Monthly Archives: September 2017

#CPChatNow Recap- 9-20-2017

Posted on by

Last week was an eventful week in #CPChatNow as always!  Members discussed searching for their medical records, the return of the TV show Speechless, their high school accommodations, and the importance of self-advocacy.  This is #CPChatNow Co-Host, Devin Axtman taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap.  Buckle up!

The chat started out on a light note as Mindy discussed the difficulty of finding medical records and Blemi shared in the frustration:

Mindy expressed frustration she can't find her medical records. Blemi stated she found her's with a chocolate stain

Next, the chat turned to #CPChatNow’s favorite TV show, Speechless! Speechless returns Wednesday at 8:30 Eastern! Zach shared a fantastic article covering the show and we discussed the director of Speechless saying a goal was to lose the shackles of the “dreaded disability factor”:

Zach and Devin discussing the return of speechless and the director's thoughts

Talk then turned to high school accommodations and how much members were involved in their own accommodations. Blemi mentioned that her small town in Canada just did the bare minimum:

Blemi and Zach discussing high school accommodations in Canada. Blemi said there is no national standard and her small town did the bare minimum

Blemi reported that her school just exempted her from PE and allowed her to simply write papers.  Simply excusing something rather than accommodating for disability is definitely not the best response:

Blemi reported she wrote papers instead of doing PE

Christine and Zach discussed their evolution from being mad at being included in IEP meetings to taking self-advocacy as a point of pride:

Christine and Zach discussing their evolution from being shy to feeling prideful regarding their disability

Omens also discussed the occasional difficulties of self-advocacy, but rejoiced in the good moments when you find an ally that helps you like their stat teacher:

Omens discusses difficulties with self-advocacy and her stat teacher being her ally

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation Question: What memorable stories do you have surrounding CP and self-advocacy?  Please share your answer in the comments!

Tweet you later!

Devin An oranage cat in the lower left hand corner with a shadow of a lion. There is white text saying Extend-The-Convrsation and What memorable stories do you have surrounding CP?

Advertisement

#CPChatNow Recap- 09-13-2017

Posted on by

Disability’s presence on the big and small screen proved a popular topic during the cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow Wednesday, September 13th, 2017. Here to provide you some highlights circa the weekly recap, I am co-host Zachary Fenell. So just like you might at the movie theater sit back, relax, and enjoy.

As per our usual, #CPChatNow opened with participants sending each other greetings and pleasantries. Long-time regular Hannah Pike metaphorically called “action,” directing the conversation to the previously mentioned topic.

Long-time #CPChatNow regular Hannah Pike turns the conversation to acting and disabilities sharing an article she recently read.Personally I found the read thought provoking. You can form your own judgements reading the Deadline piece “Actors with Disabilities Find Little Work in TV, But CBS & FOX Lead the Way in Hiring.”  Hannah and I agreed discussing the issue remains important. I pointed out how seeing someone you can identify with on the small screen may boost self-esteem. That leads to today’s extend-the-conversation question.

“Has there been a certain movie or TV character who helped you see disability differently?” Answer in the “Comments” section. Meanwhile you might notice the piece Hannah tweeted exclusively addressed disability on TV. Talk additionally transitioned to movies courtesy another long-time regular, Blemi.

Another long-time #CPChatNow regular Blemi recalls seeing a movie trailer recently which angered her.She recalled seeing a movie trailer for the film Stronger and cringing. My co-host Devin Axtman believed he reacted similarly when he saw the trailer. However, upon me finding the trailer and posting he recanted.

The #CPChatNow community goes in-depth discussing the Stronger movie trailer.Devin explained the trailer differed from what he originally thought. Further dialogue pursued while we tried understanding our differing opinions. Amidst the chatter Devin noted he enjoyed the way the trailer portrays adjusting to disabled life as non-static. All the movie discussion left veteran participant Jen asking about a separate disability related trailer.

Jen asks #CPChatNow about who has seen the trailer for Jeremy the Dud. We all seemed to find the Jeremy the Dud trailer hilarious. Beyond the movie and TV talk, Devin also announced our September 2017 Google Hangout date.

#CPChatNow will hold their September 2017 Google Hanout Thursday, September 21st. Every month we hold a video chat via Google Hangouts. For privacy reasons we do not post the Hangout link publicly. If you want to join us, please send us a message through our Facebook fan page. Devin, our co-host Jorge Oteiza, or myself will respond to you.

Answer this week's extend-the-conversation question in the "Comments" section, "Has there been a certain movie or TV character who helped you see disability differently?"Mentioning responses, remember to respond to the week’s extend-the-conversation question.

“Has there been a certain movie or TV character who helped you see disability differently?”

Reply below! I hope to speak with you again soon.

-Zachary

#CPChatNow Recap- 9-6-2017

Posted on by

This past week was an eventful week in #CPChatNow as always.  Members discussed hurricanes, new semesters and houses, and difficulties with transportation. This is #CPChatNow Co-Host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride.  All aboard!

First, we would like to share some good news.  Longtime #CPChatNow member, Erin, is OK following Hurricane Irma.  We discussed her hurricane plans last week:

Erin discussing her hurricane plans with caregivers, food, and water.

Perhaps not surprisingly with the time of year, much of #CPChatNow was focused around school.  Omens joined #CPChatNow to discuss fatigue and school accommodations.

Omens discussing her fatigue at school with accommodations such as an extra set of books, unlimited absences, and ability to leave class early

She also talked about her school providing students laptops to take notes.  This is a good example of Universal Design helping everyone:

Omens discuss that she has a laptop to take notes

Zach relived college by sharing his perceived benefits towards living on campus:

Zach and Jen discuss how Zach living on campus allowed him to learn how to avoid conflict

Next, Jen has discussed in previous weeks how she has been adjusting to her new house.  She shared that she has a device that helps turn on ceiling fans and lights, but wondered if there was a similar device for the bathroom:

A picture of a white remote with gray buttons for turning on fans and lights on a table along with a Jen tweet asking if similar devices exist for bathrooms

Finally, Hailey joined #CPChatNow to let us know that she started grad school. However, she shared her frustration with lack of reliable transportation:

Hailey reporting that she has returned to grad school, but shared her frustration with lack of reliable transportation

I will use Hailey’s frustration about transportation for this week’s Extend-The-Conversation Question: What is the worst societal obstacle when it comes to your CP?  Please share your answers in the comments!

Join us every Wednesday at 8 EST on Twitter at #CPChatNow.

Tweet you later-

DevinA black wheelchair in front of gray stairs with blue text on a gray background of the Extend-The-Conversation question. The Multicolor #CPChatNow logo is in the bottom right hand corner

#CPChatNow Recap- 08-30-2017

Posted on by

During #CPChatNow Wednesday, August 30th, 2017 participants discussed assorted topics. I am co-host Zachary Fenell, here with some highlights. Like usual these come packaged together via the weekly recap.

One characteristic which the recaps seem to showcase entails our community’s ability to empathize with each other. Prior to joining #CPChatNow many never talked to someone else with cerebral palsy before. Chatting with a peer who understands can feel dreamlike. Thanks to regular Hamda, we at #CPChatNow may now credibly boast about our dreamy status.

Participant Hamda dreamed of #CPChatNow community members gathering in-person for a picnic.Hamda shared a dream she enjoyed where our community gathered in-person at a park. Such a gathering would prove absolutely wonderful! Arranging said event in reality though requires navigating multiple logistics.

Our community remains spread out across the United States and internationally too. Plus we possess busy schedules, especially since school recently started back up for our young adults. Back to school actually generated much dialogue August 30th.

Shira's comments about being back at school causes Blemi to reflect on her school days.Community regular Shira Sadiky mentioned starting back at school earlier that day. This caused Blemi to reflect on her school years. Their conversation expanded with other participants also reminiscing. Eventually the chatter turned to more serious matters, the devastation Hurricane Harvey caused.

Susanne asks if anyone in CPChatNow was impacted by Hurricane Harvey.Susanne Kate Brasset asked if Hurricane Harvey impacted anyone in our community. Thankfully nobody experienced direct consequences. However both Susanne and co-host Devin Axtman know friends and family directly effected.

Personally I saw the topic as an opportunity to raise an important subject, emergency preparedness.

Zachary asks #CPChatNow community members how prepared they are for an emergency.Responses to the emergency preparedness question stood mixed. Susanne’s time with the Girl Scouts left her more than ready in case an emergency surfaces. Meanwhile Devin admitted to never contemplating the matter. I am willing to wager most people’s answers would resemble Devin’s reply.

Honestly I only thought about emergency preparedness thanks to a past work assignment. When I worked as Handicap This Productions’ Guest Blog Coordinator I connected them with disability advocate Anita Cameron. Her post became a three-part series detailing step by step how to prepare for an emergency.

Zachary links to Anita Cameron's emergency preparedness guest post for Handicap This Productions..I highly recommend reading. Take a look, “Emergency Preparedness- A Common Sense Measure for the Disability Community.” The read will help you answer the week’s extend-the-conversation question!

This week's extend-the-conversation question asks "What is one thing you can do today to prepare for an emergency?" Reply in the "Comments" section.“What is one thing you can do today to prepare for an emergency?”

Respond below in the “Comments.” Thanks for reading. Remember you can partake in #CPChatNow every Wednesday on Twitter  starting at 8pm ET. I hope to tweet you soon.

Sincerely,

Zachary