Tag: independance living
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How Long Can I stay
When Transportation Controls the Clock Getting There: Traveling With a Disability — September Series When you depend on paratransit, deciding what time you’re going somewhere is only half of the planning. You also have to decide what time you’re coming home—and sometimes you have to make that decision before you’ve even left your house. When…
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When Your Ride Determines
Getting There: Traveling With a Disability — September Series Depending on paratransit—or sometimes depending on other people for a ride—can be very frustrating. I can’t always wake up one morning and say, “I think I’ll go shopping today,” and simply go. Even something like a doctor’s appointment requires planning. If I realize on the 15th…
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A simple Outing Isn’t Always Simple
Getting There: Traveling With a Disability — September Series Why isn’t a simple outing always so simple when you have a disability? For the average able-bodied person, getting out of the house might not take much thought. You decide where you want to go, get yourself ready, grab what you need, and leave. For someone…
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What I Wish People Knew About the PCA Waiver
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Eight Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. Throughout this series, I’ve talked about what having a PCA means to me, learning to be my own boss, choosing the right people, building trust, setting boundaries, asking for help, and redefining independence. But there’s one more thing I want to…
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Why Independence Doesn’t Mean Doing Everything Alone
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Seven Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. For a long time, I thought independence meant doing everything myself. If I could do something without help, I was independent. If I needed someone to help me, somehow that felt different. As a woman with cerebral palsy who spent years…
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Seven Things I Look for in a PCA
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Four Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. Having a PCA is about much more than having someone come into my home and help me with certain tasks. This person becomes part of my everyday life. They may see me when I’m having a great day and when I’m…
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Building Trust With My PCA
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Five Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. Trusting a PCA can almost be like trusting a partner. That might sound like an unusual comparison, but when you think about how involved a PCA can become in your everyday life, it makes sense. Depending on what kind of assistance…
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The Challenge of Being My Own Boss
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Three Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. Being part of a PCA Waiver program has given me something incredibly important: choice. I have the ability to choose the people who help me and have a say in how that help is provided. That freedom is a huge part…
