Every relationship is built upon unique experiences and qualities. For a relationship to succeed, both individuals will need to cope with any disability. This requires a realistic acceptance of the disability with an emphasis on what one can do, rather than on what one cannot do. The following are brief general suggestions on how to maintain personal relationships when facing …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
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News about people who have made significant contributions to the disability community.
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Polio and Me: An Inside Look
Nancy Baldwin Carter One day I was running wild through the exhibits at the Thayer County Fair in Nebraska, a typical eleven-year-old shrieking uncontrollably as the Octopus ride tossed me hither and yon, winning a kewpie doll pitching plastic balls through embroidery hoops. The next, I was in bed with the “flu.” I was soon to be rushed to the …
Coping
Indicators of coping were first described by Beatrice Wright (1982). Coping individuals focus on what they can do, rather than on what they cannot do; play an active role in their lives, rather than respond as passive victims; and participate in areas of life seen as worthwhile and meaningful. Problems are perceived to be manageable, rather than overwhelming. Personal problems …
Learning from Disability
Grace Young My life changed course when I had polio at age nine, but I was too young to realize it. When a person is disabled in adulthood their whole world is turned upside down pretty quickly. At the age of nine, I only knew that I couldn’t walk, play outside with my friends, or go to school for a …
Spirituality In Stillness: To Transcend, Transform, Then Transfuse
Spirituality: It’s Personal Alison (Sunny) Roller, MA Presented at PHI’s 11th International Conference: Promoting Healthy Ideas (2014) Definitions Spirit is “an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms.” Spirituality is defined differently by a variety of authors. There does seem to be a recurring theme, however. Spirituality is awe-inspiring and gives life meaning. It refers to the …
Feelings of Sadness
From the series, Polio Survivors Ask, by Nancy Baldwin Carter, B.A, M.Ed.Psych, from Omaha, Nebraska, is a polio survivor, a writer, and is founder and former director of Nebraska Polio Survivors Association. Q: Every now and then I get a feeling of sadness over losses that I associate with my aging with polio. I was never taught to acknowledge my polio emotions, and …
Losing Speech
“Promoting Positive Solutions,” Post-Polio Health, Volume 29, Number 2, Spring 2013 Question: I am a 62-year-old happily married mother of two. I have a history of bulbar polio and have started speech therapy for new swallowing difficulties and problems with vocal endurance. Thus far, I have been able to adjust to every change brought on by post-polio syndrome, but this new change …