Welcome to my new blog
Hi! My name is Sarah and I use a wheelchair.
This is not the defining characteristic of my life, which is part of the reason I resisted starting this blog, but dealing with it and the way people see me has been a big part of my life. This blog will be my musings about being disabled and trying to make it in this world.
My life has not gone the way I planned. (I know. I whine a lot. Get used to it!) I was told at sixteen that I would be a chair by my eighteenth birthday. Then, it seemed like the worst thing that could ever happen. I made it until I was 19, then I went off to a big university in another state, and it was time to use the chair. I adjusted pretty well. I had awesome friends that treated me well and I was able to stay pretty independent. I have always done well in school, so my classes were no problem. I always have had a talent for writing. I decided to major in journalism.
When I finally graduated, I tried my hand at freelance writing, but I didn’t make any money, so I decided to apply to grad school. I decided on the master’s of public administration program in the business school. I wanted to succeed at something and help people in the process. (Yep, I was an idealistic little brat, wasn’t I? Now, I just want good health insurance!) I graduated with my MPA in 2003, and I still haven’t had a good job. There’s a myriad of reasons for this, and I don’t entirely blame it on my situation, but it certainly hasn’t helped matters. I don’t regret my MPA degree at all. I still think it is the best thing I have ever done. And what better way to justify my existence than having that degree on my wall? At least, I am respected for something! Things are not as easy now. Most of my friends live far away. I live at home. I feel like the consummate failure in my family. I have been rejected for at least 40 zillion jobs. I don’t think my family (or anyone, for that matter) has very high expectations of me¸ but I have high expectations of me. I know who I am and its not a woman confined by a wheelchair, even if that is what people see. There is so much more to me than that. So, I guess this I where I begin, an underemployed, lives-with-parents, semi-idealistic, college-educated, young woman with an old laptop (thank you, grad school) and a web page. Let’s see where we go…
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