There is a documentary called The Experiment, recently released by Channel 4 in the UK, that explicitly depicts what I fear is slowly happening in the United States. People with disabilities are considered a burden on our society and mocked by our so called leaders. The supports that empower...
In 2018, Snoop Dog received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He ended his speech by thanking himself for all of his hard work. Recently, I went to a birthday party where another Special Needs mom read a note to thank herself for being an incredible caregiver, based on Snoop Dog's speech....
Another guest post from Sharon Wagner. We both hope you find this helpful while engaging with your child. Even kids with disabilities find joy in exploration and learning. Here are some guidelines to help you get started. Children begin life as natural scientists — poking, prodding, asking...
Cassandra speaks the truth but all we hear are riddles. She stands in the ruins of the battle she lost. Holds out her arms with bruises like confessions. We study their pattern, their shape, their color before asking, Where is your proof? Cassandra speaks to Congress. Testifies on the...
This is a guest post from Sharon Wagner from Senior Friendly, a website for seniors and those who love them. Sharon has a book coming soon! For more information, go to Seniorfriendly.info There’s a kind of tired that slides past simple sleep debt—it builds itself into the pauses between what...
I am not your American, I don't want that name I might look the part, but I'm not playing your game. Middle Class clothes. Working class life Getting through my day without too much strife. I’m not your American. I read too much. But I can hide my books and I can shut up. Tuck away my knowledge...
Here I am, crying in my car as if my entire body has been shattered and I will never breath again. My face is pressed against the vinyl of the passenger seat, the seat belt cutting into my shoulder. Stop it, I say, over and over... but my body ignores me. I'm hysterical. I feel every...
VISIONS: Seeing the Aurora in a New Light by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0 I lost one of my closest friends last week. Sara Sherman-Levine, nurse, healthcare advocate and powerful force of nature. She was someone who walked into a room and made everyone feel warmer....
Photo of Nick Cave by by photographer Detlev Schneider My heart carries too much grief. My daughter’s constant struggle with her illness. The loss of dear friends, those who died from AIDS in the 1990’s and those I’ve lost to cancer now. The loss of my husband to alcohol. My mother to mental...
Photo by Kamran Aydinov A few days ago, I received five sample book covers from my publisher. Being included in the cover design process is one of the reasons I am thrilled that She Writes Press is publishing my book. Most publishers make all of the decisions about a book's design without any...
Photo by Markus Winkler I sit at my desk with my lap top open and begin to type. Just start, I think. Write anything. Write the first impulse of words! If you start, you'll find the flow. My fingers stop. I stare at my plant that is trying to adapt to the new room we've moved into. Some of the...
First, I send my apologies to every person who ever asked me on a date. I didn't realize how awful it was to face your fear of rejection and ask anyway. I never asked because I was too shy, so I made you do it. I'm sorry. I'm feeling like a high-school student asking their crush to the prom...
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto I have recently moved out of a large house in Silicon Valley to a bedroom in the East Bay. I hear this is called "downsizing". As I packed and moved my stuff and now unpack it all, I've discovered that downsizing means more than simply getting rid of things so you can...
Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day. Every year, I listen to his speech “I have a dream”. I have fought for the dream of unity, kindness, freedom, justice, friendship, and hope. Not Trump‘s dream of power, retribution, sexism, patriarchy, and wealth. But this is where I live now. Trump’s land....
Mid-century modern elevators by Topher is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0 She Writes Press sent me their cover design questionnaire at the start of the holiday season with the request that I answer "thoughtfully." It's due as close to the New Year as possible. It's a long form with about 18...
Christmas has always been challenging for me, probably because we're all supposed to be so happy! The holiday spirit is about joy and child-like wonder and no one is allowed to be sad. Sadness equals "Bah Humbug." So here I was, facing Christmas without Rhia's magic permeating every decoration...
This is the first Holiday Season Rhia and I have spent apart since she was born. She and I have decorated 28 Christmas trees together. The tree is up but her ornaments are still in the box. I hung my David Bowie ornament and a few others but haven't added a single Disney or Charlie Brown...
I was revising my author bio when I suddenly stopped. "Author, Teacher, Caregiver..." Wait. I'm not a caregiver anymore. I have identified as my daughter's caregiver for almost 30 years. But she moved out to live in a group home where other people care for her. She has new caregivers....
While writing my memoir I had to choose what to include and what to leave out. How much of my marriage would I reveal to readers? Should I write how I sometimes felt about my family? How many private details should I include when writing about my daughter? There's a trepidatious balance between...
I used to be a book publisher. From 2007 to 2012, I ran the micro press Medusa’s Muse from my kitchen table. I was the publisher, lead editor, business manager as well as the entire marketing department. With the help of my then husband Rick (book designer) and my good friend Jane...
photo by Tymn Urban, Urban Media and Design I submitted my book to She Writes Press and waited several weeks for the answer. And then I got the email... Dear Terena, Thank you so much for your submission and congratulations on passing through our two-tier submissions process with such flying...
picture of John Oliver from the Max Website John Oliver discusses the Social Security Disability Insurance System in this video . He is 100% correct when he describes the system as dysfunctional. It is not just dysfunctional, it is overly complicated and difficult to even access. Having...
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com Simone Biles is a badass, not just for her gymnastic abilities, but for her ability to ask for help. Her body and mind needed rest, so she rested. She didn't fall into the trap of shame or feeling guilt about letting people down. She just said "I need...
Points of the compass, board-walk, seats by Robin Webster is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0* My daughter still complains about her new life in the group home every time I visit her. "I don't like that I have to wait when I have to go to the bathroom," she says. "There's too many pillows on my bed...
Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.com It felt so much like when Rhia started pre-school. But this time, it was the first day of her day-program. I came to support communication between her and the staff using my basic, adapted-for-Rhia, Sign Language. She sat in the art room with several other...