Never Forget 9/11

September 11, 2001, was one of the worst days in American history. Many people died that day, and on the tenth anniversary of this tragedy, we must remember all who lost their lives, those who surrendered their lives in order to save others, and those on Flight 93, who saved an additional plane from crashing into its original destination, most likely the White House or Capitol Building.

Several people with disabilities that worked in the Twin Towers died because no one could carry them down the stairs due to their equipment, such as wheelchairs. I'd like for us all to take a moment to remember those people, who must have been extremely brave and scared, all at the same time. In addition, we must consider the large quantity of people who became disabled as a result of the 9/11 attacks. Many have been severely injured from breathing the dust and debris caused by the collapse of both towers, and others survived numerous third-degree burns that still require regular medical attention. There are several foundations that support these victims and survivors and I will list them at the end of this blog post. Please consider donating to these causes because there are plenty of stories about people losing their houses and other parts of their lives simply because they cannot work anymore due to their complications from 9/11.

Finally, I hope that with the remembrance of September 11 comes enlightenment about how we can change to make our country safer for its people. We have already dramatically improved safety at the airports and on airplanes, but that doesn't mean that we are done. We also must consider, as Mayor Giuliani pointed out on the September 9th episode of The View, improving our radio waves so that fire and safety personnel can easily access each other in times of emergency. From the point of DA4U, though, I think something that needs more attention--as proved by the devastation of 9/11--is the safety of people with disabilities when working on a floor other than the first or ground level of a building. First, people with disabilities need to outline their needs in an emergency situation with their employees upon their hiring. Answering questions like whether or not you can be lifted out of your wheelchair can definitely help someone help you if tragedy strikes. Also, you could teach someone how to escort you the proper way if you are blind or have low vision. You would definitely be smart to inform more than one coworker, too, so that if an emergency arises and that person called out sick or is on vacation, you have a back-up plan. In order to get these kinks worked out ahead of time, I would suggest asking your employer to allow you an hour or so to discuss your needs with all employees of your company. Not only will this reassure you some peace of mind when it comes to your safety in emergency situations, it will also raise awareness about your disability as well as make your fellow coworkers feel more comfortable around you.

If anything, 9/11 taught the United States that we must always prepare for accidents and emergencies. It also gave us the ability to discover humanity at its very best. On September 11, everyone came together and tried to help one another. We must never forget.

Ground Zero Memorial. Photo Credit: www.google.com

Today, Ground Zero displays a beautiful memorial for all of those heroes, with each of the nearly 3,000 names of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, inscribed in bronze.

If you would like to make a donation to a foundation that benefits the victims and survivors of 9/11, please click on any of the following links:

http://www.americas911foundation.org/

http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/

http://www.911memorial.org/

http://www.911helpamerica.com/


I wish you all nothing but safety, and hope that on the tenth anniversary of September 11, you will tell everyone you know just how much they mean to you, because life is very precious.

Disability Discrimination and Employment

Although I believe we are making huge strides to gaining equal opportunities for diverse populations when it comes to employment, I know we are no where near the overall goal.

I recently graduated college and have now found myself on the quest for an occupation. After 5 months, I've gone on 6 interviews and have found that some of the employers were uncomfortable by my disability. Now I know they knew I was disabled because if they took a glance at my resume, they saw how involved I was with disability awareness, disability-related speeches, and disability-related clubs while in college. But if they took an even closer look at my resume, they will see that I wrote "talked to an audience of educators about my disability," etc. I am fully comfortable addressing it on my resume because it will get the question out of their heads before I walk in the door. However, they still don't know exactly what kind of disability I have. Here lies the problem. Once I get to the interview stage and actually meet with the employer(s), sometimes it can be awkward. I'm used to people staring and sometimes even gawking at me because they've never seen someone so different, but in the workplace, you can't do that. So often I'll walk in and they'll glance at my crutches. Right then I know I'm going to have to work a little harder to prove that I would be a valuable employee. More than skills and qualifications, employers are looking for someone that will fit in with their culture and workplace environment, and if I make them uncomfortable, it's not going to leave a good taste in their mouths, so to speak.

So how does one overcome this huge obstacle, when there is nothing he/she can do to hide his/her disability? Well, for starters, I've come to realize that it is important to remember that if an employer or company doesn't want to hire me because I am different, I shouldn't want to work for them. This is something I discussed with my mentors while an undergraduate student. But we can't just accept that logic, because it'll never change those companies and employers. So I've been wondering how we can adjust their mind frames to make it a little easier for people with disabilities trying to enter the workforce. One thing that immediately comes to mind is being persistent. Call the company, send them thank yous after an interview, and do all the things that career counselors would advise you to do. Don't accept that they might not have liked you and give up. Another tip: don't get discouraged. Keep applying to jobs and sending out resumes. This is something I struggled with and still do from time to time. It is very easy to get upset when you can't find a job, especially if you have suspicions that the reason could be your uniqueness. As I've discovered in every aspect of life, though, it is always better to be an optimist than a pessimist. Optimism will help the doors of opportunity open sooner. I'll write more on this later, since I'm still experiencing the occupational process. Thanks for any comments.

Rainy Days

Today it torrentially down poured in parts of Pennsylvania. Earlier in the week I had planned to go into the Dean’s Office and finish up my work on The Collage, but when I looked out my window and saw students with umbrellas flipping inside-out, I decided that wasn’t going to be possible. Not only can I not carry an umbrella, I also have a hood that doesn’t stay on very well in windy conditions. I also had to walk from one building to another because the shuttle bus at KU doesn’t have a stop at the building where I work.

I was very upset because I was already dressed and ready for the day and really wanted to go to work to finish the newsletter. But, I had no choice. So, I reluctantly called the Dean’s Office to let them know that it was going to be hard for me to get there. Luckily, they seemed to understand my situation.

I was then stuck in my apartment. I was hoping that the rain would stop before my class at 3:00, because I was presenting all of my different websites on Disability Awareness 4 You, and thankfully it did!

Sometimes students with disabilities face challenges when bad weather conditions happen. The best thing a teacher and/or other students can do is understand that it may not always be as easy as it seems for these students. Also, students with disabilities should keep the lines of communication open with their professors and friends so that they will (hopefully) not be penalized for missing class/work/etc.

Dating and Disabilities

Something that has always been very dear to my heart is the issue surrounding relationships and disabilities. I know MANY people with disabilities who are single because they don't feel attractive or have never been noticed by someone else. The results of these situations can be devastating.

The connection between death and teens who are not heterosexual is rising - and the awareness about it is rising, too. What society doesn't know is that disabled teens, and even adults, who do not feel capable of ever having an intimate relationship could end up going down the same path, and some already have.

I know about this battle from personal experience. As if high school wasn't hard enough, it was even harder for me because of my disability. My disability is visual - you can see the differences - and this made me stand out from the crowd. Although I did have a few relationships, I was never "asked out" by anyone. I always started the relationship, and to be honest, I always ended up with guys who were willing to be with me, but I didn't find them attractive or have an urge to date them. So, for a long time I bounced around, dating guys who were all wrong for me; but, I was somewhat satisfied because I was grateful that I didn't go through high school without dating at all. I look back now and wish that I didn't bounce around so much, but many of the disabled people that I come across have gone through this same phase because we are so desperate to feel loved and wanted.
Disabled people need to learn how to feel confident about themselves, first and foremost. No one wants to date a person who is constantly talking about how ugly they are and how much they hate themself. People want to be around and date people who are positive and fun to be with. Once disabled people learn this positivity and confidence, then and only then can they start to think about dating. This was definitely one of my problems. I always complained to friends about not being able to find a partner due to my disability (and to all of you who dealt with me during that time, I am truly sorry).

Another important detail is not to feel that you can only date another disabled person when you yourself are also disabled. There are so many people in the world, and if you only pay attention to a very small group, you are limiting yourself to other options. I've found this to be true among many of my disabled friends.

And for all of the non-disabled people out there, the same rules apply. If you limit yourself to dating only people who are white and blonde like yourself, you are limiting your dating possibilities. This is not to say that you should only explore people who are unlike yourself; rather, you should be willing to keep your mind open to anyone.

Lastly, and this is very cliche, but, you must not openly look for a partner all day, everyday. Love truly can find you when you least expect it.

As I say throughout every website that Disability Awareness 4 You has, COMMUNICATE! Communication is a great way to meet someone. Talk with your friends, old and new, and you never know what might happen. If you don't communicate, you will never meet new people and are thus limiting yourself and all of your dating possibilities.

If this post helped you, let me know. I would be more than willing to post more articles about dating and disabilities. (I didn't want to overkill it.)

Disability Highlight: Visual Impairments

Until I came to college, I was unaware of visual impairments that were more severe than poor eye sight, but not as severe as being completely blind.

I now know four people who have visual impairments at KU. Some of them use the aid of white canes or guide dogs, and some of them do not. It just depends on a case-by-case basis. So many disabilities follow this theory, which is why no one--not even someone with a disability--can ever really understand the complexities of another person's disability. Never assume you know what a person is going through and never assume that you know what they can and cannot do because it varies with each individual.

People with visual impairments have a range of accommodations that are made for them in certain situations. For example, the most common accommodation among students with visual impairments is that they sometimes require texts to be larger in format. Other helpful accommodations for students with visual impairments are:

• They may need to be seated closer to the front of the classroom so they can see the chalkboard.
• They may be affected by very bright lights, so warning them of any is helpful.
• Verbal instructions and details are beneficial to a student whose eye sight is very poor.
• Tactile familiarization with a classroom or other detailed areas of a room or objects can help a student with a visual impairment be an equal alongside the other students in their class.

These helpful hints may seem only applicable to people who are blind; however, it should be noted that people with visual impairments need accommodations, too, and they should be allowed to receive the same rights to accessibility throughout their life.