Topic: Individuality

When I finished my first novel, I knew better than to hope for success. The publishing industry is competitive, especially for marginalized authors who write about their lived experiences. Few writers strike gold on their first completed project.

If you'd asked me at the time, I would have said I was prepared for failure. And I was! But that didn't stop the rejection from hurting. I love everything I write, but that book was especially important to me, as it featured the disability representation I'd wanted since childhood. It was the culmination of a decade of striving — and it went nowhere.

The therapist in me recognizes the shift in mindset as the result of failure. If I hadn't abandoned my book, I wouldn't have questioned my purpose as a writer. I wouldn't have realized that, while writing is difficult, especially in a world that often devalues disabled perspectives, it is also worth it.

I wouldn't have rededicated myself to my craft or written a book that blew my previous one out of the water. Would it have been easier without the failure of rejection? Absolutely. But would it have been as meaningful? Probably not. And that — that's where the magic is.

Lots of people know me as a protective mother. It's not a bad thing. Sometimes, I have to be the mama bear to get things done for my child who lives with medically complex needs. It wasn't until my son Jack turned 6 years old that I realized he could really fend for himself and express his own needs. As his mom, I want to empower him and encourage independence.

Today, Jack is 7 years old and lives with SMA Type 1, as well as mild autism disorder. The combination of SMA and autism didn't allow him to have a voice until he was about 4 years old. Jack has worked so hard to build his voice through help from speech therapy, his educational environment, and our family.

One major takeaway from our conversations is that Jack needs to establish independence early on, so he can be even stronger when he reaches adulthood. So, with the help of our home support system, we are teaching Jack about the power he holds over his own life.

It was about a year ago when my eyes really opened. We were at the hospital, and Jack was being prepped to start an IV infusion. The nurse was looking for a vein on his right arm. Then Jack suddenly told the nurse that the better arm was the left one and to please not use the loud thing. He meant the jtip, which is a needle-free anesthetic and is very loud. Jack does not like the sound of it and sternly voiced his own concerns. It made me so proud to see that he could advocate for himself.

At school, Jack can get emotionally and physically fatigued from the busy school day. He knows that he can simply raise his hand to call his teacher and ask for a break. Often, he needs mental breaks. He's free to roll to the sensory room for a few moments to refresh himself or to have a snack. At home, he will ask for help when he can't reach a toy and is very good at communicating exactly what he wants to eat.

I watch my son live with SMA, and I see it's a daily struggle to get all his basic needs met. He needs help with coughing, showering, toileting, changing his clothes, taking his medications, preparing food, and the list goes on. Before Jack had a voice, we used to do things as a routine, saying it's time to do this or time to do that. I have learned that it's better to encourage him to tell us when he needs something. As a protective mom, I used to think I knew Jack better than he knew himself. The truth is that he really deserves more credit. That's something I learned from my many opportunities engaging with other members of the SMA community.

When I perform at speaking engagements, people often ask what my parents did to set me up for success in life. The answer is simple: from a young age, I was encouraged to be a self-advocate. That's a fancy way of saying they taught me early on how to voice my needs and stick up for myself.

My parents faced the daunting task of teaching their children skills of self-advocacy and responsibility. After all, their main goal of parenting is to set up their kids with the tools, resources, and values for a lifetime of satisfaction and success.

As a young child, I was encouraged to go out and play with the other children in our neighborhood, a process that involved introducing myself and showing my new friends how we could play our favorite games and include my wheelchair in the fun. My parents let me get dirty, make mistakes, and ultimately get into trouble (occasionally!) just like every other kid. In this way, I learned how to help kids understand my disability and realize I was no different than them.

In school, my parents and teachers included me as an equal partner in planning my disability accommodations. They urged me to voice my desires during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. As long as those desires aligned with safety and common sense, the adults deferred to my opinion when crafting my accommodation plan. For example, in 4th grade, when I decided I no longer wanted a school-supplied personal attendant all day, I was responsible for showing the administrators how and why my friends were better options to be my helpers in class. This taught me how to argue, reason, and make smart decisions for myself.

As a teenager, there were times when I hated the "extra" responsibilities. My parents taught me how to make medical appointments, keep a schedule for my life, talk to insurance representatives, and more. I remember having big arguments with my parents when it was time to schedule an appointment, but I just wanted to be playing video games.

Looking back now, as a 30-year-old, I so appreciate my parents for giving me the skills and confidence to manage my life and care. I felt a strong sense of personal autonomy well before many of my nondisabled friends, and I largely attribute that to how my parents raised me. The skills and tendencies I developed throughout childhood turned out to be incredibly useful in my adult life (and attractive to partners as an added bonus). Today, I feel completely comfortable managing all the myriad responsibilities of adulthood, especially factors related to having SMA. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

I volunteer for disability-related organizations because advocacy is important to me. I would not be where I am today without the help of advocates.

When I was a child, I saw my mom stand up for me so many times when there were issues regarding accessibility or being treated fairly. I always saw my mom go out of her way to connect with other parents who had a child with SMA, and I particularly remember my parents always begging me to become pen pals with other kids. Although I witnessed all of this, it wasn't until I turned 18 that I realized I needed to start advocating for myself and connecting with others who have a disability, like me.

If no one stands up for me, I feel like I could fall apart from the frequent circumstances of inequality and negativity I face. For example, someone can talk to me with an unkind tone if I let them, or they can dismiss me as ineligible to squeeze into the school elevator unless I speak up. I can also miss out on opportunities that will help me in the long run, such as physical therapy, which would cause me to lose mobility function if I do not seek the help I need. There can be financial, physical, and certainly emotional categories of mistreatment I can likely endure if I do not advocate for myself. Even worse, I can endure all of these in vain because I did not do a thing about it to help the next disabled person avoid the unique or common situation.

With music and coding as my focus, I come across chances to improve accessibility and inclusion in mostly those realms. Community encompasses various focuses, and I always want to be a part of that.

I have volunteered for decades by fundraising, cold calling for events, writing original music, and performing pro bono. I have recorded audiobooks for the blind and those who benefit from audiobooks. I have volunteered with disabled children, presenting motivational speeches at schools (from elementary to higher education), and at hospitals, businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations. Most recently, I have fought for disability inclusion in the music industry. There are many opportunities to build your community through volunteering and so many ways to help.

I took on leadership roles in an effort to make changes throughout New York City, and I am thankful to know that they have paved the way for more advocacy via the community.

Although it seems simple, each of the above moments is meaningful. I balance difficulties with the knowledge that when I advocate for myself, I am also advocating for others as well. I have learned always to do my best and give as much as I can of myself because I believe my efforts will make a difference.

It's strange. We work long hours for companies that can easily replace us. If we're lucky, we like what we do and receive a fair wage. If not, we do it anyway.

We choose joy.

Sometimes after work, we continue the work required in our family. We respond and act quickly when our child is in distress. We don't sleep when our child is in respiratory distress. Yet, we listen when others tell us how tired they are.

And we choose joy.

Life with a medically complex child often forces us to slow down. Sometimes, life slows to a complete stop. These times are difficult as we watch the world around us move on while we stand still.

But still, we choose joy.

A trip to the zoo means loading more medical equipment into our vehicle than exists in an average hospital room. Suction machines, spare batteries, trach vents, pulse oximeters, nebulizers, etc. The list goes on and on. For our family, it includes transporting two power chairs in a borrowed pickup truck (to be driven separately) with a ramp that works but is super sketchy because the chairs weigh 350 pounds each. By the way, a trip to the grocery store requires the same load. We're spectacles of society, sometimes pariahs.

Time and again, I meet other fathers in our extended community, from all different backgrounds, all different professions, with all different anything - you name it. We not only share our experience of having a child living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), but also we share our joy. Not all of us for sure, and not all of us all of the time, but enough that I'm compelled to talk about it. Maybe some of us are faking it, but I'll receive it all the same. Our joy is what keeps us connected to our family and to each other.

Our joy inspires me.

I first discovered my passion for music when I was singing songs on the radio at two years old. A few years later, I enrolled in piano lessons, and I thought it was the coolest thing to be able to create music myself. My parents felt that I had a unique ability that many people didn't have.

When I started creating my own songs with my own lyrics, music allowed me to express myself however I wanted to, and that was invaluable. Music would allow people to see me for who I really was, and it became a huge part of my identity going forward. I knew that I didn't feel like myself if I wasn't creating or performing music, so I made music a part of my daily life. I feel whole and complete when I'm writing and performing, and over the years, just by following my passion, others have attached music to my identity. It's a given and it can't be separated from who I am.

Through music, I was introduced to other art forms, and I've learned so much more about myself through multiple methods of creative expression.

For me, music is a form of self-expression - similar to fashion. I also love expressing myself through what I wear, and I've been conscious of my fashion choices since I was in middle school. My introduction to fashion came through basketball shoes. I remember being 12 years old and my grandma buying me a pair of my favorite player's signature shoes. I can still remember the feeling of wearing them to school for the first time and getting so many compliments! I was hooked, and it was at this moment when I realized that I needed to build my outfits around my shoes. Having multiple options for shoes really allowed me to expand my wardrobe and be bold with my choices.

In high school, and even more so in college, I became known for my style. It's a really big part of my identity, and it even helped me display my disability more prominently. When I was first diagnosed with SMA, I wanted to hide from the world. But because I loved being bold with fashion, my outfits would be bright or unconventional, and I felt this brought attention to me. It helped me to become really comfortable in my skin, which made me want to highlight that I walked with a limp because of SMA. I even incorporated accessible elements (that were also stylish) into my clothing.

Along with creating my music, I've cultivated my own style for the majority of my life, and following that passion has played a gigantic part in shaping who I am. It says so much about who I am without me saying a word.

Like every overachieving high schooler, I had dreams of attending a fancy, ivy-covered college, with sprawling libraries and a quad to boot.

It didn't take long for reality to temper my dreams. My college of choice had to be within driving distance of my suburban home. Then there was accessibility to consider, and scholarships, ad infinitum.

My college experience wasn't nearly as sparkly as I'd hoped it would be. While the campus was accessible, the faculty wasn't used to providing accommodations. By the end of day, I was exhausted - physically, mentally, and emotionally.

So, I left.

It wasn't an easy decision. It felt like I was giving up. Like I was disappointing the high schooler in me, who still longed for lecture halls and study dates. I wanted to be like everyone else in my graduating class, with their picture-perfect Instagram profiles. I wanted to be normal.

But I wasn't. I would never be. So I transferred to an online program and never looked back. Time and time again, I see this conundrum in life with SMA. I want things to be a certain way. I grew up expecting things to be a certain way - a certain education, a certain job, a certain house in a certain city with a certain way of going about my day. I pretend, if only for a while, that I am in control of my life.

Then I remember.

It seems that, whenever I learn this lesson, it doesn't take me long to forget it. Years after I transferred schools, I was faced with a similar dilemma: rack up tens of thousands of dollars in tuition so I could get an M.A. that would land me a job I probably wouldn't be able to handle or accept that some things I cannot change.

I cannot change my university's willingness to accommodate disabled folks.

I cannot change my body's ability to withstand a regular work week.

We can spend all our energy trying to make something work - shouting at the world until either it hears us or we lose our voice. We can try to be normal and beat ourselves up over things we can't control.

Or we can try something new.

I don't know about you, but I'd much rather hold life lightly - letting go of certain outcomes, and embracing whatever comes our way, trusting that we can make the best of any less-than-ideal situation.

When I tell people that Céline has SMA, they often say things like, "I'm so sorry, that must be so hard for you." But for me, the truth is that I'm comfortable and happy with the busy life that comes along with being an SMA mom. Of course, when I first got the news, it was an extremely difficult time, to say the least. However, at this point, I have completely accepted Céline's diagnosis and have adjusted.

I don't think about her diagnosis much from day to day. We've made many modifications to our everyday life, but it's second nature at this point. Céline does just about everything a typical child would do (albeit differently), and she fully enjoys life. I love my life as her mom. She is happy, and that makes me happy.

With that said, she does have limitations due to her disability. For the most part, she seems completely unbothered by her constraints, but there are some days that are hard for us. There are days when she falls a lot, and I constantly have to pick her up because she can't get up on her own yet. There are activities that she simply can not do, no matter how much I try to make them accessible. There are times when she is frustrated. And I get frustrated too.

There are also times when I worry about her future. But these are feelings that every parent feels, whether their child has SMA or not. Frustration, confusion and fear are part of parenting. That's the first thing I remind myself when I feel down - that these feelings are a natural part of life that I should not focus on because there is no room in my day, and they do not serve me. Those negative feelings make my job as a mom even harder, and I simply don't have time for them.

I choose to focus on the positive and the possibilities. Usually, I can will my thoughts into a positive space on my own. But sometimes, that's just not enough, and the negative thoughts loom. In those moments, I lean on my support system. For instance, my husband reminds me that we are fortunate enough to be facing SMA in a time where so much more is known about how to manage the disease than in the past. My best friend also assures me that I'm doing a great job and that Céline has come a long way. At times, I turn to my iPhone, where I have an album of Céline's milestones since her diagnosis.

When you're in this journey day in and day out, as I am, it can be hard to see all that we have overcome, and how much has changed. But when I am able to see pictures and videos of Céline through the months and years, it reminds me that she is remarkable.

It can be hard to stay engaged, especially in advocacy work. There's always something vying for our attention, from social media to petitions to our own health and well-being. Burnout is the inevitable result - exhaustion so pervasive that we have no choice but to disengage at times.

This act of disengaging isn't just natural; it's healthy. It allows us to recharge and rejuvenate, so we can show up as our best selves. But sometimes we forget to return. We've grown so accustomed to isolation that we struggle to look beyond our immediate spheres, beyond our own lives.

I see this a lot in the disability community. Life with SMA - or any other rare disease - is difficult. Sometimes, it's all we can do to look after ourselves, let alone someone else. But I push myself to show up.

I get back to the work.

I try to remember that our community is bigger than it seems. For every person in the #DisabledAndCute hashtag, there's someone out there with unmet needs.

Just because I feel seen, doesn't mean that others do.

This is true for the SMA community - people around the world with different life experiences and resources at their disposal. But it's also true for the disability community at large. Invisible illnesses. Ambulatory folks. The list goes on.

Some of us are thriving, and some of us aren't.

Friendships are funny things, aren’t they? We enjoy them and cry over them; we strive for them and wonder how they started; we watch them come and go, some passing quickly and others lasting a lifetime. I have been honored over the years to have a bounty of friends and, somewhere along the line, they started helping me with my caregiving needs. In fact, I can tell you where it started!

In high school, I played in a punk band, and the summer that we graduated, we hit the road on our first out-of-town tour. It was just a long weekend, and there was only room in the van (and our minds) for myself and my band mates, so they decided that they would take care of me. I still remember us all piling into a little bathroom, figuring it out together. And I think that’s how it had to happen for me: just some boys being boys, feeling invincible, acting dumb, and somehow landing on our feet.

Nowadays, I have about 10 guys who rotate through getting me up in the mornings. None of them are medical professionals, none of them get paid to help. They’re all just pitching in to make my life happen because they’re my friends, they care about me, and I am their friend, I care about them. We are mutually pouring into each other’s lives, enriching one another and building one another up in love. As many of you know, this level of care fosters a sense of vulnerability on both sides and can create a deep bond, as well as profound weariness if the process isn’t managed well. The following are three tips on how to navigate the dynamics of friendship and caregiving for better results in both aspects of the relationship...

1. Grace and Forgiveness: People make mistakes, and it’s no different when caregiving is involved. Be slow to anger and quick to assume the best of each other as you navigate these dynamics together.
2. The Balancing Act: Make sure your friendship still has some space outside of caregiving. Have fun, hang out, go see a movie, eat some tacos! No one wants their association to be strictly centered around one giving the other a shower.
3. Care Goes Both Ways: Always remember, you’re caring for one another. It’s a two-way street. No matter how asleep I am in the morning or how badly I need to use the restroom, I have to intentionally start each day by genuinely asking how my friend is doing and then going from there. You absolutely must communicate your needs with each other and prove trustworthy in your mutual responses of care.

It’s hard work, but worthy to be considered.

Negative thoughts and emotions are a normal part of life and can be a natural consequence of a person's experience. Extreme challenges, such as life-threatening medical conditions with children, can naturally threaten a parent's ability to focus on the good because his or her mind has been redirected to focus on those situations. These experiences can take a toll on mental health, making it difficult to maintain a positive outlook on life. You may be one of those parents who feel thinking positively is as laborious as training for a marathon. And you might be right.

When you're out of shape, it's hard to run a mile, let alone a marathon. You must train to run a mile, so you can run another mile, and then another, until you eventually run a marathon. Consistent training will inevitably improve performance. Likewise, when you train your mind to focus on the good, you can create a positive mindset. A positive mindset is not about wearing rose-colored glasses - it's about training the miles and miles of thoughts in your head to go where you want to be.

A mind's ability to think positively is as varied as a person's physical ability to run. Some people are naturally built to run. These natural runners step on a start line and cruise a mile time that takes others weeks to achieve. Some people can run barefoot or in minimalist shoes, while others need high support shoes. Some runners rarely get injured, while others manage ailment after ailment.

You don't need to compare yourself to others to get better at it. You become incrementally better as you train your mind. As much as it benefits others to be around a more positive you, you are the one who truly profits from being positive.

Training to run often creates a strange love for running. You can also train your mind to push through and work hard, regardless of negative thoughts and emotions. You may find yourself running on a day you told yourself you felt tired or on a day it was raining. And not because you love running, but because you practiced being a badass long enough to know you can do hard things, even when you don't feel like it.

Just as a runner increases his or her threshold to endure running, you can increase your threshold to maintain positive thinking when faced with extreme challenges. When you actively work toward positivity despite your circumstance, your mind has no choice but to follow. This is crucial to keep your mind from going down a sudden, sneaky, scary road not worth racing.

Some of the strongest runners known aren't necessarily the ones who run races; they are the runners who persevered because of their single-mindedness. You can have a mind like the runner who fights the good fight and finishes the course. And you will!

I wish I could tell you that following your dream will be easy.

I wish I could tell you that life will reward you for following your dream. For showing up, again and again, even when it's hard.

But I can't.

My dream is to write books. Dozens of them, with swoon-worthy romances and hair-raising plot twists. Every story will feature a disabled girl and have, if not a *happy* ending, a narratively satisfying one. Maybe someday I'll hit the bestseller list, but in all honesty, I'd settle for changing a life. For showing disabled girls like me that they can star in their favorite narratives.

Your dream is probably different. Maybe it's falling in love. Maybe it's seeing the world, or having a child, or living on the beach with a cat, a dog, and lots of friends. Maybe it's all three! But at one point or another, you may feel like your dream is unattainable.

Your partner broke up with you.

Your travel agency won't accommodate wheelchair users.

Your book won't sell.

I wish I could say that following your dream gets easier. That, with time, the sting of rejection will fade to nothing. But I can't. Following your dream is *hard*, especially with a life-altering condition like SMA. Taking risks - like signing up for dating apps or moving halfway across the country - will always be scary.

Here's what I can say.

A few years ago, my family and I moved across the country to a lively town of many unknowns: Nashville, Tennessee. As we left our family, childhood friends and familiar surroundings, we were faced with a new scenario and asked ourselves: how do we make adult friends and navigate a new community as an inter-abled couple?

We've come to realize there is a large population of people who have never had friends with disabilities. Because of this, everything in our "normal" scope of life can be new to someone else.

Our hope was to make new friends, show them the fun people we are and truly enjoy our new city like everyone else did.

Making friends as adults has its struggles already, but mix in the unique situations of inaccessible houses, particular dining preferences and different needs, and you could easily find yourself with a "not-so-typical" friendship.

As we were seeking new adult friend groups, we wanted to help people better understand my needs and how I receive support from others (aside from my significant other). As we embarked on this journey of settling in our new community, we had to be very intentional with reaching out to new friends, putting ourselves out there and sticking true to the kind of friends we know we are and were seeking to have.

We love hosting friends, so we would invite new people over for dinners often. Opening your home and family to strangers can be a big jump for some, but we loved it every time. It allowed others to see us in our element. Me as a mom, Jake as the chef and all of us as friendly people. If that seems too personal, meeting for lunch is another option that has worked for us! Worried that they may pick a place that doesn't do well with your food restrictions or spatial needs? Suggest the location!

We decided early on to be open to new things! As we explored a new town with new friends, there were things we found that just didn't work for our situation, like hiking a waterfall. But we took those opportunities to communicate what would work for us, such as camping or outdoor movie nights.

We realized our new friends were not used to viewing life through "accessible or inaccessible lenses" in the beginning - but I can confidently say that has changed!

Life can throw some crazy curveballs, can't it? I remember once getting off a 19-hour flight to a country halfway across the world and receiving news that my wheelchair might have been left at the airport back home. Thankfully, it was just buried under other luggage, but it was a mess for a minute there.

Still, no matter how many systems we put into place or checklists we make, as long as people are involved, there may be unpredictable and uncontrollable variables to deal with. Curveballs.

I've never been much of a baseball person, but my wife is, so I'm learning.

But the point here is that it's not a blanket fact, "swing at all curveballs" or "don't swing at any of them." It all depends on...well, a lot of things. Here are a few factors that I like to consider when that "curveball" is headed my way...

1. Who is the pitcher? There is often a difference between the challenge itself and the challenger (if there is one specifically, though there isn't always). If a person or organization or building or system is putting an obstacle in my way, I consider their authority and/or expertise on the matter. Doctor, pilot, president? Fence, boat, mountain, stairs? Another friend in a wheelchair, a non-disabled friend or family member, a total stranger?
2. What's the curve/speed? Some challenges are manageable and realistic, while others simply are not. For example: stairs. It's one thing to face the challenge of a friend's house with one 2" step vs. the third floor apartment with no elevator. In the latter case, I would maybe meet somewhere else or just leave my wheelchair downstairs and have a friend carry me up.
3. How's your batting? The first two questions kind of go together, and these last three go together as well when considering my situation. I try to consider my own capacity first, and how I might handle the challenge - physically, socially, emotionally.
4. Who's on the bases? Next, think about who is on your team. What are they bringing to the table in this current situation that may help? I've been really blessed to be surrounded by a lot of creative people who are willing to jump in, go with the flow, and come up with out-of-the-box solutions on the spot.
5. What's the hit worth? At the end of the day, I ask myself: is overcoming this challenge a hill worth dying on? How will it affect me, my team, the challenger (if there is one), and the unassuming audience watching?

I love all of my art prints, but the one above my desktop monitor has a special place in my heart: “No one is you and that is your power,” usually attributed to singer/songwriter Dave Grohl.

The other day, I was beating myself up over my latest project. The professionals call it imposter syndrome. I was comparing myself to others in my community, writers with book deals and large Twitter followings, feeling like I had nothing to offer. Writing is difficult. Marketing is even harder. Why was I struggling when other people make it look easy? Maybe I wasn’t cut out to be an author after all. Maybe it would be better if I just gave up.

And then I looked up.

No one is you and that is your power.

Putting them down on paper is hard. I’m sure that publishing them will be equally arduous. But they are still my stories. Mine. And they are bursting at the seams with everything I love, from fairy tales in space to disability representation.

They are not perfect. But they are mine. And therein lies their power. My stories are a curious amalgamation of dreams and experiences. If I do the stories justice and write them well, they won’t look like anyone else’s. They will be flawed and earnest and quintessentially me.

I get asked this question from almost everyone when they find out I left my home in the suburbs to attend college six hours away from my family.

For the disability community, going away to college can seem daunting and out of reach. Everyone is different and should do what is best for their situation. But, if you want to go away to college, I’m here to tell you how I did it and some of my own personal tips and tricks!

• Tip 1: Research your desired college and look into what sort of disability support they offer. Call the college and talk with the disability resource center about your needs and how they can accommodate you, so you can get the full college experience, both academically and socially. Ask about accessibility, if they provide any personal care support and what academic modifications can be made for your learning needs.
• Tip 2: Get ready for a lot of responsibility. If you decide to go away for college, you won’t have your family there. You’re going to have to manage your daily care, academics, accommodations, doctor appointments, social life, clubs, etc. I suggest getting a planner and getting yourself organized! Possibly adopt a routine so that you can keep your life organized and running smoothly. In college, there’s a lot going on, and you don’t want to get caught in a rut!
• Tip 3: Communication skills are key! When you have a disability, having good communication skills are essential, especially in regards to managing your needs and care. Be open with your caregivers about how they can best help you thrive and be comfortable while you’re adjusting to life away from home. Be open with your professors about what your needs are while you are in their classroom. Be open with your peers about your needs, and just have fun!

Having the opportunity and privilege to attend college at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and graduating with a B.S. in rehabilitation counseling changed my life. Not so much the degree, but the experience as a whole. I made forever friends and have made some of the best memories I’ve ever had in my life. Most importantly, I found myself. I learned that I could be successful and live completely on my own.

You can do it too, and I hope my tips and tricks help you realize, you can.

As a parent, I have finite time to nurture my children. This is true regardless of having a disabled son, who naturally requires more of my time for his physical and medical needs.

It’s difficult to give each child individualized attention when they are often together, but I find expressing my attention in small ways makes a big difference. My middle daughter loves to hold my hand. Even when I’m with all my children, if I ask to hold her hand, she can sense my attention and love directed specifically to her. Although subtle, my simple intentional action is noticed in her little heart.

Individual time for each child is sacred, so the time deserves to be called something special. When I’m out with one of my daughters, I call it a “mommy-daughter date.” Highlighting the one-on-one time with a special name helps my daughter recognize the dedicated time just for her. Even if the time together is short, the impact is eternal in my daughter’s heart.

It’s important that my daughters recognize that their brother also needs to be nurtured and have quality time, beyond what’s necessary for his medical care. Just like them, he gets “mommy-son dates” too. Just like them, there are specific ways I intentionally express attention and love to him.

Being intentional helps me nurture well, regardless of who needs more of my time.

My sister and I grew up in an amazing home. We have an older brother and a mom and dad who, my mentor would say, “forgot to tell us we were handicapped.”

Looking back now, I can attribute that to the choices our parents made to foster within us senses of worth, awareness and ingenuity. When I asked mom and dad about these choices, they shared with me some keys to their methods of raising kids with disabilities. Here are a few tips from their perspective:

1. Not All Danger Is Bad: Adventure is life-giving to kids. Scraped knees and broken arms teach them not only their limitations, but their abilities too. For a child with weak lungs, feeble limbs, or a wheelchair, this will look different from other kids. My brother climbed a tree and jumped in an attempt to fly. I couldn’t do that, but I could circle the roller rink with thirty other people a lot bigger and faster than me, and I could play soccer with my running friends on a bumpy Carolina field. There are foolish dangers, like driving your chair into a pond, and then there are dangers that come naturally with living life to the fullest. The latter should be allowed, and as parents, you will need to accept that your child might get hurt but they’ll grow as a person and ultimately be the better for it.
2. Let Them Feel Deeply: Growing up is hard in its own right, but then compounding it with a disability makes for a childhood of unbelievable dynamics that many able-bodied adults may never face. Special friendships and broken hearts, cool gadgets and surprise surgeries. It’s a lot to take in. Kids have a profound capacity to feel. They should learn how, and be allowed, to handle those ocean waves of joy, sorrow, love, anger, confusion, etc. As they encounter the world around them, the good and the bad of it, their hearts are tender to the impression it makes. Don’t shelter them from this, but come alongside to help them step into these thoughts and feelings, and navigate such experiences properly to come out on the other end with a healthier, fuller spirit.
3. Rebellion Is Not Their Disability: Discipline is important for a child learning how to interact with the world. It clarifies boundaries, which at an early age we test to understand. I learned early on that I can’t backtalk my mom or disobey my dad. I’m in a wheelchair, which means I am an exception to some rules, like extended time on exams or having someone else do my laundry, but I’m not exempt from respecting my fellow man and observing the law of the land.

So much of who we grow up to be is derived from the people who raise us, the world they shape around us, and the ways they help us navigate through that world.

My tip: Look for people who are empathetic to help you get what you need for your child. When someone tells you no or demonstrates an unwillingness to help, move on to another individual. Instead of trying to change a person’s mind, look for the right person to help.

Raising children with disabilities looks an awful lot like raising able-bodied children. At least, it can with the right tools and mindset. My parents raised three children, and two of us have SMA Type 2. They made important decisions daily to help navigate our interactions with the world around us.

In follow-up to my previous article, here are a few more tips from my mom and dad sharing their perspective on how they raised children with disabilities.

1. Open Door Policies: An open heart is vital for you and your child to survive. Get your family out into the community and have people in your home, too. This breaks down the walls that come up when people don’t understand your family’s circumstances. Letting people into your world can hurt, but it can also be rewarding in the most beautiful ways you wouldn’t expect. We were not meant to carry burdens on our own, nor to celebrate without a party. This will help you to have support, and it will help your child to experience community, how to foster and engage it alike, which will prove invaluable as they set out on their own later in life.
2. Relatable Moral Support: Not only is it important to assimilate your family into everyday community experiences, but on top of that, find a few other families with comparable challenges to your own. This will help you, your spouse and children all feel a better sense that you’re not alone in this different kind of life. Interacting with the outside world is paramount, but you also just need, sometimes, to hear someone say, “I get it.”
3. There’s Always Another Way: As your family runs into obstacles, take advantage of these opportunities to foster innovation, creativity, and flexibility by example. I heard a story recently of a family who uses this motto, “There’s always another way!” If you and your family have dreams that seem impossible, work together and think outside the box to find a way. Traveling, picnicking, camping, whatever it may be, it will be encouraging to you, your children, and those around you to accomplish it in your own unique way. And it may be difficult, or take a lot of time and trial and error, but your family is worth figuring it out for, aren’t they? Growing up, my family found the wildest solutions to the weirdest dreams, and now as an adult, I travel the world in a backpack carried by my friends!

Do you want them to be free, to have friends, see the world, be a writer, lawyer, scientist, spouse, parent, contribute to society, change the world? At the end of the day, the most important thing is for them to know you love them, and these steps can help in the details of what that looks like.

Finding your voice when you live in a world that tries to speak for you can be tricky. It took me years of life experience to realize I could use my voice to express my feelings as a disabled teen / adult living with SMA to cultivate understanding and friendships. When I found that voice, I never looked back.

I think everyone would be surprised to know that I wasn’t always as outspoken as I am now. Don’t get me wrong … I’ve always been a feisty and passionate person, but I didn’t start really expressing my feelings about my disability until I started publicly sharing my life on social media.

My strategy for creating a supportive environment when I was a teen versus now is vastly different. I think the main difference can be summed up in one thing we all (mostly) gain as we age: maturity.

My teen self was always in survival mode. Growing up with a disability is the most challenging thing I’ve ever experienced. We’re all just trying to fit in, be cool, and express our inner pent-up teen hormonal imbalances, which is just as complicated as it sounds. With that being said, I cultivated my own sense of inclusion and social life by letting my personality shine. I focused a lot on my hair, makeup, and fashion as well — because that’s what other teens could relate to. I was also a rebel. I found solace in my newly acquired disabled rebel high schooler status. When have you ever heard of that, a disabled rebel? I took pleasure in breaking stereotypes and expectations people had of me because I have SMA.

Teen logic is quite interesting. Let’s break it down: disabled me + skipping class + wearing a rebel outfit = friends. Don’t ask… that’s just the way it works… or how it worked for me.

When meeting someone new, I do carry some of my teen strategies along in my “educate an abled” handbag whenever I need to break those out. A little swear word or winged eyeliner goes a long way with creating a socially accepting environment, believe it or not.

I still use fashion and makeup to let my inner personality shine on the outside. However, now that I’m an adult, I find that talking about internalized ableism and my disability with my support network makes me feel like those things matter. It also makes my support network more in tune with my experiences as a disabled adult, which helps them be able to support me that much more. I’m not as shy when talking about why I eat slower or why I douse my chicken nuggets in ranch so they can slide down my weak SMA throat easier. Those are things I would try to hide as a teen, to make my disability more palatable for others.

The abled-gaze (how able-bodied people view disability) is something I tried to appeal to my entire life. I tried to come off as less SMA than I really am. By doing that I was only hurting myself and distancing myself from who I am which made it hard to create a supportive network.

Don’t try and become more palatable to please people around you. Being you is so much more freeing.

I can’t remember when I realized that, more than anything, I wanted to be a writer. Like most things, it dawned slowly. As a child, I loved stories. My dad and I spent hours in an oversized, weathered rocker, with dark blue fabric that felt somewhat like a cross between velvet and corduroy. We lost entire days to reading about different people and different worlds.

I now know that stories were a refuge to my eight-year-old self. She found something in stories that she couldn’t find in the real world. First, it was the sprawling hills of a childhood favorite. Then it was the adventure and thrill of finding a long-lost repository of gold and knowledge. Then it was the wonder of space.

The psychoanalyst in me realizes that, as a young, disabled girl, part of me was yearning for another life. A different one, with a body that worked right, a body that wasn’t constantly trying to sabotage itself. But the counselor in me knows that, really, it wasn’t that I wanted to escape my reality.

It was that I wanted to see myself in theirs.

I was a writer in a world that denied me my own existence. There were no disabled girls in my Saturday morning cartoons. There were no disabled girls on the big screen, fighting the bad guys for the greater good. There were no disabled girls in the background of adventure movies and cult classics. There were no disabled girls in princess movies, even when media executives went out of their way to show that, look, anyone can be a princess! Yes, even you!

We don’t go to prom. The Force isn’t with us. And we certainly don’t steal significant historical documents.

But that’s a narrative. And a false one at that. Disabled girls are everywhere. We go to concerts and poetry readings and midnight premieres. We climb mountains and write papers and sometimes, if we’re really, really lucky, we find someone who will take our wild dreams in stride—even the ones that have to do with significant historical documents. We fall in love. We have families. We stare at the sky and feel, for one blinding moment, that we, too, are made of stardust. We rage and cry and, at the end of the day, we pick ourselves up and do it all over again.

Someone is listening. Someone needs your poem, or your app, or even just your laugh. The real challenge is convincing yourself that, just like everyone else, you deserve the world, and whatever lies beyond.

From one disabled girl to another? You do.

Picture someone wrapping you in yellow caution tape, but the tape didn’t just say “CAUTION” in big bold letters – it was followed by “DISABILITY IS UGLY.”

This conditioned and toxic way of thinking was the mental space where my body image existed, although I never told anybody that. Why would I? There was nothing I could do to “fix” my body. I couldn’t go to the gym and sprout abs after having a protruded SMA belly. I couldn’t tone my atrophied arms and legs. There was no use in discussing it because my fate was to inevitably succumb to the fact that my body wasn’t appealing and never would be.

These sentiments were reinforced by the media and lack of representation of disabled bodies portrayed in a sexy way, anywhere. I’ve been taught to think that my body is broken and doesn’t work. I’ve been taught that I need to be fixed. I’ve been taught that my body curves in ways it shouldn’t, which means it inherently isn’t sexy. I’ve been taught that disability isn’t sexy because I’ve never seen a disabled person in a lingerie ad or in a teen heartthrob-type movie. The only way I ever saw disability portrayed in the media was as inspirational – the type of inspirational that only exists to soothe able-bodied people’s insecurities about themselves. Essentially, using disability as a vehicle to make themselves feel better at our expense. Gross. But, that all shifted as I started searching for answers.

When I decided to start sharing my story on social media, it consisted of my basic life narrative – showcasing how I live with SMA by showing people that my life might look a little different, but I’m still a human being just like everyone else. Looking back, it started out very natural and innocent. As I started diving into self-advocacy and hearing from other disabled activists on a myriad of different topics, one caught my eye and changed my life.

What I saw hit me like a ton of bricks. But not in a bad way – more in an “oh my God, where has this been all my life?” way. It was a post that included a picture of a disabled person in their underwear, owning their disabled body in a way I had never seen before. I knew I had to find out more. I read their post, along with their photo, and felt each little hair on my arm stand up as my mind started racing. They talked about how disabled bodies deserve to be represented in a sexy way and that they are NOT broken. They are whole… they don’t need to be fixed to be seen as sexy, because “pretty” and “ugly” are not real. They’re ideas that we are taught.

That’s what I began doing, one sexy disabled body photo at a time. I posted these photos with a newfound respect and love for my disabled curves that weren’t ugly, like I had always thought. They were unique – just like everyone else’s body.

I made it my mission to teach all my followers my life-changing revelation: different is not ugly.

Many of us living with SMA can identify with a recurring pattern of thought that I have named my “Burden Complex.” It’s an idea that I’ve written about at length, but I believe it’s such a common part of growing up with SMA that it’s worth mentioning again.

I felt like I was bothering people. I felt like I needed to minimize my needs in order to be less of a burden to my loved ones around me. It wasn’t a constant feeling, but it was certainly hard to deal with when it did arise. These challenging emotions caused me to repeat a similar phrase when asking for help, “I’m sorry, but…”

“I’m sorry, but could I have another sip of my drink?”

“I’m sorry, but could I use the bathroom?”

My apologies were often met with the same reaction. My loved ones or friends would say, “You don’t need to be sorry, I’m happy to help!” Still, this constant reassurance did very little to alleviate my burdensome feelings.

It wasn’t until I met (and fell madly in love with) my fiancée, Hannah, that I was able to truly say goodbye to saying sorry. With a seemingly simple question, Hannah helped me better understand my Burden Complex, and thus, move on from it.

The conversation went something like this…

“Hey Hannah, sorry but can you grab me a snack?”

“Sure, my handsome and intelligent and funny Shane, but you don’t need to apologize. You know I love helping you.”

“I know, but what if you’re just saying that because it would be mean not to say it?” (This was a classic way that my Burden Complex would negate the reassurances from others.)

“Do you enjoy being my boyfriend?”

“What? Yes, obviously.”

“But what if you’re just saying that to be nice?”

“Of course I’m not! I love you!”

“Do you see how that feels? To be questioned about something that you obviously mean whole-heartedly?”

This is obviously a simplification of a healing process that takes time. Even today, I have moments where I catch myself thinking of myself as a burden. But by stopping myself from apologizing for every request and reminding myself that loved ones have no reason to lie about their willingness to help me, I’ve made great progress in seeing myself and my needs in a healthier way.

In life, bad days are inevitable.

When you live with SMA, just getting through the day can feel like an impossible task. Sometimes, just eating and watching a movie are my only accomplishments of the day, and that’s okay.

We have all this pressure on us to accomplish and “achieve” things in an unrealistic timeframe that doesn’t acknowledge everyone’s unique lives. Everyone should live their life at a pace that’s suitable to their specific needs, goals and aspirations. Even if we do that and respect our boundaries and disability fatigue — SMA can throw a lot of other unexpected curveballs our way, and I’m no stranger to the curveballs of SMA.

There’s unexpected sickness that can stop your life right in the middle of the train tracks. There’s the back and forth to try to get a new wheelchair or medical equipment approved. There are social aspects, like combating ableism all while trying to balance having a healthy social life. There’s internalized ableism and mental health you need to manage. Sometimes, it can all seem very daunting.

Having lived for 26 years and counting, I learned how to catch those curveballs.

I know this metaphor example uses rock climbing and I can’t walk, which makes for the perfect amount of irony, so stick with me.

When you rock climb, it can be really scary at first and the unknown is waiting for you at the top. You might slip and fall on your journey to the top — you might even scrape your knee. But you get up and try again, even if you fall down multiple times. You must keep going. Finally, the moment is here, the part where you reach the top. You remember each step and how much anguish you were in as you took those last few steps to get to the top.

You stand (or sit) at the top… your long hard journey has brought you here and the view is great. You feel the sun shine on your face and remember that the journey of life isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it in the end.

It took me years to realize that I struggled with mental health.

Looking back, I feel like it should’ve been obvious. There’s anxiety, and then there’s gasping for breath in a waiting room because your doctor mentioned surgery and you’re having trauma flashbacks of anesthesia and bloodwork and life-threatening operations. There’s depression, and then there’s sleeping till 4 p.m., playing video games till 7 a.m., losing entire years to the black pit in your brain.

Things changed for the better when I realized, quite suddenly, that I wasn’t just nervous, or sad, going through a tough time. I was anxious. I was depressed. I spent the first 15 years of my life waiting to die. When that didn’t happen, I didn’t know how to live. I didn’t know how to be a disabled person in a world that values the perfect body, with healthy lungs and straight teeth and a correctly shaped skull.

No wonder I was confused. No wonder I felt alone.

In my experience, things start to change when you acknowledge the truth of your situation. Sometimes, most times, the truth is ugly. Many of us are dependent, and lonely, and frustrated with our lives. We want more for ourselves, but we have been conditioned by society to ask for things we know we can get, like pity or discrimination. We don’t dare ask for the big, scary, marvelous things, like dreams or miracles.

Things start to change when you look the truth of yourself in the eye. You are an animal with hunger and desire. You want things—love, and recognition, and chocolate, maybe, if you’re anything like me. You want the world, and your want makes you human.

Humanity is hard to acknowledge. Especially when you grow up in a world that tells you through subliminal messaging and targeted ads that disabled bodies aren’t pretty, disabled people aren’t worthy, disabled _____ aren’t _____. (Fill in the blank. You might be surprised by what comes to mind.) Standing in front of this wide, wondrous world and asking for more, demanding it.

People will turn you down. It’s inevitable. And, inevitably, their rejection will sting. But that is part of being human. That is part of being alive.

I could talk for hours about mental health. Meditation (try it), or acceptance and commitment therapy (my counseling framework of choice), or support groups (you never know until you show up). But I know from experience that, once I acknowledged all of the things I’d spent years pretending I didn’t want, life got better. Not because a magical switch was flipped, but because I allowed myself to be, for the first time in a long while, human, with hunger and desire.

I let myself be present.

I was a self-conscious middle schooler when my English teacher asked me to read a short story I’d written at a school event.

I realized halfway through the reading that my audience was comprised of blank faces. No one understood what I had said. The story — something about siblings and ghosts and a tragic car accident — was lost in the glare of the spotlight.

It took me years to get over that incident. I found that, when people talked to me, I no longer had the words, so I stopped talking. I tripped and fell into silence.

But then I went to therapy and worked with a counselor to address my depression. And, perhaps the scariest of all, I told my story. Again, and again, until the memory grew blunt edges.

If you’re struggling to find and accept your voice, here’s what I suggest:

1. Explain your situation
   Nothing changed until I found people who were willing to listen.You might have to repeat yourself a few times, but don’t give up. People might surprise you.
2. Troubleshoot
   I recently invested in a portable speaker with a microphone that attaches to my wheelchair. It helps to know I don’t have to shout.
3. Push through the discomfort
   Will you be anxious? Without a doubt!Will people understand you? Maybe! Will it be awkward and uncomfortable? Probably!