Author: Shari Cooper

How motivated would you be to get back to work after experiencing a stroke? Maybe it would depend on whether you had your dream job. College sports commentator Lee Corso faced this very challenge. Lee, known for his larger-than-life personality and for predicting winning teams by wearing the team’s mascot head, loved his job, and... Read more »

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month! In honor of this special time, I’ve invited Mahalia, an employee of GESMV’s Good Connections Café, to serve as guest blogger to share what employment means to her. Since the grand opening of Good Connections Café in April 2024, Mahalia has been a shining star on the team.... Read more »

I grew up in the era when the most popular robots were R2D2 from the blockbuster movie Star Wars and Johnny 5 in the movie Short Circuit. Back then, robots were cool, but not as awesome as they are today. Now, more than ever, robots can be a great source of technology for someone with... Read more »

October 9th is World Sight Day! Let’s celebrate by learning all about how Goodwill  Easterseals Miami Valley supports individuals living with low vision and/or total blindness from guest blogger and Vision Services Manager, Leah McGraw. Our team provides support to individuals living with low vision and/or total blindness through two key programs: • Vocational Rehabilitation... Read more »

October 6th is World Cerebral Palsy Day. Since I’ve had cerebral palsy (CP for short) all my life, I consider myself very knowledgeable of the disability. While I can share about my own experience with CP, it affects everyone differently. No two people with CP are the same. For additional perspective, I’ve invited two of... Read more »

September 24th is National Women’s Health and Fitness Day and I’m here for it! I consider women superheroes. Not to take anything from men – they are great too! Women just have their hands in a lot of different things. This being the case, most women tend to neglect self-care, and their personal health and... Read more »

There is so much going on in my life and the world today. Even as an adult, my mind needs a break. Thankfully, I have learned how to decompress when things start to stress me out. But I can’t help wondering how young people are dealing. Young people seem to have much more to deal... Read more »

As we all know, family comes in all forms – traditional and untraditional. At the end of the day, I believe a family filled with love and support is all that truly matters. I’m often asked if people with disabilities are capable of parenting. I’m always baffled by this question. In my opinion, people with... Read more »

When I’m ready to take off for the day, my scooter needs to be fully charged to keep up with me! I rely on my scooter for mobility, and if the battery goes dead, I’m stuck. It’s supposed to last up to eight hours a day, but when you’re on a roll as much as... Read more »

I love my local independent living center. Centers for Independent Living is a non-residential, community-based organization governed and staffed by people with disabilities. When I need help in my life, I always turn to my local center in Dayton called Access Center for Independent Living (ACIL). ACIL always has something cooking – literally. ACIL has... Read more »