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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“Do I have to talk about the past?”

Brian Tiburzi

Post-Polio Health, Volume 27, Number 2, Spring 2011. Dr. Rhoda Olkin is a Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco, as well as Executive Director of the Institute on Disability and Health Psychology. She is a polio survivor and single mother of two grown children. Dr. Stephanie T. Machell is a psychologist in …

Too Pushy on Suggesting Changes?

Brian Tiburzi

Post-Polio Health, Volume 26, Number 3, Summer 2010. Dr. Rhoda Olkin is a Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in San Francisco, as well as Executive Director of the Institute on Disability and Health Psychology. She is a polio survivor and single mother of two grown children. QUESTION: As a group leader I sometimes feel I …

What is expected of a group leader?

Brian Tiburzi

LEADERSHIP  ∞ Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “There is some question about what all is expected and not expected of the leaders of our group. We have a couple of new members who have come in and seem to think that we don’t ask for or take suggestions from anyone and that we are a three run group which we are …

Losing Members?

Brian Tiburzi

∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “Our group is down to about half a dozen members who rotate meeting at each other’s homes for lunch once a month. I’ve heard of other groups that are losing members as well. What can we do to keep our post-polio data bases from eroding to the point where we lose all contacts and …

Finding Good Information Online

Brian Tiburzi

∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “How do we help our members find good online information and use this in communicating with those in the medical community and others?” ANSWER: Finding reliable and relevant polio information online can sometimes be a challenge. The difficulty is not a paucity of information but rather the overwhelming number of possibilities to …

Losing Our Rights?

Brian Tiburzi

∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “Members in our group have been commenting on certain changes that affect our lives in many ways. Seems as if various government agencies aren’t as willing to help as before, for instance, and sometimes we’re left with a financial burden we can’t handle. Are we in danger of losing some of the rights so …

Working With Physicians In Our Area

Brian Tiburzi

∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “My physician seems to have little knowledge of potential polio problems. Should I be worried? What are my options?” ANSWER: The good news is that we are way beyond the days when polio survivors took their complaints to a puzzled doctor who felt his only recourse was to refer us to shrinks for what he …

Newsletter Content

Brian Tiburzi

LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “We have published a support group newsletter for more than ten years and feel it is time to re-evaluate its content. What should go into a good polio newsletter?” ANSWER: I love this old Encyclopaedia Britannica definition: a newsletter is an “informal publication, often simple in format and crisp in style that provides special information …

Clash of Members’ “abilities”

Brian Tiburzi

∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “I was shocked, but I have come to learn that people in our group who can walk expressed at a recent meeting their opinion that the people in wheelchairs and less mobile have limited the activities of the group. They want to go downtown, for instance. Also, they say they are sick of hearing …

Who’s in charge? Role of Spouses

Brian Tiburzi

∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: ”Who’s in charge? In our group, some of the spouses have taken over the leadership roles and they are not as understanding of our situation. Has this happened to other groups? How was it rectified?” ANSWER: Who do you want to be in charge? I have this theory that I read about years ago and …