Disability Leadership Summit

I am applying for the disability leadership summit this summer, though I still haven't recieved the recommendations that I need to send with the application. I hope they send them soon, since the deadline is coming up. May 29th is the deadline. I hope I get to go this year. A few friends have gone in the past, and it seems like a lot of fun. I am just about done filling out the application. I have one more question left.

American With Disabilities Act

http://www.ada.gov/

This is the Americans With Disabilities Act website. This has very important information for disabled people, like employment, transportation, housing, and more.

Youth With Disabilities Leadership Summit of Illinois Website

http://www.silcofillinois.org/

The website for the Youth With Disabilities Leadership Summit of Illinois.

American Sign Language Letters

I took sign language my second semester of college. I love sign language, and want to learn more soon.

Disability

I love this one because it shows that people with disabilities can break free from the stereotypes, and that they can do what they set their mind to do.

I am...

I am...

Determined when I want to be
Intelligent
Able, amiable
Nice
Extraordinary

Learning everyday

Georgeous
Easy-going
Not going to let anything or anyone get me down
Grateful for those in my life
Empathetic

Untitled

I may be shy, but actions speak louder than words.

I may have a disability, but I am not disabled.

I do not know everything, but I know some things.

I may not do everything you can do, but I can do things you can't do.

I will not conform to what everyone thinks I should be.

The only thing I can be is myself.

I will not let anyone tell me otherwise.

I have my own personality, my own mind, my own style, my own life.

I will not act the way you want me to act, think or say what you want me to do, think or say.

I will not wear what you want me to wear.

I will not live my life the way you want me to live.

I am my own person, and I will always be my owv person.

Having a disability does not make me any less of a human being.

It does not make me a freak, a monster.

I am as human as anyone else, and no one can say otherwise.

I have my own way of doing things, and that's the way it will always be.

And that's the way I like it.

I may take longer to learn things than others, but I am not stupid.

I may have faults, but everyone has faults.

All of this makes me, me.

Life is a Journey

Life is a journey
We all go through.
No matter your age,
Race, gender, religion,
Nationality, or ability.
No two journeys
Are exactly alike.
We are all different,
But also the same.
I may not look like you,
Act like you,
Talk like you,
Learn the same as you,
Wear the same clothes as you,
Or have the same skin color as you.
But I am a human being
Like you,
And I want to be treated like one.
I am my own person
And no one can change that.
We all have our own experiences in life,
And no one can take that away.
We all experience things in life
Whether they are happy or sad.
We experience every emotion,
Every feeling,
Every thought.
We all have different point of views.
We all have different likes and dislikes.
We all have different ways of expressing ourselves.
Whether it be words,
Clothing, jewelry,
Pictures, paintings
Writings, or films.
That's what makes us all different
And unique.
We may not be able to do something
Someone else can.
But we can do something
They can't.
We can feel for others
With disabilities.
We can stand up for them
When they or others won't
Or can't.
They can always depend on us,
And we can always depend on them.
We can lift them up when they're down,
And they can lift us up when we're down.
We can't always be there for someone
In person.
But we can always be there for them
In spirit.

A poem by me, Diane.

Online Asperger Syndrome

http://aspergersyndrome.org/

Information on Asperger's Syndrome

We! Matter Project

The friend who is in charge of the We Matter! Project plans on making it into a book someday. I can't wait to see in in book form. I have never had anything in a book before, so this will be really cool to see. I have posted quite a few things on my We Matter! blog, and I wonder which posts will go into the book. I'll just have to wait and see until then.

Double Amputee Gets Mermaid Prosthetic From Oscar-Winning Special Effects Company

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=55232463628&h=1Z3t4&u=db-oE

Unusual, but cool.

Disability Pride Parade

http://disabilityprideparade.com/

This is the website for the Disability Pride Parade. Here, you get information on what it is, how to help out with the parade, how to sign up to be in it, and more. I am thinking about going this summer, if I can. I really hope to go. If I don't go this year, then definitely next year. Disability awareness is close to my heart, since I have a learning disability. I hope I can get some of my friends to go along with me too. I don't want to do this alone.

We Matter! Project

I have a blog that I created, for a project a friend of mine is working on. The project is called the We Matter! Project, where people with disabilities submit poems, videos, stories, and more to the site. This is to tell other people that people with disabilities are human beings too, with feelings, and thoughts, and emotions, just like everyone else. My blog is: http://wematterproject.blogspot.com/. The site for the project is: http://www.geocities.com/wematter@ymail.com/. This is such a great project, and is close to my heart, as I have a learning disability. The friend who created the project, is possibly going to turn this into a book, which I really hope happens. It would be so nice to see it as a book, and let other people know about disabilities.

Disibility Recognition

A very cool video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMFUsJtmtWg

Children and Disabilities Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIWdJ6nDO1o

A video about kids and disabilities

Disability Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMe9urPGJXU

A very cool video of people with disabilities.