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Introducing Ethan and EmmaApril 16th, 2012I’ve been working on a book for 180 Medical. I’m so excited about this one! It’s been fun creating whole new characters and seeing them come to life. Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Ethan and Emma.
LA Abilities Expo Days 2 and 3April 6th, 2012I enjoyed days two and three of the Abilities Expo in LA very much. My booth was directly across from Wijit’s booth. I watched people test drive wijits all day. It looks like a really cool product! I had the pleasure of meeting Elina and her dog, Zoe from Canine Angels. They were so cute. Melvin from Disabled Veterans SCUBA Project told me all about adaptive scuba diving. He showed me all these pictures and videos of people going scuba diving and moving underwater. It looked like fun and apparently it burns a lot of calories.
I thought these wheels were cool. If my sister had them, they would be filthy. My son and I got to meet Bailey, the Lion from the LA Kings. My little guy wasn’t too excited about it.
By Sunday afternoon, all of the Wendy on Wheels books!!! YAY!!! That is the best part!!! Hopefully, a lot of little ones will inspired by Wendy.
Lunada Bay Elementary and Day 1 of the Abilities Expo LAMarch 31st, 2012Thursday, I had the pleasure of introducing Wendy on Wheels to a kindergarten class at Lunada Bay Elementary School. It was my first school visit in California. What a wonderful group of little ones! I started with Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Zoo. The group did great with the discussion questions, although they were more interested in having me read more books. I read two more of my books. I got a bunch of hugs when it was time for me to go. How sweet! I LOVE IT!!! On my way out, I saw some excellent anti-bully signs the second graders made.
I love this catchphase, “Bullies are a pain in the brain!” I used to draw hearts on everything when I was a kid.
Yesterday, was the first day of the Abilities Expo in LA. It was great. There was very little traffic on the way to downtown LA, so we got our booth set up right on time. That’s always a good start. I met a lot of great people. Here’s a picture of my son and me.
One particular conversation that stands out in my mind was with a gentleman, named Andrew. He said at the time he started kindergarten around 1977, they had just started mainstreaming children with different abilities. He was the first ever child with a wheelchair to attend at the school. The school was not prepared, mentally or physically. Not only did he have to go all the way outside to get to other parts of the school but he had 300 kids asking him all sorts of questions. “What’s wrong with you?” “How do you go to the bathroom?” “Why are your feet so small?” I can imagine it made things very difficult. I hope to change this with Wendy on Wheels. There are two more days of the Abilities Expo in LA. I read my newest book, Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand today in my workshop. I can’t wait! St. Catherine Laboure’s Ability Awareness DayMarch 17th, 2012Yesterday, I had the pleasure of presenting Wendy on Wheels to the kindergarteners and first graders at St. Catherine Laboure School.
The first group of kindergarteners had already heard Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Zoo, my favorite book for Ability Awareness Days. One kid yelled out, ”I know what’s going to happen,” before I even started. During the story, some were saying parts of the story with me. It was awesome!! Then I read Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand. Since it is new, no one had heard it yet. They loved it! The students chanted along, ”NO BULLY NO!!” They loved the signs. Speaking of signs, they had decorated the halls with signs for Abilities Awareness Days.
A possibilist. I like that!
This one is my favorite.
While I was reading to the second kindergarten group, one little boy said the boy next to him, “We’re not talking about Star Wars!” That made me laugh. In one of the first grade groups, I started out talking about my sister and how I was inspired to write Wendy on Wheels. One boy raised his hand and said, “Are you going to read the books?” Ha. I guess he didn’t care what I had to say. He just wanted to hear Wendy on Wheels. That’s good. I prefer it that way. It was a great day! What a wonderful group of children! I present at the Abilities Expo in Los Angeles in two weeks. I can’t wait!! 1st Abilities Expo in AtlantaFebruary 24th, 2012My first Abilities Expo went well. Most people had never heard of Wendy on Wheels. I felt great introducing so many people to Wendy. One little girl saw the books and said excitedly, “She’s in a wheelchair, like me!” Here’s a picture of the Wendy on Wheels booth.
Things got a little crazy at my booth. Especially when a man in a scooter knocked down the booth next to me, my booth, my mom and her friend, Carol. My mom and Andrew pushed my little guy’s stroller out of the way, so he was fine. Carol hit her head and got some Tylenol from the paramedic. Despite being covered in my handcrafted Mocha from Starbucks, my mom was fine. The man went and got a massage at the booth across from us afterward. After his massage, he came over and asked if everyone was all right. He said something like, “I didn’t know there was a baby there.” I guess it would have been okay to take out my mom and Carol but not the baby. He gave me some mustard seeds and a bible verse. Nice! Starbucks replaced my drink by the way. My 1st workshop went very well. There were a lot of people there. Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand was a hit! Here’s me with a new friend.
She had all kinds of questions for me, kept me on my toes. I signed books after my workshop.
Atlanta was a great 1st expo. I met a lot of great people. Now I’m ready for L.A.!! Los Angeles’s expo is March 30th through April 1st. My workshop is Saturday. In other news, I have just working on a self-catheterization book that will be distributed by doctors. That’s exciting!
Am I ready to change the world? I think so.February 17th, 2012Good morning, Atlanta! Today is the first day the Abilities Expo. I’ve been up around 5 thinking of all the things I need to do to get ready for today. Print out signs, work on a powerpoint for my workshop on Saturday, listen to meditation tracks on my ipod, read a motivational book and the list keeps going. At 6 am, I went down to the hot tub with my ipod to listen to my meditation stuff. In the pool area, they were playing some old Frank Sinatra/Dean Martinesque music. YES!! It was like they knew I was coming down. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. YES!! I felt a rush of excitement go through me. Then I thought, Am I ready to change the world? I think so. “I think so,” really? Hmmmm… I’ve been preparing for this for months and that was the response I got. Oh well. I was feeling really anxious/nervous yesterday, so I will take it. I practiced reading Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand to my nephew’s first grade class yesterday in Chattanooga, TN. I haven’t been to many private schools so the group was a little different than I am used to. It seemed like they had never seen or even heard of a child who uses a wheelchair before. There are probably many other classes like this. I really need to get out there more and visit as many schools as possible. Someone has to teach the world to accept others regardless of abilities. Someone needs to show the world that people who use wheelchairs, crutches, hearing aids or any thing of the sort are just like them. Someone needs motivate children with different abilities to have fun and enjoy life. That someone is me! And that someone would also love a cup from Starbucks or Caribou right now. Metered Wheelchair parking…Seriously!?!?!January 20th, 2012Recently, I went to see Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis with my sister, Mandy. The parking situation in downtown St. Louis was awful. I could either drop Mandy off at the front and have to walk a block or two by myself to the opera house, which isn’t exactly safe. The man directing parking said the only handicapped parking was at a meter. If I park at a meter, the curb is on the passenger side which means Mandy will not be able to transfer in to her chair. Even if Mandy had drove, I doubt the meter would allow enough space for her to transfer in to her wheelchair. As far as paying the meter, wouldn’t you think a wheelchair user should be allowed extra time to take care of their business? Considering the elevator or ramp maybe on the other side of the building, they may need extra time to get in and out of the car and the building and possibly to the restroom before the meter maid circles the block and joyously issues a parking ticket. I tried to get in the “VIP” valet parking but was told I had to have a “VIP” placquard to use it. I guess our handicapped placquard didn’t make us VIP. I found a lot for 15$ a block away by the Scottrade Center. We came up the block and the only accessible entrance was in the very front of the building so it was like we had to walk 3 blocks. ICK!! It was freezing cold. The show was great. After the show, we made our way back to our car. The Peabody VIP valet had parked on the sidewalk so Mandy and I had to walk in the street, which didn’t seem very safe. I walked in front of Mandy’s chair so the oncoming traffic would see me first and not hit us. How horrible! Come on, St. Louis!! Come on, Peabody!! I believe meters should be removed from the wheelchair parking spots and extra space allowed for the wheelchair to transfer out of the car. For special events, a wheelchair placquard should be considered VIP. That is the most safe way to accomodate individuals using wheelchairs. For my friends who are wheelchair users, have you encountered this? How is the parking situation in your city? Any ideas on how to make it better? Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand is Rolling in to Atlanta and Los Angeles!January 5th, 2012Happy New Year everyone! Big things are on the horizon for Wendy on Wheels in 2012. First of all, my fourth book, Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand will be available in the next few weeks. I know I said it would be here for the holidays. We had some delays. Trust me, this one is well worth the wait. Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand will be debuting at the Abilities Expo in Atlanta. I will be introducing it at my workshop on Saturday and will be at the expo the whole weekend. In my hour long workshop, I will read the book and discuss its anti-bullying message. So far, I’m scheduled to entertain at the Abilities Expo in Los Angeles as well. If you can make it, I’d love to meet you. We will see how I do at these before I sign on for more cities. In other news, my son Drake was born in October. He’s a wonderful little boy!! This has been a very exciting time for my husband and me.
Latest NewsSeptember 12th, 2011Look for my sister and I are on the cover of the Sept/Oct 2011 issue of Parenting Special Needs Magazine! It’s a great article. Check it out! August 13th, the two of us had an video interview for FamilyNetwork TV’s show Siblinghood. It was so great to meet the people from FamilyNetwork TV. Maggie did a great job interviewing us. Thanks to Labeebee’s Mid-East Cafe for allowing us to film in your space! If you are in St. Louis, I definitely recommend stopping in Labeebee’s some time for hummus and wraps. In 2012, I will be entertaining at some of the Abilities Expos. I’m not sure which ones yet. Details to come. Wendy on Wheels Takes A Stand is coming along. This one will be amazing!!! Ability AwarenessMay 23rd, 2011I haven’t written a blog in a while. Things have been kind of crazy. Thursday, Marvin Elementary invited me to read to students as part of their Ability Awareness Day. It’s always fun to read Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Zoo to children in St. Louis since they recognize the St. Louis Zoo. It’s such a good book for ability awareness. I went with my friend, Tom, from Warwick Photography last week to Tilles Park to take some new photos to put on my website and use for magazines and things. There were hundreds of little ones running all over the playground with shirts that said KECC (Kirkwood Early Childhood Center.) I had visited the KECC a couple weeks prior. Several children ran up to me and said, “You came and read to us.” I was amazed that four and five year olds remembered me. The KECC graciously invited me to read to children as part of their annual “Hopathon.” Participants in the Hopathon had to hop to raise awareness of Muscular Dystrophy. One activity had children sit in wheelchairs and figure out how to manuever them. It was cool to see. I was very impressed with Barretts Elementary School’s Ability Awareness Day a couple weeks ago. They had several different presenters speaking about different abilities. They even had a session with the school’s occupational therapist, teaching the students about different abilities and ways to be more productive. The group made a “Fidget tool,” to help them focus during class. Here’s a picture of the fidget tool.
Things have definitely changed. When I was in school, the teacher would take away the object I used to fidget. Then I couldn’t focus on what the teacher was saying. Now the schools realize fidgeting helps students pay attention and be more productive. They had more stations with activities for the children to get some of their access energy out so they can relax and learn. They had another station with M&Ms and large tweezers. The children picked up the M&Ms with the tweezers to help with their motor skills. I LOVE to participate in Ability Awareness Days!!! We are educating them younger and younger. It’s outstanding!!! In New York City a couple weeks ago, I attended a family services workshop in Brooklyn put on by Resources for Children with Special Needs. Gary Shulman did an outstanding job letting parents know about a wide range of programs out there to help them. If you are in NYC and need anything at all for your child, contact Resources for Children with Special Needs. I wish they were nationwide. In other news, my husband and I are expecting our first child in November. We are so excited!!! |
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