First Former Buddy Club President

[Image Description: The image has a light purple background with my First Former Buddy Club President logo in the bottom left corner.  "Help ≠ fixing or curing explained" is in left-aligned dark purple text. ] Help is not the same as fixing or curing people. Help is not for the weak. Help is not bad. True help is support. Help is providing accessibility. Examples of these accommodations and adaptations: Providing ramps, elevators, and clear pathways for wheelchair and medical stroller users Hearing aids for the deaf and hard of hearing Hear monitors for people with heart conditions Feeding tubes for people with medical health conditions Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices for people who are nonverbal, have limited verbal speech, verbal emerging skills, articulation challenges, and/or difficulty with word finding skills Related Services, such as Speech and Language therapy, Occupational Therapy (OT), Physical Therapy (PT), Vision Therapy, Behavioral Health...

[Image Description: There is a red apple made of radiating lines with an orange yellow heart in the middle and brown stem with a green leaf attached to it. The background is light yellow with radiating lines creating a glowing sun-like effect. My First Former Buddy Club President logo is in the bottom left corner of the image with "FIRST FORMER BUDDY CLUB PRESIDENT" in center-aligned italicized black text overlapping an enlarged light blue heart with several small red hearts and a light blue background in the background of the enlarged heart. ] CONTENT WARNING: The religious/spiritual opinions in this blog post are mine based on my own experiences. They do not reflect all educator's opinions, experiences, and actions. Commentaries published on my First Former Buddy Club President influencer page represent diverse viewpoints. If you would l ike to submit a commentary, please contact me for more information. All perspectives and experiences are welcome here. TRIGGER WARNING...

[Image Description: "Your survivor's guilt is valid even if..." in center-aligned italicized violet text. 3 rows of 3 light pink roses with 2 dark green leaves attached to the left side of each. "Your trauma was not life-threatening" is in left-aligned bolded dark aqua text under the first rose in the first row. "You were just a witness" is in left-aligned bolded dark aqua text under the second rose in the first row. "You do or do not have PTSD" is in left-aligned bolded dark aqua text under the third rose in the first row. "Other people say it isn't valid" is in left-aligned bolded dark aqua text under the first rose in the second row. "Your trauma happened a while ago" is in left-aligned bolded dark aqua text under the second rose in the second row. "You tried to save other people who were being harmed" is in left-aligned bolded dark aqua text under the third rose in the second row. "You th...

[Image Description: "QUALITY" is in center-aligned violet text above a center-aligned straight black line. There are several people hugging emojis scattered above "QUALITY." "QUANITY" is in center-aligned violet text below the line. There are several melon and white Instagram like notification symbols with a white heart on the left and "1" in right-aligned white text, people of different races and genders holding hands emojis, and people silhouette emojis scattered below "QUANTITY."  My First Former Buddy Club President logo is in the bottom left corner of the image with "FIRST FORMER BUDDY CLUB PRESIDENT" in center-aligned italicized black text overlapping an enlarged light blue heart with several small red hearts and a light blue background in the background of the enlarged heart. ] CONTENT WARNING: The religious/spiritual opinions in this blog post are mine based on my own experiences. They do not reflect ever...

1. "Everyone is fighting a battle that you know nothing about. So always be kind."      I live by this affirmation because it is true.  No one knows the full story of what everyone is going through. Anyone could experience disability or any differences. Disabilities can be invisible, anyone could have a child or loved one with disabilities, anyone could develop disabilities later on in life, or anyone could even have disabilities and just not know it. It is highly stressful and disrespectful to correct someone on their reference to their communities and themselves as everyone with disabilities experiences their disability journey differently. Someone with disabilities may experience similar things that others with disabilities experience as part of their diagnosis while others may experience parts of their disability journey differently. For example, the majority of people with autism spectrum disorder identify as “autistic” while there are still some who identify wi...