From time to time, we at the Shining Beautiful Blog series like to post an update about Ms Mikelle and her good buddy, Jerome. They’ve been friends for a long time, since 2003, thirteen years. Over the years their friendship has grown and changed just as they have grown and changed. We all know that
It’s What Friends Do Read More »
March Madness does exist at Mikelle’s home, but it is more like madness for making money at her Bracelet Bonanza Party. While many things bring a smile to Mikelle’s face, nothing makes her more confident than gathering the green stuff in her small hand. At the first ever Social Security Beneficiaries Summit, via conference call,
It’s not March Madness, but it is Bracelet Bonanza! Read More »
Karin Carr, left, and Allison Learned star in “The Taming of the Shrew” at The Bug Theatre. (Christine Fisk, provided by Lost and Found Productions) Mikelle and Shakespeare—I never thought these two words would be uttered in a single sentence. To my surprise, I found there was a connection. How better to discover an alternative
Mikelle and Shakespeare Read More »
While we love our words on Shining Beautiful, it is difficult to string them together in such a way as to capture the camera sees and what are hearts feel during the holiday season. Each year, we have two major events, a holiday party and Mikelle’s birthday party. These celebrations not only connect Mikelle to
Our Shining Beautiful Community Glimmers this Holiday Season Read More »
There’s no denying it: as caregivers, providers and family members, we love the idea of natural supports, but don’t really believe they will work. Sure, you have read our blogs about Mikelle and how fantastic “the community” can be. And, trust me, it can be incredible. But, is community and natural supports a
Natural Supports. Do They Work? Depends. Read More »
By Taylor Mason Every day, multiple times throughout the day, Mikelle Learned makes the choice to switch from her power wheelchair to her manual wheelchair. We here at the Shining Beautiful all have different theories as to why she sometimes feels more comfortable in her manual chair but we all agree that when it
Life with Mikelle…The Battle of the Wheelchairs Read More »
A Note from Katherine Carol. (the Mom) I sent this poem to members of the Roommate Club like Lauren Perfors, Kari Delany and Adriana Carlson Pogar. It wasn’t long before I heard from them all. Yep. This captures the experience of knowing Mikelle. I could see the smiles cross their beautiful faces as if I
10 Things I Like About You Read More »
A Case for Inclusion Mikelle Learned and Jerome Stewart were introduced to each other by a thoughtful teacher that had a hunch these two might be friends. 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. When they
Inclusion Works. Mikelle and Jerome’s Lasting Friendship Read More »
By Taylor Mason I, like most of Mikelle’s “roomies”, saw her ad on Craigs list and was intrigued. What it said was that I could live in a pretty room, in a nice condo, in a great location, rent-free for six months. All I had to do was live with, and take care of part
Meet Taylor Mason, Mikelle’s New Roommate Read More »
Like most people, Mikelle Learned loves to stay in touch using her cell phone. What used to work was calling her friends, support team members and family using her ECO to chat or leave a voice mail. It was a good use of her assistive technology enabling her to fully participate in her social network until
Getting the Most from Assistive Technology: Using the ECO for Texting Read More »
