wheelchair user

For this epsiode Sophie is interviewed by her good friend Sarah Orr (who appeared in series two of A Life Less Ordinary with Sophie Elwes). Sophie tells her story from when she sustained her spinal cord injury back in 2011 after falling from a roof terrace. They discuss the aftermath, from spending nearly six weeks in an induced coma with 40% chance of survival, to going to Stoke Mandeville spinal injuries unit to be rehabiltated and learn how to live independently again. 

Sophie talks about the challenges found in the outside world after leaving hospital and about the life-changing experience she had on a Back Up ski course in Colorado a year post-injury. She shares how she got into ski racing and the challenges and learnings that came with that.

As the host and producer of this podcast Sophie shares her highlights and her favourite pieces of advice from across the series, finishing off with a piece of advice of her own.

 

How do you feel when comedians who aren't disabled make jokes referencing the disabled community? A bit by Matt Rife has been making itself known to me, thanks to the universe and social media algorithms, in which he compares the lives of trans people and wheelchair users. 

Please note, I am speaking ONLY from the perspective of a disabled person, and am not making any assumptions about what the trans community would think about these jokes.

Watch my TEDx talk

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Follow @badattitudespod on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Threads

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Raquel Siganporia is the Director of Business Development and Senior Solicitor at Aspire Law and she sustained a spinal cord injury following surgery to correct the curvature of her spine, or scoliosis,  which went wrong when she was aged 11.

She tells me about the immediate aftermath of such a life-changing event and about what it was like starting secondary school in the '90s as a person with a disability. She shares how she learned to use her disability as an advantage which served her well into adulthood.

We talk about working with a disability, the challenges faced, but also the advantages that can accompany it; and Raquel shares the approach she takes when explaining what her needs in the workplace might be in order to manage expectations and ensure that she has what she needs in order to carry out her role to the best of her ability.

Raquel is a real master at asserting herself and shares her tips and tricks to manage tricky situations and people, as well as to get what she wants from a situation.

We speak about sex and dating with a disability and Raquel talks about what she wishes people knew. She also shares her advice on navigating dating apps and 'tuning your radar' when dating.

Follow Raquel on Instagram here.

Huge thanks to the sponsors of this series By Sarah London. Get 20% off at bysarahlondon.com with the code LIFE20 and find them on Instagram here.

Melanie Woods is a former PE teacher and GB Paralympic athlete who sustained a spinal cord injury after being hit by a car whilst riding her bike. She tells me about her experience of rehabilitation, learning how to become independent and managing to  walk with crutches whilst in rehab. She shares how she found ways to cope with her new situation and her journey into wheelchair racing. She talks about going skiing in Colorado with the charity, Back Up a year after breaking her back and how it was so eye-opening for her. She talks about embracing failure and remembering where she started from, and what it was like to compete on the world stage in Tokyo.

Find Melanie on Instagram here and on her website here.

Thanks to our sponsors By Sarah London. Get 20% off at bysarahlondon.com  with the code LIFE20 and find them on Instagram here.

In this episode you'll hear my chat with Courtney Cirabisi, a 30 year old who lives in Bakersfield, California.  She became reliant on a wheelchair for everyday mobility after she was child abused by her dad when she was 9 months old, resulting with a spinal cord injury.  I've been following her journey as she shows us that life doesn’t stop after you have been abused and have lost the ability to walk. Courtney shares how she believes the mind is the most important thing a person can have.  With that knowledge she is able to live a positive life after all she's been through.  She explains how she feels that she is meant to be where she is today.  I love her outlook and her strength and how she lives a full, rich life.  She has such a beautiful awareness and is using it to inspire others.  Courtney is on a mission to show others how strong your mind is when facing adversity.  She is an author at Push Living (PUSHLIVING.COM) an organization highlighting wheelchair lifestyle.  Thanks for listening in to our chat.  Stay connected on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imdyingtotellyoupodcast/?hl=en  Hugs, Lorri  

I am so incredibly grateful that you are here. It means the world to me! Thank you. Follow and see what's coming next: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn.

Here's an idea you've probably never thought about before: Wheelchairs and eyeglasses are basically the same.

Watch my TEDx talk

Email badattitudespod@gmail.com

Follow @badattitudespod on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Threads

Support the pod ko-fi.com/badattitudespod

Be sure to leave a rating or review wherever you listen!

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Les Misérables opened on the West End in 1985 and is still running, making it London's longest-running musical. It's by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, who are in Australia to present a concert of their best-loved songs performed by the crème de la crème of musical theatre.

Also, Maori man Rodney Bell (Ngāti Maniapoto) traces his journey from butcher and rugby player to celebrated dancer and wheelchair user in Meremere and Broadway performer Nikki Snelson guides young performers to new heights in the University of Adelaide's production of Legally Blonde the Musical.

Guests - Chelsie Hill and Kim Smith

Hosted By - Courtney Ortiz and Lesley Mealor

In Episode 101 of Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast, guests Chelsie Hill, a dancer and wheelchair user, and Kim Smith, founder of A Chance To Dance, a program for dancers with special needs and disabilities, join Courtney and Lesley for a conversation about creating inclusivity in dance.

Topics Include:

•  Why Kim doesn't place her dancers in special needs categories at competitive events
•  How Chelsie created an inclusive, meaningful and successful company (The Rollettes) 
•  How dance studios and dance makers can advocate for dancers of all abilities and circumstances in their communities

If you love Making The Impact and want to support our podcast, buy us a coffee now on Ko-Fi! Your donation will go directly towards helping create quality content for future episodes. We appreciate your support! ❤️

Follow your Hosts & Guests!

• Courtney Ortiz - @courtney.ortiz
• Lesley Mealor - @miss.lesley.dance
• Chelsie Hill - @chelsiehill
• Rollettes - @rollettes_la
• Kim Smith - @achancetodance_clt

Check out our guests' current projects! 

Rollettes Experience - July 21-July 24 - An in-person event in California for any and all women who use a mobility device. 

This episode is sponsored by:

Dance Costumes by Urzúa
Custom Dance Costumes and Dancewear for made every body!
Use code: IMPACT15 for 15% off all costumes and dancewear!


Dancer Fitness
Hundreds of exercises & training plans designed for dancers!
Monthly membership starts at just $1
Use code: IMPACT20 for 20% off your annual membership!

Join our NEW Facebook Group and connect with us! Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast Community 

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We would love to hear from you! 

Join our Newsletter for weekly episode releases straight to your inbox! 

Follow Impact Dance Adjudicators on social media @impactdanceadjudicators and for a list of affiliated dance competitions, visit our website at www.impactdanceadjudicators.com

Join your hosts Courtney Ortiz & Lesley Mealor at the Capezio Flagship Store in the heart of New York City for a LIVE podcast recording of Making the Impact!  PLUS - a bonus master class with Courtney, lunch at Capezio, swag bag freebies, dance wear discounts & more!

Saturday, March 30th, 2024 - RSVP and register for class now! 

Grace Spence Green is a junior doctor and a wheelchair user. Growing up, she had her heart set on becoming a doctor from the age of eight and was a keen competitive climber. In an extraordinary incident in 2018, while she studying at medical school, a man jumped from a height and fell on her, causing her to break her back and sustain a spinal cord injury, becoming a wheelchair user. Choosing not to dwell on the incident, or indeed the man (who has since served time for GBH), Grace returned to medical school and has since started working as a junior doctor in London. 

Grace and I speak about the incident and her feelings around it, the man, and she tells me why she isn’t angry about the situation. She shares how others, and the tabloids, reacted to what happened and her feelings around that.

We speak about Grace’s experience of being a patient at the rehab centre and about her frustrations about that time and the spinal rehab set up. She tells me about how it was for her, returning to the community, and then back to medical school and Grace opens up about her own internalised ableism she realised she had initially and prior to her injury.

It is the boundaries she’s set and her own confidence, she tells me, that has enabled her to establish herself and her stance as a medic who uses a wheelchair. We talk about ‘taking space’ and Grace shares some fantastic insights about this, as well as how she has acquired ‘radical acceptance’ about her situation - choosing to use her situation to enable her to ‘step into her power’ rather than being a victim of circumstance.

Grace shares some fantastic advice for people who have acquired a disability, as well as some words of wisdom for people who might be struggling with something in their lives.

Grace has recently become a Trustee at spinal injuries charity, Back Up and is most active on Twitter.

You can reach out to Sophie on Instagram.

"When everything around me was changing, I knew that God wasn’t going to change. Without that truth, I don’t know where I would be today.”

Jenny Smith was a typical teenager—a gymnast who loved makeup, played in a band, and was active in her church youth group. But at 16 years old, she sustained a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Now relying on others for her most basic needs, privacy and independence seemed like things of the past. But Jenny refused to give up, and over time she discovered that a wheelchair could take her places she’d never dared to imagine. This week on the podcast, listen as Jenny shares how you can live the impossible, even when life doesn’t go as planned.

Read Jenny’s book or visit her website to see her latest videos and updates.

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

*Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Join us in answering the call in Luke 14:21-23... until his house is full! 

Founded by author and international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care that serves needs and transforms hearts through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways. Joni and Friends also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses and internships through the Christian Institute on Disability. Find more encouragement through Joni's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on Facebook,  Instagram, and YouTube.

“It’s about being a light for the next person, realizing that my troubles will bless somebody one day.”

Robert was an active college student when an unknown virus caused a bilateral stroke that left him suddenly paralyzed and unable to speak. Previously on the podcast, Robert and Nelly Kapen shared their powerful story of God’s provision through quadriplegia, recovery, and marriage. But as navigating a life-changing disability is never easy, Robert’s journey to acceptance took time. Following his accident he faced numbness, anger, and depression until a reminder from John 9:3 helped move him to a place of acceptance. 

“‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” John 9:3

This week on the podcast, Robert and Nelly are back to share about finding hope and moving forward. Listen as they tell the importance of inviting help from family and their Christian community, and how they’ve been able to pour into others. If you are struggling with questions about your hardship or comparing your situation with others, be encouraged by Robert and Nelly’s story. Through the ups and downs, God is with you. Trust his perfect timing because he'll never allow you to be snatched from his hand. 

Resources:

Visit Robert's Website

Find Robert on Instagram  and Facebook

Do you feel like your prayers for healing have gone unanswered? Be encouraged by this powerful conversation with Joni Eareckson Tada about finding a deeper healing.

Read Beside Bethesda: 31 Days Toward a Deeper Healing. This devotional digs into the topics of contentment, unanswered prayer, transformation through suffering, and hoping in God.

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

*Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Join us in answering the call in Luke 14:21-23... until his house is full! 

Founded by author and international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care that serves needs and transforms hearts through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways. Joni and Friends also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses and internships through the Christian Institute on Disability. Find more encouragement through Joni's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on Facebook,  Instagram, and YouTube.

Like most young women, Stephanie Magness wanted to be like everyone else; she wanted to fit in with her classmates and have fun at school. But when she learned in 7th grade that she had scoliosis, she was taken on an unexpected decade-long journey of misdiagnosis. At age 22 genetic testing confirmed that Stephanie’s symptoms were caused by Friedrich’s ataxia (FA), a rare neurodegenerative disease that has no cure.

This week on the podcast, Crystal is talking with Stephanie about her FA diagnosis and the unexpected life transitions she’s made because of this progressive disease. Although losing some of her abilities related to walking and communication has not been easy, Stephanie has faced these challenges with the support of her community who have reminded her of God’s love in the most surprising of ways.

Friedrich's Ataxia Awareness Day is May 15. If you are facing a diagnosis of this rare disease, be encouraged by Stephanie's story. As she continues to adjust to life with a neurodegenerative disease, she takes comfort in the fact that God is in control and he his good. Even through her brokenness and the difficulties of FA, she can be used by him.

Resources:

Read more from Stephanie about the precious gift from her friend that allowed Stephanie to accept her inevitable transition to being a wheelchair user.

Find Stephanie on Instagram.
 

Questions or comments? Email Crystal at podcast@joniandfriends.org
Support Joni and Friends to help make this podcast possible.

*Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Join us in answering the call in Luke 14:21-23... until his house is full! 

Founded by author and international disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada, the ministry provides Christ-centered care that serves needs and transforms hearts through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, and Retreats and Getaways. Joni and Friends also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses and internships through the Christian Institute on Disability. Find more encouragement through Joni's radio podcast, daily devotional, or by following us on Facebook,  Instagram, and YouTube.

Youth arts organisations foster the talents of Australia's brightest performers and creatives, but how inclusive are they? Tariro Mavondo is a performer and poet who recently became co-artistic director of Western Edge Youth Arts with a bold vision for change.

Also, Kate Hood shares the Best Advice she was ever given as an able-bodied actor and as a wheelchair user and Dr Erin Brannigan from UNSW guides us through some basics of how to watch and appreciate contemporary dance.

“I went through a time where I lost who I was – a deep depression where everything felt so hard. It was a struggle just to get through the day and I was at a point where I was wishing that I wasn’t here anymore… because of how hard days felt, even though I wasn’t living a hard life. It was the mental health that I was struggling with.”
-Emily Norton

On our last episode of the podcast we talked with Chris and Emily Norton, a couple who is anything but ordinary. Paralyzed in a college football game, Chris trained relentlessly and beat all odds to walk across the stage at his college graduation. Then three years later, he did it again, walking down the aisle to marry his lovely wife, Emily.

But in between those two triumphant walks, the couple journeyed through some real challenges. Today they are back on the show to open up about Emily’s battle with disabling depression and anxiety at a time when her life seemed to be going well. They also share about what it’s like to foster and adopt when disability is involved, and the importance of having the loving support of a good church. We’ve got a great conversation for you today, so listen in!

Listen to the first two chapters of Chris and Emily Norton’s new book, Seven Longest Yards: Our Love Story of Pushing the Limits While Leaning on Each Other.
https://soundcloud.com/harperaudio_us/the-seven-longest-yards-by-chris-and-emily-norton/s-sd07v

*Joni and Friends was founded in 1979 by Joni Eareckson Tada who in a diving accident was left a quadriplegic at 17 years old. Ministry began as Tada, joined by friends around her kitchen table, responded to letters she received from people with disabilities in search of support. Over the past 40 years, the ministry has grown to serve thousands of people impacted by disability worldwide: Joni and Friends has delivered more than 150,000 wheelchairs and Bibles through Wheels for the World and provided Christian care to 63,000 special needs family members through Family Retreats. The organization also equips individuals and churches with disability ministry training and provides higher education courses through the Christian Institute on Disability. For more encouragement, download the Joni and Friends radio podcast in English or Spanish, and view inspirational videos on the Joni and Friends website.

www.joniandfriends.org*