As a Jamaican American, family is a central focal point in my life. My family is my main social and moral support system and the group where I developed my social identity. I am blessed to say that I feel at home and safe with my family and genuinely enjoy the time I spend with [...]
The biannual ISAAC conference took place in Barcelona, Spain from July 24th to the 29th. It is an opportunity for the international community that is involved with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to come together for a weeklong conference. I attended the last ISAAC conference held in Montreal, Canada where I had the opportunity to [...]
Sometimes when I am out and about I come across a person, usually a child, who has not seen a person with a disability before. Normally, especially if it’s a child, they become real inquisitive wanting to find out what I am all about. Even when adults stare I figure out how it can be [...]
Last year, although I couldn’t attend the conference, I was very interested in learning more about the theme of the Pittsburgh Employment Conference (PEC), which was “Employment: Overcoming Depression and Loneliness.” The conference, put on by the SHOUT Corporation, focuses on employment opportunities for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and how they [...]
Recently I had the opportunity to go with my mother to the 2010 West Coast Cerebral Palsy Conference in San Jose held at the Doubletree Hotel. The conference ran from Friday June 25th through Monday June 28th and had some very good, informative speakers. I attended both Friday and Saturday and had a delightful experience [...]
I consider myself a relatively handsome guy with a real smooth sense of style. I pride myself on making more then a few women turn their heads whenever I roll by in my wheelchair. I heard that my smile can melt any girl’s heart and is an excellent icebreaker. Sufficed to say I definitely got [...]
I am proud of the accomplishments that I achieved in my life and I am happy to be a role model for other people with cerebral palsy and with speech disabilities. What I don’t like, however, is being considered a token disabled man. What I consider being a token is people thinking of me as [...]
We are fortunate as Americans to live in a prosperous democracy. As American citizens we can participate in our democracy to let our voice be heard. This fact is more poignant for those of us who have speech disabilities and use AAC to speak. We, as people who use AAC, have to advocate for our [...]
For young adults like me a social life is very important. Like a normal man my age I like to connect with friends and to go social gatherings. However since I communicate with AAC it is a little challenge for me to stay in touch with all my friends and associates. Even with technological advancements [...]
My spirituality is really important for my well being. I take my relationship with God very seriously and I strive to develop a rigorous prayer life to discern the direction God wants me to take in my life. I rely on His direction to help me determine my purpose in life. All people struggle at [...]
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