Disability Capitol Action Day

California is awesome because there are many Independent Living Centers here that serve people with disabilities everyday.   One of the Independent Living Centers, SCRS,  located in Downey, California,  has a fanatic youth group and the coolest  event we attended is Disability Capitol Action Day.  Disability Capitol Action Day happened on May 30, in Sacramento, California, and it was such a great way to learn about self advocacy. First, thousands of youth with disabilities marched down the street and in front of the state capitol, shouting, “What do we want?  A fair budget!  When do we want it? Now!!!'' It felt incredible to send the message to the law makers that funding for programs that serve people with disabilities is just as important as any funding for other governmental programs.  After the march, we all congregated in front of the capitol building where we listened to a bunch of speakers, including the secretary of state who talked to us about the importance of voting and letting our voices be heard.  Hearing the secretary of state speaking to a group of young advocates with disabilities was one of the most empowering and powerful experiences of my life.  Then, after a short lunch, my SCRS friends and I ventured into the capitol building for our meeting with the assistant to legislature.  There, we explained to her how important it is for people with disabilities to be able to choose their own,  even if In Home Support Services are the ones paying for the aides.  Advocating on behalf of myself as well as countless others with disabilities made me feel prouder than I've ever felt before!  On Disability Capitol Action Day I realized that it takes a lot of politics to change the world, so we need to be better informed about politics if we really want to make a difference!  

Coolest Guy I Know

I know that i've been talking a lot about heroes lately, but I'd liked to think that this next one is the coolest person I know.   His name is Andy Arias, and I saw him do stand up comedy at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, California, on July 15, 2012.  However, the catch is that he CAN'T stand up because he has Cerebral Palsy and is a freaking wheelchair user.  Andy is a hilarious comic who makes cracks at the challenges that he faces with dating other guys  while in a wheelchair.  Oh my god, Andy is the expert in pushing  the boundaries in every way possible, and that's what I LOVE MOST ABOUT HIM!!!  So, let's change the standards of comedy and take the stand up out of stand up comedy, because someone's ability or inability to stand up doesn't equal their talent to entertain a crowd!

My Friend Brent Michelle

On July 22, 2012, at the Orange County Fair in California,  I saw a wonderful singer songwriter, and friend, Brent Michelle preform. Being at the OC Fair on a beautiful summer day and listening to Brent Michelle's awesome tunes made me feel so happy that I felt free of the daily challenges I face with having a disability.  Just like the counselors at Rocky Mountain Village, Brent Michelle is a  hero to me because she devotes her life to making people happy through her music, and as a byproduct, she is making the world a better place.  In one of her biggest songs, she says, "I'm a lover.  I'm a fighter.....I fight for what I love and I love that I fight for it.  This song inspires me to fight even harder to achieve my dream of opening up a creative arts program for young kids with disabilities.    Anyway, Brent Michelle is incredible, so look her up on youtube and I hope her music can brighten up your day.

Rocky Mountain Village

Most people would argue that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, and as much as I love this magical park, I believe that Rocky Mountain Village Easter Seals Camp in Colorado is absolutely 100% the greatest place in the entire world!!  Each summer, a group of the most loving, caring, compassionate, people who volunteer three months out of their time to make sure that people with disabilities can enjoy a wonderful experience at camp.  To me, those are the true heroes of the world.  I personally have rubbed shoulders with these amazing peeps as I have gone  to camp for five years, usually during the week between July 29 and August 3; they offer us the incredible opportunities to go horseback riding, swimming, fishing, and zip lining.  Ah zip lining...something I never thought someone in a wheelchair would   be able to do, but let me tell you, flying so high in the beautiful forestry I feel so free and far from society's judgments. However, that's not even the best part of camp.
What I love most about Rocky Mountain Village is something extremely rare to find.  It's a certain type of attitude that everyone shares where we all accept, care about, and love each other as individuals, though everyone has varying levels of disability. Yes, camp is all about 100% acceptance and 0% judgment of people with disabilities.  So much so that camp proms are the only dances in my life where I don't feel like a lonely wall flower, because there, I do have real sincere friends.  To put icing on a fabulous cake, this year at prom, my beautiful best friend Hope won prom queen!!!  Needless to say, I  LOVE CAMP, and for all the parents of sons and daughters with disabilities out there, your kids will love Rocky Mountain Village too!! Check it out on Google and I promise your kids will be happy you did!

Is a Superhero Really a Hero?

It seems I've been unfairly biased by putting out content mostly aimed at women, so this post is about something you GUYS go crazy for...SUPERHEROES!!!  Is a superhero really a hero?  I understand that this may appear like a riddle, but I think it's a valid question.    A  lot of Americans are obsessed with superheroes, such as Batman or Spiderman, but I don't understand how having the ability to fly or having a spider web grow out of one's hand constitutes someone as a hero.  I'll admit that I'm no expert in superheroes but I don't get how a character that smashes up cars,  climbs up onto buildings, and battle a fictional enemy, becomes a world famous heroic icon;  based on the terrible tragedy that happened earlier this summer, in Colorado, where twelve people were murdered at the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, it appears extremely clear to me that these superhero  movies promotes violence.  In my personal opinion, this is NOT heroic at all.  That's why I have decided to share with all of you the stories of some of my personal heroes in my life.  Some of them are abled bodied and others are disabled, but the one common thread that they all share is their mission to make the world a better place

American Girls

Besides TV, toys strongly influence children's growth and identity. The American Girl dolls and book series are extremely popular, and I believe, rightfully so.  One reason is that they teach American History in a fun, entertaining, upbeat, way (i. e. learning about the Industrial Revolution in Samantha's story or the colonial days in Felicity's story.)   Another aspect of the American Girl tales that I love is that they impress upon kids the value of  community service.  Two examples are when Samantha rescues her friend Nellie out of a horrible orphanage and when Kit took food to the poor house.  Now, I have an idea to write an American Girl story about a young girl named Anna Plumly who is disabled and in a wheelchair; Anna would be attending high school right after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was passed and she would need to fight the school district to be in the school play.  I want to do this not only to shed light on yet another minority group in the American Girl collection, but also to show kids with disabilities that they CAN be and do everything that abled bodied children can!!! In my junior year of high school, at Mira Costa High School, I was not permitted to audition for the school production of Beauty and the Beast; I remember feeling completely defeated that my disability got in the way of a huge  dream of mine and I never want anyone to feel that way again!  So...does anyone out there want to help me write the first American Girl story about a star on wheels?

If you can''t stand up, stand out!

"If you can't stand up, stand out" is a statement that Angela and Tiphany say in the opening sequence of "Push Girls." There are a number of monumental moments within the show that  I feel really stands out and needs to be discussed. One example is when Auti and Tiphany go to buy their friend, Chelsea, who has only been in a wheelchair for two years, her first pair of high heals since her car crash.  This simple act of kindness and friendship demonstrates to the American audience that just because a girl has to roll through life in a chair doesn't mean she shouldn't feel and be attractive, feminine, beautiful, and sexy.  Another empowering part of the same episode is when Angela decides to host a celebration of  life party to remember the ten year anniversary since her accident.   I believe that the fact that she looks at herself making it out of the accident alive as a positive, instead of feeling sorry for herself, is wonderful; Angela sharing this viewpoint on national television is, in my opinion, a gift. Yet another awesome aspect of "Push Girls" is watching these young women discovering abilities they never knew they had, such as Angela painting, Auti both winning an all abled bodied ballroom dance competition and trying to have a baby, and Mia swimming.  As evidence of the results of the dance competition, for people with disabilities, it's way more meaningful to focus on what we can do rather than what we can't.  In still a different way, I'm inspired by Auti's and Eric's marriage and how Eric helps his wife in the bathroom, into bed, or do whatever else she needs help with in daily life.  Although some people may think that having a spouse who needs help with personal care is a burden, I believe that it shows the level of commitment and compassion that Eric feels towards Auti. Conversely, I felt equally empowered watching Mia break up with her then boyfriend, Dave, over the fact that she wants children and he doesn't.  This reaffirms my belief that just because a man loves you in spite of the wheels attached to your body doesn't mean that you need to settle for someone if you're not compatible with him.  However, the very best and most inspirational part of the whole series thus far comes during the episode entitled Fired Up; Chelsea was having a real tough time accepting her fate that she may never walk again, and Mia, trying to cheer up her friend, says something like, "Walking doesn't make for a better life.  We just need to do things differently." I feel that Mia's statement is so true because from experience living with a disability that if we focused on our abilities, we will  lead a more full and happy life.  So, moral of this story, even if you can't stand up, you can stand out, be a role model, and make a difference in the world.

Push Girls Revolution

"Push Girls", a new reality show airing Mondays at 10pm on the   Sundance channel, is trying and succeeding to change the face of the disability community on TV.  For those of you who don't know, "Push Girls" is about four young, sexy, women named Auti, Angela, Mia, and Tiphany, who are  all wheelchair users. Except for Mia, who is paralyzes due to a blood vessel that ruptured in her spinal cord, the women are disabled because of car accidents. The reason I love this show is that unlike "Glee," it demonstrates to the public that these beautiful girls can accept who they are and live normal lives.

From the left: Mia, Auti, Angela & Tiphany

In my opinion, "Push Girls" is the only show  on TV that's about regular daily life.  For example, we see Auti and her husband, Eric, at the grocery store, and Auti can stand on top of her wheelchair to reach whatever items off the shelves she needs. Surprisingly, two of the Push Girls, Mia and Tiphany go to the gym even though they are paralyzed; just like anyone else, these fierce girls want to stay fit and beautiful.  Speaking of beauty,  Angela is not letting her wheelchair get in the way of her being the glamorous model that she has dreamed of becoming. Yes, the girls on wheels keep pushing the boundaries to make sure not to allow their chairs stop them from living a full life.  I strongly believe that "Push Girls" has created a revolution in American television by awakening the country to the fact that people in wheelchairs can do so much more than sit in a corner of a day program and that we are contributing members of society.

Let's Talk Glee

Although Glee is one of the biggest shows on TV, I find a number of major problems with the series...especially within the realm of dealing with people with disabilities.  But before we delve right into the hot topics, I do want to applaud this show for 2 significant reasons: 1. I believe that they do an excellent job presenting some of the challenges of being in an openly gay relationship in high school, as seen in the relationship between Kurt (played by Chris Colfer) and Blane (played by Darren Criss) and 2. how they expose the truth about the severity of bullying in our schools.  However, the negative aspects absolutely outweigh the positives for me.  One thing that bothers me about this  show is that we don't  see any of the challenges that Arty (who is not even played by an actor with a disability, which in my personal opinion, makes the show less authentic)  has to overcome that goes along with being a student with a disability. Instead of demonstrating how Arty's disability effects his life in the same way they show Kurt's struggle with his sexual orientation, they simply put Arty in a corner of a  classroom or in the background of a musical number.    I don't think that this is a smart idea on the director's part because it teaches young viewers that it''s perfectly fine to let students with disabilities live on the corners of life, which clearly it's NOT ok on any level.   In addition, I don't think that Arty's imaginary visions of himself walking and the Christmas miracle of him actually walking is ethical.  This is because instead of having a show that helps people who have been in car crashes embrace their disability and who they are, "Glee" unfortunately promotes the idea that you can't have a full life if you don't have the ability to walk. In the same light, I was disgustingly disappointed in how they portrayed the aftermath of the star Cheerio cheerleader Quinn's car accident (although it did teach a good lesson about texting while driving.)  This is because instead of having Quinn go through each of the stages that a "normal" person would go through after enduring a tragedy like that, including denial, sadness, anger, and finally acceptance, they have her act perfectly fine and desperately eager to walk.  I believe that this was a terrible way for the show to approach the issue because it illustrates to the young fans that they have to walk in order to be happy instead of learning to deal with what life has dealt them.  However, the worst part about "Glee"to  me came during the prom episode of last season, when Quinn uses her wheelchair to try to gain pity votes for prom queen.  Television can either be a vehicle of inspiration and change, or sadly like in  "Glee," it can reinforce stereotypes (like the stereotype  that  people need to feel sorry for people with disabilities.)  That's why I deem "Glee"  the worst show.

What's Hot on TV And What's So Not

So you get home from a long day at work and/or school and you decide to turn on the TV...but do you really understand how these shows are effecting our perceptions both of people and of  society in general?  You might think that TV is just as universal as music is, right?  We all have the same accessibility to the same shows, right? Yes, but I think that TV shows are much more influential than music is in shaping the way we see each other.  That's why I've decided to  share my views about some of today's TV shows.
There's SO many reality shows that are just stupid and not based on reality at all! For example,  on last season of "Kortney and Kim Take New York",  we had to first watch Kim Kardashian fall in love with Kris Humphries and have a ten million dollar televised wedding. Then we had to watch the demise of their marriage after only 72 days.    OK, a ten million dollar wedding is idiotic and illogical because it only took Kim 72 days to realize that her husband is a douche bag; that ten million dollars could have went towards feeding hungry children on the streets of LA, purchasing wheelchairs for people in Africa, or trying to find a cure for cancer!  That's so superficial to me! What's even more superficial is all the people on "E News",  "Access Hollywood", "Extra", and all the other Hollywood gossip shows that tell America the latest on the celebrity escapades of the day that has no effect on anyone's lives (i. e. the fact the Jessica Simpson named her daughter Maxwell).  It seems evident to me that our American culture is so obsessed with celebrities that  they don't care whether they're watching a host ridicule their favorite shows on "The Soup," Jone Rivers calling A-list stars unfashionable bitches on "Fashion Police," or Emily deciding what guy to give a rose to, while setting a bad  example for her little girl Ricky by making out with a bunch of strange men as they jet all  over Europe on "The Bachelorette."  No,  this is not the type of shows I enjoy because I  think they're stupid.  Please  don't get the wrong impression that I'm a bitter critic of TV, as I absolutely LOVE getting enchanted by people's unique gifts on "America's Got Talent" and losing myself in a battle between good and evil on "Once Upon a Time." I  just want a conversation going, so please comment on this post.....And tune in for future posts about the worst show "Glee" and the best show "Push Girls!!!"

The Power of Music

Music is extremely powerful!!!  Why?  My reason is that music is universal and can unite us all!  Plus music knows no boundaries of age, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender or anything else that usually sets people apart from each other.  It doesn't matter whether we are gay or straight, black or white, able-bodied or disabled we can appreciate the message of acceptance in Lady Gaga's "Born This Way", dance at a party to Katy Perry's "Firework", or sing along to the Beatles "All You Need Is Love." That's beautiful to me. Another reason I love music is that it inspires us to be better people such as Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and "Black or White." It was because of the Kenny Loggins song "This is it" my boyfriend Korey is alive (see koreyskrew.com for more details). Yep music binds us all together (if you live in Florida and are a wheelchair user, contact koreyskrew.com for free concert tickets)!!! Life is about having a good time and rocking out.

Born This Way

Much like the fabulously famous pop icon Lady Gaga, I am  on a  mission to make a difference in the lives of young people...especially for  those with physical disabilities.    Whether Gaga is wearing a costume created from fresh meat or she is being rolled  into an awards show in a giant green egg, the superstar is always  taking the opportunity to teach her "little monsters" to celebrate and embrace who they  are. That's what I intend to  do with this blog.   I was born with a physical disability called Cerebral Palsy due to a lack of oxygen to my brain during delivery.  Although I  struggle with my own challenges with being a wheelchair user and feeling quite different in college, I want to be a strong voice for the disability community.   Through exploring many different topics, I'll try to inspire, empower, and motivate people with disabilities who believe in their abilities and their dreams. So let's get this conversation going!!!