Article Published in Clover Letter

I am a published author!!! An article that I wrote a couple months ago was recently published in Clover Letter, a daily email newsletter for teen girls. Here it is!

I am a girl with a disability. I cannot deny that. But I should not be defined as “the disabled girl,” because I am so much more. My muscular dystrophy requires me to use a power wheelchair to get around. I can walk, but only for short distances. I always like observing people’s reactions when they see me walk for the first time without knowing that I can. It’s not the result of a miracle; it’s a result of my hard work. Yes, I do ask for help for certain things. Yes, I do accept offers of help, but those offers shouldn’t come from people who believe I’m not capable of doing things for myself. I’m lucky to have grown up in a community that’s so accepting of people who are different, but I do still encounter overt discrimination towards people with disabilities. Earlier this year, I was at a school assembly, talking to a friend and a teacher. My auditorium does not have designated wheelchair seating, so I park in a little alcove in the back. A photographer approached us, and without addressing me at all, asked my friend and my AP English teacher, “Can she move her chair?” assuming that I couldn’t speak for myself. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and it certainly won’t be the last. When things like this happen, I feel like a non-person--just a chair and not a human being. I have thoughts, feelings, ideas, and dreams, and I have the cognitive ability to respond to a simple question. Luckily, my teacher was as outraged as I was. She responded, “She can answer for herself,” and gave him a talking-to about how to address people with disabilities. Unfortunately, discrimination against those with disabilities is as prevalent in modern politics as it is in face-to-face interactions. Two surgeries and a hospitalization for pneumonia all in the course of a year and a half is a very taxing and expensive experience. That's why I am upset about the House of Representative’s passing of the American Health Care Act. I have a preexisting condition, and that will never change. However, I deserve to pay the same as everyone else for health insurance. I don't know what my family would’ve done without health insurance to pay for my surgeries. I’m only 16, so I can stay on my parent’s insurance plan for another 10 years, but this issue is much bigger than just me. My grandma has diabetes. Under the AHCA, she will have to pay enormous premiums for two factors that she has no control over: her diagnosis and her age. I urge you to contact your senators to help prevent this act from leaving millions of people like me and my grandma uninsured, just because of who we are. I don’t know if I would be different if I didn’t have a disability, but I do know that I like the person that I am today. Ultimately, I’ve been able to accomplish great things, both in spite of and because of my disability. My disability hasn’t stopped me from excelling in school, making incredible friends, and living a happy life. I consider myself to be a teenage girl who just happens to use a wheelchair, and that’s how you should see me as well. I do face challenges, but these challenges have shaped me into the strong, positive person that I am today. Don’t feel bad for me because I have a disability. Instead, appreciate me for my abilities and talents, and treat me like any other person. Everybody who has a disability deserves the chance to be treated with respect and equality.

Last Week of Service Dog Training and First Week Home

My last week of service dog training was fantastic! I got to celebrate my birthday there with my amazing new friends. They sang to me not just once, but twice. Chadds gave me a great birthday present- he finally mastered carrying a plastic bag! That had been a real challenge for him and I was so glad he figured it out. Starting that day I began working with Chadds to get him to identify my phone and pick it up from the floor. He does get dog drool all over it, but it's worth it to know that he can find my phone in an emergency situation. We're now at a point where he can retrieve it from across the house, even if it's on a table!

We had three field trips in the last week of training. First, we went to a mall. Chadds liked sleeping under racks of clothes while I browsed around. Really, he just likes sleeping in general. The next day, we went to a pet store so we could give our dogs a bath. Most labs love the water, but not Chadds. He was not a fan of getting bathed at all. He looked so sad! I got pretty wet, so we'll definitely look for a groomer to bathe him in the future. The final field trip of training was taking the train to Philadelphia and eating at Reading Terminal, a huge food market. Chadds was great on the train and didn't get bothered by any of the loud noises. He also navigated quite well through the city, even though it was hot and there were lots of distractions. I had been to Reading Terminal before, and I knew how hard it was in my wheelchair, let along with a dog. We did great though! Chadds paid for my lunch and calmly walked beside me the whole time. It was such a fun day with lots of delicious food. The day after the Philly trip was the day of certification tests. Chadds and I passed with flying colors! We got the highest score a new team can receive. Then we got to visit my grandma outside of Philadelphia afterwards. Graduation was a bittersweet event because while I knew it marked the beginning of a new adventure, it also meant saying goodbye to the staff and classmates. Chadds got a little graduation cap, but he kept trying to swipe it off. It was such a sweet ceremony and a nice way to end team training.

I've been home for a little over a week now, and Chadds and I are doing great! We take nice walks every day and make sure to get in some cuddle time. So far, Chadds has been to a couple restaurants, my aunt and uncle's house, driver's education class, the grocery store, and my high school. He volunteered with me at the library and an assisted living facility. We saw Wonder Woman yesterday and he slept the whole time! Chadds can now put my dirty clothes into the laundry bin and pull the bin into the laundry room. He can even pull clothes out of the dryer! Yesterday he decided to hop into the dryer- yes, he's small enough that he can fit. He picks up my seatbelt in the car for me before I ask. He's doing so well and I can't wait to make more progress!

Service Dog Training- Second Week

Wow, I can't believe I'm two-thirds done with my training! Chadds and I have made so much progress in the last week. He's definitely listening better and we're improving our connection. Chadds is extremely willing to work, because he knows he'll get treats afterward! Lab are very food motivated. We've been able to improve skills from last week, such as picking things up and tugging cabinets open, by adding new components. Now Chadds can pick metal items up, which apparently most dogs don't like to do. In addition to tugging cabinets, he can tug a refrigerator open and pull my sweatshirt off for me. It's really impressive. Chadds is amazing at pushing handicapped buttons. He also likes a skill called go pay, where he takes a wallet from my hand, puts his front paws up on a counter, and gives the wallet to a cashier. He's not a big fan of carrying items, but we'll work on it. We did a skills completion yesterday and Chadds and I placed third! That made me feel good because it showed how well we work together. 

We had two big field trips this week. The first was Longwood Gardens, which is filled with beautiful flowers and other plants. It was pretty hot that day, so Chadds wore little booties. He was a big fan of those, although they were supposed to protect his paws. I enjoyed seeing all the plants and practicing my skills. We also went to the Philadelphia Zoo, which was super fun. Chadds was interested in seeing all the animals, even the lions and cheetahs who thought he was food. He didn't get scared when an orangutan started banging on the glass right in front of him. It was a beautiful day and I really enjoyed the trip. 

This weekend we took Chadds to our real home for the first time! My parents were a bit nervous about how our pet dog Bree would respond. I'm happy to say that she and Chadds are now best buddies and enjoy playing with each other. It was so cute watching them meet for the first time. I'm glad I don't have to worry about them not getting along. Chadds was a little harder to control in the house than in the apartment, which is understandable because there were so many new things to experience. I can't wait to take him home for real next week! In this last week of training, we're learning new skills such as putting items in baskets, picking up the phone, and differentiating between items. It will be fun to see what else Chadds can do!