Category: Blogs on Community Living

Watching the Chainsaw Come For Me

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Cuts to Medicaid and Disability Independence

by Cassandra Brandt

Cuts to Medicaid and Disability Independence- Image of Cassandra - she is sitting in a hot pink wheelchair. She has shoulder length blonde hair with stripes of pink in it, a green shirt, and jeans.

I didn’t have anything to worry about with the threat of cuts to medicaid and my independence, they said. My need is legitimate. My disability is severe.  I’m a C3-4 quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down. I rely on the social safety nets in place: Social Security Disability checks pay my bills and Medicaid and Medicare pick up my hefty healthcare tabs, frequent cab rides to appointments, and caregiver services that allow me to live independently. If these services are cut, so is my autonomy; I’ll be back in an understaffed institution.

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Community Inclusion- Tradition vs. Accessibility

Posted on | by Leah Smith | Leave a Comment on Community Inclusion- Tradition vs. Accessibility

As we explore Community Inclusion, it only makes sense that we look at it through the lens of religious and faith-based communities. As awareness grows about the barriers faced by individuals with disabilities, some traditions and rituals—often rooted in centuries of sacred practice—have come under scrutiny. These rituals, while deeply meaningful, may inadvertently exclude or alienate members of the community who are unable to fully participate due to physical, intellectual, sensory, or mental health/behavioral  disabilities.
This raises a challenging and deeply sensitive question: Should faith communities change long-standing rituals, traditions, or building structures to accommodate disability, even if it alters sacred practices?

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Becoming Proud

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by Johanne Mayer

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Disability pride month is celebrated in July because it recognizes the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was passed on July. 26, 1990. Celebrating all people regardless of disability, their identities, their culture and their contributions to society is important. We all should feel accepted and included and we all can give back to society if given the chance. Being different should not be seen as a negative thing because we all are different and that is what makes the world go round; we all need to remember- we all need and want the same things. Disability pride month also seeks to change the way people think about and define disability and the stigma around it.

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