SMA News Today Columns

July 28, 2021July 28, 2021

‘Uh-oh’: Perfect Timing in More Ways Than One

I had Mrs. Ruby Miner for spelling in the seventh grade. Besides spelling words, we defined, pronounced, and wrote them neatly. Stepping into Room 217 usually brought on a slight ... Read more

July 26, 2021July 26, 2021

Crip Wealth and the Tapestry of Pride

SMA News Today Columns

The problem with disability pride is that it’s a little bit mythical. It’s not something you can describe or explain. It’s an enigma. A paradox. It shouldn’t exist, but it ... Read more

July 22, 2021July 22, 2021

Inviting People to Sit at the Table of My Disabled Life

SMA News Today Columns

I can still see the golden afternoon of my first tea party like it was only yesterday. I swung open the wooden cottage gate. In the center of a secret ... Read more

July 21, 2021July 21, 2021

The Friends and Fate I Chose Thanks to ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’

COVID-19 Columns, SMA News Today Columns

I never planned on writing about video games for my column. But after three columns about four games by two different studios and counting, I thought it’d be fun to ... Read more

July 19, 2021July 19, 2021

Surprise! Your Favorite Character Might Be Disabled

SMA News Today Columns

It’s no surprise that I love seeing myself in my favorite stories. Take “Mass Effect,” for example, a science fiction media franchise by video game developer BioWare. One of my ... Read more

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021

Looking at Success Through a Wider Lens

SMA News Today Columns

Society often defines successful people as those who have achieved several traditional milestones. Those milestones tend to include obtaining a college degree, becoming financially independent, buying a home, getting married, ... Read more

July 16, 2021July 16, 2021

Why My Journey With Disability Pride Isn’t Linear

SMA News Today Columns

Even though I’ve been disabled all my life, I had never heard of Disability Pride Month until I scrolled past someone’s Instagram post last July. I guess that’s the beauty ... Read more

July 15, 2021July 15, 2021

Building a Healthy Relationship With Your Body

SMA News Today Columns

So you’ve badly hurt another person’s feelings, and the guilt they’re making you feel is burning hot. You know how that goes, right? Once, a friend was so steaming mad ... Read more

July 14, 2021July 14, 2021

Things Aren’t Always As They Seem

SMA News Today Columns

I helped my husband, Randy, pluck raspberries from our bountiful bushes the other evening. Shortly after sampling our red, squishy haul, I removed my Crocs to get ready for a ... Read more

July 14, 2021July 14, 2021

Disability Representation in BioWare’s Mass Effect Trilogy, Part 2: Demands of Diversity

SMA News Today Columns

Second in a two-part series. Read part one here. “ universe demands diversity.” The quote above is from alien scientist Mordin Solus, who’s a character from Mass Effect, a sci-fi ... Read more

July 12, 2021July 12, 2021

‘All of Us Will Become Disabled and Sick’

SMA News Today Columns

When thinking about disability pride — specifically the content I wanted to create for Disability Pride Month — I found myself returning to a quote from “Care Work: Dreaming Disability ... Read more

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

Exploring the Riverways of Disability Pride and Disabled Kinship

SMA News Today Columns

It coaxed out the wildness inside of me. My wheels chomped at gravel with each twist and turn of the riverside trail I was traveling. Acorns were devoured in satisfying ... Read more

July 6, 2021July 6, 2021

Making Churches More Accessible

COVID-19 Columns, SMA News Today Columns

“LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ANYTHING!” An usher exclaimed these words at the top of his lungs in the church auditorium while putting his hand on my shoulder. To ... Read more

June 30, 2021June 30, 2021

Dangling Under the Full Moon

SMA News Today Columns

Parents, teachers, and pet owners routinely witness the unmistakable impact of full moons on all realms of behavior. Insert wolf howl. As a rapidly aging adult, I can vouch for ... Read more

June 28, 2021June 28, 2021

I Believe I Can Do Hard Things

SMA News Today Columns

I know that self-talk is important, including the words we use and our tone of voice. We’re usually trying to look out for ourselves, but more often than not, our ... Read more