When my daughter was born 22 years ago the Americans with Disabilities Act had already been passed in 1990. I had no awareness of the weight of this legislation or its impact on my life as a disabled person and parent. I also had no support system and was not affiliated with any local disability-related […]
disabled mom
My Experiences Parenting with the ADA…So Far
I was eight years old when the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. It has been the most significant piece of legislation in my life thus far. From parking to ramps in public places, every aspect of my life has been impacted by the ADA. As a mom, it has affected my life […]
Mother and Daughter – Same Disability, Different Experiences
Even though I am 52 years old, I do not think I have ever spent so much time pondering disability issues as I have since Emily, my daughter, started this blog. The conversations we have had before, during, and after she writes her posts have been illuminating and have further reinforced how her experiences growing […]
No One is an Island
“No man is an island unto themselves entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main” -John Donne Never was the above statement truer than when it is applied to a family with disabilities. I am a disabled parent with a genetic condition which has also been passed […]
Living Life One Step at a Time with the Help of some Clever “Handi-Hacks”
Seems like everyone is counting their steps these days as gizmos like Fitbit are all the rage. Because my daughter and I share a rare orthopedic disorder, Larsen Syndrome, we have many limitations in our upper and lower extremities that greatly impact our daily “steps.” Emily is a full time wheelchair user and I’m an […]
The Day I Dropped my Daughter on her Head
All parents have days that are harder than others, and times when we do or say things we later regret. And kids have accidents – they fall learning to walk, they don’t make it to the potty, and they never think about safety first. As a disabled mom, I think about safety perhaps even more than other […]
Spastic Mama: The Public Parent
It was a sweltering day, with blurred eyed shoppers navigating through our local farmer’s market. My son howled for strawberry lemonade — waiting in a long line with a squirmy three-year-old, keeping patience among a herd of thirsty adults was a challenge. “Why do we wait mommy?” My son pleaded, shoving to the front of […]
The World is Yours
Summer has started, and my daughter Scarlett’s first week out of Kindergarten is being spent at ballet camp. It’s the same camp we did last year, but the location has changed to a church in the middle of San Francisco. When I first heard that, I was enthusiastic. A church has to be accessible, right? […]
Redefining Myself
I hate the word “normal.” In this age, when people are supposed to be more aware of issues like bullying, racism, etc., we are still fighting discrimination and intolerance. The reality is, humanity is humanity; there is good and there is bad. Sometimes, it seems, there is more bad than there is good… Sometimes. I […]
Figuring Out Life Hacks as a Disabled Parent
In 1991, my husband Marc and I brought our newborn baby girl home when she was 9 days old. At the time, we lived in an apartment with several steps to enter. This was just the first of many challenges I had to navigate as a disabled parent. I was born with Larsen’s Syndrome (LS), […]