Today is a very special day. Today, July 18th, is my wife, Sherri Connell’s birthday! I have been wondering how I can honor Sherri and show her how truly grateful I am for her. It is hard to believe we met almost 30 years ago. On March 21st of 1992 to be exact, Sherri walked […]
There are millions of people nationwide who receive SSDI or SSI disability benefits who are unaware of a special ‘return to work’ program created by the Social Security Administration (SSA). This program offers a gradual approach, free job placement help, and many protections and safety nets for disability and medical benefits. Sound too good to […]
Since COVID-19 was announced as a pandemic, many employers across the nation have had to reconfigure how they do business and do so very fast. This means that hiring for short and long term positions is exploding for many businesses who are trying to meet the new demands. This also means job opportunities are expanding […]
In Sickness I’m sitting in a recliner at Porter Hospice in Denver. I have sat here many times over the past four months. In a few days, Carole Mitchell, my mother-in-law will pass from this world into heaven and eternity. She will fall into the arms of her Savior and have no more tears, sickness […]
Disability Employment Awareness Month Reminded Us to Make the Most of Ticket to Work October marked the annual occurrence of Disability Employment Awareness Month (DEAM) in the U.S., where organizations nationwide work to educate the public on the value and necessity of a workforce that includes people with disabilities, as well as the challenges faced […]
IDA Facebook Frames a Huge Hit During Invisible Disabilities Week IDA Facebook Frames were first introduced for the 2017 Invisible Disabilities Week (IDW) and they are extremely popular. The frames are an overlay on a person’s profile photo. They share a message that the profile belongs to someone who lives with an invisible disability or […]
Conversation starter products to address your invisible disability also can make it easier to live and work with the people you encounter in your daily life. The Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA) is very excited to announce the addition of two incredibly handy new awareness items in the IDA Store. Both products were inspired by people living […]
We were immediately drawn into an article written by Brooklyn-based journalist Ed Cara chronicling the experience of twin sisters — Ariella and Sarah Cohen of Philadelphia — plagued with a mysterious array of undiagnosed symptoms that drove them regularly to the emergency room from childhood. Now in their 20’s, the young women suffer from chronic […]
Wired Together, a brain retraining and neuroplasticity symposium was hosted by Brain IDEAS. Neuroplasticity, brain training, brain-based therapy, rewire your brain, brain mapping, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), mindfulness, and therapeutic humor. Microbiome, unconscious mind, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome, nutrition, and stroke. Post-traumatic stress […]
Resolve to Believe Even Though You Might Wonder How Someone Who Looks So Good Can Be So Sick Resolve to believe. As yet another year dawns and, of course, I need to make at least one resolution. The good news is that I know I can keep this one. I resolve to believe you! I […]
“I can’t believe how strong you are!” “I can’t believe how hard you keep fighting!” “You are so courageous!” “You amaze me!” Believe it or not, it is all too common for a person living with a continuing illness or pain to be treated as if they are not positive enough, do not try hard […]
Yes, I’m one of the 72 percent of online adults who visit Facebook at least once a month. Actually, I check my Facebook multiple times a day. There were more than 1.4 billion active Facebook users worldwide as of January 28 and more than 890 million use it daily. And of course I use Twitter too, […]
A diabetic, a blind man and an amputee walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What is this – some kind of joke?” Having a disability is no joke according to IDA Advisory Board Member and Neurohumorist expert, Karyn Buxman, RN, MSN. “But it can be a laughing matter. Pain, suffering, isolation, stress, depression, financial hardships […]
I attended a fundraiser in Denver this past week that supported the Carson J Spencer Foundation. The foundation was formed by Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas to honor her brother Carson who lived with mental illness and eventually took his own life. Many attendees were impacted by suicide including the host, renowned photographer John Fielder, who lost his […]
I broke my arm and … was diagnosed with PTSD and a brain injury, walking around like a zombie in ‘The Walking Dead,’ Jim Stanek recently told TheBlaze. I was isolating myself. I didn’t want to socialize with people … I couldn’t remember things. For me, being a vet with PTSD, I’ve been called a […]
The online Merriam-Webster dictionary has the following definitions for the word inspire to make (someone) want to do something to give (someone) an idea about what to do or create to cause (something) to happen or be created to cause someone to have (a feeling or emotion) Therefore, it follows that an inspiration is a […]
When illness gets in the way of your work, is it better to push through, or be open about it? There are a lot of things that you want to make sure your future employer knows about you during an interview: your work ethic, your collaborative decision-making style, but if you have a chronic illness […]
“You’re lucky you don’t have to work!” “You’re just giving up!” “You need to get out more!” When we break a leg, are we better off hopping on it or using crutches? Right after having major surgery, would we recover better if we went hiking or if we rested a bit in the hospital? We […]
“You could get better if you wanted to.” “You should just try harder.” “You’re being lazy.” “You need to be more motivated.” “You’re so needy.” Have you ever heard any of these comments from friends and family members? Have you ever said one of these to someone living with illness or pain? Often when we […]
“Why did I decide to found the Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA)?” This question has been posed to me on many occasions. The obvious answer is because of my wife, Sherri. As you may know, Sherri lives daily with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic Lyme disease, chemical injury and traumatic brain injury, as well as severe […]