Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [id] => 10
            [date] => 2022-10-19
            [status] => Active
            [new] => 
            [title] => How do you bounce back?
            [author] => Paige Masson
            [article] => 
When your disability decides to transform into a tornado and tear through your safety net, how do you bounce back?



Sometimes this tornado can be physically seen by others. Other times, it manifests as verbal warfare within the mind. In my case, having Bipolar Disorder is mostly invisible. The times it shows up physically though, it's like a storm goes on non-stop for weeks. When those weeks are over, it is clean-up time but...



Where do I begin? Have I done a well enough job at putting speed bumps on my road?

Did I utilize my toolbox to the best of my ability?

 

Mental health is a tricky one. We all experience the good and the bad days. People with Bipolar Disorder experience very intense mood changes. In my case, it took over three weeks to recover from a depressive episode. My room got messy. I missed some days of work. Eating became difficult. Sleeping was the only time I felt okay. I tried to explain the chaos and the pain to the people around me but it felt like I was speaking a foreign language. Regardless of the support and the love my safety net tried to provide, I felt alone and misunderstood.

 

If this feeling feels familiar to you, let me assure you that you are not alone. Let me also assure you that there is hope. Being misunderstood can be alleviated with proper education. After making it through the most recent depressive episodes, I learned a few things about myself.



1. I am resilient beyond comprehension. Having a disability can make someone feel otherwise but the fact that we can rise above its definition and stigmas is to be admired.



2. Happiness can be conserved within my mind and heart. Holding on to the excitement, hope, and love can help carry the weight during dark times. 



3. Patience truly is a virtue. Cleaning up the tornado's mess allows your resilient spirit to shine through. The key to cleaning up the mess is patience.



If you feel alone, please remember that you are not alone. Somebody does care even if that somebody is you. Making it through each day one foot at a time can be just enough to remind yourself that brighter days are ahead, even if they are just existing in your consciousness or dreams for the time being. A doodle by Paige Masson of a woman in a blue dress with a pink belt and yellow hair with thoughts shaped like flowers flowing from the top of her head. On one side of her is "Mania," colored in yellow and reflecting sunshine tornadoes. On the other side, blue for "Depression" with black tornadoes and blue background. Always split in half by the two emotions."

        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [id] => 9
            [date] => 2022-10-19
            [status] => Active
            [new] => 
            [title] => Want to offer help? Ask first (and keep asking)
            [author] => Jacob Lesner-Buxton
            [article] => 
For those who don’t know, an ally means someone who takes particular action to support a person or a group or both. For instance, if an able-bodied person complains about a building inaccessible to those with disabilities, a person might be considered an ally. No two people with disabilities agree on all the traits that make someone a good ally, but most of us agree that listening to us is an essential part.

 

Unfortunately, some people with good intentions forget to listen to our needs before trying to help us. This often results in awkward and unsafe situations. Recently, my fiance, who is legally blind, asked a movie theater employee, “where can I get the popcorn?” The employee answered by grabbing her cane and pulling her toward the concession stand, him on one end of the cane and her on the other. The experience led her to feel disoriented, and frustrated.

 

Checking in with a person before offering help is important. Asking how you can best be of help is also imperative to assure that the help is actually helpful. 

 

Remember, if a person doesn’t require assistance at the moment, they might appreciate your help at a later date. While walking with my friend one Halloween night, I tripped and fell. When I asked my friend why he didn’t offer to guide me through the darkness, he replied, “you said that you didn’t need assistance six months ago when I offered.”

 

Besides knowing that a person's need for assistance may vary from day to day. I suggest not offering assistance out of guilt. I have been assisted by people who are impatient with the task we are doing. What they saw as helping me was really them helping themselves save time. For someone already a bit ashamed about asking for so much assistance, having someone complaining about the errands we are running makes me feel guilty for asking in the first place.

 

However, I do believe it’s appropriate to be honest with the person asking for help before the task. Asking the person for things like gas money for a ride or telling them about your bad shoulder that prevents you from assisting them with moving is extremely helpful to me. Like I said before, most people want to feel like they are not being a burden on others. Honest communication is essential to creating a helping relationship in which one person doesn’t feel like a burden and the other doesn’t feel like a savior.

 

        )

    [2] => Array
        (
            [id] => 11
            [date] => 2022-10-19
            [status] => Active
            [new] => 
            [title] => Disability in the News: Veterans exposed to toxins receive unencumbered access to coverage from the VA  
            [author] => Jamie Zimmerman
            [article] => 
Disability is in the news with a major win for veterans. The U.S. Senate approved providing health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins in burn pits in Iraq and Agent Orange in Vietnam. 



It has been determined that the PACT Act will now cease to force veterans to prove their disabilities and illnesses were caused by exposure to toxins in order to get medical coverage from the VA. The PACT Act is the biggest expansion of care in VA history. This change will alleviate a layer of hardship for veterans and improve access to the support they deserve.



The story of the PACT Act in the news is an example of the mission of full access that we work toward every day, amplified and utilized on a macro level. 





To read more on the PACT Act go to:



https://www.npr.org/2022/08/02/1115325176/pact-act-veterans-burn-pits-toxins-passes-senate
        )

)
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