Transfers + Adaptive Sports

Dear Nicholas,

Thank you for being patient in waiting for my reply the last couple weeks. I have been very busy with soccer. First, we had an international tournament with teams from Canada. We all had a lot of fun. You can read about our international tournament if you want to. Then, we had more games against a local city. I had to play some games and even coach my Division 2 team all weekend. It has been a lot of fun, but also exhausting!

When I get into a car I need to have someone carry me from my wheelchair to the car. Most of my friends have vans that have ramps built-in. In these cases, I can drive my wheelchair up the ramp. There are spots in the vans to tie my wheelchair to the floor, like seat belts for the wheelchair.

At a fair it is very similar. Most rides I will need my friends or family to carry me on or off. Some rides have spots for wheelchairs to ride. They will have a ramp leading to these spots. This is more common on a large merry-go-round.

I cannot lift a bowling ball because it is much too heavy for me. At bowling alleys, many of them have accessible bowling. There is a piece of equipment they put at the front of the lane. It looks like a big ramp! Someone puts the ball at the top of the ramp and then I can position the ramp to angle it to hit the pins. When I'm ready, instead of throwing the ball, I push the ball off the ramp and it rolls down the lane!

There are many ways to adapt or change a sport for people with disabilities to participate. You just need to be creative and inclusive!

hi its nicholas how do you go on rides in a fair or bowling and how do you go into a car.

Immigration

Dear Kaylee,

I can't imagine how difficult it is for you and your family to have your father deported. You are a strong young girl to share your story with me. Thank you.

Communion

Dear Windeliz,

Congratulations! I hope you had a great time at your communion party. It sounds like you were expecting a lot of people from your family to come support you. It's always so much fun for me to get together with my family, and I hope you enjoyed yourself.

Lawyer v. Policy Analyst

Dear Zachary,

I am not a lawyer. I am a policy analyst. It is sometimes difficult to understand the differences between the two, but I will try my best to explain:

A lawyer defends the law.
A policy analyst evaluates if the law meets goals.

A lawyer will try to preserve people's rights by convincing a judge that laws were made for the purpose of those rights.
A policy analyst will think about the laws and decide how they could be written to do a better job of preserving people's rights.

A lawyer may advocate to change certain laws.
A policy analyst will write drafts of new laws.

I have specifically worked to analyze the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug program. Medicare provides health insurance to older adults and some people with disabilities. Their new program to cover some costs of some medications was considered not good for a lot of people. I collected data on the program, analyzed the data, and made recommendations to the government to change parts of the program. The government agency that administers Medicare liked one of my ideas and made those changes.

Right now I work on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for my local city government. I help to make sure the city web site is accessible and follows the law for providing access to people who have disabilities (such as the blind, Deaf, and people who cannot use a mouse or keyboard). I also work on emergency preparedness and response programs for my city. I was involved in a large team of people who evaluated all of the programs we have for providing assistance during a disaster (including the alarm systems, shelters, and evacuation transportation). I was able to help draft the new policy that will tell the city how to create emergency services that are accessible to all people.

Immigration

Hi Kendra,when my father came to this country he was an ilegal person. He came with no papers so he had to go to court. But he was scared to go to court. He went to the place were people get their plates the cars. One day when I went to school and the police came for him. My father got debordid back to his country it has been 2 years that I haven't seen him.
From,
Kaylee

First Communion

Hi Kendra,
It is Windeliz. This Saturday at 9:40am I have my first communion and after my communion I am going to have a party can you belive that $600 to rent a place for the party and $300 for the cake. Later that Saturday I am singing with my grandma,brothers, and cousins for all the mothers aunts and grandmas at 6:00pm at church. From Windeliz,