Mikelle and I feel compelled to write about life with a disability, not just the challenges but the opportunities, the friendships, the innovations, and the brilliance of our communities in action as we share our everyday life living with a disability. With a little more information, motivation, we hope to share how our life is shining beautiful and maybe help you to shine beautiful, too.

Wheels!

The Freedom of Mobility There is a moment, a moment full of panic and anxiety, when Mikelle’s wheelchair pauses. This chair is well over five years old. It is worn and beaten with many technical issues. When you work with Mikelle you learn to become a sort of amateur handyman,

How Safe is your Family’s Medicaid Waiver?

Repeal and Replace On March 6, 2017, Congress unveiled its “Repeal and Replace Obamacare” proposal, a plan kept under wraps until that day. With the announcement, many of us were left scratching our heads, wondering if Medicaid services—services that so many families have come to rely on—would be fundamentally altered.

Developmental Disability Awareness Month: A little history.

Presidents and Parents and Advocates Leading the Way In the early 1960’s President, Kennedy used the power of the Presidency to bring attention to the needs of people experiencing life with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD).  Back in the 1960’s, individuals with IDD were labeled as “mentally retarded.”  Up

Duffy Roll Delight

This month is jam-packed. Busy is an understatement. Amid our active life, we find comfort in a simple ritual—the Duffy Roll. Besides the general household duties, we have obligatory Starbucks visits, meeting with friends over a quick meal, and hasty grocery store visits. February Feels Cramped. Being the shortest month

Taking Time to Love

Every day we learn to love more.  We await what comes from an unpredictable day, daring myself to fall into an uncertain moment on the side of love, not fear.  I dare myself to step into the vulnerabilities of an open heart. It takes courage to open a heart broken

Poetic Protests: In Celebration of Civil Rights

  Will we have to March for Medicaid? It is the dawn of a new year and perhaps, a new era. As Martin Luther King’s birthday approached,  I had no idea how this would play out within just days of this National Holiday. Congress is swiftly moving on a new

Getting Down with the Gilmore Girls

It was nine o’clock on a late Winter’s morning at Mikelle’s condo on Clarkson Street in the heart of Denver. Sunlight filtered through slatted mini-blinds as the sun struggled to rise above clouds hugging the horizon. The smell of fresh coffee filled the living room.  Taylor sat on the couch,

What in Your Holiday Recovery Plan?

I left Mikelle home as I took my sandaled feet this November evening to the  weather worn outdoor couches at the local Starbucks, also known as “The Beach” for its expansive patio, fire pit, and overhead warming lamps. Not a snowflake to be found. Although, Starbucks is doing its best

Finances, Family and Special Needs Planning

Think beyond the will. I have known Betty Lehman for many years. Each time I see her, she provokes me–in a right way. I take pride in how I have helped Mikelle become financially secure as I have dug through the avalanche of paperwork and programs finding the best nuggets

National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Mikelle and I often write about employment strategies for people with disabilities.  In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the many changes coming forward with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act, we feel you need to hear directly from the  Regional Services Administration Commissioner Janet LaBreck on what

Just What is an ABLE Account?

So much is hapening in the field of special education and rehabilitiation. We have the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act, which we will talk more about soon.  The other significant new breathrough passed by the Congress in …… are ABLE  Accounts, which in some ways resemble a college 529 Savings