Custom Wreath Business

Meet James Hall, or "Monnie" from Iowa. What started as hobby, making custom themed wreaths for friends and family, has now turned into a business. Monnie has a always had an eye for his crafts and it shows when you see the end result.

Go to Monnie's website to learn more about him and his products.

As a family business, we like to support other small business owners. Especially if the owner has a disability. As you know, people with disabilities are underrepresented in the business world, so it is important to do our part.

Monnie makes an emphasizes on his abilities, rather than his disability. On an interview with The Mighty, Monnie mentioned that more than anything else, he wants his business to focus on what he can do and hopes to inspire others with disabilities to know they can start their own business too.

“Don’t focus on your disabilities — you have plenty of abilities!” says Monnie to The Mighty, “I believe everyone should be an advocate for themselves, whether they have a disability or not.”

Check out Monnie's Custom Handmade Wreaths website here.

Accessibility option on Google Maps

On Thursday, Google made an announcement, in a blog post, that they have  "a new initiative that will help people with disabilities find more accessible destinations through Google Maps."

So, Google has made a setting where users can add whether or not a location is accessible.
A representatives from google made this statement: 

“Many of us take for granted simple things like walking through a doorway, taking the stairs to the next floor, or always having a comfortable seat at a restaurant table, but for tens of millions of people worldwide, those very things aren’t possible unless a place has a wheelchair accessible entrance, elevator or accessible seating.”

If you use Google Maps, you can add information to let others know if destination is: wheelchair-accessible entrance, has an elevator, seating or parking.

"So far, accessibility information has been added to over 7 million locations."

The world is recognizing accessibility as a standard ! This is great news for the disability community.

Check out the Mighty article here.

I don't need that yet...

When it comes to having an accessible home, the best advice we can give you is to think ahead !

Families often call us after mom has fallen for the second or third time. We want to be able to prevent you or your loved one from that happening in the first place.

This is why I was immediately sucked in to this article from Momentum, the magazine for the Nation MS Society.  The article has stories of individuals with MS. Read below to learn from their experience.

After Anthony Andrade noticed difficulty going up and down stairs, he got a ramp. Anthony says, “Now I can drive my electric wheelchair up the ramp. It’s so much easier getting in and out of the house. And I can be home by myself.”

Another women diagnosed with MS, Retta Yorns mentioned this, “I knew things would become more difficult for me, so we started making certain adaptations." She renovated the bathroom and kitchen, as well as the doorways and floors throughout her house to make them more accessible. “I’m not using a wheelchair now, but I’m trying to think ahead,” Yorns says.

“Often people don’t want to do something until they need it, But you want to stay ahead of the curve, even if you don’t need it right now.”

Check out the article here.

How Story telling can help people with Alzheimer

When Jay moved her dad with Alzheimer's into a care facility, she made a short narrative, with photos and gave background on his career. She found that this information helped her dad form bonds with his caregivers.

This was the beginning of Memory Well. Memory Well is " a network of journalists who tell stories of people who can't tell their own, helping caregivers understand them and improve their quality of life."

Check out this great story here.

Ability App

Ellen Degeneres gives Alex Knoll $25,000 for Ability App

"Accessing public spaces can be difficult if you have a disability. All too often, a store doesn’t have an automatic door, a restaurant has narrow aisles or a playground doesn’t have wheelchair accessible play areas. After conducting his own research, Knoll came up with the idea for Ability App — an app designed to help people with disabilities navigate public spaces. "

Having a family member with Cerebral Palsy who uses a wheelchair, we know first hand the challenges people with disabilities face when they travel. 

Check out the article here!

Would you use this app? Let us know!

Wheelchair Accessible Water Park

Morgans inspiration Island, wheelchair accessible splash park in San Antonio.

Wheelchair accessible water park? WHAT?! ... YES!

A first-of-its-kind splash park designed from the ground up to accommodate people with disabilities will make its debut!

The splash park is completely wheelchair accessible. The park has five play areas with pools, geysers, jets, water cannons and more! There is also a five-minute jungle-themed riverboat ride with twists and turns.

“Like Morgan’s Wonderland, Morgan’s Inspiration Island is not a special-needs park; it’s a park of inclusion,” said Gordon Hartman, the philanthropist behind the parks. “Both were designed with special-needs individuals in mind and built for everyone’s enjoyment.”

 But, what we are most excited about is... specially-designed waterproof wheelchairs built just for the park will be available for visitors!

Check here to read the article and learn more about this wheelchair accessible splash park!