disability advocacy Archives - Wheel:LifeWheel:Life

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Two hook hands holding a clapperboard that reads, "Production, Superfest Disability Film Festival."

Sep 24

2386 Views

Superfest Film Festival Gives Disability Community a Voice

Editor’s Note: In 2012, the Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University partnered with LightHouse for the Blind and took over Superfest, the longest-running disability film festival in the world. As the associate director at ...

Rick Velasquez and Namel Norris, two men in their wheelchairs in a brick tunnel

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Entertainment · Music · Wheel:Life · Wheelchair

May 24

2059 Views

Hip Hop Duo 4 Wheel City Speaks Out Against Gun Violence

Editor’s Note: When he was a teenager, Rick Velasquez emigrated from Honduras to the Bronx with his family in search of the American dream. Shortly after, the dream turned into a nightmare when he was hit by a stray bullet while walking down the ...

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Special Events

Feb 21

1918 Views

SXSW: Transforming Society’s Image of Disability

What started as a small music festival of 700 attendees in 1987 has turned into one of the most prominent gatherings in the nation today. At South by Southwest each March, emerging artists sign record deals, independent filmmakers get their big ...

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Assistive Technology · Exercise · Health · Special Events · Wheel:Life · Wheelchair

Feb 08

1586 Views

Five February Events Celebrating the Disability Community

February is a short month, but that doesn’t mean there’s no time for educational activities, fundraising, and fun! If you’re looking for ways to get involved in celebrating and supporting the disability community this month, consider one of ...

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Exercise · Health · Transverse Myelitis · Wheelchair

Nov 05

2348 Views

Clay Garner’s Fight to Beat Transverse Myelitis

Editor’s Note: Clay Garner, a successful entrepreneur and businessman, was nearing retirement when nagging lower back pain eventually led to hip replacement surgery. A few weeks prior to his scheduled operation, groin pain and troubles urinating ...

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Exercise · Special Events · Wheel:Life · Wheelchair Sports

Nov 02

2258 Views

5 Adaptive and Advocacy Events You Shouldn’t Miss This November

This November boasts many reasons and ways to get active. By exercising our bodies, we can burn off those Halloween candy calories and a little extra in preparation for all of the upcoming holiday feasts. But this month also provides opportunities ...

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Wheel:Life · Wheelchair

Oct 26

3201 Views

Gaelynn Lea is Changing the Music World in More Ways Than One

Editor’s Note: When an orchestra performed at her school, 10-year-old Gaelynn Lea decided she wanted to learn to play the violin. However, as an electric wheelchair user born with osteogenesis imperfecta, she couldn’t hold the instrument the ...

Betsy Bailey · Advocacy · Special Events · Wheel:Life

Oct 01

4481 Views

It’s Disability Awareness Month! Here’s What’s Happening Near You This October

In late summer of 1945, as World War II was coming to an end, President Harry S. Truman officially designated the first week in October as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. As awareness increased over the years, the annual week-long ...

Monica Manley · Cerebral Palsy · Community Partners · Wheel:Life · Wheelchair

Mar 29

6749 Views

Inclusion, Adventure, and Therapy with Freedom Concepts

Editor’s Note: In 2014, Michigan residents Caroline Booth and Matt Naif welcomed their daughter into the world six weeks prematurely. After some time in the neonatal intensive care unit, they left the hospital thinking baby Briella was ready to ...