As we gear up for the 2024 presidential election, it’s a good time to reflect on how previous battles over healthcare, particularly Medicaid, have shaped the support systems that millions of people rely on today. It feels like déjà vu—just like in 2017, there are concerns that the programs we depend on could be drastically […]
Medicaid: How the 2024 Presidential Election Could Reshape Disability Services Read More »
In recognition of *National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), we continue exploring *creativity* in the workplace and how it can revolutionize job development for people with disabilities. The first part of this series focused on frustration and the desire for improved job development outcomes. In this segment, we zero in on a critical element necessary
How Do You Get from Here to There? Celebrating NDEAM with Creativity. Read More »
.Free Tickets The tickets were free. The invitation to the movie screening arrived in my crowded inbox at just the right moment. I was searching for new opportunities for Mikelle to expand her world. ESRA The invitation was from the University of Colorado, JFK Partners program, part of the University Centers for Excellence, a national
Autism and Family Resilience: Lessons from Ezra. Read More »
Most of us experience a conflicting relationship with time. Time continues to be both the adversary and the giver of great gifts. As the world speeds up, our relationship with time becomes more conflicted–especially as we grow older, especially if we are caregivers and people who have lived experience with disability. Many of us operated
Nuturing a Loving Relationship with Time Read More »
A Beautiful Gift Arrives In the fall of 1983, I lived in a nice-sized three-bedroom home in a southwestern suburb of Denver. My father, a general residential contractor, had built many homes in the neighborhood. My then-husband and I purchased this house in 1979 while I was pregnant with my son, Kasey. It was
Shining Beautiful at 40! Read More »
Simple Sometimes it is so simple—a win for a beleaguered and treasured football team and a Halloween party. In these moments, we step back into traditions to reclaim our future by being present in the moment. For Mikelle, her brother, and his family, Sunday’s Bronco football team win in London renewed their hopes for a
Simple, Basic, Fun Ways to Win Back our Happiness. Read More »
Everyone Needs a Little Time Away. Mikelle’s Vacation. Heck, it has been a long haul with Covid. We were getting cabin fever and decided to hightail it out of the city and into the mountains to a real cabin in the high country. Gone is the traffic, the hustle and heat of summer in the
Adventures in Grand Lake, CO Read More »
“Never let the things you cannot do prevent you from doing the things you can.” -Coach John Wooden Oh my goodness, the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel grows brighter by the day. I don’t know about you but Mikelle has visions of unlimited purse shopping at Target, endless coffee chats with
Creating Community in the Time of Social Distancing. Mikelle looks longing out our second-story window reminiscing about the days when her routine included a trip down the street to the neighborhood coffee shop. There she gets her people and caffeine fix. This is her well-loved routine. Pablos in the morning, perhaps, a Starbucks in
Wait! What Happened to Our Community? Read More »
Fifteen years ago, a thoughtful high school teacher introduced Mikelle Learned and Jerome Stewart, she had a hunch these two might become the best of friends. She was right. Jerome played football, ran track and was a well-liked senior at East High School. He, like Mikelle, was a recent transfer student from another high school.
Soul Mates. A Story of Love and Friendship Read More »
