Chances are you’ve seen the “paralyzed bride” headline since her injury 3 years ago, but Rachelle Freidman Chapman is much more than just a paralyzed bride. Now happily married, Rachelle has forged a new life for herself since her accident at her bachelorette party.
A speaker, author, motivator and a leader, read on to see how this media darling has persevered, showing the world that wallowing in self-pity after a spinal cord injury isn’t a requirement. Read this entry
When it comes to one of the brightest SCI Superstars we could profile, you can’t get more significant or note-worthy – heck this guy will have a chapter on him in history books one day – than Lex Frieden.
One of the architects of the ADA and a big time policy-maker, Lex Frieden is dedicated to helping people with SCI and other disabilities live as independently as possible. A college professor, husband and a dog-lover too, read on to learn about one of the most important figures in American disability history. Read this entry
Author, singer, inspirational speaker, proud owner of a van she calls “Go Go Gadget,” oh and did I mention she’s Ms. Wheelchair USA 2012? Tasha Schuh, from Ellsworth, Wisconsin, is one of the most glowing, driven women you’ll ever meet.
But she wasn’t always this way. After breaking her neck backstage during a theater production in high school (she was a singer herself), she stepped into an open trap door she didn’t know was behind her, and her life was changed forever. She fell 16 feet, hitting the cement floor and breaking her C5 vertebrae on impact.
But after a year of depression, she started to see a good life with paralysis was still possible, and began to look forward to heal – a common saying that was soon to become her mantra. Read this entry
A wild child in her teens – now a zen TV star, Tiphany Adams is a drop-dead gorgeous paraplegic who’s been aiming to change the world since being injured in a car accident at the age of 17.
She wants to change the way the way the world looks at people with disabilities and she wants to use media to make that happen. Read this entry
Check out my new monthly column for Push Living!
I’ll be profiling some of my top ‘Wheely Favorite Things’ each month – items, media, products and services for wc-users.
And here’s my first installment! #1 – The Wheel Comfort cushioney footrest (for going barefoot), #2 – ‘Manufactured 1987’ awesome high-fashion blog from a NYC woman w/ CP and #3 – The Sessions w/ Helen Hunt (a movie about a sex worker for disabled people). Read my other picks here
Fear is the number one feeling most of us feel when it comes to dating. And it’s especially no surprise that lots of people in wheelchairs are afraid to date. We can be afraid; afraid of rejection, explaining our disability, of being seen as a burden.
And then we just don’t even try to date. Don’t let that happen to you! A wheelchair may make it trickier to find someone, but it’s never a roadblock. Just watch these three videos below about people’s positive dating with a disability experiences.
The first video is all about finding out the world is better than you thought. It features a beautiful Latina woman who was injured when she was just 11 years old. At the time of her injury, she of course wasn’t worried about boys or what her prospects in dating might lead to.
That kind of stuff wasn’t on her radar yet. But now, she’s a strong young woman who’s been dating, and she’s discovered some important things about dating from a wheelchair. Read this entry
About six months ago, Dana Brown Ritter, the voice behind the disability relationship blog LoveLikeTheLife.com, guest posted on our site. She’s married to Michael Ritter, a C5-6 quad, and her blog highlights their relationship while she works as a television producer and journalist.
The guest post (“We Are”) she shared with us was one of the most popular posts from her site (read it here) – a beautiful poem dedicated to the wives of quadriplegics, and now she’s turned it into an ebook. Read this entry
Long before Christopher Reeve became injured, Joni Eareckson Tada was the well-known quadriplegic everyone knew about (especially in the Christian world). Injured in 1967 in a diving accident at the age of 17, Joni (the last of four girls, they wanted a boy so she was named after her Dad) well, let’s just say she’s has managed to like a remarkable life.
From starring in a movie about her life, serving under two US presidents on the Disability Advisory Commitee (GW Bush and Obama), to founding the Joni & Friends International Network (they do so much good), read my post on this very awesome lady on another site I blog for (SPINALpedia; a disability video archive). Read this entry
Dear Tiffiny,
I’m a 20 year old guy with Friedrich’s Ataxia, a very rare genetic disorder, similar to Muscular Dystrophy. I’ve been in a wheelchair since age 14, and have never dated. Not that I haven’t tried.
I’ve asked girls out and have tried loads of dating sites, but with no luck. Girls I ask out say no, and girls on dating sites rarely respond. Friends (who do happen to be girls, but aren’t my “girlfriends”) have said I’m handsome, so I don’t think I’m rejected because I’m ugly.
I’ve felt depressed at times, because I’m never able to attract the right type of girl. Any advice?
