Insights, Blogs & News
Celebrity Apprentice: Clay Aiken is Runner Up
Clay Aiken was not chosen by Donald Trump to be this season’s Celebrity Apprentice. May 20, 2012. Clay Aiken and Arsenio Hall, along with their teams, were asked to create a celebrity variety show and a 30-second public service announcement (PSA). Clay and his team took on a carnival theme for their room and their show consisted of singing from Clay, Aubrey O’Day, Debbie Gibson and Dee Snider. Penn Jillette also did a magic act, alongside of his guest, Teller. The PSA was a very impacting spot about his charity, the National Inclusion Project (NIP). Clay and his team raised and impressive $301,000 […]
Mistakes with Reporting SSDI Can Be Costly at Tax Time
Mistakes with Reporting Social Security Disability Income Can Be Costly at Tax Time, Allsup Finds Lump-sum SSDI awards for new beneficiaries require special attention; Allsup outlines other cost-saving tax tip Belleville, Ill. – February 17, 2012 – More than 1 million people with severe disabilities became beneficiaries under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program last year. But many of them are likely to improperly report their SSDI payments on their income tax returns, according to Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance representation and Medicare plan selection services. “It can take months and sometimes years to receive […]
Climbing the Mountain of Weakness
“When you are weak, you are strong.” What does this really mean? For those of us who have invisible disabilities, this is a haunting statement, yet it is one of the most liberating and powerful principles available to us. We want so desperately to look someone in the eye and say, “I’m doing great. How are you?” The reality is that when we are hurting, we are not doing great and we find it difficult, if not impossible, to look at someone in the eye and say, “I’m not doing well at all. Can you help me?” When we find […]
An All Natural Crown
I colored my hair for the first time on my 40th birthday. I only had a few strands of gray, but it was a fun home experiment. I loved the new look and stayed with it for the next 10 years. My world began to crumble soon after my 50th birthday. So did my hair coloring habit. One influential factor was the book Going Gray by Anne Kreamer. In it she documents her transformation from treated hair to all-natural. I was inspired by her story but resisted the idea. I told myself I couldn’t do it, at least not at […]
IDA on Disability.gov – But You LOOK Good!
IDA Founder, Wayne Connell continues to be a very popular Guest Blogger on Disability.blog by Disability.gov. This article, But You LOOK Good! – Learning the Language of Invisible Disabilities, was Co-Authored by Antarctic Mike Pierce. Mike is a speaker, athlete, world record holder and caregiver. He shared his very touching story about his wife, Angela’s disability due to a climbing accident, along with their challenges and triumphs in their lives together. Be amazed and inspired by their incredible story of perseverance and love. Article Excerpt: Have you ever shared details about your chronic illness and pain and the difficulties you […]
Alert Dogs Put Their Sniffers to Work to Save Lives
We all know that a dog’s sense of smell is more keen than a human’s. In fact, according to Dan Warren, a Virginia dog breeder, humans have about 5 million nose receptors, but dogs have about 250 million! But, did you know that dogs can detect very subtle fluctuations in blood sugar levels? Warren’s company, Diabetic Alert Dogs by Warren Retrievers trains dogs to alert their owner when their blood sugar is dropping, but is still within normal range. Warren is also the Founder, President and CEO of Guardian Angel Service Dogs, the non-profit arm that provides awareness and funding […]