thisabilitynotdisability

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In Memory of Mark Traub, TAND Board Member

We have been remiss in publicly acknowledging our loss of our dear friend and fellow Board member, Mark Traub in December 2022.  We offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Lisa Nilsson and his family and friends.  Mark died from complications of treatments for leukemia which he battle for 19 months.   Mark joined the TAND Board in 2019 after retiring from a wonderful 35 year career as the stage manager of NBC’s Today’s Show.  We deeply appreciated Mark’s warmth, openness and generosity as a Board member.  The  TODAY Show’s tribute to Mark did a great job of capturing Mark as a person.  The link is https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rlUkxDZInLA

#Mark Traub

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This Ability Not Disability (TAND) is excited to announce its partnership with I.M.A.N.E.E. (Instilling My Ability to Naturally Embrace Excellence), an organization dedicated to the elevation and development of Black girls regardless of their background.  We are pleased to find an organization that is so aligned with TAND’s mission of promoting the development, leadership and advocacy skills of young people.  TAND will use its resources to support I.M.A.N.E.E. in removing some barriers that might interfere with young Black girls with physical disabilities seeing themselves as a potential member of the I.M.A.N.E.E sisterhood which is the intersection of Black girl healing, visibility and empowerment for elevating the world’s next group of unapologetic change agents.  I.M.A.N.E.E recognizes the value of saying “I see you” and actually honoring the existence of another Black girl and woman in our space.   

To learn more about I.M.A.N.E.E., please visit their website at: https://www.imanee.org/. 

#This ability not disability #I.M.A.N.E.E. #youth with physical disabilities

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Supporting Children Sharing their experiences during COVID 19  in a Diary

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Aaron and friends share some time with Rihanna

#beyonce #rihanna #marc jacobs #euphoria #black history month #fashion week #elite models #elite model management #beygood

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#explorers.org #mark wood explorer

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TAND had another great NYC evening learning about interesting careers. On June 13th, 2018, three teens with physical disabilities, their parents and Board members had the opportunity to go backstage at Jazz at Lincoln Center to learn about the people who make music come alive.  Chief Engineer, Rob Macomber engaged the teens in learning about the interesting and complex work of music engineering and his own career journey. Then Rob took the group on a backstage tour of Jazz at Lincoln Center.  Thank you, Rob!   Afterwards, the group shared their highlights of the visit during a great dinner at Carmine’s.  

#ThisAbilityNotDisability #jazz at lincoln center #youth with physical disabilities

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Annie Scheer, Development Coordinator for New York Public Radio planned a spectacular afternoon for TAND.  Courtney Stein, Producer of Radio Rookies, Kyle Sauri, Python Backend Engineer, Jillian Pastori, Senior Listener Service Associate, and Krystal Hawes, WQXR Project Coordinator who took time to sit and chat with the 3 youth who participated in this TAND event which allowed youth to learn about the different kinds of careers at a public radio station.  The kids also had an unexpected visit from Terrance McKnight who took time from his radio show to come out to say hello to us making the tour and visit even better.   Marin, one of the teens on the NY Public Radio tour said, “Thanks to TAND and the people at WNYC for allowing me to go on an awesome tour and see first-hand how a radio station is run.” With playfulness and joie de vie, she added, “Move over Terrance McKnight!  In a few years, I’ll be ready to take your job!”   Josh, another teen added “It was inspiring and amazing and we also had a ton of fun, laughs, and an experience to remember! The people from WNYC were really open and gave us true insights about what they do."   Check out our short video and picture collage from our visit.

#New York Public Radio #WNYC #abilitynotdisability #empoweringyouth

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This is a video of Josh Skiing at NAC (National Ability Center) in Park City, Utah. 

#National Ability Center #all abilities #youth with physical disabilities #Families of youth with disabilities

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A Winter Paradise: National Ability Center, Park City, Utah By Josh Stern

This past February break, I went skiing for the first time in my life! Now, I’m not an avid sports person, except for dabbling in a bit of adaptive ice hockey, so this was an exciting, amazing opportunity.

 How was this possible, you ask? An organization known as the National Ability Center (NAC), based in Park City, Utah, provides access to sports and therapeutic recreation for people of all abilities, in keeping with the mission of This Ability Not Disability.  NAC is active year round, providing access to winter sports such as skiing and snow tubing on pristine fresh snow as well as summer sport and recreational opportunities.  NAC offers the only completely accessible outdoor adventure park in the United States as well as an equestrian center. This trip, we skied and engaged in other activities such as an adaptive indoor biathlon and rock climbing (which was personally a favorite part of the trip, second only to skiing). The adaptive biathlon features professional laser rifles.  To climb NAC’s rock wall, you either have the option of doing so in the typical way, or if you feel so inclined to be seated in a chair-like contraption you can pull yourself up with assistance by utilizing a handle on the rope. Being at the top of the rock wall was particularly fun, as it seemed to be a third of the way higher than the rock-climbing wall located near my home in New York City at Chelsea Piers. There were windows located at nearly the roof level which provided a spectacular view of a freshly snowed on mountain.  The view was incredibly enjoyable to look upon, so that I declined to come down the wall for several minutes. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a camera along in the chair, so if you are taking the seat up, my advice is to bring one.

 Skiing was incredibly fun, especially considering the amount of work put into making sure that I felt comfortable and that I did what I wanted to do. During the four sessions (two per day, one before lunch and one after for two days) I was lucky enough to have the same instructor, Dale Hentzell. Dale was amazing, taking me wherever I wanted to go at incredible speeds, and there truly were no barriers. For the first part of my time skiing during both days, I held one “outrigger,” which is a type of handheld ski that can be placed in the snow and pointed in a direction to turn. On my left side, due to my different abilities, a fixed outrigger was placed that served to provide balance. The whole time, Dale was tethered to me by a pair of bright orange, well, tethers, or he held directly onto the sled using an attached bar. I participated in the skiing by adjusting my outrigger when I held it or leaning in the direction of the turn when I did not.

 We made it all the way up to the top of the mountain, about 9200 feet, and skied down the 3 mile run in 12 minutes. Virtually any run that I wanted to try, I could, with the exception of only the black diamond level runs. It was amazing flying down the powdery slopes at a very high speed, and feeling like I was gliding on air. The process of getting on and off the ski lifts was quick, simple, easy, and safe (so quick that we ended up doing three 1½ mile runs in roughly 20 minutes). While skiing, it was a day of amazing nonstop action, and I definitely want to return to do it again. It was the highlight of my time at NAC.

 Now, we move on to the other stuff: facilities, in-house services, etc. The array of facilities located on-site at NAC was great. The grounds include: two baseball diamonds, a soccer field, a tennis court, an all-accessible outdoor adventure park (with a zipline and a flying squirrel), an administrative building also containing the rock wall, and a lodge. The lodge is completely accessible, and a very nice place to stay. Upstairs (accessible by elevator) there is also a lounge where there are video games, which you probably will never have time to play or even think about given the astounding variety of sports activities offered (please consult the website for a full list of facilities).

 The NAC staff are amazing. They are kind, caring, thoughtful, experienced and well trained, and will try the hardest in the world to accommodate you. As an example, one of the sports on our itinerary was snow tubing. When we first arrived, we were put into snow tubes so that we could be pulled up a snow-covered hill to the beginning of the tubing runs. On the way up, I noticed that because of my position in the tube I was having back pain from passing over even the smallest bumps and did not want to injure myself by going over a huge bump. I therefore decided that I would sit out on the activity, but then, thanks to an idea that Josh (a great intern) had, it was decided that I would try sitting in the middle of a double tube (a single snow tube that can seat two people) on the fabric which separates the two seating locations. Because of their wonderful ingenuity and their authority as recreational therapists, we were able to obtain permission for me to go down the run in that manner. I ended up going down with the entire team tied together, and it was a huge amount of fun for me. I thank the NAC Staff for their quick thinking and desire to go to incredible lengths to accommodate someone of any ability.

 I had an amazing experience, and wish to say a special thanks to everyone who made it possible, especially the Wheelchair Sports Federation Sled Rangers, my sled hockey team, who, thanks to generous donors, made it possible for me and my parents to make this trip. Thank you also Bill Greenberg, John Stieler, Chris Decker, the other parents (including mine), Coaches Rox and Steph, as well as Luke (a NAC Staff Lead) and Josh (a NAC Staff Intern), who were always there to help me or answer questions when I needed it most.

#National Ability Center #All Abilities #youth with physical disabilities #Families of youth with disabilities

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Youth Wheelchair Racers in NY Road Runners Rising Youth Event Sunday morning March 18, 2018

#Thisabilitynotdisability.org #NYRR #wheelchair racing #youth with physical disabilities #rising NYRR youth ambassadors

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This is a short but important segment where you willl stop and think about how the lack or limited accessibility in schools impact students with physical disabilities across a school day and in so many ways.  Congratulations and many thanks to Aaron, Emma, Abey, and Jaclyn for sharing their experiences and points of view as NYC public school students who also happen to have a physical disability with NYC NPR listeners. 

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Harper Collins published“This Kid can Fly” !

Congratulations to Aaron Philip, the inspiration for ThisAbilityNotDisability.org.   Harper Collins officially released the book, “This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability (Not Disability)” which Aaron wrote with the help of Tonya Bolden award winning children’s and young adult book author.  Aaron poignantly shares how he and his family have confronted not only the challenges that come with his disability, but also with poverty.  While Aaron is only 14, his experiences uncovering and using his strengths and talents to date in spite of the many barriers that he and his family have confronted are thought provoking.   Aaron gives a face to a child with a disability living in poverty and what the possibilities might be with the helping hand of community.  

http://www.harpercollins.com/…/this-kid-can-fly-its-about-a…

#aaronversetumblr.com #children with disabilities #cerebralpalsy #education #tumblr #frederator studios #children in poverty #occupational therapy

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Stories about Persons with Physical Disabilities Accessing Schools Needed!

Parents for Inclusive Education in NYC in collaboration with the Action for Reform in Special Education (ARISE) Coalition is working to collect the stories of  persons with physical disabilities (students or adults) who have had problem accessing school buildings.They created a survey to capture the stories. Would you share your story or pass along this survey to persons with physical disabilities or their families?  The survey is  at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BarrierFreeSurvey2016

#physical disability #Parents #access #NYC #public school #inclusive education #special education

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If you are looking for a summer fun  in NYC, Wheeling Forward.org and the NYC Department of Transportation are collaborating on an adaptive power soccer clinic at Foley Square (Centre St between Pearl and Worth Streets in Manhattan) from  7 am to 1 pm tomorrow, Saturday, August 1st as well as on the following two Saturdays.   Manual wheelchair users are welcome too.    There will be loaner power wheelchairs available.    If you don’t have a physical disability, you are also welcome.  Bring along a friend or a family member who uses a wheelchair for mobility and discover how much fun power soccer is for everyone.  

#ada25 #Thisabilitynotdisability.org #children with physical disabilities #wheelingforward #disabledsports #ucpofnyc

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Disney is looking for High School students with Dreams  Disney Dreamers Academy is looking for high school students from ages 13 to 19 years to apply for their class of 2016!  The Disney’s Dreamer Academy’s mission is to “unlock the potential in young people, and enable them to imagine their futures anew through inspirational leaders who show them how to set goals, make plans and dream big.”   Research supports the notion that if youth articulate their dreams and then seek resources for achieving them, they are more likely to make a dream or something close to it, a reality.   In our quick review of the class of 2015 Disney’s Dreamers, we didn’t see a teen with a disability.   Are you a teenager who happens to have a disability and also has a dream for your future?  Are you a parent, friend, advocate, or therapist of a teen with dreams and abilities that need nurturing?    Check out the Disney Dreamers Academy and its application process.   Disney is accepting applications for its class of 2016 until October 30, 2015.   We previously highlighted the story of Matthew Walzer, a high school student who happens to have cerebral palsy  and who had a dream of putting on his own sneakers independently without worrying about finding someone to tie them.  He wrote a letter to Nike about the problem and his dream  and Nike’s newest sneaker is the Zoom Soldier 8 Flyease which provides the support that youth with cerebral palsy need in a sneaker while also not requiring the shoe tying that is not physically possible for youth like Matthew.  We at ThisAbilityNotDisability.org celebrate the Matthew Walzers of the world and the companies who reach out to them in meaningful and motivational ways that support their dreams and full participation in their communities.   Let’s work to turn “what if?” into “why not?”  

#youth with disabilities #Thisabilitynotdisability.org #Disney Dreamers Academy #Families of youth with disabilities #Advocates of youth with disabilities #occupational therapy #Nike #Matthew Walzer

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Happy 25th Anniversary ADA

Today is the 25th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act - A day to celebrate all that has changed because of this day in 1990 with President George H. W. Bush signed this Act. The physical accommodations required by this act make US communities accessible in ways that couldn’t have been imagined by prior generations of persons with disabilities. The changes that it propelled in communities and businesses changed the views of all of us about people with disabilities. People with disabilities have the right to belong and with that are entitled to accommodations needed to allow that their communities, schools and places of employment to be accessible instead of being experienced as a person imposing on the rights of others when they just requested equal access. In today’s NY Times, there is a thoughtful opinion piece by Ben Mattlin about the Americans with Disabilities Act. (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/opinion/sunday/an-act-that-enabled-acceptance.html?emc=eta1&_r=0) An anniversary is also a time for reflection about the road already travelled and the road ahead. In October 2011, the late Roger Ebert wrote a wonderful blog entry that reviewed the PBS Independent Lens documentary, Lives Worth Living (http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lives-worth-living/), which succinctly and powerful shares the history of the disability rights movement in the USA. It is worth tracking down. In the meantime, check out the late Roger Ebert’s 2011 review of it (http://www.rogerebert.com/demanders/the-promised-land-will-be-wheelchair-accessible). It is a powerful piece that not only moved me to track down the documentary and deepen my understanding of the disability rights movement, but it also provides an engaging and thoughtful commentary on the media and persons with disabilities. Thank you, Roger Ebert! Through your words, you live on and provoke the thinking of people beyond your years on this earth. There is still a long way to go so that persons with disabilities can develop and be recognized for their abilities. We all need to do our part to make that happen for the well-being and success of all of our communities.

#Americans with Disabilities Act #Lives Worth Living #Thisabilitynotdisability.org #Disability Rights #Ben Mattlin #Roger Ebert

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Check out this story.  Look at the ability of one teen who happens to have cerebral palsy and couldn’t tie his sneakers like they usually require.