How it All Comes Full Circle
by Stacy Kaye
On the way home from a career networking luncheon earlier this week, I began to think about the personal importance of belonging to organizations and associations with a shared identity. Certainly the older I get, the more I value the insights, connections, and relationships I’ve gained from my academic, career, social, and religious affiliations.
Of course then, there is the precarious distinction of belonging to a group that its hard for me to believe I once knew little to nothing about, never applied to be part of, and didn’t receive an invitation from before being indoctrinated.
Certainly if you’re reading this you, or perhaps a family member, are directly part of the more than 28 million American women, and countless millions more worldwide, considered to have some form of disability. Whether by birth, disease--or in my case injury--we are now all united by the personal knowledge of thriving, often in spite of real challenge.
In so many ways we are part of a sorority of women who know truths and secrets about society. We know, or have come to accept, that right now even the finest doctors, equipped with the luxuries of modern modalities and medicine, cannot fix all medical problems. We also know that while society preaches civil rights and tolerance for all, there is still a huge disconnect between people knowing the right thing to do, and doing the right thing.
Yet we also know, perhaps more than most, the joys that come just being able to live our lives like everyone else.
I say this all with the great humility of knowing that this April, I will begin the eleventh year of using a wheelchair for my daily mobility. In that time I’ve had the privilege of meeting some amazingly determined women who would not accept disability as their defeat. It’s been a learning curve like no other.
Over the years I’ve seen mobileWOMEN.org become a vital part of that very learning curve, allowing women to share the truths and experiences that come from the heart.
I believe in the power of MW so strongly because I’ve had the good fortune to meet both the founder Wendy Crawford, and editor Cheryl Price, several years back at a pivotal time in my life. It’s not an understatement to say that both women gave me the courage to emotionally persevere during times when I had real doubts about how I would successfully mesh my life pre-and post-injury. It/s not an understatement to say they were real role model.
Now with the future very much ahead, it is only fitting to acknowledge that life comes full circle and, as they say, Pay It Forward!
There have been hundreds of times in the last ten years when I said to myself, “If I knew then, what I know now…”
Most recently I was asked by SHAPE Magazine to be in their 2011 Role Model edition. The premise was that they were highlighting women of all ages and professions who would be testaments to healthy living and body confidence. Once I agreed to this, I knew two things: (1) the magazine has a circulation of over 1.6 million people, (2) any friends or colleagues that didn’t know I had an injury would certainly know now. The only reason the second factor merited thought was because, as a journalist, I’ve always been taught to never make yourself part of a story. I worried briefly that potential employers might not call me for an assignment because they would think I would have a particular bias. However that thought quickly left my mind once I remembered how few positive reflections there are of women with disabilities in mainstream media. The opportunity to state unequivocally that a disabled woman could live a healthy lifestyle, be physically fit, and happy, was an opportunity I could simply not pass up.
Then I began thinking about what it would have been like if I were injured while in my early teenage years; the years already filled with body conscious issues. Perhaps a teenage girl or her mother might randomly come upon this magazine in a hair or nail salon and find some comfort in seeing a picture of a nameless girl in a mainstream women’s magazine. That vision alone sealed the deal for me.
In many ways being in the magazine marked a very personal journey. It allowed me to emotionally take all physical hurt and emotional trauma experienced during the first decade of injury and turn it into something very positive for both myself and hopefully others.
I really do believe that just as with any group of people, the positive images we leave on society will help in both our civil discourse and civil rights. America already has the blueprint for such actions. So every time a disabled woman becomes the head of a company, participates in government, teaches children in a classroom, provides countless other jobs in the workforce, or simply takes times to talk with her friends and family who are not disabled, we defy stereotypes and gain respect.
While it is my hope to share upcoming stories and insights that enlighten the reader, I’m confident I will come away the richer, having learned far more from fellow contributors and readers.
I WAS that 13-year-old, in her awkward years way back in 1989, when I was injured. And you are right - the opportunity to see someone as my mirror, who could perhaps make me more confident that everything would be okay, would have been an invaluable gift. So often, these kinds of injuries happen to guys, so it is indeed an exclusive "sorority," as you put it so eloquently, in which to belong. We can and should support one another, and for those of us who have the wisdom that comes with experience, we have a duty to mentor the ones who come after us. Further, we have an obligation to gracefully but staunchly advocate for all of the people who find ourselves in a similar position.
ReplyDeleteJenny Feldman
thomas sabo uk
ReplyDeletemichael kors handbags
swarovski jewelry
tiffany jewelry
michael kors handbags
mac cosmetics
new balance
louis vuitton outlet
air jordan 4
foamposite galaxy
oakley sunglasses wholesale
ed hardy clothing
polo ralph lauren outlet
mcm bags
fitflop sandals
ray ban sunglasses uk
true religion jeans
puma shoes
valentino sale
nfl jerseys
celine outlet online
m a c cosmetics
ray ban sunglasses
louis vuitton handbags
tory burch handbags
coach factory outlet
abercrombie outlet
ray ban aviator sunglasses
coach outlet
ferragamo belts
coach outlet store online
michael kors outlet
jordan 4
prada shoes
louis vuitton handbags
timberland shoes
hollister pas cher
tod's sale
nhl jerseys wholesale
kate spade handbags
longchamp outlet
ReplyDeleteburberry outlet online
cheap nike shoes
tory burch outlet
celine outlet online
ferragamo shoes
kate spade handbags
oakley sunglasses
minnesota vikings jerseys
new england patriots jerseys
hermes birkin
chicago bears jerseys
dallas cowboys jersey
michael kors outlet
mbt shoes
adidas outlet
swarovski jewelry
washington redskins jerseys
coach outlet online
tory burch outlet online
nike free 5.0
hollister clothing
cheap oakley sunglasses
valentino outlet
michael kors outlet
ysl outlet
coach outlet
hollister clothing
ed hardy t-shirts
lebron james shoes
valentino shoes
true religion outlet
new orleans saints jerseys
cheap oakley sunglasses
mulberry outlet
coach outlet store online
cheap nba jerseys
monster beats
air max 2015
lululemon
cleveland cavaliers jersey
ReplyDeletegolden state warriors jerseys
mbt shoes
chanel handbags
los angeles lakers jerseys
nike free
dallas cowboys jersey
washington redskins jerseys
arizona cardinals jerseys
kansas city chiefs jerseys
atlanta falcons jersey
nike air max uk
green bay packers jerseys
hermes belt
nike outlet store
barcelona jersey
tory burch outlet
chicago blackhawks jersey
nike huarache
michael kors uk
mulberry outlet
manchester united jersey
new england patriots jerseys
oklahoma city thunder jerseys
baltimore ravens jerseys
michael kors uk
ray ban sunglasses
nike roshe
cheap football shirts
nike trainers
air max 2014
stuart weitzman boots
the north face jackets
nike free 5.0
coach outlet canada
nike free uk
denver broncos jerseys
new york knicks jersey
oakland raiders jerseys
san antonio spurs jerseys
wei20150617
louis vuitton handbags
ReplyDeleteoakley sunglasses
fake watches
louis vuitton handbags
nba jerseys
coach factory outlet
michael kors handbags
coach outlet
timberland canada
ray ban sunglasses
toms shoes outlet
louis vuitton
kate spade diaper bag
ralph lauren outlet
hollister kids
jordan 13s
michael kors
mont blanc legend
tory burch outlet online
michael kors outlet online sale
louis vuitton handbags uk
ed hardy clothing outlet
ed hardy outlet store
coach outlet online
kobe bryant shoes for kids
oakley outlet
louis vuitton handbags
copy watches
cheap toms shoes
fendi bags
coco chanel
coach outlet
pandora rings
insanity workout
longchamp sale
true religion
20150710xiong