#CPChatNow Recap- 06-22-2016

Posted on June 29, 2016 by zacharyfenell

Community shined during our weekly Twitter chat Wednesday, June 22nd. I am co-host Zachary Fenell tasked to bring you the recap. This includes exploring the different communal elements, like encouragement and inspiration. The latter kicked off the night.

To see Devin and Hannah refer to my walking as at a certain “level” made me smile. Erin though hit on an important factor.

Discussion about physical activity continued as the topic transitioned to physical therapy (PT). Not everyone enjoys a positive history with PT. Enter the need for our community to provide encouragement.

PT or no PT you can still find ways to stay physically active with cerebral palsy.

In order to help others visualize reverse crunches I shared the following.

Since I started doing reverse crunches daily I feel stronger in my abs. As a result I am better able to catch my balance whenever I stumble.

Obviously, I am not the only one with cerebral palsy who exercises at home. So shall we open up the dialogue? Answer Devin’s question for the extend-the-conversation question. “Do you do any exercises at home?”

If yes, please give an example. Follow the usual routine and respond in the “Comments” section.

Moving forward allow me to return to the community theme. A community offers comfortableness and a safe place to share. Erin did exactly that, tweeting out a link to her recent blog post.

Read Erin’s emotional post here. However, first remember to answer the extend-the-conversation question. “Do you do exercises at home?”

Reply in the “Comments” section below. If you answer yes, give an example!

Also consider purchasing a #CPChatNow sleeveless performance t shirt. Made by Sport-Tek, the performance shirt remains ideal for physical activity. Or, explore the other shirt styles available. Sale ends July 11th!

Tweet you tonight!

-Zachary

#CPCHATNOW T-Shirts and Tank Tops NOW On Sale!

Posted on June 10, 2016 by zacharyfenell

You can now wear your #CPChatNow pride! Hi, co-host Zachary Fenell here with exciting news. The long wait for #CPChatNow shirts remains over. This thanks to a 30-day Custom Cat campaign launched June 9th. Through the campaign #CPChatNow will raise funds for the nonprofit organization Keep On Keeping On (KOKO) Foundation.

Custom Cat offers a platform for creating customized gear. Orders print on demand and ship directly to the customer. Ideal for us at #CPChatNow! No upfront costs. No inventory to deal with. No postage and mailing to worry about.

Fundraising for KOKO!

KOKO provides funds for a new wheelchair.

KOKO Executive Director Dave Kunicki and President Tim Wambach present Jessica a check for buying a new wheelchair. KOKO stepped in after Jessica’s insurance company denied her a replacement.

As aforementioned the sale will raise funds for the nonprofit Keep On Keeping On Foundation. Our own founding father Tim Wambach also founded KOKO, back in 2007. KOKO assists those living with severe physical disabilities.

Assistance provided by purchasing medical equipment, paying for needed physical therapy, helping to cover outstanding medical expenses, and more. Learn about those KOKO helped in the past. Click for the stories.

Please note the money that goes to KOKO differs from the price you pay. Production costs need paying too. The chart below crunches the numbers for you. So you can see exactly where your money goes.

Build Your T-Shirt or Tank Top

Start by selecting your preferred shirt design. You will find three options.

Option #1: The Legendary #CPChatNow Train

Our own Erin Diericx brings the legendary #CPChatNow train to life. Underneath her beautifully designed train, the shirt reads.

BOARD THE #CPCHATNOW TRAIN

EVERY WEDNESDAY 8 ET ON TWITTER

& ON FACEBOOK ANYTIME

CPCHATNOW.COM

Option #2: Colored Logo

Option two features a colorful #CPChatNow logo, a Sarah Wambach creation. Beneath the gold, blue, and green #CPChatNow logo accompanies the slogan.

Community for Those with Cerebral Palsy (written in blue)

cpchatnow.com (written in green)

Option #3: Join the Family

Regularly we in our community refer to ourselves as family. That familial theme takes center stage in the final shirt design. A white #CPChatNow logo dons the shirt with the following words (also in white).

JOIN THE CEREBRAL PALSY FAMILY

ON TWITTER & FACEBOOK

CPCHATNOW.COM

Choose Your Product

Next after selecting your design, click the “Available Products” dropdown menu and explore. You will see various t-shirts and tank tops, including variations for women and youths. Once you decide on a product, play with the colors. When you key in on a combination you like, put in your size, and hit “Buy It Now.”

Check Your Spam Folder

Upon order completion you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not see the confirmation, check your spam folder. Custom Cat fills orders within 24 to 48 hours. Add in time for shipping too.

Do not let the confirmation email panic you. Personally I ordered a sleeveless performance shirt (true red) with the colored logo design. Plus I ordered a t-shirt (Irish green) featuring the join the family design.

Yet my confirmation order simply showed the right color sleeveless performance shirt but with the train design. No mention about my second shirt outside the total price. Therefore I wrote Custom Cat customer service to double check my order. They replied in under 12 hours, confirming my double check. If you wish to confirm your order, you can email Custom Cat at contact@customcat.com.

Final FYIs

Unfortunately Custom Cat currently only ships domestically within the United States and to Canada. Hopefully in the future we can find a way to offer #CPChatNow gear to our participants located other places around the world.

In the meantime the countdown clock in the United States and Canada ticks away. Order your #CPChatNow t-shirts and tank tops today! Rep #CPChatNow wherever you go. When someone asks, “Why are you smiling?” You can say “Because I helped raise funds for KOKO.”

ORDER YOUR T-SHIRTS AND TANK TOPS TODAY!

#CPChatNow Recap- 06-01-2016

Posted on June 7, 2016 by zacharyfenell

Cerebral palsy or drunk, the too common mix up triggered much conversation Wednesday, June 1st. Hi! Co-host Zachary Fenell back as promised to recap our most recent Twitter chat. Due to my co-host Blake Henry dealing with other priorities, I remained without my metaphorical co-pilot.

After sending well wishes to Blake’s father, we proceeded with our traditional Wednesday evening ritual. I sparked dialogue, sharing an experience from earlier in the day.

Honestly, I read about others encountering the cerebral palsy or drunk confusion before. Yet if I indeed heard correctly, the interaction marks my first personal experience with the issue. I wonder how many face the cerebral palsy or drunk mix up.

Wait! That gives me an idea. How about I ask for this week’s extend-the-conversation question “Has your cerebral palsy ever led someone to mistaken you for being drunk? How did you react?”

Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

Another noteworthy aspect came when I teased the next focus chat announcement.

Those who missed Thursday’s post, click here. Personally I believe this upcoming focus chat will lead to some standout discussion! Make sure to mark the special time on your calendar, 5pm ET- 7pm ET (June 15th).

Speaking about focus chats, Devin mentioned a past focus chat leader.

Last year Devin and Emily teamed up to lead an advocacy focus chat. While I still need to listen to The Accessible Stall myself, I hold no hesitation echoing Devin’s recommendation here. I am more than confident Emily delivers an awesome podcast.

Additionally I wish to echo a plug I made Wednesday evening.

Everyone deserves the chance to go to the bathroom in a private, dignified setting. So again, I am encouraging everyone to sign. Use this active link to visit the petition and show your support on said important matter.

Once you sign the petition, return here to the recap and answer the extend-the-conversation question.

“Has your cerebral palsy ever led someone to mistaken you for being drunk? How did you react?”

Simply leave a comment below to respond.

I hope to talk with you Wednesday.

-Zachary

ANNOUNCEMENT: June 2016 Focus Chat Details

Posted on June 3, 2016 by zacharyfenell

A calendar flip brings about exciting prospects. For our community that involves the thought. “What will the monthly focus chat be?” Well I am your co-host Zachary Fenell and I am here to tell you!

Typically my co-host Blake Henry and I like to make these announcements during the Twitter chats. Unfortunately circumstances beyond our control prevented that from happening yesterday. Rather waiting another week to make the announcement, we realized. “Wait! We have a website. Let us make the announcement there.”

So without further babbling, I give you the details for our June focus chat.

Sure I could carry on with my words to tell you about Zach Wood. Better, I will let Zach’s award winning video share his story. He won The Arc of Larimer County Fourth Annual Film Festival with the following.

Given his wheelchair and speech pattern Zach deals with stereotypes too much. People make certain judgments about him because how he sounds or looks. The unfortunate situation however leaves him a perfect candidate to lead our focus chat on breaking down stereotypes!

By living an active life Zach continuously meets new people. When people meet him, stereotypes breakdown and possibilities shine. In this guest blog post for Handicap This Productions, Zach details the many ways he lives actively.

Please join us on Twitter Wednesday, June 15th for a Q & A about breaking down stereotypes with Zach Wood (@zlwbooks). You will enjoy the opportunity to tweet Zach your questions.

IMPORTANT!

You will notice our “Breaking Down Stereotypes” focus chat begins at a special time! #CPChatNow takes place between 5pm ET and 7pm ET Wednesday, June 15^th. Mark your calendars accordingly!

Now I realize the time change will cause schedule conflicts for some. Conversely our regular time would not work for our guest and his aid/cohort John Teumer. Therefore I apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your willingness to accommodate. I am confident those who can attend will revel in a memorable conversation.

Anyhow in a few days I will return with a recap from our June 1^st Twitter chat.

Until then!

-Zachary

P.S. For more about our upcoming guest, visit his website www.zlwbooks.com.

#CPChatNow Recap- 05-25-2016

Posted on June 1, 2016 by zacharyfenell

On Wednesday, May 25th, 2016 our live cerebral palsy Twitter chat discussed many subjects. Hello again! I, #CPChatNow co-founder and co-host Zachary Fenell, am back with you. Hopefully you enjoyed the past two recaps, put together by my co-host Blake Henry. Those recaps prove the start to empowering our community to use this website to share their voices. More about that soon enough though!

In the meantime I possess a lot to recap from our most recent chat. Blake sparked conversation early, asking about inspiration.

Regular recap readers, yes! You will notice another new Twitter handle in the above screen grab.

new-participant Hamda later specified she lives in Dubai. Her presence allowed us to learn about disability perceptions there.

Fittingly enough, disability perception in general stood out as a hot topic during the weekly chat. Regular Devin triggered the dialogue sharing an article from CNN, “Paralyzed After Falling From Tree, Hunter and Dad-to-be Opts to End Life.”

Now I must admit selecting highlights from the disability perception discussion remained challenging. Personally I thought our community raised several great points. Since such a rich topic, why not keep the dialogue going? In other words, extend the conversation! Answer for the extend-the-conversation question, “What can you do to encourage those who become disabled to push forward, to keep on keeping on?”

Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

Moving forward, an additional loaded topic emerged thanks to chatter about botox treatment.

Lucinda’s recommendation to checkout Botox Savings Card exemplifies our community’s helpful nature. Join in the Twitter chat fun one week and see what beneficial advice you receive. I sought to contribute to the good advice too when the conversation transitioned to exercise.

Keep the conversation going and answer "What can you do to encourage those who become disabled to push forward, to keep on keeping on?"

Answer in the “Comments” section.

Overall last week’s Twitter chat conversation covered a lot. From helpful advice to disability perceptions to disability in Dubai and more! I excitedly await to see how the dialogue for tonight’s chat progresses.

Assist me in passing the time until 8:00pm ET by keeping last week’s conversation going. Answer the extend-the-conversation question.

“What can you do to encourage those who become disabled to push forward, to keep on keeping on?”

Thank you for reading. Tweet you soon!

-Zachary

#CPChatNow Recap- 05-04-2016

Posted on May 12, 2016 by zacharyfenell

Week after week #CPChatNow offers the cerebral palsy community a place for support, advice, and understanding. Proud chat co-founder and co-host Zachary Fenell here to catch you up on the latest. Now before I continue with the May 4th recap, let me share a disclaimer. Life gets in the way sometimes. Busy schedules causes the occasional Twitter chat to end up uneventful. That proved the case with the April 27th #CPChatNow. Hence no April 27th recap.

Yet do not mistaken a down week for lacking interest in the Twitter chat. May 4th demonstrated our value to the cerebral palsy community. A newcomer joined in, seeking advice.

An interesting aspect to #CPChatNow forms with the twists the dialogue takes. For instance, the showering issue cited above led to a full fledged conversation on said subject.

Would you like to contribute to the discussion? The extend-the-conversation question enables you too! Answer “Do you take showers or baths?” Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

Moving on, our community includes various age groups. Therefore understanding can lead to another feeling. I am talking about hope!

Between the shared advice and understanding, participating in #CPChatNow stands a joyful experience. A claim backed up by participant feedback!

Speaking about advice, another useful tidbit emerged from the May 4th chat.

Also on May 4th my co-host Blake Henry and I surprised our community with a couple announcements. The first announced the next focus chat, which we actually held Wednesday, May 11th. Blake led us in a chat on the benefits of community service. Stay tuned for that recap!

Secondly, Blake announced the date for our May Google Hangout.

Google Hangouts allow us to talk face-to-face via video chat. Please send me a direct message on Twitter if you want to receive the Google Hangout invite. For privacy reasons we do not publicly share the Hangout’s link.

While you count down the days to this month’s Google Hangout and await the “Benefits of Community Service” focus chat recap, answer the extend-the-conversation question currently at hand. “Do you take showers or baths?”

Respond via a comment below.

Thanks for reading. Talk again soon!

-Zachary

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-20-2016

Posted on April 28, 2016 by zacharyfenell

Every week the live cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow demonstrates our community’s multi-faceted nature. Hi, co-host Zachary Fenell here to dissect what that means. Allow me to do so by recapping the April 20th Twitter chat.

When I tell someone about #CPChatNow, I use the phrase “online support group for those with cerebral palsy.” The way we provide support proves multi-faceted. We offer an open forum to ask questions and better understand CP.

$Has anyone dealt with stress fractures?$ $CPChatNow's stress fractures discussion transitions to talk about falls.$ Plus we work as a problem solving think tank.

Then the weekly Twitter chat also supplies a chance to bond over cerebral palsy related commonalities!

Personally I want as many people possible to enjoy #CPChatNow’s supports. Hence I started the extend-the-conversation question. You do not need Twitter or any social media to participate! Simply read the recap and leave a comment to answer the week’s question. This time around answer the following.

“What modifications, if any, did you receive for PE?”

Moving on, our multi-faceted supports leaves community members holding #CPChatNow in high regards. Even to the point where internationally people partake at crazy hours!

Come experience our incredible community for yourself! We give you the opportunity every Wednesday at 8pm ET. Join us on Facebook too. Like the CPChatNow Facebook fan page! There we post cerebral palsy related articles daily.

Finally, remember to answer the week’s extend-the-conversation question.

“What modifications, if any, did you receive for PE?”

Respond by leaving a comment below!

Thanks for checking out the recap.

-Zachary

P.S. To read the aforementioned sample from my memoir, just visit Off Balanced‘s Amazon sales page.

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-13-2016

Posted on April 20, 2016 by zacharyfenell

Inclusive education and advocating for accessibility remained the main topics discussed during the April 13th #CPChatNow. Hi! Delayed greetings again from co-host Zachary Fenell. At least by now you know to expect the weekly recap mere hours before the next chat. A pattern I plan to change very soon.

Enough opening banter though! Let us look back at the prior week’s Twitter chat. I actually guest hosted a different Twitter chat the previous day. On Tuesday, April 12th I received the opportunity to ask teachers questions courtesy the inclusive education chat #iechat. Afterwards I decided to re-phrase my questions so I could ask them during #CPChatNow too.

The discussion led to reminiscing about old assistive technology no longer used.

My co-host Blake Henry raised an important point when answering the third inclusive education question.

Blake’s comment transitions us to today’s extend-the-conversation question. “How would you describe your learning style?” Answer in the “Comments” section!

Additionally, as noted earlier, advocating for accessibility grew to become a popular topic last Wednesday.

Personally I think Hannah’s frustrating situation spotlights the importance for our community. She can come and vent to people who actually understand the situation. Plus we help each other out, aiming to create change. Ultimately we provide emotional support and practical advice. Quite the duo!

Feel free to join in and reap our fruits. #CPChatNow takes place on Twitter every Wednesday starting at 8pm ET. For those not on Twitter, Blake and I continue to provide opportunities for you to participate in our community. We share cerebral palsy stories daily on our Facebook fan page. Like the page and interact with what we share!

How would you describe your learning style?

Join the conversation and answer in the “Comments” section!

The weekly extend-the-conversation question also supplies opportunity to partake in our community. So make sure you answer the week’s extend-the-conversation question. “How would you describe your learning style?”

Again answer in the “Comments” section.

As always thank you for reading the recap and for your interest in #CPChatNow.

Sincerely,

-Zachary

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-06-2016

Posted on April 13, 2016 by zacharyfenell

Cerebral palsy related wisdom, uniting as one community, and more surfaced during the April 6th, 2016 #CPChatNow Twitter chat. Before I get into summarizing mode though, I want to thank you for your patience. Lately I am failing to post these weekly recaps in a timely manner. This segues to other failures as well.

Last month my co-host Blake Henry and I surprised our community by launching said website here. We possessed and still possess many hopes for the site. I looked forward to allowing others to post the weekly recaps. Shortly following the website launch an idea for a special “What’s Your Story?” blog post series emerged.

Yet I’m still the lone ceep writing the recaps. There remains no progress on the “What’s Your Story?” series. Know all this weighs on me. While I cannot offer a time table for when these changes will start, I can say they will eventually start. So again, thank you for your patience.

Now with that said, let us re-focus and revisit last week’s Twitter chat. Seeing #WednesdayWisdom trending I decided to ask about cerebral palsy related wisdom.

Another question asked dealt with the widely varying differences found in the overall CP community.

What a question! A question I liked so much, I wanted to give you the opportunity to reply! Go ahead and answer as the extend-the-conversation question “Do those who are high functioning have obligation to reach out to those who are severely affected by CP? Are we one community?”

Leave your answers in the “Comments” section. If you want to checkout Lindsay’s blog post on the topic prior to answering, click here.

The variation in severity carries over into the entire disability community. A fact which emerged when discussing the ADA line at events.

Well, judging by the time I should bring the April 6th, 2016 #CPChatNow recap to a close. I mean this week’s chat begins very shortly. Whether or not you can join the live chats on Twitter, you should contribute to the conversation. So go ahead and answer the extend-the-conversation question.

“Do those who are high functioning have obligation to reach out to those who are severely affected by CP? Are we one community?”

Again answer by leaving a comment below. Thank you too for checking out the weekly recap!

Until next time!

-Zachary

#CPChatNow

Online community for those with cerebral palsy!

Author Archives: zacharyfenell

#CPChatNow Recap- 06-22-2016

#CPCHATNOW T-Shirts and Tank Tops NOW On Sale!

Fundraising for KOKO!

Build Your T-Shirt or Tank Top

Option #1: The Legendary #CPChatNow Train

Option #2: Colored Logo

Option #3: Join the Family

Choose Your Product

Check Your Spam Folder

Final FYIs

ORDER YOUR T-SHIRTS AND TANK TOPS TODAY!

#CPChatNow Recap- 06-01-2016

ANNOUNCEMENT: June 2016 Focus Chat Details

#CPChatNow Recap- 05-25-2016

#CPChatNow Recap- 05-04-2016

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-20-2016

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-13-2016

#CPChatNow Recap- 04-06-2016