Wendy on Wheels

School Visits and Book Writing

October 3rd, 2012

It’s been 3 months since my last post. After the Abilities Expos, I took some time off to focus on being a mom. Now it’s October, National Disabilities Month as well as Spina Bifida Awareness Month. I’m ready to visit some schools again. It’s time for me to get back to what I do best, which is teaching children acceptance, ability awareness and to end bullying.

School visits can be set up by emailing me directly at Angela@wendyonwheels.com.

The self-cath book I worked on for 180 Medical’s Kids Club had a very successful launch at the Spina Bifida Conference in the summer. Here are a few pictures. The second picture is my sister, Wendy on Wheels’ inspiration, Amanda with the purple bag.

There were two versions of the book, “Ethan Can Cath!” for boys. “Emma Can Cath!” is for girls. Both books show instructional pages to help little ones learn to catheterize themselves. From what I heard, Ethan and Emma were a huge hit. If you have a child with Spina Bifida who needs to learn to self-cath, I recommend contacting 180 Medical and joining their kids club.

Tags: Abilities Expo, ability, acceptance, anti-bullying books, bullying, changing the world, Children's book, education, Elementary Schools, Inclusion, Inclusive Schools Week, inspirational, paralysis, physical disabilities, Presentation, self catheterization, self-cath, special education, special needs, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy, wheelchair
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Chicago Abilities Expo

July 6th, 2012

Last weekend, I had a blast at the Abilities Expo in Chicago! Auti, from the Sundance Channel’s new show the Push Girls, had a dance workshop every day. People of all ages joined the dance circle to show off their favorite moves. It was so great to see. Auti is so nice!!

This little girl, Anna came by my booth. What a cutie!

Saturday was my workshop where I introduced Wendy on Wheels and read Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand. I started off talking about my inspiration for Wendy on Wheels. There’s my sister, Amanda, up on the screen. After I read Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand, I asked the discussion questions. The little ones in the audience were shy about answering my questions.

Here I am talking about pages eighteen and nineteen. One the left (page 18) Wendy is frustrated and angry about the events of the day. She sits on her bed with her arms folded. She asks herself, ”What else could I have done?” Page nineteen, Wendy’s mindset shifts. She puts her idea to paper. Now, she can make a positive impact.

A lot of times in our lives, things bother us and make us mad. We feel like something must be done. When we feel furious and upset, we are closed off from anything good that may happen. In order to make change, we have to shift our mindset. This is why I created Wendy on Wheels in the first place.

I’ve been following Cure for Chloe on facebook for a couple years now. I remember when Chloe was a cowgirl on a horse for Halloween and got her new wheelchair. At the expo, I finally got to meet her. It made my whole weekend!! I was so excited!!!

I enjoyed meeting everyone in Chicago. What a wonderful expo! This was my last expo of this year. I am currently booking school visits for National Disabilities Month in October. Please contact me if you are interested.

Tags: Abilities, Abilities Expo, ability, Abiltiy Awareness Speaker, acceptance, anti-bullying books, bullying, Children's book, Inclusion, Inclusive Schools Week, Mindset, National Disabilities Month, paralysis, physical disabilities, positive, Presentation, self-publishing, special education, special needs, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy
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Hagedorn Little Village School

May 29th, 2012

While in New York last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Hagedorn Little Village School. I love Hagedorn Little Village! I got to meet a huge fan of Wendy on Wheels, Dina. She was kind of shy, but seemed to enjoy meeting me. I read to a lot of classes in the 2 hours I was there.

One little girl got to choose the book for her class. She chose Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Zoo, then signed “please.” After I finished she signed “more.” Luckily, we had time to read, Wendy on Wheels Saves the Day. She signed “more” after that one too.

One little boy clapped very loudly and yelled out, “THAT WAS AWESOME!! You are the best reader ever!!!”

My favorite schools to visit are special schools. Children with different abilities are the reason I created Wendy on Wheels in the first place. Hopefully, I will get some pictures soon to post.

By the way, I will at the Abilities Expo in Chicago at the end of the month. My workshop is at 3:45 on Saturday. Come see me!!!

Tags: Abilities Expo, ability, acceptance, anti-bullying books, bullying, cerebral palsy, changing the world, Children's book, deaf, education, helping others, Inclusion, inspirational, MDA, Multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, paralysis, physical disabilities, PKS, pompe's disease, special education, special needs, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy, wheelchair
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Lunada Bay Elementary and Day 1 of the Abilities Expo LA

March 31st, 2012

Thursday, 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!

Tags: Abilities Expo, ability, acceptance, anti-bullying books, Author visits, bullying, bullying signs, changing the world, Children's book, education, Inclusion, inspirational, Los Angeles, Lunada Bay Elementary, mainstream, mainstreaming, muscular dystrophy, paralysis, physical disabilities, special education, special needs, spinal muscular atrophy, wheelchair
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		School Visits and Book Writing October 3rd, 2012 It’s been 3 months since my last post. After the Abilities Expos, I took some time off to focus on being a mom. Now it’s October, National Disabilities Month as well as Spina Bifida Awareness Month. I’m ready to visit some schools again. It’s time for me to get back to what I do best, which is teaching children acceptance, ability awareness and to end bullying. School visits can be set up by emailing me directly at Angela@wendyonwheels.com. The self-cath book I worked on for 180 Medical’s Kids Club had a very successful launch at the Spina Bifida Conference in the summer. Here are a few pictures. The second picture is my sister, Wendy on Wheels’ inspiration, Amanda with the purple bag. There were two versions of the book, “Ethan Can Cath!” for boys. “Emma Can Cath!” is for girls. Both books show instructional pages to help little ones learn to catheterize themselves. From what I heard, Ethan and Emma were a huge hit. If you have a child with Spina Bifida who needs to learn to self-cath, I recommend contacting 180 Medical and joining their kids club. Tags: Abilities Expo, ability, acceptance, anti-bullying books, bullying, changing the world, Children's book, education, Elementary Schools, Inclusion, Inclusive Schools Week, inspirational, paralysis, physical disabilities, Presentation, self catheterization, self-cath, special education, special needs, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy, wheelchair Posted in Uncategorized \| No Comments » Chicago Abilities Expo July 6th, 2012 Last weekend, I had a blast at the Abilities Expo in Chicago! Auti, from the Sundance Channel’s new show the Push Girls, had a dance workshop every day. People of all ages joined the dance circle to show off their favorite moves. It was so great to see. Auti is so nice!! This little girl, Anna came by my booth. What a cutie! Saturday was my workshop where I introduced Wendy on Wheels and read Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand. I started off talking about my inspiration for Wendy on Wheels. There’s my sister, Amanda, up on the screen. After I read Wendy on Wheels Takes a Stand, I asked the discussion questions. The little ones in the audience were shy about answering my questions. Here I am talking about pages eighteen and nineteen. One the left (page 18) Wendy is frustrated and angry about the events of the day. She sits on her bed with her arms folded. She asks herself, ”What else could I have done?” Page nineteen, Wendy’s mindset shifts. She puts her idea to paper. Now, she can make a positive impact. A lot of times in our lives, things bother us and make us mad. We feel like something must be done. When we feel furious and upset, we are closed off from anything good that may happen. In order to make change, we have to shift our mindset. This is why I created Wendy on Wheels in the first place. I’ve been following Cure for Chloe on facebook for a couple years now. I remember when Chloe was a cowgirl on a horse for Halloween and got her new wheelchair. At the expo, I finally got to meet her. It made my whole weekend!! I was so excited!!! I enjoyed meeting everyone in Chicago. What a wonderful expo! This was my last expo of this year. I am currently booking school visits for National Disabilities Month in October. Please contact me if you are interested. Tags: Abilities, Abilities Expo, ability, Abiltiy Awareness Speaker, acceptance, anti-bullying books, bullying, Children's book, Inclusion, Inclusive Schools Week, Mindset, National Disabilities Month, paralysis, physical disabilities, positive, Presentation, self-publishing, special education, special needs, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy Posted in Uncategorized \| No Comments » Hagedorn Little Village School May 29th, 2012 While in New York last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Hagedorn Little Village School. I love Hagedorn Little Village! I got to meet a huge fan of Wendy on Wheels, Dina. She was kind of shy, but seemed to enjoy meeting me. I read to a lot of classes in the 2 hours I was there. One little girl got to choose the book for her class. She chose Wendy on Wheels Goes to the Zoo, then signed “please.” After I finished she signed “more.” Luckily, we had time to read, Wendy on Wheels Saves the Day. She signed “more” after that one too. One little boy clapped very loudly and yelled out, “THAT WAS AWESOME!! You are the best reader ever!!!” My favorite schools to visit are special schools. Children with different abilities are the reason I created Wendy on Wheels in the first place. Hopefully, I will get some pictures soon to post. By the way, I will at the Abilities Expo in Chicago at the end of the month. My workshop is at 3:45 on Saturday. Come see me!!! Tags: Abilities Expo, ability, acceptance, anti-bullying books, bullying, cerebral palsy, changing the world, Children's book, deaf, education, helping others, Inclusion, inspirational, MDA, Multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, paralysis, physical disabilities, PKS, pompe's disease, special education, special needs, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy, wheelchair Posted in Uncategorized \| No Comments » Lunada Bay Elementary and Day 1 of the Abilities Expo LA March 31st, 2012 Thursday, 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! Tags: Abilities Expo, ability, acceptance, anti-bullying books, Author visits, bullying, bullying signs, changing the world, Children's book, education, Inclusion, inspirational, Los Angeles, Lunada Bay Elementary, mainstream, mainstreaming, muscular dystrophy, paralysis, physical disabilities, special education, special needs, spinal muscular atrophy, wheelchair Posted in Uncategorized \| No Comments »