Privacy Policy

Last Updated April 3, 2006

Notification of Change
The Information We Collect
Opting Out
Your California Privacy Rights
Correct/Update Your Profile
Aggregate Information
Cookies
Security of Your Information
Tell-A-Friend, Ecards and Personal Fundraising Pages
Links to Other Web Sites
Information from Children
Transmission of Health-Related Data

Welcome to the Easterseals Online Network, the Web site of Easterseals, Inc. (Easterseals headquarters) and participating Easterseals affiliates across the country.

Because Easterseals values the privacy of constituents visiting the Easterseals Online Network, users of the Easterseals Online Network have the right to manage their own personal information.

You can contact Easterseals for more information related to the privacy of the information you provide online:

Mail: 141 W Jackson Blvd, Suite 1400A, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312-726-6200
Online: Click here to contact Easterseals via email. Your request will be answered within 2-3 business days.

Notification of Change

Easterseals reserves the right to change this policy at any time. Easterseals privacy policy will be kept up-to-date and clearly posted on our Web site.

The Information We Collect

On many pages of the Easterseals Online Network -- in particular when donating online, completing an action alert, registering for a special event, purchasing a product, or completing various feedback forms -- visitors are asked to list name, address, and other personal contact information. Information collected is specifically and knowingly provided by site visitors and may include name, email address, format preference (HTML vs. text), address, telephone number, interests and other similar information. Collecting this information helps Easterseals to better provide site visitors with relevant and useful content.

Easterseals has partnered with Convio, Inc. to power the Web content, email and transaction processing capabilities to serve our constituents and fulfill our mission on the Internet. Convio, Inc. is an Internet software and services company that provides online electronic Constituent Relationship Management (eCRM) solutions for nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. Convio will not disclose your name or other personally identifiable information (such as your e-mail address or phone number) to any party other than Easterseals.

Neither Easterseals nor Convio store sensitive information such as credit card numbers. When an online transaction is completed through the Easterseals Online Network, such as a charitable contribution, credit card information is used solely for the purpose of completing that specific transaction and is not retained in the Easterseals or Convio database.

Easterseals will not sell, share or exchange personal contact information collected from this Web site with other organizations. If a user has a previous relationship with Easterseals through another channel (i.e., mail, phone), Easterseals will occasionally rent or exchange those names and addresses with other organizations as a way of providing extra funds to help support services. If you do not want to participate in this program, please let us know.

Visitors to the Easterseals Online Network are not required to share any personally identifiable information. Users who do not wish to share personal information when visiting the Easterseals Online Network can still access the Network's Web pages and the valuable information provided.

Opting Out

Easterseals provides site visitors with the opportunity to opt-out of receiving our online and offline communications.

If you would like to opt-out of receiving email communications please update your user profile. Email unsubscribe requests are processed immediately.

To discontinue the receipt of postal mail, please contact Easterseals. Shortly, Easterseals will be adding the capability to remove your name from our postal mailing list online. You'll need to register as user of the Easterseals Online Network. Please note: there is a 8-12 week lapse period due to the fact that a subsequent mailing may already be in production. If you do receive another mailing, please disregard it.

Your California Privacy Rights

To review a special notice for California residents only per California Privacy Law (SB27): Exchanging, Renting, Reselling Personal Information, please visit the "Your California Privacy Rights" section.

Correct/Update Your Profile

Easterseals offers the option to change and modify personally identifiable information. Upon your request, Easterseals will remove personally identifying information retained in organizational databases. If you are a registered user of this site, you can access your Easterseals profile and update your contact information and user preferences by clicking here.

Easterseals reserves the right to maintain information on users who have had their access to the Easterseals Online Network blocked.

Aggregate Information

Demographic and profile data (i.e., age, gender, browser usage) is also collected via the Easterseals Online Network. Easterseals uses such data to improve marketing and promotional efforts, statistically analyze site usage, improve content and product offerings and to customize site content, layout, and services. Additionally, this data may be shared with third parties on an aggregated basis. Easterseals does not share personally identifying information with third parties, except to a court or governmental agency if required by law and as stated above in the section titled "The Information We Collect."

Cookies

A cookie is a small text file a Web site places on a site visitor's computer hard drive. Its purpose is to let the site know when a user visits and to perform certain functions such as saving passwords and personal preferences.

Cookies help evaluate visitors' use of a Web site, such as what viewers want to see and what they never read. This information allows Easterseals to better focus online information and to concentrate on information people are using.

Your browser is probably set to accept cookies. If you would like to turn this feature off, you will need to change the settings of your Internet browser.

Security of Your Information

All credit card and personal profile information provided to Easterseals or our Internet software partner, Convio, Inc., is transmitted using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption using Verisign as a payment gateway. SSL is a proven coding system that allows a browser to automatically encrypt, or scramble, data before it is sent.

Easterseals also protects account information by placing it on a secure portion of the Easterseals Online Network that is only accessible by certain qualified employees of Easterseals. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Easterseals strives to protect your information, however cannot ensure or warrant the security of such information.

Tell-A-Friend, Ecards and Personal Fundraising Pages

If you elect to use the referral service to inform a friend about a page on the Easterseals Online Network, send an ecard, or raise funds for Easterseals by soliciting friends and family, you will be asked for the friend's name and email address. Easterseals will automatically send the friend a one-time email inviting them to visit the site. Easterseals stores this information to send this one-time email only. In addition, the contact information will be maintained solely for the future convenience of the individual who provided the information - to send subsequent ecards or fundraising reminders/updates.

Links to Other Web Sites

Easterseals has links to other Web sites outside of the Easterseals Online Network. Easterseals is not responsible for the content of any linked Web site, or any link contained in a linked Web site, or any changes or updates to such Web sites. The inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Easterseals of that Web site.

In addition, please be aware that Easterseals is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other Web sites. Easterseals encourages you to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that requests personal information from you.

Information from Children

Easterseals does not seek to collect personal information about children through the Easterseals Online Network. If a child submits information through any part of the Network, and Easterseals is aware that the user submitting the information is a child, the information is not used for any purpose, nor is it disclosed to third parties. Easterseals will comply with all regulations set forward by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). To learn more about COPPA, visit the Federal Trade Commission.

Transmission of Health-Related Data

Easterseals understands the sensitivity of collecting and using health-related data. Personally identifiable health-related data collected on the Easterseals Online Network will not be shared with entities other than Easterseals, Inc., and Easterseals affiliates. Any transfer of personally identifiable health-related data between Easterseals organizations will take place in a secure environment with access allowed only to certain qualified employees of Easterseals. Easterseals will comply with all regulations set forward by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To learn more about HIPAA, visit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.

NOTICE OF EASTERSEALS SOUTH FLORIDA PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBTAIN A PAPER COPY OF THIS NOTICE UPON REQUEST.

WHO WILL FOLLOW THIS NOTICE

This notice describes Easterseals South Florida ("Easterseals") practices and that of (a) any health care professional authorized to enter information into our medical record, (b) volunteers we allow to help you while you are receiving Easterseals services, and (c) all Easterseals employees and staff.

PATIENT HEALTH INFORMATION

Under federal law, your patient health information is protected and confidential. Patient health information includes information about your symptoms, test results, diagnosis, treatment, and related medical information. Your health information also includes payment, billing and insurance information.

USE AND DISCLOSURE OF HEALTH INFORMATION

Easterseals may use your health information for purposes of providing you treatment, obtaining payment for the services you receive and for health care operations, including administrative purposes and evaluation of the quality of care that you receive. Unless otherwise indicated, your health information may be used or disclosed only after Easterseals has obtained your written consent or authorization. Easterseals has established a policy to guard against unnecessary disclosure of your health information.

THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH AND PURPOSES FOR WHICH YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AFTER YOU HAVE PROVIDED YOUR WRITTEN CONSENT:

To Provide Treatment. Easterseals will use and disclose your health information to provide you with medical treatment or services. For example, therapist, nurses and other members of your service team will record information in your record and use it to determine the most appropriate course of care. We may also disclose the information to other health care providers who are participating in your treatment, including your primary physician, to pharmacists who are filling your prescriptions, and to family members who are helping with your care.
To Obtain Payment. Easterseals will use and disclose your health information for payment purposes. For example, we may need to obtain authorization from your support coordinator or insurance company before providing certain types of treatment. We will submit bills and maintain records of payments from your health plan.
To Conduct Health Care Operations. Easterseals will use and disclose your health information to conduct our standard internal operations, including proper administration of records, evaluation of the quality of treatment, and to assess the care and outcomes of your case and others like it.

Health care operations include such activities as:

Quality assessment and improvement activities.
Activities designed to improve health or reduce health care costs.
Protocol development, case management and care coordination.
Contacting health care providers and consumer/patients with information about treatment alternatives and other related functions that do not include treatment.
Professional review and performance evaluation.
Training programs including those in which students, trainees or practitioners in health care learn under supervision.
Training of non-health care professionals.
Accreditation, certification, licensing or credentialing activities.
Review and auditing, including compliance reviews, medical reviews, legal services and compliance programs.
Business planning and development including cost management and planning related analyses and formulary development.
Business management and general administrative activities of the agency.

For example, Easterseals may use your health information to evaluate its staff performance, combine your health information with other Easterseals consumer/patients in evaluating how to more effectively serve all Easterseals consumer/patients, or disclose your health information to Easterseals staff and contracted personnel for training purposes. Also, Easterseals may disclose certain information about you including your name and your general health status.

Appointment Reminders. We may use and disclose health information to contact you with a reminder regarding a visit with our agency.
Treatment Alternatives. We may use and disclose health information to tell you about or recommend possible treatment options or alternatives.
For Fundraising Activities. Easterseals may use information about you including your name, address, phone number and the dates you received services at Easterseals in order to contact you or your family to raise money for Easterseals (unless you tell us you do not want to be contacted). Easterseals may also release this information to a related Easterseals foundation.

FEDERAL PRIVACY RULES ALLOW EASTERSEALS TO USE OR DISCLOSE YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT OR AUTHORIZATION FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:

Required by Law. Easterseals will disclose your health information when it is required to do so by Federal, State or local law.
Risks to Public Health. Easterseals may disclose your health information for public activities and purposes in order to:

Prevent or control disease, injury or disability, report disease, injury, vital events such as birth or death, and the conduct of public health surveillance, investigations and interventions.
To report adverse events, product defects, to track products or enable product recalls, repairs and replacements and to conduct post-marketing surveillance and compliance with requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
To notify a person who has been exposed to a communicable disease or who may be at risk of contracting or spreading a disease.
To an employer about an individual who is a member of the workforce as legally required.

To Report Abuse, Neglect or Domestic Violence. Easterseals is allowed to notify government authorities if the agency believes a consumer/patient is the victim of abuse, neglect or domestic violence. Easterseals will make this disclosure only when specifically required or authorized by law.
Health Oversight Activities. Easterseals may disclose your health information to a health oversight agency for activities including audits, civil, administrative or criminal investigations, inspections, licensure or disciplinary action. Easterseals, however, may not disclose your health information if you are the subject of an investigation and your health information is not directly related to your receipt of health care or public benefits.
In Connection with Judicial and Administrative Proceedings. Easterseals may disclose your health information in the course of any judicial or administrative proceeding in response to an order of a court or administrative tribunal as expressly authorized by such order or in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process.
For Law Enforcement Purposes. Easterseals may disclose your health information to a law enforcement official for law enforcement purposes as follows:

As required by law for reporting of certain types of wounds or other physical injuries pursuant to the court order, warrant, subpoena or summons or similar process.
For the purpose of identifying or locating a suspect, fugitive, material witness or missing person.
Under certain limited circumstances, when you are the victim of a crime.
In an emergency in order to report a crime.

Deaths. Easterseals may report information regarding deaths to coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors and organ donation agencies.
Research. Easterseals may, under very select circumstances, use your health information for research. Before Easterseals discloses any of your health information for such research purposes, the project will be subject to an extensive approval process. Easterseals will ask your permission if any researcher will be granted access to your individually identifiable health information.
Serious Threat to Health or Safety. Easterseals may, consistent with applicable law and ethical standards of conduct, disclose your health information if the agency, in good faith, believes that such disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to your health or safety or to the health and safety of the public.
Military and Veterans. If you are a member of the Armed Forces, Easterseals may release health information about you as required by military command authorities. Easterseals may also release health information about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.
National Security and Intelligence Activities. Easterseals may release health information about you to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
Protective Services for the President and Others. Easterseals may disclose health information about you to authorized federal officials so they may provide protection to the President, other authorized persons or foreign heads of state or conduct special investigations.
Worker’s Compensation. Easterseals may release your health information for worker’s compensation or similar programs providing benefits for work related injuries or illnesses.

AUTHORIZATION TO USE OR DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION

Other than as stated above, Easterseals will not disclose your health information other than with your written authorization. If you or your representative authorizes Easterseals to use or disclose your health information, you may revoke that authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your permission, Easterseals will no longer use or disclose health information about you for the reasons covered by your written authorization. You understand that Easterseals is unable to take back any disclosures that have already been made with your authorization, and that Easterseals is required by law to retain our records of the services provided to you.

YOUR RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR HEALTH INFORMATION

You have the following rights regarding your health information that Easterseals maintains:

Right to Request Restrictions. You have the right to request a restriction or limitation on the health information Easterseals uses or discloses about you for treatment, payment or health care operations, and to request a limit on the health information Easterseals discloses about you to someone who is involved in your care or payment, such as a family member or friend. Easterseals is not required to agree to your request. If Easterseals does agree, however, the agency will comply with your request unless the information is needed to provide you with emergency or other vital treatment. To request restrictions, you must tell Easterseals (1) what information you want to limit; (2) whether you want to limit our use, disclosure, or both; and (3) to whom you want the limits to apply, for example, disclosure to your spouse. To request restrictions, you must submit your request in writing to our Privacy Officer at the address shown below.
Right to Receive Confidential Communications. You have the right to request, in writing, that Easterseals communicate with you in a certain way. For example, you may ask that Easterseals only conduct communications pertaining to your health information with you privately with no other family members present. Easterseals will not require that you provide any reasons for your request and will attempt to honor your reasonable requests for confidential communications.
Right to Inspect and Obtain a Copy your Health Information. You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of health information about you. Usually, this includes medical and billing records, but does not include psychotherapy notes or information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or for use in a civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding. To inspect and copy health information, you must submit your request in writing. If you request a copy of your health information, Easterseals may charge a reasonable fee for copying and assembling costs associated with your request.
Right to Amend Health Care Information. If you or your representative believes that your health information records are incorrect or incomplete, you may request that Easterseals amend the records. That request may be made as long as the information is maintained by Easterseals. A request for an amendment of records must be made in writing. Easterseals may deny the request if it is not in writing or does not include a reason for the amendment. The request also may be denied if your health information records were not created by Easterseals, if the records you are requesting are not part of Easterseal’s records, if the health information you wish to amend is not part of the health information you or your representative are permitted to inspect and copy, or if, in the opinion of Easterseals, the records containing your health information are accurate and complete.
Right to an Accounting. You or your representative have the right to request an accounting of disclosures of your health information made by Easterseals. This is a list of the disclosures Easterseals made of health information about you but does not include disclosures (a) to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations; (b) made to you; (c) to other person’s involved in your care; (d) for national security or intelligence purposes; or (e) law enforcement officials as provided by law. The request for an accounting must be made in writing. The request should specify the time period for the accounting and must be after April 14, 2003. Accounting requests may not be made for periods of time in excess of six years. Easterseals would provide the first accounting you request during any 12-month period without charge. Subsequent accounting requests may be subject to a reasonable cost-based fee. Easterseals will notify you of the costs involved before completing your request, so that you will have the chance to withdraw or modify your request before any costs are incurred.
Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice. No later than the date of the first service delivery on or after April 14, 2003, a copy of this notice shall be provided to you. You or your representative have a right to a separate paper copy of this Notice at any time even if you or your representative have received this Notice previously. The Easterseals consumer/patient or a representative may also obtain a copy of the current version of Easterseal’s Notice of Privacy Practices at its website: http://www.southflorida.easterseals.com/

OUR LEGAL DUTY

Easterseals is required by law to maintain the privacy of your health information and to provide to you and your representative this Notice of its duties and privacy practices. Easterseals is required to abide by terms of this Notice as may be amended from time to time. Easterseals reserves the right to change the terms of its Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all health information that it maintains. If Easterseals changes its Notice, Easterseals will post a revised copy of the current notice at each of the Easterseals facilities reflecting its effective date.

COMPLAINTS

You or your personal representative have the right to express complaints to Easterseals and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you or your representative believe that your privacy rights have been violated. Any complaints to Easterseals should be made in writing to the Privacy Officer or designee. Easterseals encourages you to express any concerns you may have regarding the privacy of your information. You will not be retaliated against in any way for filing a complaint.

CONTACT PERSON

Easterseal’s contact person for all issues regarding specific requests, patient privacy and your rights under the Federal privacy standards is:

Privacy Officer or Designee

Easterseals South Florida

1475 NW 14th Avenue

Miami, Fl 33125

(305) 325-0470

EFFECTIVE DATE

This Notice is effective April 14, 2003.

If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact:

Privacy Officer or Designee at Easterseals South Florida

1475 NW 14th Avenue Miami, Fl 33125

Telephone: (305) 325-0470

Our blog

In Celebration of Judy Heumann
Monday, March 13, 2023, 12:11 PM
In Celebration of Judy Heumann

Monday, March 13, 2023, 12:11 PM

Judy Heumann was known as the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement. It wasn’t just because of he…
Judy Heumann was known as the Mother of the Disability Rights Movement. It wasn’t just because of her undeniable impact, having led the charge through grassroots demonstrations and organizing to pass significant legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act. She owned that title because she nurtured the movement and the people within it. Her defiance against systemic ableism was a path of overwhelming obstacles. Many people who were on that path with her looked to Heumann to help navigate the unknown, and to bring clarity to a struggle that many were going through in silence. She lifted the movement through storytelling and being candid about her own experiences.

Today, we celebrate Judy Heumann.

Because of Judy Heumann, the lives of millions of disabled people were changed for the better. Her legacy is written within the generations of disability advocates that will look to her example and ensure that her life’s work continues on.

Will you join them?

Learn More:
- Easterseals Facebook Live with Heumann: Demystifying Disability
- Watch Crip Camp (Netflix): Heumann stars in a documentary about a camp that inspired a movement.
- Being Heumann (GoodReads): Read Judy Heumann’s memoir.
- The Heumann Perspective Podcast
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New Beginnings for a Long-Distance Relationship
Wednesday, February 8, 2023, 4:50 PM
New Beginnings for a Long-Distance Relationship

Wednesday, February 8, 2023, 4:50 PM

Welcome to a new year! I hope everyone is having a nice start to 2023. New Year’s Day is alway…
Welcome to a new year! I hope everyone is having a nice start to 2023. New Year’s Day is always my happiest day, because it feels like a clean slate and fills me with so much hope for the next 365 days.

This year is no exception. 2023 appears to be a year of new beginnings: after almost 3 years of long-distance dating with my boyfriend Juan, this is the year I’m moving to live with him in Texas!

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the last 3 years and share what I’ve learned. After trying long-distance relationships with other partners (and subsequently failing at it), I finally got it right this time.

And I learned a lot along the way.

I’m guessing some of my readers may find themselves in this same position, so I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned these past three years — the highs, the lows, and everything in between:
1. It is not all sunshine and rainbows. I say this because I feel like rom-coms tend to glorify long-distance relationships, only showing us the best parts (the romantic date nights and airport reunions). While I do love the adrenaline rush when reunion day is upon us, it does get lonely sometimes. And the sooner you realize this, the better chances you have of navigating it.
  
  Recognize different communication styles, and learn when to compromise. Find middle ground. I’m more of a texter, while Juan definitely prefers phone calls. It’s a lot easier to send quick updates when you text, and I’m the sort who appreciates a “How’s your day?” or some sort of other message to quickly check in with each other while we’re living our separate lives. He’s gotten much better at this over the past three years. At the same time, we’ve been dating long enough now and I’m secure enough now to not always need that. I can do my own thing while he does his, and we don’t text as frequently as we used to.
  
  Learn to adapt under these different circumstances. The first time Juan met my sisters was actually over a FaceTime Video call. It was early 2021, we’d been together for about eight months, and it was peak COVID times so we weren’t able to travel. What to do? Arrange a time for all of us to chat over FaceTime! When he did meet my sisters in person, it was a little less awkward than it might have been otherwise. After all, they had spoken with him before.
- Juan’s preference for phone calls helped me get much better at open, honest, and sometimes difficult conversations. All that practice has helped me improve in-person conversations, too. When all you have is your phone to keep you two connected, you get pretty used to talking. And not all those conversations will be super fun and easy. All those phone conversations made it much easier to discuss things later on when we were together in person, and especially when I had my extended visit with him in Houston last April.
- Make sure to still incorporate date nights into your lives! At the start of 2022, Juan and I had a conversation about how we could prioritize our relationship a little bit better, and we agreed to do date night once a month. We did movie nights over FaceTime, played games on the Amazon Alexa, and sometimes watched TV shows. Other times, we just talked over dinner. It didn’t really matter what the date was, as long as we had one. And we didn’t miss a single month!
- Keep an open mind. I remember telling Juan a long time ago that if anyone was going to relocate, it would be him. Why? Because at the time I couldn’t imagine ever leaving my hometown. I also remember his response: “Okay, but with all due respect, you haven’t really seen Houston yet.” He was right. And I did visit (several times) and I loved it. Now I’ve decided I was wrong to want to stay in my hometown. Living in the same place my whole life doesn’t appeal to me the way it used to. Bottom line: If you enter a long-distance relationship, as scary as it may be to realize this, the end goal is that someone needs to eventually relocate. And that might be you.
- This brings me to my last point: I decided to move because I want to move, not just because he lives there. It took me a long time to make the definitive decision to relocate., I wanted to make sure that I would actually like where I lived, and I wasn’t moving my entire life for one person. So, my one-week visits to Houston turned into two weeks, and then a month-long visit in April 2022, just to be sure. And Juan was very patient with me while I processed everything, because he knows it’s a big step.
It’s been quite the journey, but I’m so proud of what we’ve learned and will continue to learn as we embark on this next chapter.

Welcome to 2023: the year of new beginnings!
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Inaccessible Hospitality: “What An Incredible Conference…That I Had To Leave Early”
Thursday, December 15, 2022, 5:07 PM

Inaccessible Hospitality: “What An Incredible Conference…That I Had To Leave Early”

Thursday, December 15, 2022, 5:07 PM

There I was, lying on the pullout couch less than 2 feet above the floor, where my mother and my fri…

There I was, lying on the pullout couch less than 2 feet above the floor, where my mother and my friend, Kathy, were strenuously bending over to pull up my pants, put on my shirt, preparing me for PRWeek.

My mom is a trooper. At 62 years old, she’s made countless trips out of town with me – for work, physical therapy, and the occasional vacation – and she’s always been my “number one helper.” But, lifting and rolling my 225-pound body is more than a one mama job. We are lucky to have Kathy.

There I am, lying on a pullout couch and in the Hoyer lift

Getting in and out of bed, or in this case a pullout couch, could be easier. Unfortunately, all the hotels in Chicago we contacted have beds on “platforms,” meaning there is no space between the bottom of the bed and the floor. Why is that important? Well, there is this piece of equipment – a Hoyer lift – that can assist my helpers getting me in and out of bed. Quite frankly, it’s the only way I get out of bed.

Because we couldn’t find a hotel that simply just had space underneath their beds, where the legs of the Hoyer lift could slide under – lifting and dropping me above the bed – I was stuck on the pullout couch.

And, as I mentioned, the pullout couch is literally only 2 feet above the ground. Not. Easy.

My mom was already fighting a strained back, this inconvenience certainly didn’t help – our four-night trip to Chicago, which included two days of a PRWeek conference, a night out with my coworkers, capped off by my first trip to an improv comedy show. It was going to be a great trip!

But, I had to leave early. It was just too much.

I have a great deal of empathy for my caregivers. Knowing that my mom and Kathy were straining so hard literally just to roll me over to get me ready for the conference, we didn’t have the energy to continue for any time after the conference. No dinner with my coworkers. No comedy show.

It was a great conference. I believe the Easterseals + Change for Balance duo gave one of the better presentations, and I made a number of new friends, but the experience was overshadowed by the inaccessibility of the hotel, and the fact that I had to skip time with my colleagues to go home.

Look, I’m one of the lucky ones, and I’m well aware. I have a good paying job, which allows me to afford bringing Kathy along. I have a supportive mom, who will travel with me when I need help. But, even this crew of experienced travelers and healthcare workers couldn’t take it any longer – we headed home.

Even my mother, one of the toughest and “let’s get this done go-getters” made a comment: “It’s no wonder many people with disabilities choose not to travel. This is really tough.”

And that is the reality. Traveling is really tough. Hotels don’t design with full accessibility in mind and airlines are not accessible for people in wheelchairs. Thousands of people with disabilities choose not to risk the travel, whether for work or for vacation, and stay-at-home where it’s safe, where it’s accessible.

And that’s not right. That’s not fair. It’s not accessible. But it’s the reality.

So, what will we do? Do we stay quiet, stay-at-home, and on the occasional burst of courage take a work or personal trip?

I don’t think so. Let’s get loud. Let’s rally for more accessible hotels and airlines. Let’s rally for accessibility.

I’ll keep on sharing my stories and I’ll keep being “loud.” I hope you’ll keep following.
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The Federal Website for the Americans with Disabilities Act Got an Upgrade
Thursday, December 15, 2022, 10:01 AM

The Federal Website for the Americans with Disabilities Act Got an Upgrade

Thursday, December 15, 2022, 10:01 AM

So much has happened during this holiday season that you may have missed this bit of good news ̵…

So much has happened during this holiday season that you may have missed this bit of good news — the U.S. Department of Justice announced it has launched a new and improved version of the Americans with Disabilities Act website.

I just gave the new ada.gov site a look –okay, a listen! –and the updated version of the website is really easy to get through and understand: it’s written in plain language, the navigation tools are easy to use, and the speech software on my talking computer read it all beautifully. The new site was designed to work well with mobile devices and features links that answer questions about everything from service animals to accessible polling places.

Check it out: visit ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA information line at 1-800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-833-610-1264 (TDD).
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You Might Find Something Accessible to Be Thankful for Within this List
Monday, November 21, 2022, 4:58 PM
You Might Find Something Accessible to Be Thankful for Within this List

Monday, November 21, 2022, 4:58 PM

This is my favorite time of year. I love reflecting on the year and recognizing what I’m thank…
This is my favorite time of year. I love reflecting on the year and recognizing what I’m thankful for. And then, once Thanksgiving is over, the days start leading up to New Year’s Eve, which symbolizes the closing of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. For me, a new year feels like a clean slate and a fresh start, an opportunity to look at it from a brand-new lens.

I started 2022 feeling cautiously optimistic. I wrote a post like this before last year, focusing on the pandemic. It was very therapeutic to write it all down — to think to myself, “Okay, it was a rough year, but I’m going to sit here and I’m going to find those silver linings.”

This year feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the last two. It wasn’t perfect — no year ever is — but sitting down and finding its silver linings, expressing what I’m thankful for, comes much, much easier in 2022. So here is my reflection in all its glory!
1. I’m thankful for my friendships. I wrote a post about this recently but truly, I can’t stress this enough. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of this year are my friends, especially the virtual ones. My friends are spread far and wide, and this year I strengthened so many connections and found routines in the day-to-day that really helped with my mental health. I had monthly movie nights with friends. I had virtual coffee dates on Saturday mornings. I had SharePlay sessions with a friend every time an album came out by an artist that we were both crazy for. These small, seemingly insignificant moments got me through some really hard times, simply because they were things that I was able to look forward to.
2. I’ve grown much more confident in my travel abilities. It’s been six months since my MetroLift experience to the airport and sometimes I still catch myself thinking about it. A year ago, there’s no way I would’ve felt confident enough to try that. I am an anxious traveler, and a year ago, I would’ve let that anxiety get the better of me and insist that we come up with a travel plan that does not involve relying on para-transit, maybe asking a friend to drive me instead. But now? I trusted that Juan knew the system, and I trusted myself that I was independent enough and courageous enough to try something new. And so I did it, and it went well, and I felt liberated enough to write about it.
3. I stayed in Houston for a month and it was a success! Juan and I have been in a long-distance relationship for so long that we knew that one of us would eventually need to relocate. I’d already fallen in love with the Houston area, but I wanted to make sure he and I could live under the same roof before making the big decision. During that month-long visit we had a lot of open and honest conversations about our relationship, cohabitation, and our expectations. And I did a lot of networking, too. I checked out the transportation system, the way strangers treated me as a person with a disability, and other things like that gave me a glimpse of what my life in Houston might be like. And I loved that life.
4. I’ve grown grateful to people who take the time to provide equal opportunities for blind and visually-impaired individuals, such as the creators of audiovault.net. This site provides free TV shows and movies guaranteed to be audio described. I prefer this over going to movie theaters — I’ve had far too many bad experiences at movie theaters (sometimes giving us the wrong audio description device, other times giving us a device that didn’t work and needed to be fixed). I’ve watched so, so many more movies this past year knowing I can count on audiovault to provide us with access to accessible content.
5. I’m thankful for my family’s efforts to include me. Example: during season 41 of the TV show Survivor, CBS started providing audio description. That means that every week now when I watch survivor with my parents, my mom turns on the audio description. That way, she no longer has to describe and can focus a bit more on the show, and I know precisely what’s going on in the show without needing extra help from family members.
6. Thanks in large part to the YouTube channel “Yoga with Adriene,” I now do yoga every day. I occasionally turn to Sara Beth Yoga. Both of these channels do a great job at describing yoga poses and, if you aren’t familiar with the practice, have beginner videos as well. Therapists have recommended yoga to me for anxiety, and ever since I started doing yoga every day with my mom, it has become part of my day and has done wonders for my mental health.
7. Lastly, I discovered a good (and very accessible) journaling app called Day One. I wanted to get back into journaling. This app allows me to journal whenever and wherever I am, and I love how it feels to take time to write down my feelings.
Gratitude is something I constantly work on. On bad days, I could always have the mindset that the entire day was awful, and “at least there’s tomorrow.” I’m learning now that there’s always something to be thankful for, even if it takes some time. I think that’s something we should all strive for.

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the rest of 2022, and have a hopeful, positive opening to 2023. Happy holidays!
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