First Former Buddy Club President

                                [Image Description: "Avoid Asking People ', did you do during the holiday break?'" is in left-aligned black text with a big white snowflake on the right side. "Read more to find out why and what to say instead" is in left-aligned dark purple text below. There is a curvy hot pink arrow pointing to the right above this text. There is a yellow leaf with 5 dark red veins and a brown stem on the left side of this text. The background of the graphic is light purple and my First Former Buddy Club President logo is in the bottom left corner. ]      Avoid asking students, "What did you do during the holiday break?" Not everyone has positive break experiences. Some people may have experienced trauma recently or during past years. So, summer or the holidays might be a trigger also known as trauma activation for them. Holiday or seasonal traumas can be any trauma. To...

[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 are red stage curtains hanging on both sides with a dark opening in the center. There is a row of five stage lights with yellow light shining downward. There is a dark gray silhouette of a female center-aligned on the stage and facing left toward a black microphone positioned on a stand.] CONTENT WARNING: Please know that these instances are not all but only some of my personal experiences as a public speaker with an invisible disability. They do not define my overall experience as a public speaker with an invisible disability. I have also had positive experiences. The objective of this blog post is to advocate about issues that people with invisible disabilities face.      I have been a public speaker for five years. As a person who stutters, I have a unique relationship with public speaking. When people hear me stutter, it is common for either the following things to happen: Some people do not mention or react to my stutter due to automa...

[Image Description:  "ALL ARE WELCOME HERE" in center-aligned white letters on a black letter board with a beige wooden border. There is also a tiny white unfilled heart center-aligned under "HERE." The letter board is also laying on a red, yellow, blue, and purple quilt. ] I wrote a personal narrative essay about discrimination against all genders based off of experiences that I have witnessed  in the Writing II general education course that I took in my second semester of college. I decided to upload the essay as a blog post since discrimination can be traumatic. CONTENT WARNING:  The political opinions in this blog post are mine and do not reflect those of all people. 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:  If you are affected by gend...

[Image Description: There is a dark purple and teal suicide prevention ribbon with a light gray background.  My First Former Buddy Club President logo is in the bottom left corner of the graphic. ] CONTENT WARNING #1:  I would like to mention that I am not a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. All content posted on disability advocate/teacher influencer page is for educational purposes with no intent to provide any professional services. Social media should never be used as a substitute for mental health care advice nor legal advice.  If you suspect that you or someone you know are experiencing mental health concerns, it is okay to get help.  I highly recommend seeking help from a therapist, psychologist, and/or psychiatrist who is qualified to do so. You can also visit my hotline resources page by clicking on this hyperlink:  Hotline Resources . CONTENT WARNING #2:  FYI that all because a person exhibits these warning signs does not mean that they ar...