At the age of fifty after recovering from a spinal fusion, I was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, a neuromuscular disease that affects the peripheral nerves. Shortly after I was fitted for an ankle brace and later four constructive foot and ankle surgeries. As I coped with all the changes, I …

We are dismissed because our disability is thought to make us stupid. Do you think it is always us? This area of dissection, which is readily unspoken about, is most difficult for the largest part to swallow. It is hard to believe, to the average person’s eye; that there indeed …

Society’s attitudes towards the disabled on that subject have some changing to do still I am afraid. I myself am an adjunct history professor, working on a doctoral degree. This degree is the only possible way for me, to be financially independent. In my own case, some, not all of …

Since I lived only 4 hours away from our nation’s capital, my parents were able to drive me there. I was so excited about going and counting down the days till Friday, when I would arrive. I was going to share a room with Nathasha, Claudia, and Tess. I’d talked …

Profoundly hurtful words can sear through you and unconsciously lower your self-worth over time. Some even argue that it is just as painful as being beaten. I must admit that this is a difficult topic to discuss being a verbal abuse victim myself. Verbal abuse doesn’t get as much attention …

For the last three years, I have traveled to the east coast, on my own expense, to speak on behalf of the disabled community and discrimination, at Kean University. ach department phone Previously, I had spoken in history classrooms with up and coming students. However, this time, I spoke to …