disability are equally important as anyone else especially when it comes to exercising their rights through action. Since action screams louder than words, I think it is really important for people without a disability to demonstrate support to people with a disability.
When I tell people, “I am a Physical Therapy student,” there are two usual responses.
When I learned of the opportunity to go to Washington DC to participate in the 2018 Disability Policy Seminar, I recognized that it would be a good opportunity to learn about policies, and how to advocate for change, something I had little experience with.
Whenever I see a movie with a disabled person advertised as a main character, I am always skeptical about seeing it. Because I have family and friends with physical disabilities, I am often nervous to see how they are going to be depicted in movies or T.V.
