I Should Have Been Posting My Last Freedom Friday

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves ~Abraham Lincoln

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance!

April White House Disability Call (no topic released)

In order to help keep you more informed, the White House is hosting monthly calls to provide updates on various disability issues, as well as to introduce individuals who work on disability issues in the federal government.

The next call will take place on Thursday, April 28 at 2:00 PM Eastern.

Dial in for listeners: United States: (888) 428-4479

Title: White House Disability Call (use instead of code)

Please call in at least five minutes prior to the start of the call.

For live captioning during the call, visit http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1745291&CustomerID=321.

This call is off the record and not for press purposes.

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

In this possibly terminal phase of human existence, democracy and freedom are more than just ideals to be valued--they may be essential to survival ~Norm Chomsky

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance!

[If you know me IRL you know I of course have to post a photo of PONIES!]

I Should Have Been Posting Our Freedom Flyer

Pages 2 and 3 are reversed. Look out for our August edition!
Freedom Flyer 4-11

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free. ~Clarence Darrow

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance.

A Quick Wordless Wednesday

Still EXHAUSTED from work, so here's a quick photo post. For some reason my brother wanted me to have a birthday cake at his wedding, so here's the 3elove cake my mom and I designed, complete with handcuffs!

WHAT A WEEK!

My brother got married on Sun, I had a 3 days worth of work trainings the last week in March, I started my work training program Mon, my 26th birthday was Tues & I practically slept through it, I started horseback riding Thurs, and I am EXHAUSTED! So for lack of the ability to write anything, here's a video from the wedding:

My brother's wife is Japanese, her parents don't speak english, and all of a sudden he walks up to the balcony during the last song and takes over! Jason & Megumi unfortunately only caught the last few seconds as they were taking pictures on the moon bounce...

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and the opportunity to choose. ~C. Wright Mills

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance!

I Should Have Been Blogging a True Story Tuesday

Click on the picture to see the others

In honor of the fact that I have my 1st horseback riding lesson in 2 days, a horsey story:

When I was 5, almost 6, I had my 1st major surgery. I was in a camouflage body cast, as it was 1991, 1st gulf war era, and I can't remember if I ever mentioned that my brother and I were into playing army with our grandpa, who was a WWII vet. But that's neither here nor there.

This story comes after my surgery, when I did a crazy amount of rehab. 12hrs of PT per week, plus my regular hrs of OT & ST. My adductors (inner thigh muscles) have always been and will always be a major area of concern (I'm trying SO HARD not to cross my legs while I am writing this), so I think it was my main PT, but who knows at this point (I was working with 5) who decided to leave this foamish bolster thing (shown right, but without the chain on the end) that she just wanted me to sit on while I was watching TV. Just so I'd get some kind of passive stretch.

But I would have none of it. They wanted me to do more?!?! If I was a little older at the time I would have said,

"HELL NO! LEAVE ME ALONE AND GET THAT DAMN THING AWAY FROM ME!"

Or something like that. Nevermind my parents pleaded with me and tried to reason with me, telling me that she just wanted me to practice so that when my trainer was back in town and my Dr said I could go riding again, I could go riding again. They tried to convince me that if I didn't sit on the thing I wouldn't be able to get on a pony at all. I was just too smart to fall for that.

In desperation my parents tracked my trainer down and called her at her winter house in Florida. They asked if they could drive over to the barn and borrow my saddle until lessons started up again in the spring. Would she let someone know they were coming by? My grandpa, who became an engineer after his stint in the army and loved to build things, came down from New Jersey and built me a sawhorse. If you don't know what a sawhorse is, they look pretty much like the picture to the left. My saddle was perched on top, and somewhere in my parents' basement there are pictures of me sitting on it in the living room watching TV with a big smile on my face.

While I only vaguely remember this, I do remember the excitement of having my saddle in my house! *Squeal of joy* My parents had decided to surprise me! I also remember the first time I got back to the barn that spring, and before I was allowed to get near a pony my trainer made me prove to her that I would in fact be able to get on, and then made a huge deal out of it!

[OK, just noticed all of my TST posts have to do with surgery. There's something wrong with that]

I Should Have Been Blogging About Freedom Fridays

There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free. ~Walter Cronkite

Please consider donating to the 6th Annual Fun*Run for Disability Rights. It's May 1st at Upper Senate Park in Washington DC, the first day of the spring action. Even if it is just $2, all of Maryland ADAPT will be forever grateful. Your money is tax deductible and is split 50/50 between Maryland and National ADAPT.

What does National ADAPT use the money for? Legal fees, hotel rooms, lunch during national actions, copying, bull horns etc. What does Maryland ADAPT use the money for? Pizza and soda, hotel rooms, lots and lots of stamps (surprisingly in 2011 we do a lot of snail mail). If we get enough $ we can apply for federal 501c3 status. The fee is STEEP!

Thanks in advance!

[photo credit Tom Olin]