The most upsetting thing is when people don't believe me due to my physical disability. Here are 2 examples: An alert button hangs from my wheelchair for emergencies. Two times I hit it by accident and despite my stating that I'm fine the police were dispatched anyway. The second time my boyfriend told the operator at the call center and she had immediately believed it was an unnecessary call. Another time my van was hit by another driver and even though the police report totally exonerated me from the accident OVR insisted I had to relearn and retest my driving skills. Furthermore, I was tested on an Econoline Van even though I clearly was never going to be using that type.

Today I meet with the director of a camp for kids who have special needs. I am interested in helping them secure more funding. I would be great at it but someone already does that so I hope the person doesn't feel like I'm trying to replace her. Also I started filling out an application to work as a Therapeutic Support Staff in a public school for a local agency. The application has physical job requirements I asked if they can be waived and the lady did not understand my request. People who use wheelchairs to ambulate rarely work in the human services field!

"Working on Wheels" went well. The participants really gave the experience a lot of thought both sitting in the wheelchairs and responing to the thought provoking questions afterwards. I will now have the chance to grow Infobility after numerous starts and stops over the years. What I needed, and now have, is connections that will help generate interest. A professor from Millersville University was present at the discussion and seemed to believe in the program. I also have a connection with a fraternity at Franklin and Marshall University because of a fundraiser for Aaron's Acres, I got them involved with last year. There's also Lancaster Nursing School, which I hope to have a connection after Friday's program.

I always said that independence is a characteristic I admire in people with disabilities. I have a hard time with people who pretend to be more impaired than they are just to get a "free ride." Recently, I began to like someone but I knew something didn't sit right with me. I realized what it was- he was unnecessarily sitting in a wheeelchair and he said it was fun. Later he qualified his statement but it didn't matter, he already set it. This lack of motivation to be independent really bothers me. Although part of his negative attitude is due to his surround-ings, however, if he was a true fighter, he wouldn't allow an environment to change anything. Am I being too harsh? Maybe but learned helplessness is not an endearing quality to me.

My friend who fell has been in a nursing home and it's horrible. He's physically doing better than he was before the accident but (as he says) "he's become his environment." I was so upset cause he waits up to 30 minutes to go to the bathroom and sometimes just can't wait and goes in his pants. His pain pills take an extra 30 minutes to arrive and he's told to stay in a wheelchair, which he does not need. I want him to come home with me so he could recover mentally as well as physically. I just told his mother who was horrified. She insists I'm not capable of handling the job becasue I am in a wheelchair. That's precisely why I'm advocating so strongly that he leaves there.

I realize there could be all sorts of legal ramifications to this but I just can't let Stewart stew in the nursing home till the doctor decides it's okay to go home. I realize I'm disabled too but I'm a lot more capable than I may seem to people. His 83 year old mother is worried sick about him coming home. He spent much of his life taing care of her and now the roles are reversed but she definitely cab't do it. I can help Stewart (and I know I can)I WILL.

I was watching "Sunday Morning" and there was a segment about a fire station that adopted a guy with mental illness. He was treated like one of the gang and the guys even did his laundry for him- since 1952! If only others were like that. My Camp for kids with challenges went to a local ambulance/fire station and there was a man who took kindly to a guy with mental challenges. I really saw this "camper" as the man in the story. If only...

Rehabilitation when you already have a disability. That must be the ultimate in frustration. A professional is telling you how to manage even though you've spent a lifetime figuring it out. So, in this case, who would be the real expert? I always tell people with challenges that they are the experts on their bodies regardless of how many letters they have after their names (professsional degrees). My friend with arm and leg weakness due to a previous injury then recently fell, has been doing physical therapy for weeks. He's got the patience of Job.