The Siyasizana Community Development Program Helps the Physically Challenged in South Africa

Understandably so, many of us would rather not want to deal with the challenges that come with a physical disability. But even though I am disabled as a C5/C6 quadriplegic and have to deal with a lot of those challenges, I consider myself lucky that I live in a country like the US where a lot of progress has been made during the past few decades to improve the quality of life of people with a physical disability. I often wonder what it must be like to live in a country where disability awareness is far behind compared to in the US and where social programs for the disabled are almost nonexistent. I have heard stories of children with a mobility disability living in developing countries that don’t even have access to a basic manual wheelchair. I cannot imagine what that would be like!

Therefore I have a lot of respect for the people who dedicate their lives to improve the situation in countries where the disability movement still has a long way to go. In that spirit I would like to dedicate this post to John Shelembe who recently got in touch with Disabled and Productive and who started an NGO in South Africa, the Siyasizana Community Development program, to help and motivate the physically disabled and other disadvantaged. While I checked out their website, I ran into an inspiring story about a woman living in South Africa who was told she would never be able to hold a job in the open market because of her severe disability and due to her determination proved everyone wrong. You can read the entire story at John’s site. Feel free to check it out.

Videos about Living with a Mobility Disability on DisabledAndProductive.com

Disabled And Productive has added a new category to their website for publishing videos about living with a mobility disability. We will start off with some videos of Luc, a C5/C6 quadriplegic, showing some of the things he does to make his life as normal as possible. But our long-term goal is to also feature videos of other persons living with a mobility disability showing some of their equipment, tips or whatever they do to make their lives more enjoyable. Please, don’t hesitate to let us know if you would like to contribute.

We just posted our first video: the benefits of a standing wheelchair.

Stay tuned for more videos!

Video on the Benefits of Using a Standing Wheelchair

Ever thought about the kind of difference a standing wheelchair could make in you life? Luc shows us some of the many benefits he has gotten out of his standing wheelchair and why he feels like he wouldn’t even want to do without one.

We also have a story on the use of a standing wheelchair, how to transition into one, and the benefits you can get from using one. Using a Standing Wheelchair as a Quadriplegic.

Fazio, the Beloved Matchmaker Dog, who Brought Shari and Luc Together

The story of a quadriplegic who marries his service dog trainer

When I divorced my first wife 13 years ago, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the rest of my life. All of a sudden I found myself living alone in my house without a partner I could rely on to manage the physical chores that come with running a household and to support me with issues related to my C5/C6 quadriplegia. Luckily I had a very reliable caregiver who had been working for me for several years. She made a commitment to help with my morning and evening routines each day. And when she wasn’t able to make it on a particular day or when she went on a vacation, she would make sure that someone else in her family would fill in.

However, I felt that life had become a struggle as I was basically living in survival mode. All of my closest family was living in Belgium, I had a nine year old son I needed to take care of who lived with me 50% of the time, and I was holding a job that was quite demanding. I barely had enough time left during the week to get some food on the table for my son and I. Living alone like this certainly wasn’t how I wanted to live for the rest of my life. Read more

Overcoming Spinal Injury at Birth

Every week I look for stories of people who have lived inspiring lives and who have worked and persevered to overcome setbacks, injuries, and disabilities. What is constantly heartening to me is that I don’t have to look very long or very far to find a wealth of personal stories of those people who have done amazing things in their lives under some of the most trying circumstances.

Take, for instance, Krista Stillinger, a teen who had her spinal cord damaged at birth. Her C2 injury meant that even breathing on her own was a challenge, and still can be difficult for her at times. But in spite of this she is a bright light in the lives of those that know her and an inspiring young woman.

I found her story at the Times and Democrat and think this short read is well worth it. I hope you enjoy it.

The Employment Gap Between People With and Without Disabilities is still Huge

I just recently read in a research report from Cornell University that a dramatic 42 percent employment gap separates working-age people with and without disabilities in the workforce.

It saddens me to read those kinds of statistics. There is no reason why the gap has to be that big in our information economy, where work is much less about physical labor than ever before. Nowadays employment possibilities for people with disabilities are huge. Having computer skills is the key though, but any person with a physical disability can be trained to learn those skills thanks to adaptive technologies and the many government programs in existence that help with funding educational programs for people with disabilities. The widespread availability of online classes makes getting an education even easier for a person with limited mobility.

However, employers must also be willing to hire people with disabilities. But hiring managers too often rather play it “safe” by hiring an able-bodied person instead of a person with a disability even though the disability has no impact on the job needing to be performed. What we need is a cultural shift in corporate America where a person with a disability is given a “real” equal opportunity based on his or her intellectual capabilities, while setting any physical barriers aside. Provide us with access to the office building, which usually doesn’t need to cost that much, or let us telecommute and we can perform most computer related jobs just efficiently as anyone else out there.

And for those people with a disability already employed, be a good ambassador by giving it your best shot showing your superiors and peers that your contributions are just as valuable or better as anyone else’s. At least that’s what I try to do. Of course, I am in it to make myself a comfortable living and to provide for my family, but I always think about how my performance might convince some hiring manager to give another person with a disability an opportunity to flourish. We have dreams to be productive and successful in life like anyone else. Just give us a chance and we will show you we can prevail!

Interview with Disabled T-shirt Designer Jared Aronson

We recently had the opportunity to get in touch with an inspiring young man who started his own t-shirt company, Madhouse Tees. Jared Aronson lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy every day, but his humor, his art, and his outlook on life are what define him. And considering what he has to live with every day, that is both amazing and inspiring. Read more

Jared Aronson’s Story – an Amazing Young Man with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

GILFORD – It’s one thing in life to find something that you love to do and it’s quite another to find that something only to have it taken away from you. Even more miraculous is when, what was taken away, is restored.

Jared Aronson is an artist and has been since he was a child. Every since he can remember he has had a love for drawing and he has parlayed that love into a successful T-shirt company called Madhouse Tees (www.madhousetees.com). Jared’s T-shirt designs are both whimsical and irreverent, poking fun at society’s norms, the advertising industry, history and everyday life in general. Read more