Category Archives: Uncategorized

#CPChatNow Recap- 07-07-2021

Posted on by

Participants in the weekly cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow gathered for a lively conversation Wednesday, July 7th, 2021. Here to tell you more, I am chat co-host Zachary Fenell. Welcome to your recap.

Various topics came and went throughout the evening July 7th. Early in the night dialogue revolved around the upcoming Paralympics.

#CPChatNow participants discuss Paralympic coverage.

Admittedly, I raised the Paralympic topic when tweeting a BBC News story, “Tokyo Paralympics: Most of Channel 4’s TV hosts will be disabled.” In my tweet, I asked what others thought about Channel 4’s pledge to have more than 70% of its Paralympic presenters be disabled. My co-host Devin Axtman responded, calling the move “much needed.” I agreed, saying involving disabled voices should help prevent an ablest narrative.

Your turn! What do you think? Answer for the week’s extend-the-conversation question, “What do you think of Channel 4’s pledge to have more than 70% of its Paralympic presenters be disabled?” Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

Continuing on, chat regular Chris and I found ourselves discussing athletes who had to persevere through much adversity. A subject which led me to pose another question.

#CPChatNow participants discuss quotes they tell themselves in order to persevere through adversity.

I asked participants “When facing tough times, what quote or advice do you tell yourself in order to keep persevering?” Long-time regular Blemi responded “Never give up on your dreams,” a quote from Rick Hansen Man in Motion. Meanwhile Alessandro replied “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Putting Alessandro’s chosen advice into action, do remember to answer the week’s extend-the-conversation question. Again, the question asks “What do you think of Channel 4’s pledge to have more than 70% of its Paralympic presenters be disabled?”

This week's extend-the-conversation question asks "What do you think of Channel 4's pledge to have more than 70% of its Paralympic presenters be disabled?"
Reply in the “Comments.”

Afterwards, set yourself a reminder to join #CPChatNow each and every Wednesday, starting at 8pm ET. Or, tweet me and ask me to include you in my weekly #CPChatNow reminder tweet. Until our next correspondence, remember. Don’t blend in. Blend out!

-Zachary

#CPChatNow Recap- 10-28-2020

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was popping as always. Members discussed their favorite Halloween candy, what they do to manage pain, and their favorite part of November. This is #CPChatNow co-host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap.

First, members discussed their favorite Halloween candy. I also shared my negative thoughts about candy corn.

i asked what member's favorite halloween candy is. i also shared why i thought candy corn is trash. jen tweeted snickers is her favorite candy, rb tweeted she has always wanted to try candy corn, but she has heard it tastes like balls. she tweeted she prefers hairbo
timmy tweeted a picture of reese's peanut butter cups, zach tweeted peanut butter and chocolate is magical, tonia says tweeted candy corn does not love her back and she likes peanut butter snickers, esperesso chocolate, and awake dark chocolate, zach tweeted he likes anything king sized and candy corn is trash because it doesn't come in king sized

Next, Zach and Casey discussed how they managed pain:

zach tweeted he uses a heating pad to measure back and shoulder pain and has used a tens unit before. casey tweeted a tens unit is like electric shock therapy, but it's portable. zach tweeted he was hurt when he turned the knob the wrong way, casey said the tens unit helps to put them to sleep and asked zach if he is impacted by weather, zach tweeted colder weather makes him sore

Finally, Zach asked members what their favorite part of November is. Members discussed the election being over and writing their novel.

zach asks if members have a favorite part of november, chris tweeted her favorite part is when the election is over, tonia tweeted her favorite part is NaNo- an effort for people to write their novels, zach asked if she was ready, tonia tweeted she finished her to do list, but may have to alter her to word count due to injury

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation Question: What is your favorite part of Fall?

multicolored leaves in the background with Extend-The-Conversation Question in white and what is your favorite part of fall in white along with the #CPChatNow logo in white

Thanks for reading and join us each Wednesday at 8 Eastern on Twitter at #CPChatNow.

-Devin

#CPChatNow Recap- 9/9/2020

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was bustling as always. Members discussed personal accomplishments, COVID restrictions in Australia, good deeds, and what social media platform they like. This is #CPChatNow co-host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap.

First, we would love to congratulate #CPChatNow mama bear, Erin, on her acceptance to a Master’s program:

erin tweets that she was accepted to the sacred theology master's program she applied to. zach wishes her congratulations and asks her to make time for #cpchatnow

#CPChatNow has had a member joining us from Australia. AcquiDis detailed COVID restrictions in place in the land down under.

acquidis detailed covid restrictions from australia. she tweeted in melbourne there is an 8-5 nightly curfew
acquidis tweets masks are mandatory outside the home with many dying in aged care facilities, she tweeted there are $1652 fines per offense of not wearing a mask or breaking curfew

Next, talk turned to good deeds as I shared the story of my bus driver taking me to the train station at the end of her route. Members shared good deeds others had done for them or they had done:

zach asked members what a good deed someone had done for them or they had done for someone else. zach shared he worked all six days his work was open to cover a staff shortage, erin tweets she send a friend a custom wedding card

Finally, Zach and Chris tweeted about what social media platform they were most active on:

chris and zach tweet about what social media platforms they are active on. zach tweets he is not active on linkedin, but has not been active. he mainly uses twitter and facebook. zach tweets he likes facebook for people he already knows and twitter is better for meeting new people, chris tweets he uses facebook every day and uses twitter to interact with celebrities.

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation Question: What is your favorite good deed you have ever done or someone else has done for you? Please share your answers in the comments!

Please join us each Wednesday at 8 Eastern on Twitter at #CPChatNow! Thanks for reading!

-Devin

#CPChatNow Recap- 08-19-2020

Posted on by

Assorted subjects came and went during the weekly cerebral palsy Twitter chat #CPChatNow Wednesday, August 19th, 2020. Here with the details, I am chat co-host Zachary Fenell. Time to settle in and enjoy your weekly recap!

Early discussion contained a music theme.

#CPChatNow participants discuss what songs they would nominate to be the official song of living with CP.

Just for fun I asked participants if they were to nominate a song to be the official song of living with cerebral palsy, what song would they nominate. Personally, I said “Tubthumping” by Chumbuwamba. Meanwhile my co-host Devin Axtman said “Unsteady” by X-Ambassadors.

However, not everyone could come up with a song. Our resident pro at social distancing Jen has no song associated with her CP. What about you? Keep the conversation going and answer as the week’s extend-the-conversation question “If you were to nominate a song to be the official song of living with cerebral palsy, what song would you nominate?” Leave your answer in the “Comments” section.

In addition to answering the extend-the-conversation question, chat regular Chris could use your feedback!

Chat regular Chris is working on a masters in instructional design and created a survey seeking feedback.

Currently Chris remains at work on a masters in instructional design and created a survey to collect feedback. Help Chris and fill out at your own convenience!

As the night’s discourse continued, the extend-the-conversation question Devin proposed in the August 12th, 2020 recap emerged.

Participants revisit the extend-the-conversation question from the August 12th #CPChatNow recap, What would you tell your younger self about CP?
Zachary and Grace reflect on their youth.

In answering what I would tell my younger self about CP I wondered if my younger self would believe me. A thought process leading me to shamefully plug my teen memoir Off Balanced, which became available in paperback this past February. Off Balanced details my journey from embarrassment to embrace over having CP.

Responding to my comment, Grace mentioned not feeling embarrassed but rather encountering constant mind-numbing anxiety/guilt. Oppose to us continuing to look back though, let us refocus on the present and future. Presently, the week’s extend-the-conversation asks “If you were to nominate a song to be the official song of living with cerebral palsy, what song would you nominate?”

Reply below to answer. Next, mark your calendar and join us on Twitter for #CPChatNow each and every Wednesday. The fun begins at 8pm ET.

Until then, remember. Don’t blend in. Blend out!

-Zachary

Answer for the week's extend-the-conversation question, if you were to nominate a song to be the official song of living with cerebral palsy, what song would you nominate?
Answer below!

#CPChatNow Recap- 08-12-2020

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was bouncing as always. Members discussed adventurous things they had done in the last week, features of architecture, and aspects of their CP they have had to reconcile. This is #CPChatNow co-host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap.

First, Zach asked members what adventurous things they had done in the last week. Members tweeted various things that really are not that adventurous, but seem adventurous and risky in this COVID pandemic.

zach says his last few days have been adventurous with a fall at a new library branch and he signed up for the race across ohio. he tweeted that he was ultimately fine after the fall
chris tweeted she got her bacolfen pump refilled. heather tweeted she got an MRI that is rescheduled and she found what she needed at canadian tire

Next, my friend who is an architect happened upon #CPChatNow and we discussed my preference of ramps versus lifts.

i quote tweeted a thoughts of dog tweet proclaiming that stairs are ridiculous. my architect friend asked if i prefer a ramp or lift stating ramps take up space where lifts save space but are ugly and hard to use. i tweeted i prefer ramps because i can use them independently and not get stuck

Finally, Zach asked members what they had struggled to reconcile with their CP.

zach asked what parts of cp people had a hard time reconciling.

Members discussed various difficult parts of reconciling their CP such as other’s perception and physical difficulties:

zach shares he used to be embarrassed about people being different, but regrets from high school allowed him to be ok with being different, chris tweeted they don't tell you about the pain and tweeted she is thankful about her pump, I tweeted I felt like I needed to behave a certain way like walking instead of using my wheelchair

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation Question inspired by Chris. What would you tell your younger self about CP? Please share your answers in the comments and join us each Wednesday at 8 Eastern at #CPChatNow.

orange, blue, and green #cpchatnow logo in the upper right hand corner, extend-the-conversation question in green with What would you tell your younger self about CP? below in black, a picture of a white rock with wisdom in black text sitting on a brown ground, #cpchatnow in white text with a green background

-Devin

#CPChatNow Recap- 7/15/20

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was cracking as always. Members discussed various topics like their brags for the day, creating their own podcast, life hacks, and what part of the day they feel at their best.

Zach opened the conversation by asking members what their brag for the day was. He shared that his book is now offered at the library he works at:

zach tweets he spotted his book while working at the library. an image of zach's book on a book shelf between two books.

My brag was advocating to my apartment to finally finish a wheelchair ramp on a sidewalk:

i tweet my brag is advocating to my apartment to finally finish a wheelchair ramp. an image of a wheelchair ramp by a pickup

Travis tweeted about starting his podcast, Off The Crutch.

travis tweeted about starting his podcast, off the crutch. he came up with the name because he uses forearm crutches.

Amanda tweeted a Buzzfeed article with tips for people with limited mobility. This might be helpful for some people with CP.

amanda shared a video from buzzfeed about 35 tips from people with limited mobility

Finally, members discussed what part of the day they felt the best at:

zach asked what part of the day people feel their best at. zach tweets he would've said 7-10 pm in college, but now he said in the morning. i tweeted right after i take a shower, veronica tweeted in the early afternoon.
karen tweeted she feels better at night because she is still sleepy in the morning so she has less balance.

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation: What is your favorite part of the day?

the extend the conversation question graphic. a picture of a sunset with a person standing in front of the ocean. extend-the-conversation question in white with what is your favorite part of the day? and the white #cpchatnow logo in the bottom right hand corner

Thank you for reading and join us each Wednesday at 8 Eastern on Twitter at #CPChatNow

-Devin

#CPChatNow- 6-10-2020

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was busy as always, but this week brought new members. Members discussed the Moro Reflex and media representation of CP. This is #CPChatNow co-host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap!

First, members discussed a dreaded part of CP for some people, an exaggerated startle reflex.

amelia asks if a startle reflex is a thing with cp and a german sheppard startled her. i tweeted about dogs and seth tweeted about storms.

Karen tweeted about the name for the reflex, the Moro reflex.

karen tweets some links explaining the moro reflex. amelia tweeted she did not know it had a name. tonia tweeted lots of aspects of cp are rarely discussed

Next, talk turned to different representations of CP in the media. Members discussed the Netflix documentary Crip Camp and various issues of representation in the documentary.

karen asks what people thought of the depiction of cp in crip camp. heather tweets about surpirse of cp being at the low end of hierachy. i tweet about how much of that is how visible cp is
amelia tweeted she was happy to be represented in crip camp, but she didn't feel she could relate. karen tweeted cp comes in so many forms.

Talk also turned to the sadly canceled ABC show, Speechless, and issues related to representation. Members had varying opinions on whether they could relate to JJ.

zach tweets about how some felt they could not relate to JJ"s character. karen tweeted about how CP is so different from each person that many don't use a chair or are nonverbal. karen's main problem was too many subplots. I tweeted my agreement

Karen connected the lack of a ramp in the season 2 finale of Speechless with the abelism highlighted in Crip Camp.

zach tweets about a favorite scene from the season 2 finale when an award show director discovered there was not a ramp. i tweeted about accepting an award in the same situation. karen tweets she won an award in college and was told a ramp would be a fire hazard.

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation Question: Have you ever been denied recognition due to physical inaccessibility?

Thanks for reading this week’s recap and join us at 8 Eastern each Wednesday on Twitter at #CPChatNow!

-Devin

#CPChatNow Recap- 2/26/2020

Posted on by

This past week in #CPChatNow was interesting as always. We had members with big life changes, discussions of things members didn’t like but grew used to, and a robust discussion of the effectiveness of awareness months. This is #CPChatNow co-host, Devin Axtman, taking you along for the ride on this week’s recap.

I would like to take a moment to congratulate Chris for accomplishing a long term goal and obtaining her certification as a substitute teacher:

zach congratulates chris on obtaining her teacher's certificate

Zach asked about something that members did not like, but grew used to. Chris mentioned that she did not like Physical Therapy (PT), but grew used to it.

zach asked about something members grew used to, but did not like. chris mentioned pt, zach said that he did not like or dislike pt, pt was a necessity to him

Finally, there was considerable discussion about March being Cerebral Palsy awareness month and the effectiveness of awareness months in general.

zach and beau discussed the effectiveness of cp awareness month, beau asked why people can't do things year round, i stated often people plan for the sake of planning. beau tweeted about awareness fatigue and zach tweeted about raising awareness being an empty buzzword and advocating feels more fitting

This brings us to our Extend-The-Conversation question: What was a necessary evil when it came to your CP?

Thank you for reading and please join us on Twitter each Wednesday at 8 eastern at #CPChatNow

-Devin