Tracee Lydia Garner's Blog, page 4
January 2, 2018
Ready? Set? Plan Your Social Media Year!
I’m always doing something new and fun so this brand new year should be no different.
This time around, I’ve made some challenges in the blog and overall social media sphere and I’m hoping you’ll join me, plan and post with me and if not, read each month and enjoy the ride. Ready?
First, the challenges. This year, I hit almost 10K views on my blog, that’s a mix of interesting subjects, information and the guests I have for Feature Fridays and trying to be consistent. I’ve found my groove and hope I can top 15K views this year. Here’s the how:
Challenge # 1. Plan BETTER for My Month of Content. I will not post everyday or every platform, but the planning is an effort to create the content and INCREASE the number of posts throughout the month, AND to make posts relevant. You’ll see what I mean when I share my A New Take on the Editorial Calendar.
TiP: We all are stretched unbelieving thin when it comes to the number of platforms for us to post on. I continue to focus on FB, Twitter and have only recently added IG. I will get some things going more on Pinterest this year but it won’t be a focus. THREE is my limit.
Challenge # 2. I’m going to make a free download printable each month on different topics. You’ll need to subscribe (follow or “subscribe” to me here at the blog at teegarner.com/blog) to get notified when new posts go up. I’ll always strive for the first week of the month, so you have time to get your content together but remember it’s an going process. Freebies will be geared toward order in life in general and of course, writing, publishing and marketing.
Challenge # 3: I’m sharing the calendar I created (from number 1) with you each month (I’ll give you a blank free one too) but the calendar will have lots of ideas I’m going to try to implement for that month as far content and posts creation goes.
From all this, the goals for the blog calendar posts are:
a. NOT to run out of possible ideas for great content
b. inspire you and others
c. for you to tag me with your posts so we all can see and share however you interpreted these ideas,
d. GROW of course, both mine and your own following and lastly,
e. increase our ability to be consistent because that is KEY to growth!
January 2018 is FIRED UP and READY TO GO. Let’s move it!
Here’s your BLANK Calendar AND “Content” generator Calendar for January, and
This Months Freebie Worksheet is about Clarifying Your Commitments
December 1, 2017
#FREE Try Before You Buy Printable Planners Roundup
What I have already done is to purchase two planners and by now you probably have too and are already using your 2018 planner, filling in big dates and I hope whatever you’ve chosen that it’s a good fit for you and way you like to record things, lay out and get it all done.
My problem with the planners that I purchase (which I often end up hosting a giveaway for) is that they only partially solve my problems as far as what I record, what I like to do and how I like see my weeks and months laid out.
When you start looking for a planner, it can be a daunting task for some of us creative types that like a little this and a little that AND those of us that have multiple (and widely different) projects in any given year. You likely have one you love and have been using it for a couple of years. But every year, the rest of paper planner people are planner obsessed and we LOVE finding new little sheets and worksheets that help us get organized and get all of our life work/passion work, completed. I wanted to round up a couple of planner peeps that have been gracious enough to share what their actual planners look like on the inside and then are kind enough to let us download a sample of that freely.
There is nothing better than trying before you buy to see if it’s really going to work for you. What’s more, even if you don’t like that particular planner layout, try some of their special sheets they may have for things like organizing a holiday party, taking inventory of something in your house, homeschooling scheduling or getting your finances in order. Those types of things are equally beneficial!
These #FREE printables can be just as helpful and work for smaller projects when the year long commitment (as far as layout is concerned), is not going to be ideal for the way in which you plan.
After I share some of the free layout types, be sure to look at my ten point list, which you can also use to evaluate whether the planner you want to purchase is the right one. Feel free to cut/copy and paste the list, put it into a word document and then carry it with you as you shop for your new one.
Here we go, Free Worksheet for Planner, Roundup*
Christian Planner (entire PDF) is pretty new, considering there are things like Christian Mingle (the “Christian” Match dot com) I’m really surprised the Christian Planner hasn’t been done before now. Join their mailing list and they will send you the entire PDF layout.
Ruth Soukup who I’ve followed for quite a few years now, has a lifestyle blog and company called Living Well Spending Less and I do have her physical planner but she has an awesome blog planner available for FREE AND you can get her holiday planner also free, but hurry, the holiday planner is likely going away as soon as the holidays are over.
I’ve known about the folks at the Passion Planner when it was a mere Kickstarter Campaign a few years ago and it’s taken off since those first years, while the entire PDF is shared, it is (like many others) watermarked, and that is completely understandable. As a writer of books, piracy is a big deal and no one wants to see their time and labor ripped off and given away to others for free. The ENTIRE planner is here for download so you can see what it’s all about, my favorite part of it, is the vision board type page close to the beginning.
The Best-Self Journal also relatively new under a couple of years and also starting with a crowdfunding campaign to get off the ground, has a free download.
Committ 30 is relatively new and they have a free planner layout for one month at a time.
There are so many more planners, a couple of companies I chose not to cover for no reason at all other than they are very popular and reviews abound about them for you to get a sense of their layout/look and feel but I listed them below.
Erin Condren does have downloads on their site but they are not for the planner layout sample page
The Happiness Planner, the same as EC, but they do have some other free printables here and I personally love their sticky notes that are at Michaels stores, but I’m a sticky-note addict so pay no attention to me about that.
The Create 365 planner from Me and My Big Ideas has some printables here for their planners
Remember while these links work now, they will likely change at any moment but the product I highlight may still end up being housed on the site somewhere, so it’s good to follow the blog and to check back often for new stuff.
Always visit the main home page for anything I’ve listed as that is also where a ten percent (at minimum) discount code/coupon will popup for you in case you end up liking them and want to purchase.
I love all these planners, the last three I don’t personally use simply because of my disability and the added weight they give for carrying around.
Additionally, there are designers and small business owners/professional productivity gurus that are also making their own beautiful things and I’m listing just a few more.
I love wallpaper for your desktop computer and phone screen, and each month a free download is available from StrangeCharmed aka Miss Trenchcoat (Alexis Giostra) AND she has her own planner like the ones I’ve mentioned above, and a host of classes and workbooks to address creativity and business building and being a CEO
There are printables to print yourself or make it wallpaper from A Piece of Rainbow
This graphic designer at Scrappy Sticky Inky Mess (happened upon through my Google search) has calendars you can cut out and put in a plate holder, see like I did here
*Note that listing anything here does not constitute endorsement and while there are many freebies, you often will need to sign up and join the mailing list to access them which is a small trade off in my mind but still something to keep in mind.
Note the eight+ planners and companies I’ve mentioned ONLY scratch the surface of what’s available. Pinterest and others, even Youtube (teaching you how to lay things out using popular software programs if you want to do it yourself,) are FULL of individuals that are creating beautiful things for your personal and professional (purchase) use and I’m grateful to try out all these awesome tools to enhance my own planning ability and my productivity.
Next, use Youtube when doing your initial research on a particular planner. There’s plenty a person willing to tell you more than you ever wanted to know about their own experience with a person, company or product. But be careful as sometimes obviously reviews can have flaws in that you’re not sure if the person got the item for free (which they should disclose publicly) and if their review is a way to promote another planner/product they DO use and like, they may purposely try to tear down a competitor (sad but true) and a host of other suspect issues that occur in the realm of reviews, paid and otherwise. Thankfully, this is a small issue in the grander scheme of things.
Lastly, a list to consider if you want to skip all that freebie planner this and that and just purchase one already.
What’s important to you about choosing a planner?
Price – Seriously some planners are ridiculously expensive, upward 60+ bucks. You really need to think about the longevity vs the price. Buy something you can use over and over again and perhaps you only need to think about purchasing the inserts when the year is up and not the entire planner. How long are you really going to use this before you consider it obsolete?
Look/Feel (stuff like glossy pages vs. matte -will influence whether or not you can write on it comfortably. Do you have to use a special pen (e.g. gel vs standard ink), will it then smear?) What’s the weight of the paper and does it bleed through, will be things to really look at. If you download and print your own planner from a site, that should save you some and you can print on whatever paper you like.
Can you remove pages and add inserts or are you stuck with ALL the pages for the entire life use of the planner? Inserts are a big deal for some but do can fall out if you start moving things around too much? That’s annoying.
Does the planner lay flat, or bend back that make it easier for writing, especially close to the spine or inside margin?
What is the type of spine you like? Perfect binding, saddle stitch, stapled and coil binding. I’ve personally found coil binding (even double coil which most people make nowadays) to become bent and smashed over time. It can also snag your precious sweater. It should be high quality if it’s going to be coil binding.
A couple of added things people may or may not care about, but that I personally think about are Sunday vs. Monday starts – I personally like Sunday starts
Weight – weight is a big issue for me and luckily I like monthly with some note pages and not weekly
Size – do you like something that fits in your purse A5? Or do you like bigger 8.5 x 11, 6 x 9 or small? Blue Sky has an interesting planner I like found here, it’s 10 x 8. Do you carry a big purse just so your planner will fit? Do you write big or small?
If you like the planner a lot, if you spill something on it, is it ruined or is it protected in some way, say with a zip around leather pad-folio? Could you just print some more pages and fix it, or do you have to toss the entire thing? Sadly this is just how it goes, there really is no paper planner that can withstand a spill. If you spill a lot, go digital. LOL
The Author and Her Books
Hey Everyone,
It’s FRIDAY and I’ve been touring the Blogosphere this week on various blogs and telling everyone about my new book. OF COURSE, I had to stop by my own site to share how excited I am about my new book FATAL OPPOSITION! Check out my full tour here with Creative Expressions Literary Services.
If you are just joining this series, don’t worry. Did you know that when I write, I don’t even know that I’m writing a series. For me this helps the titles be true “stand-alones” which means the book can stand on it’s own.
In short, in Fatal Opposition, I visit with the youngest brother James Parker. He made an appearance in Anchored Hearts.
James’s story is about who we really are, when we’re adopted and the longing we have to search out our roots. Now, if (and when) we decide to open Pandora’s box on the past, what are the consequences? Will digging excavate a ticking time bomb and is there enough time to cover back up all the mess that’s now out before it hurts other people?
James has loved his adopted family, he has three awesome brothers, the fifth one is in jail but four out of five success stories ain’t bad and James has also always longed to know about his past. His mother and father and as the detective he hired has informed him, his interesting and what appears to be so far, shady biological brother.
Cashell Bruer is a PR professional that is just trying to live life. She has a fantastic career in communications and while she’s lived a very sheltered life, thanks to a heart condition that kept her sidelined, she is ready to live. She meets James on her birthday when friends stand her up and leave her feeling lonely. James turns the night around and their mutual attraction to one another seems instant.
Cashell doesn’t know much about James and the fact that he’s looking for his family is both intriguing and a perfect story to uncover but some stones are better left unturned.
Enjoy Chapter One of Fatal Opposition and keep reading as below, I talk about how readers, friends and new fans can support their favorite authors and for you, I hope that’s me.
November 1, 2017
Special Author Feature
FRANK PRESTON
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Frank ‘ThatGuy’ Preston, is an artist with a powerful voice. His journey as a comedian, author and motivator didn’t come easily and has lead him to have give back to the community by coaching kids, co-creating new sports, and sharing his growth through comedic videos, in person performances, his art and writing. He challenges the minds of his readers to see life through a different scope. As a speaker he explains the difficulties of life as a minority in a world that doesn’t accept him, and how anyone who is mistreated for their differences can overcome them to grow to be great. Frank positions himself as many other artist, writers, and speakers of today, but stands apart in his ability to speak the truth with no bounds.
Frank’s new book POETIC FREEDOM, is a raw, gritty, urban poetic expression with an exploration of choices we have to make at the crossroads of life. The thoughts are honest, harsh, but hopeful. A perception of the media that feeds us, the spirituality that we cling to, the expectations of the society we are a part of, and how a young man fights to decipher, decide and climb the path not easily traveled, but most strengthened.
Connect with Frank online through his website and see his social media and Book Trailer for his new book [image error]
Amazon
Frank Preston’s Blog Tour arranged by Creative Expressions Literary Services. Have a book to promote, get your own blog tour by signing up here.
October 25, 2017
Disability Thoughts Week 4: Final Week
I appreciate everyone who has come to read, chat or comment throughout this month-long journey with posts I hope you have found educational and enlightening as well as interesting. October is about over, can you believe it? My last and final post this week [image error]talks about chiefly the portrayal of people with disabilities in fundraising and more so about the reactions of certain people when Jerry Lewis – long time advocate, humanitarian, host of the Jerry’s Kids Telethon through the Muscular Dystrophy Association, passed away in August this year.
Recently, after his passing, it was made plainly and painfully clear to me, how death seems an excuse to let your very personal thoughts about people’s character and intention spew forth with little regard to the totality of the person, their legacy and many other factors that make up who you perceived them to be. So my larger goal of this submission is about disability but also to examine how we are when people die.
How are we? What do we do and say and how is that beneficial to the person that died, their family, others overall and the legacy -whatever it is- that’s left, is specifically what’s on my mind.
I was disappointed, to say nicely, by many of my fellow advocates that went on various listserves that I belonged to and seemed to rail and discount the contributions that Jerry Lewis had made.
I mean we thought Hugh Hefner was all about sex and objectifying women and for some he still is but until it was from the statements of Dick Gregory that portrayed the man in a different light. He’s still all of that -whatever you believe- but it’s all about perspective so for some there’s the same, what you knew of this or that person and any added perspective you may have gained. Where would we be if we ONLY looked at the bad (what we think was bad) that someone left?
I realize that Jerry Lewis portrayed people with disabilities as someone to feel sorry for and to pity and yes we detest those images and portrayals but was he alone in perpetuating that? I dare say that it worked because that would make me seem all about the money and I’m not. BUT at that time it was working and all those on board thought they were doing the right thing. The money flowed – we shouldn’t fault him alone. We should fault a society that feeds on these portrayals.
I mean you’ve seen “Fido” or “Spot” on that ASPCA commercial, haven’t you? Would you give money if you saw him frolicking in fields of green grass, a large single family colonial in the distance, him/her running, tongue hanging out, tail wagging, clear eyes wide with excitement, a frisbee between his teeth and his owner giving him a belly rub? NOT. No, those clever marketing professionals instead show you Fido, cowering in a cage, gotta get a shot of that dirty, cold metal, cage, the empty gray cage, no bowl with his name on it, no collar, he’s boney and he shakes, hey marketing, find the one that shakes, he’s wary of humans, scared and scarred, malnourished and guess what, to top it all off, they play Sarah MacLachlan’s Angel and bring in the tissues! You wouldn’t feel anything if you’d saw Fido in the first light that I mentioned and that is completely on YOU (and our society overall) we as viewers, having preconceived notions and believing that sadness is the only way to people’s hearts and then their giving.
Things have changed, Jerry Lewis may have moved on before he could recognize or see the benefit of depicting successful adults with disabilities and I believe with education and our own eventual integration into the mainstream through inclusive practices, education reform and other things that helped our success, dare I say that he also could have adopted that same attitude? And he may have been pushed out because of long held beliefs or a difference in the direction of the mission and the show and it could have been something as simple as budget cuts, an aging man that needed to move on and was tired. Do we really know? If he was let go for the views changing, I wonder who else was in that car leaving the building? Who was on the viewing end hoping to see a little sadness and get their inspiration porn on that also left their couch because upbeat stories aren’t as entertaining as sappy ones? I don’t fault him or try to rip him a new one because it seems he was some kind of oppressor. I don’t believe that in his heart he felt that’s what he was doing. If that’s all you got, you need to look deeper. We are all expressing views and thoughts that are a result of our upbringing and our experience and not much more. Eventually we can change.
I understand there are other issues someone may argue about bigotry and his view on women comedians, and I get that but in this issue I’m not talking about that, I don’t know about it and I can find it out. I’m talking solely about a colleagues vitriol that spewed forth AFTER he had passed on.
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This issue -for us as a society- is a need for us to feel better about our own life and current status by looking on (what we perceive as) the “horror” experienced by those being depicted. Case in point: I have muscular dystrophy. It is 2017 and yet when I still tell people about my disease (which I’ve been working with for 38 years) the face turns sad, they look at me with pity and I can only think about who they know that had “what I had” and subsequently died. Um, I gotta bunch of friends who’ve also died and so should you have friends who died naturally through accidents and a plethora of equally tragic things. So its silly really for the response.
When we see these images, we then begin comparing our experience to them, then we are moved and then we are propelled to try to apply the money ointment and feel we’ve solved the problems of the day. Now don’t we feel better writing a check. This view -still held by so many- is not solely Jerry Lewis’ responsibility. He tried to do something about it however we were portrayed, the risk of asking for funds, the front man if you will, to be on television and exposed is not easy, you are then a target whether praised or punished, you are the target as the front man. He took that risk and his only goal then, was to raise the money. His goal was never to make both sides feel good about and do what the powers that be, said to do then, to make it happen.
My point, did anyone even ask as he aged how he might have felt about portraying people with disabilities in such a way? Did he know that this was a bad thing? Do other people know this is a bad thing? NOPE, they have no clue. So we assume he didn’t have a society to appeal to and convince to donate; a marketing department that essentially told him what to do, how to say it, producers orchestrating stories and lining up who they’d invite and who he’d talk to/interview, the person holding the cue cards with the kinds of questions that framed the pity palooza, the celebrities and the types of songs they’d sing so donors could be entertained, and probably the cutest, smallest, frailest looking, the weakest booked by their cute appeal but fragile stature, that a complete and large association orchestrating the final script of what he would say? I’m certain he had all of this and more to adhere to, to please and to pacify. He was ultimately an employee in a larger scheme. You think he did all this – what you feel is a detriment to people with disabilities in mainstream media – by himself? You’re wrong.
This Time Magazine Article is worth noting here, discusses the possible issues around an aging, ornery and hard to work with host = Lewis, the shows dwindling air time, live versus taped content and a couple of other issues that caused his eventual termination/”retiring”.
Finally, what to do we have now? For those of you that remember the MDA of old, like I do, the one that used to pay for part of our new wheelchairs, power chairs are $ 12 – 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS (whose fault is that behind the dramatic expense- why don’t we take that on?) and MDA would pay usually two thousand dollars toward the bottom line directly to the insurance company. In addition to your 2K toward every new wheelchair which usually happened, EVERY 3-5 years, they would also then give five hundred bucks annually for the repair and maintenance of our chairs.
Firefighters, every Labor Day weekend would be out collecting money and now they are not permitted to do this – only at their station. Who’s fault is that? Why not call them up and tell whomever made that decision how disgruntled you feel?
MDA is now largely focused on cures and research. While a family struggles to lift a child out of their chair for the car, for the bed, for the bathroom for going up the apartment stairs, a child who is aging and becoming heavier and heavier instead any funds to buy a ramp van which costs nearly 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS, we don’t fault them for not being richer, do we?
Do I think all money received needs to go to supporting families with this disease? Of course not, but the split is lopsided. There are over 45 types of neuromuscular diseases so the strands for the cure will cure this one and not that one. The Bucket Challenge raised so much money for ALS, while those without the three letters (I have SMA) didn’t have much in their coffers and yes ALS is under the MD umbrella which many people don’t know.
Most of today’s research is often about mitigating symptoms and issues at birth and into youth. So the rest of old heads don’t receive treatment at all and are (silently) considered too far gone to be experimented on and “cured”.
I don’t want my point missed. Its not about money, or cures and research. It’s about being careful of who we blame for any issue we see as wrong and it’s about a type of silent respect that should come about in death regardless of anything else. This issue of the portrayal of people with disabilities requires a shift on so many levels and any negativity after someone dies disgust me. There are more productive things to do with your time than to ridicule and low rate someone ever, but especially after they pass. What were you doing while they lived? Did you ask while they lived? Have you, in your own life- always had what you feel is the correct, debris-free lens in which to speak your own thoughts/ideas? Or has your vision been improved by education, time, forgiveness and personal experience and second opportunities? If what you were doing before the person left this earth, was productive and positive and an agent of change, then keep doing it. Don’t take time from your positivity and your own path of advocacy to berate others now that they’ve passed on. You do all of us a disservice and you too may be remembered for one single, less than favorable view or stance on an issue instead of all the collective good you may have tried to do. That would be tragic.
While I touched on it briefly, you can examine your own reaction to see if they are inline with a kind of inspiration porn and read more about Inspiration Porn here, and here .
October 18, 2017
Dear Parents of Children with Special Needs
Hello All,
Welcome to Week 3 in my Series on Disability. This time I’m actually just re-posting last year’s only October post about Disability. I’m proud of me, I got it together this year. This post is a special letter I wrote:
Dear Parents of Children
with Special Needs
It’s a rallying cry, a call to action, a few reminders and a thank you if you are already that brave one.
Enjoy and see you next week for my final post.
October 11, 2017
Employment: A Group Effort and an Attitudinal Shift May Be Required
Hello All,
Welcome to Week 2 in my Series on Disability. This time I’m talking about Employment. Don’t know if you’ve heard much about the job market prospects for people with disabilities but the numbers do not lie, it’s pretty low.
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While I’ve been gainfully employed since I was sixteen years old, it’s only because of the programs that were in place to ensure diversity and inclusion for all in the employment sector.
Did you see/hear what I said, programs in place? The sad reality is, many a person with a disability has been given the opportunity to work simply because there was a federal mandate to make it happen. I wish employers did things on their own and some are, NOW, but that wasn’t the case when I was coming up.
And truthfully, that’s what worries me most about turning over everything to the states so they could “govern themselves”. Well, what are national policies for? To help bring you to another’s way of thinking. Tangent alert: Forget about the fact that many states would run out of money leaving many of us out in the cold but it’s a lot of federal mandates that have made us as inclusive as we are, for some reason we can’t seem to get there on our own. We need a higher standard to pull and push (and incentive) employer behavior and open up the offering letters and doors to groups of people they would otherwise overlook. And though there are mandates and “programs”, sometimes that still (numbers show) does not seem to be enough to bleed more into private sector jobs.
Alas, I’m not really here to talk about politics so much, what I wanted to address was the two sets (really three) of people and groups involved in helping more people with disabilities get and KEEP gainful employment! I wanted to outline what each of us (whatever group you are in) SHOULD be doing to make it happen.
Here are my three “sets” or groups of folks:
Employers / Small business owners – that’s ANY kind of business large or small, public/private/federal that is in a position to make a hiring decision
Services Providers and Parents of youth and young adults with Disabilities
I added a group just last night as I was thinking about this post, to separate doctors/medical health professionals from general service providers, and finally, the last group but equally important are
YOU/ME as people with disabilities and our approach to employment opportunity and employer
Employers / Small Business Owners
It’s pretty simple, or it seems to be, but if you say that people with disabilities aren’t “out there” you need to think about where you are looking. That’s like saying that all the Deaf people didn’t heed any flood and recent hurricane warnings and all you did was put the information the radio. Really, get with organizations that serve these folks and ensure you are putting information the right place.
Expand Your Search Pool – If you are in a position to hire, you should see if there is someone in the pool of applicants with disabilities that can do what you need. I’m not saying to overlook any other qualified person, I’m simply encouraging to expand where you look and your own prejudice you bring to what you believe people with disabilities can do. You can call the nonprofits and other service professionals directly and you can say simply: “I’d like to
Keep an Open Mind – It’s important those that in a position to hire, challenge their own notions. This may be related to the chronically ill person you knew as a kid and the equipment and help you may have seen administered to them by others but you can’t allow yourself to then blanket the abilities of every single person with a disability that you meet. And admitted or not, this is what happens. You’ve been watching too much television that’s really met to dramatize and entertain. I mean the movies are FULL of inaccuracies about our abilities. Sure they do good at portraying the way we get around and even how we may feel and act, but they fall short in depicting us in more realistic situations and further fail to show how much technology has played in our lives to help us be more active and adapt to any potential working environment. A movie is but a snippet of life, not the totality of who we are and should be viewed like we view our astrological readings in magazines and papers: “For entertainment purposes only.”
Ask the Applicant – I worked at a daycare center in my 20’s. When I went for the interview I was nervous, I knew already that I would have to be put with the “big kids”, and everyone wants the big kids, they are the oldest group in the center that could move out of the way, take instruction and walk of their own recognizance. I couldn’t lift any kids and I couldn’t have grubby little hands reaching for my wheelchair console and taking out the ten other elementary pupils on my first day.
I’m thankful for the employer then that simply came out and said, “We do have concerns about your wheelchair but you seem to be pretty efficient with that thing…” – I didn’t tell her my wheelchair has a name and I love it very much and I never ever refer to it as “that thing” – but alas didn’t seem professional or relevant to reveal this at the time – but they came out and asked and I had a ready answer. Whatever I said, the most important thing was going to be for me to portray an air of confidence and to allay her concerns about the ultimate safety and well-being of the children she was in charge of for the better part of the days. I didn’t think I’d run over any little person, visions of myself on the local evening news with Lester Holt might have come to my mind but I didn’t tell her that, but regardless of my active imagination, I was still certain I could plan a few activities, give instruction, have an authoritative voice, and hand out Cheeze-Its and apple slices with the best of them. I could also caution kids against playing with my equipment and other things that were important. I was hired on the spot and it was awesome. I loved my classroom and my kids. The only thing that kept me from working longer than the two years I was there was the constant germ thing called Strep. I was sick every other month but I tried and it was great while it lasted. Yes, part of acing the interview was about my lovely disposition but I’ve been in situations where that doesn’t always work and so it was our collective response to one another that I credit as the reason for both our successes.
I’m forever grateful to the employer that saw past what she may felt were a kind of limitation, and not only a limitation but what she saw as a possible danger just because of the vital assistive technology I use, and gave me a job anyway. She didn’t dismiss me thinking this would be impossible, dangerous and this was twenty years ago, mind you. I got a chance because of someone’s open mind and that’s more than half the battle.
Next, regarding employers, one of the biggest hurdles I see, especially in the federal sector is a supervisor so stringent on governing their small group of subordinates that they pull teleworking completely off the table. If your concern is that people won’t work when they are home, you can keep that concern because it happens even when people are AT work. Sorry. Holidays are coming up too?
October 4, 2017
Some Thoughts On Advocacy
Every year, I say, this October I’ll finally get around to writing a series of posts around disability, it’s my one month to do so because October is National Disability Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Sometimes, I may do a post or two in July, another important month in the disability community with the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and October is also my birthday month and as such (not that I need an excuse, it’s my site I can do what I like) but I consider it one month out of the year to bring needed attention to disability issues and also because I work with many transition-age youths, to take a moment to talk to their parents and both encourage and assist them with these posts. Though I mention parents, I’m not a parent, I am a self-advocate and a larger advocate for countless others so this information is also relevant to self-advocates. I don’t focus a lot on disability, 1. because of my faith, the more I can write about it, the more I could just seek to handle it. And 2. My focus in my online persona/author-life will always be my fiction and I think it’s important to keep solid on my work of writing fiction, publishing, marketing and providing support and instruction for aspiring writers. But that does not mean I can’t depart just a little for an important part of life that makes me who I am. AND, working a full-time job in disability leaves plenty of time to be bogged down with the issues and the constant fight and struggle for inclusion and equality so that’s my story.
Allow me this month to impart some observations and ideas on part of my life: disability. Please enjoy the Series with the first this Wednesday: Some Thoughts of Advocacy – and why it’s so important that we always impart advocacy to our children
Take Them with YOU – I’m always talking about my parent’s influence because I watched them and I’m amazed at how much their early advocacy influenced my ability to speak up for myself. Whatever age you feel appropriate, that’s up to you as a parent, (personally depending on their disability- I’m comfortable with age 8 and up for short meetings) but at some point, you need to include your children with disabilities in your advocacy process and efforts. The more we keep children home from meetings and public hearings and we believe that nothing will influence them, the more you promote a stigma. Yes, I realize some children with disabilities have behavioral issues and this can be problematic but not all of them do and this can’t be everyone’s excuse. We as a society often already lack tolerance when we are around certain kinds of folks and to reduce that we need to be out in the forefront. The other thing you have to ask yourself, WHO does this really make “feel bad”? Is this about your child and his/her feelings (more often than not, they are completely unaware) or is this about your own feelings of embarrassment or judgment you may feel by bringing them. It’s okay to admit this so be honest. The world can be cruel.
I too am sometimes embarrassed by the way people act and I’m often meeting with them in a public setting, there may be outbursts and triggers that set off frustration for some of my clients and they may not know how to handle that frustration and even anger, properly, but it doesn’t deter me. I can even sometimes have embarrassment about my own getting out. I use a wheelchair, I feel I sit funny or crooked (my Mom says it’s in my head) and in 2017 people seem to still stare and all I think is: Surely, there’s enough of us (people with disabilities) out and about in today’s society for you to have seen an accessible van already. But alas perhaps there isn’t. Idk.
And note, there is a fine line between trying to educate and help them learn versus a type of exploitation that goes on (and some parents are guilty of this) but I believe and hope that the exploitation usually happens more with agencies and not individual parents advocating for their child (in the majority). Sadly, some parents are using their child’s issues whether severe or trumped up to gain favor and access to services that they may not be entitled to. I’m not talking about those kinds of people.
I’m saying to include and to be present is the only way they will learn. THEY ARE PAYING ATTENTION IF THEY ARE PRESENT AND one day they will have to speak up for themselves and you can help them, little by little, (and more importantly, repetitively) to feel empowered to do so.
Hear and Help Them Practice – help them write something, let them try, if they can only do one sentence from it at the next Board of Supervisors meeting well that just further drives home your point for protections, supports and services needed in the community and helps show a very real issue, but it also helps build their confidence and they get an awesome opportunity to be a part of the entire process and not just hear about it once you get home.
Take Time to Educate Those Around You – how many of your neighbors and church friends are aware of the daily struggles you have to go through to ensure the long-term care, feeding and support of little Johnny and Suzie? We can no longer afford to do this on our own. We’re suffering too much and the need and the impact we need to make – the stakes are too high. We need everyone.
Depending on your response to who else is available and understands what Johnny and Suzie have to go through, the answer is either wonderful or a complete shame. In the last year, we have seen how much rallying we’ve had to do to keep our basic protections in place and if these people were already educated about the disability experience, we wouldn’t have to work so hard. I realize there is a certain level of pride that comes with handling a situation on your own, I do that all the time and usually am very tired, but when you don’t share, you’re only hurting yourself. Those that don’t know about the situations and fights we endure remain ignorant. Granted, even after telling them, so many choose to still remain ignorant but at least you told them at all. In times of need, you’ll have a reserve of people who “get it”. Isn’t that what we all want, someone who gets it, gets us and our individual fights and advocacy efforts that tire us throughout the life of our child or other loved one or as self-advocates, and all we fighting for is the same opportunity that everyone else has, to be included, to get a fair opportunity and to shine with the best of their abilities? I’m going to say something candid, at times I don’t want to educate the 70+ year-old woman that assist me (my long-time caregiver of 10+ years). Do you know how hard it is to come by a caregiver for any amount of time, ten years in caregiving might as well be forever. She is a godsend and I love her dearly and pray for her to last as long as I do. (I have a secret bet of which one of us is going to kick the bucket first – her being 70+ and my being, well you know). At the beginning of my day with her, I’m just trying to get dressed and make sure I smell good before I leave out the door on my way to work or to my side hustle, a book -signing or speaking engagement and hope everything is in order with my accessible vehicle and that I can be on my way and avoid any hazard on my route.
Education? Well, that is NOT part of our respective job descriptions. She assists me, I get going, she leaves, I pay her. Those are our only agreed upon commitments to one another. But regardless of how she feels at the end of my imparting information, education and personal experience with this or that, I can’t worry about that, I’m annoyed at some statements and beliefs that remain after I’m done, I’m especially annoyed how they fail to realize that a portion of Medicaid pays her salary and yet she can’t make the correlation of losing it if were to come to that, or that #DACA recipients supply so much needed care to those that folks like me, already have slim pickings because this line of home health care work isn’t glamorous and doesn’t pay well. Further more, we seem to think that whites/blacks are sitting around waiting for these types of jobs. Hate to burst your bubble. That is not the case.
Educate the very ones you don’t want to… Alas, I make myself speak up because for one, I like watching Gayle and Charlie and Norah in the morning as I get ready for my day and what they depict often produces a commentary from her, then my side eye twitches, (then, of course, I miss Gayle and Charlie and Nora because we start talking- and when we start talking (thank God for DVR) in that lies an opportunity and I feel compelled to take time to explain and educate and regardless of what happens after, whether erroneous ideals remain, I gave perspective on whatever the news of the day was, and whatever her response may be, I have to let it go and realize that I can’t control everything (despite countless attempts). LOL 
September 22, 2017
Friday Features
Paulette Harper[image error]
Get her latest book, That Was Then, This is Now, here
About That Was Then, This Is Now
HOW COULD GOD HAVE A PURPOSE FOR ME AMIDST THIS MESS?
WHY DO SUCH BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?
If you’ve recently asked yourself these questions, Paulette Harper’s That Was Then, This is Now has the answers. Struggling to recover from a broken marriage and disappointed dreams, Paulette Harper explores meaning and understanding in her works.[image error] And through her searching, God reveals Himself to her in ways she never before imagined possible. By sharing her struggles with transparency, she illustrates how a heart attitude of surrender allows God to use a broken vessel for His ultimate plans of glory.
That Was Then, This is Now, minsters to hurting hearts in every season in life, reminding them that God restores shattered lives, intent on using them for His sovereign purposes.
About Paulette
In addition to being an award winning author of Completely Whole and Secret Places Revealed, Paulette is an inspirational speaker, as well as a writing workshop instructor. Her literary works have been spotlighted in a growing number of publications, including CBN, Real Life Real Faith Magazine, The Sacramento Observer and Black Pearls Magazine. She has also appeared on numerous local and online radio shows. Paulette resides in Northern California.
Connect with Paulette Harper
on Social Media
Tour hosted by Write Now Literacy
Get your Paperback copy here and the ebook here
Want Your Own Book Tour? Schedule and Visit
Write Now Literacy
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September 8, 2017
Friday Features
It’s Friday and it’s time to meet author,
Savannah J.
About her new book, Raising Tristan
[image error]Raising Tristan is a story of Shiloh Milner, a gentleman who is involved in a relationship with Angela Pitchard. Their relationship is purely for companionship; she doesn’t love him, he doesn’t love her. When Angela who has made it clear she does not want children finds herself pregnant, Shiloh convinces her to have the baby. Twenty-four hours after their son, Tristan is born; Angela checks herself out of the hospital and disappears. With the help of his parents, and his new lady love, the beautiful Moselle Laveau, Shiloh devotes his life to caring for his son. But as time goes on will Moselle turn out to be all Shiloh believes her to be and will she be an asset in Raising Tristan.
Get Your Copy of Raising Tristan here
Here’s a few more interesting tidbits about Savannah J.
Savannah Jackson or Savannah J as she is affectionately called has been surrounded by diverse culture and the Arts her entire life. She was born into a family of artists and raised in Wilmington, Delaware in an Italian neighborhood affectionately referred to as “Little Italy”. The unconditional love and support of her family and influence of her environment fostered her love and talents in the Arts.
Savannah began singing at the age of three, subsequently, during her college years, she studied music and literature, which fed her passion for writing. Her first novels revealed her romantic side until at the urging of two friends, she decided to stretch herself and penned her first suspense.
She is the author of “Toward the Light” and the sequel “The Prodigal Son,” “Behind Closed Doors,” “Raising Tristan,” and the suspense thriller, “The Prey,” She is also the founder and organizer and host of The Biennial Authors Literary Festival, which was held every other year in the Richmond Virginia Metro Area.
Savannah J. at present resides in Virginia with her son and family. For more information see her website at http://www.thesavannahjpublications.com or email her at savnhj@aol.com.
The Prey, and Raising Tristan are available on Amazon and in eBook on Kindle. “Toward the Light,” “The Prodigal Son,” and “Behind Closed Doors” are being re-edited and unavailable. Savannah is currently hard at work on the second book in “The Prey” series titled “The Prey: Twins, and then there were two”.
Connect with Savannah J. on Social Media
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