Why in the heck am I doing this?

Well, that’s a long story. Here goes my first attempt at blogging!
First of all, This:

I mean, why does this have to be the universal “sign” for accessible spaces? According to my friends at the Living In Place Institute, of which I recently became CLIPP™ (Certified Living in Place Professional) certified, 1% or so of the population is actually in a wheelchair. Why can’t it be a pretty flower, or a silhouette of a sexy woman? I’m kinda kidding but not really .. Yes, we absolutely want to make sure we highlight spaces are accessible for those who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, heck, I use them sometimes. But speaking as a user, I know I don’t want to be identified this way, and I’m pretty sure other users of mobility devices don’t want to be stamped this way either! Let’s make it pretty!!!! I mean, let’s just make the spaces useable for everybody anyway!

Last summer, I went to Mexico to receive a hematopoietic stem cell transplant to attempt to stop my Multiple Sclerosis and Crohn’s disease (which is another whole set of posts) but for now….. Everybody says “why don’t you write a book about all this”.. well, one of my other friends who I went through the procedure with will be taking care of that I’m sure. I realized living in a building with people of all different ability levels that we all have different needs from a design perspective, and I’d rather step up on that soapbox and speak, since I already have an audience!

So here we are. Hope you will enjoy the posts- I have plans to speak to you about universal design concepts in our home in Raleigh,NC, pictures of places I have to go that scare me (like up stairs without a handrail!), ways you can make your environments more friendly for your peeps, and also speak about HSCT and healthcare and why I had to go all over creation to get help. Most importantly, I want to inspire the world to become aware of the needs of their tribe and to make room for them in their homes and their lives!!! Thank you for indulging me the opportunity to carry you on this journey with me!