Category: CHALLRNGES
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They See What’s Different-Not What’s Possible
Disability Pride series Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie There have been so many moments in my life when people noticed my disability before they noticed me. They saw my walker before they saw my smile. They noticed my cerebral palsy before they noticed my personality. Sometimes they made up their minds about what I could…
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The ADA Changed the Law-Not Every Mind
Disability Pride Month series Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990, it changed history for millions of people with disabilities. It opened doors that had never been open before, creating a whole new world for people with disabilities. It brought greater access to schools, businesses, transportation,…
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Accessibility Is Not One Size Fit All
Disability Pride Series Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about disability is that accessibility is not one size fits all. For years, people with disabilities have fought for equal access. The ADA changed our country in incredible ways, making schools, businesses, transportation, and housing more accessible than ever before.…
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The Generation In Between
Disability Pride Month Series — Marie W.O.W.C.P. Sometimes I feel like I belong to a generation that existed between two worlds. I was born after the disability rights movement had already begun changing lives, but before many of those changes fully reached everyday life. I was born after people had already started fighting for accessibility,…
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I Wasn’t Meant to Be Fixed (Part 2)
A Healthier Me, A More Independent Me Disability & Advocacy,Identity & Personal Growth Before I talk about how I take care of myself… I need to share how I see myself. There are parts of myself I’m still learning how to understand. One of the hardest has been my frustration. For years, I went to…
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I Am Allowed to Take Up Space
By Marie W.O.W.C.P. For a long time, I tried to make myself smaller. Smaller in my voice. Smaller in my needs. Smaller in the space I took up in the world. Living with cerebral palsy sometimes made me feel as if I was already noticed before I even spoke. People noticed how I walked. They…
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My Disability is Part of the Story, Not the Whole Story
Our Beautiful ChallengesBy Marie W.O.W.C.P. Welcome to Our Beautiful Challenges. This space is more than a blog. It is a place for truth, healing, reflection, and the beauty still to be found within life’s hardest moments. For much of my life, I felt as though people saw one thing first. The way I walk. The…
OUR BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGES 