Episode 41: Sarah Todd Hammer - A Model for Accessibility

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Hello Beautiful Humans.
Welcome to another episode of

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Role Models, Juicy Conversations
with Beautiful Humans.

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I'm Jennifer Norman, founder of
the Human Beauty Movement and

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your host.
This podcast thrives on your

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support, so if you like what you
hear, follow us, rate us, review

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us, and share this episode with
everyone you know across your

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networks.
Today's juicy conversation is

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with an extraordinary gal who's
made it her life's work to

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educate on disability and
advocate for accessibility.

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Sarah Todd Hammer is a 21 year
old, three time published

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author, dancer and speaker.
In 2010 she acquired acute

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flaccid Myelitis AFM which left
her paralyzed from the neck

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down.
She regained the ability to

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walk, but she has been paralyzed
in her arms and hands.

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Now a junior in college, she's
studying psychology and

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communication studies, and she's
built a remarkable presence on

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social media, having over
115,000 followers across her

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platforms.
Welcome, Sarah Todd.

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Hi, Jennifer.
Thank you so much for having me.

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I am delighted to have you on as
a guest.

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You are what I consider a truly
beautiful human.

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So I want to hear all about
yourself, how you grew up and

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your family.
What was it like?

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I had a great growing up.
I've lived in Atlanta my whole

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life and I'm the youngest of
three kids, so I have two older

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brothers and then grow.
With my mom and my dad, and we

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have Havany's dog named Buddy.
So that was my family and I was

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always very close.
With my mom, I was put in ballet

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classes when I was three years
old because she wanted me to

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dance, because she loved it so
much when she was little.

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And that's how my love for
ballet grew.

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And that was something that my
mom and I enjoyed doing

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together.
And those are some of my fondest

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memories from when I was little.
So I had a great growing up with

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my family.
In Atlanta, we have that in

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common.
I started ballet and tap when I

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was four years old and I always
looked forward to the recital at

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the end where you get to get
into those, like adorable

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costumes and perform.
And everything.

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That's the best?
Absolutely.

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So now you were about 8 years
old and you were in your ballet

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class when you noticed that you
lost the use of your arms and

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your hands.
Can you tell us, take us back to

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that time about what it felt
like?

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What happened?
Yes.

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So I was 8 years old and I was
at.

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Ballet class.
I had ballet once a week, and I

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was super excited for that
particular class because we were

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trying on our recital costumes,
which as you just mentioned, was

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always super fun.
And we were going around the

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studio, kind of just jumping
around in our costumes, having

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fun.
I was doing leaps with one of my

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friends and then I noticed that
all of a sudden I had a really

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excruciating head and neck ache
and it got so bad to the point

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that I was crying, which was
really unlikely.

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Me and my mom was looking
through the window outside the

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studio to see what was going on,
and then she noticed that

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something didn't look right.
So we decided that I was just

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going to go home and rest for a
bit.

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So she comes in and gets me, and
I go outside the studio and I'm

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sitting on the bench trying to
put on my shoes to go outside.

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And I leaned down a bit to pull
up my tights and adjust to them.

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And then all of a sudden, my
arms and hands just stopped

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working.
And just like.

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Fell limp.
And so I turned to my mom and I

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told her that my arms didn't
work.

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And so she was obviously like,
OK, we're not going home.

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And the hospital at that point
was pretty far away.

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And it was about 4:00 PM in
afternoon, so there would have

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been a lot of traffic getting
there.

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So we went to the urgent care
facility that was about a 10

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minute drive away.
And by the time we got there,

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just about 10 minutes later, I
couldn't walk, even though I

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could still move my legs.
So things were progressing,

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really.
Fast.

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And we went inside.
My mom explained what was

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happening and they flew me by
helicopter to the hospital,

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which was a scary experience, of
course.

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And then I was in the emergency
room for six hours and I

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couldn't walk or sit up or move
my arms and hands.

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And the doctor gave me Motrin
for my neck pain, but he didn't

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think that anything was wrong.
And so, after being there for

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six hours, he told my parents to
bring me back in the morning if

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I wasn't better And then.
He sent me home and we went

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home.
And then the next morning I woke

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up and then couldn't move my
legs either.

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So I was completely paralyzed
from the neck down.

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And this was all within the span
of about 16 hours.

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So my mom called an ambulance
and then we went back to the

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very same hospital by ambulance
the next morning.

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And later that day I was
diagnosed with transverse

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myelitis, or TM.
At the time, AFM was not a known

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thing.
That term wasn't even coined in

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2010.
So I was not diagnosed with AFM,

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but I was re diagnosed with AFM
in 2018.

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And AFM and TM are pretty
similar.

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They're all kind of part of the
same group of neuroimmunological

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disorders.
So TM wasn't too far off of a

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diagnosis, but it was not what I
had.

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And so leading up until that day
that you all of a sudden started

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to feel either numbness or that
you couldn't move your hands and

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your arms properly, was there
any illness?

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Was there or anything that would
give you an indication that

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something could have been
happening or was it completely

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out of the blue?
It was completely out of the

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blue.
I didn't have any symptoms.

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I wasn't sick, I wasn't tired.
I didn't have any numbness or

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tingling.
It was just the headache came

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and then the arms and hands
stopped working and it was just,

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like, really quick.
So there was nothing out of the

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ordinary up until then.
Wow.

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I know how difficult that time
must have been for both you,

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your parents, your brothers,
everybody who loved you because

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the unknown is always difficult
to deal with.

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Sometimes when you get a
diagnosis and you're and you

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know about it ahead of time, if
there's a little bit of

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assurance, but the not knowing
how this happened and you start

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asking yourself a lot of
questions.

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There are a lot of, you know
reasons why people go through

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very, very hard times when you
know just like dealing with with

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a diagnosis like that after your
diagnosis.

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I know that you know you had
this experience, but what was it

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like?
And how long was it that you

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were feeling paralysis in your
arms and your legs?

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So I was in the intensive care
unit for 12 days after we went

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back to the hospital, and then I
was on the inpatient

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rehabilitation unit for about 5
weeks.

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And while I was in the ICU, I
had plasmapheresis treatment

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done which helped with regaining
my leg motion back.

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After I had the first of five
treatments, I moved my.

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Big toe.
So that seemed to be helping.

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And once I moved to the
inpatient rehab floor, I started

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using a manual wheelchair that I
pushed with my legs because I

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couldn't move the wheels with my
arms.

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So they kind of got me up and
going in that respect.

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And I then started to walk with
assistance.

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I would wear a gait belt and my
physical therapist would hold on

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to me and we would practice
walking.

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And I of course got tired very
quickly and needed a lot of

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help, but they kind of got me up
and going.

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And so just doing a lot of
physical and occupational

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therapy helped with that.
And at the end of my two-month

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stay in the hospital, I was able
to walk out of the hospital with

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some assistance and I had
regained a little bit of arm and

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hand motion during my rehab
stay.

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So I left the hospital with
being able to move my right hand

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a little bit and having a tiny
bit of motion in certain areas

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of my arms.
Essentially I probably regained

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some strength for about.
Two years after I left the

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hospital, but basically for
about the last 10 years.

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I've kind of been on the same
level of strength since then, So

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I have very, like, spotty
paralysis in my arms and hands.

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I can't move my left hand at
all.

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My right hand is very weak, but
I can move it and I can't lift

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my shoulders up.
Really.

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It's hard to explain unless you
kind of interact with me or

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watch me move, but I have spotty
paralysis in my arms and hands

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today.
So do you still continue on with

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physical and occupational
therapies even to today or is

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that something that you kind of
halted because you're pretty

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much OK with the way that the
motions are and it's pretty much

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stabilized?
Back when everything first

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happened, I of course did a lot
of therapy.

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And I did a lot of therapy for a
few years after getting

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diagnosed.
But even back then, within the

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first few months, I was kind of
like, OK, like, I don't really

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care about doing therapy.
I just kind of want to go back

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to my life and do what you
wanted to do.

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Yeah, So that was.
Really my top priority.

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I also understood that I needed
to do it on some level if I

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wanted to get back to dancing.
And there was a moment in

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physical therapy a few months
after everything happened where

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I was able to stand on my tip
toes and that kind of made me

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think that I could start dancing
again.

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But at the same time, I was not
into doing therapy.

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I just kind of wanted to accept
things and move on with my 8

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year old life.
And that's how I am today.

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Like, I'm not really interested
in therapy.

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Mostly what therapy is helpful
with now is.

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Finding ways for me to do
things.

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So I really like asking, like my
occupational therapist for

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advice on how I could maybe
improve, like brushing my hair,

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or like improve my workspace for
when I'm doing homework.

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But I'm not interested in really
recovery based therapy because

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also at this point in my
diagnosis that's not even

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realistic.
So I moved on from that pretty

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quickly in my head, even though
I still did it for a few years

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after everything happened.
Yeah, I know From having a

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disabled son myself, you become
a master at just life hacking.

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You just yes, You know, we call
it Macgyvering.

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It's like we'll just figure
things out.

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We'll like tie things together.
We'll make things easier than

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you know.
But.

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But we have to do it very
customized because he's an N of

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1.
You're an N of 1, and nobody's

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like you.
And so you kind of make up your

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own ways of doing things to the
best of your ability.

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And sometimes you get those
little, oh, that's kind of cool.

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Maybe I'll try that.
Yeah.

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You kind of figure out you know
and invent things on your own,

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don't you?
Yes.

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I mean, humans are amazing and
adapting, and I think a lot of

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people think if they ever became
disabled, they wouldn't be able

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to figure out how to do things.
But it's really like the case

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that if you become disabled, you
kind of just work with it and

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figure out ways to do certain
things.

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And if you need help with
certain things, that's OK too.

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You just kind of learn kind of
what you can and can't do and go

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with it.
Yeah, absolutely.

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That's amazing.
So you have to tell me about

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getting back to dancing.
I love that you were so

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tenacious.
And you're like, this is what I

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want to do.
I'm going to figure out how to

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do it.
You know, What point did you go

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back to?
Ballet.

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So while I was in the ICU, I had
my dance companies DVD's like

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playing on the TV in there, like
I was watching them and it was

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of course really heavily on my
mind and I had had plans to

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audition for my dance companies.
Like real, like company.

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Like being a member of the
company.

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Because you could do that once
you were nine years old and they

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were actually letting me.
Audition early at 8 years old,

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and I really wanted to be able
to make those auditions.

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And then when that deadline
passed, because I was in the

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hospital, my goal was to be able
to go to my dance recital.

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That was in June and everything
happened to me in April, but

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that deadline passed and so then
I was like, OK, I didn't achieve

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00:11:41,800 --> 00:11:44,720
those things, but I really
wanted to just get back to

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dancing just because it was
something I loved and I wanted

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00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,080
to just be able to do it as a
hobby at the very least.

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00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:52,720
So my therapist knew that that
was a goal of mine.

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So when I stood on my tiptoe.
Goes in therapy.

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00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,560
Once I got out of the hospital,
they were of course really

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00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:01,600
excited for me and they tried to
like incorporate doing like Just

235
00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,920
Dance on the Wii and stuff to
make therapy fun because they

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00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:07,560
knew I loved dancing.
So they were supportive of that.

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00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:12,880
But the day after I stood on my
tip toes in therapy, I went home

238
00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,640
from therapy and then I had my
dad like helped me set up my

239
00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,560
dance DVD's I would always dance
to in our family room.

240
00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,760
And I remember he wanted to stay
in the room and watch me and

241
00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:24,080
make sure I was OK And I was
like, no.

242
00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,000
Fine, because I never liked when
my family watched unless I

243
00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:27,880
wanted them to.
Yeah.

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00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,360
And he went and sat in the next
room over and I'm sure he was

245
00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:33,080
scared of me falling or
something.

246
00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:35,480
But I just did like one quick
little dance.

247
00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,760
And I remember being a little
bit unhappy with how I did

248
00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:42,080
things because of course it
wasn't like normal, but I was

249
00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:43,800
super proud that I was able to
do it.

250
00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,520
And then as I kept dancing more
and more, I think it helped me

251
00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,280
get stronger for one thing,
physically and then also

252
00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:52,720
mentally.
But I started to realize that I

253
00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,800
could just change the.
Moves of the dances I already

254
00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:59,240
knew to make them fit my body's
abilities.

255
00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,760
So I guess I just kind of
realized I was already

256
00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:04,240
subconsciously doing that on
some level.

257
00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:07,280
And I was like, I could actually
make this into my own hobby of

258
00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,160
choreography.
And that's how I just decided to

259
00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,040
start choreographing dances,
because they then became

260
00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,480
something that was really unique
to me and something I could do

261
00:13:16,560 --> 00:13:18,360
on my own.
And I realized that my

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00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,680
disability was kind of serving
as like the driving creative

263
00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,120
force for my dancing.
And that was really.

264
00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,360
Really cool.
And that made me discover a

265
00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:28,720
whole new hobby I probably
wouldn't have discovered if I

266
00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:30,400
hadn't become disabled.
Wow.

267
00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:32,880
That is so great.
And I think that it's a great

268
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,680
lesson in the fact that, you
know, dancing is something that

269
00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,640
is there to bring you joy.
It's a release.

270
00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,120
It's very cathartic.
And so whether or not you feel

271
00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,880
like somebody else is watching
and you're doing a performance,

272
00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,240
you know, there's certainly that
side where you're doing it to

273
00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:49,360
entertain.
But then on the flip side,

274
00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:51,640
there's just something about
moving the body.

275
00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:56,520
And yeah, it might not look the
same same way, but adapting is

276
00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:57,880
is wonderful.
And.

277
00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:02,040
And not judging yourself for not
necessarily doing it right,

278
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,880
always wanting to be better.
But yeah, there's that fine line

279
00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:07,400
between, you know, criticizing
yourself and saying, oh, I

280
00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:08,760
didn't do that the way that I
wanted to.

281
00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,640
But yeah, yeah, getting a little
bit, you know, better and just

282
00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,960
feeling that you're always
getting joy out of it is, you

283
00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:19,280
know, the best thing ever.
Oh, that's wonderful.

284
00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:22,600
I love that.
And so, gosh, now you are an

285
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:25,160
advocate for people who are
living with disabilities.

286
00:14:25,160 --> 00:14:28,040
And, you know, it's empowering
you to be your own advocate

287
00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,960
because I think that in a lot of
your videos you're showing the

288
00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,120
world what it's like to be you.
You're pretty much helping to

289
00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,520
educate on what life is like in
in the world of Sarah Todd.

290
00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:40,960
Not necessarily asking for help,
not necessarily, you know,

291
00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,920
asking for advice, which I know
you probably get plenty of.

292
00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,080
And not necessarily doing it to
be an inspiration, but really

293
00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:49,360
just being an advocate and
saying this is what life is

294
00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:50,880
like.
And hey, there are certain

295
00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,120
things that could be made easier
and more accessible for people

296
00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,920
who have conditions such as mine
or others.

297
00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:00,720
But yeah, And a lot of people
aren't really necessarily aware

298
00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:02,480
of it.
And so they appreciate having a

299
00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,240
glimpse into what it's like and
saying, oh gosh, you know, if I

300
00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,240
could be more mindful and if I
come across somebody like Sarah

301
00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,160
Todd or anybody else, then I'll
kind of know what to do or not

302
00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:13,040
know what to say.
It may not be perfect because

303
00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,240
that person might not be exactly
the same mindset that Sarah is,

304
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,760
which and you're extremely
positive, which is wonderful.

305
00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,640
But I think that people are
really, you know, gravitating to

306
00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,720
your voice and your expression.
Did you always know that you

307
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,760
wanted to use your voice to help
others to create positive

308
00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:31,120
change?
So pretty shortly after I became

309
00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,080
disabled, I got into disability
advocacy and that all kind of

310
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,240
started in 2012.
So just two years after,

311
00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:42,760
everything happened when I met
one of my now best friends who

312
00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:46,080
was also diagnosed with
transverse myelitis, which we

313
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:47,400
thought I had at the time,
right?

314
00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,480
And we met in person.
Our moms had been talking on

315
00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:53,840
like a Facebook support group,
and then we were both at Johns

316
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:55,640
Hopkins.
For medical treatments around

317
00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,240
the same time.
And we met in person and she was

318
00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,560
14 and I was 10.
But we got along really well and

319
00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,880
related to each other on so many
levels.

320
00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:09,000
And shortly after that we just
decided to write up our stories

321
00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:12,040
with our disability journeys and
put them in a book together.

322
00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,560
So we did that and then
published it when I was 11 years

323
00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,720
old.
And then we wrote two more books

324
00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,040
and made a trilogy out of our
lives.

325
00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:24,120
And those were published when I
was 14 and 17 and so writing.

326
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,360
The books is kind of what made
me realize that I could do a lot

327
00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:30,080
with disability advocacy.
And it also helped me realize

328
00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,560
that I love to write, which I
didn't know before.

329
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,280
I did that.
And that's how I got started

330
00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,440
writing articles for news
publications and then speaking.

331
00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:42,920
And I did book signings and I
spoke on podcasts, I spoke at

332
00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:45,440
schools.
I did little like mini

333
00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,080
documentaries.
And so that's kind of how all of

334
00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,360
that advocacy started.
And I always was open about my

335
00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,000
disability on my social media.
I made my.

336
00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,960
Social media public When I was
in high school, probably like

337
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,480
9th or 10th grade, and I
realized people were interested

338
00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,240
in certain things about my life.
So I always talked about it on

339
00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:08,119
some level on my social media.
But then in March 2020 when

340
00:17:08,119 --> 00:17:11,040
COVID hit and I didn't have
anything else to do, I had

341
00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,040
downloaded TikTok and TikTok was
really taking off around that

342
00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,440
time.
And there was a trend on there

343
00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,920
where you would put up both your
hands and say put a finger down

344
00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,000
if and then tell a story that
was super specific to you and

345
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:24,440
then at the end put a finger.
Down.

346
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,880
And I was like, Oh my gosh, I
could do this with my AFM story.

347
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,720
So I just randomly did that one
day and everyone loved it.

348
00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:33,360
It got over 1,000,000 views and
I was like, wow, so people are

349
00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:35,760
interested in this.
And that's when I started

350
00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:38,160
posting a lot.
And that's how my presence grew

351
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:40,400
on TikTok, YouTube and
Instagram.

352
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:42,440
And it's kind of just taken off
from there.

353
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,400
I feel like I've gotten more
creative with the ideas that

354
00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:48,600
I've thought of things to post.
I realized that there are things

355
00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,040
that might not seem super
interesting to me, but that

356
00:17:51,120 --> 00:17:52,880
other people love to learn
about.

357
00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:55,640
And so as I'm going through my.
Day sometimes I'm like, oh, I'll

358
00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,320
just film this.
I think someone would find it

359
00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,680
interesting and people do.
So that's kind of how that

360
00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,080
evolved, I guess that's
incredible.

361
00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:07,000
And so, yeah, it seems like what
you're sharing is so relatable

362
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,360
as life of a college student,
things that, you know, like

363
00:18:10,360 --> 00:18:13,800
topics like ableism,
discrimination, the importance

364
00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,120
of accessibility.
And so do you feel that like the

365
00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:20,560
act of doing your social media
has also just helped you in

366
00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,880
terms of like your catharsis or
feeling confident and feeling

367
00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:29,120
like, yeah, I can actually be a
voice for people who are

368
00:18:29,120 --> 00:18:32,320
disabled and maybe make some
real change in the future?

369
00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,400
Yeah, I mean, I definitely get
great feedback from a lot of

370
00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,720
people, even like with my books
as well.

371
00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,200
People saying that my books have
made a difference for them,

372
00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:44,720
which is always nice to hear.
And it's cool just learning what

373
00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,360
people are interested in.
Because like I said, there are

374
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:49,320
things that I think might not be
that interesting.

375
00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:51,600
And then I post them and people
are like, Oh my gosh, I loved

376
00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:54,120
learning this or I love seeing
into your life.

377
00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,560
And a good example of something
of that nature is the other day

378
00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:00,600
I just posted a video talking
about how one of the employees

379
00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,600
at my college cafe helped me
open my water bottle and my

380
00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,960
ketchup and everyone loved that.
I got like 400,000 views.

381
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,920
People like, oh, that's so nice.
Like I love that you are able to

382
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,840
ask for help.
So just things like that are

383
00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:15,520
nice to see the feedback on.
And yeah, it's nice knowing and

384
00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,600
making a difference.
And I also learn as I'm doing it

385
00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,960
too, because sometimes I'll post
something and then some people

386
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,120
leave really thoughtful comments
and then.

387
00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,800
And we have like a dialogue
about the whole topic.

388
00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,880
And so I'm learning as I'm doing
it too, which I really like.

389
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:32,680
Yeah, sometimes in TikTok it's
like I'm here for the comments

390
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:36,040
and I'm just go through and I I
love the humor.

391
00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:38,360
I love some of the things that
people say the way that they

392
00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:41,680
support with such humor.
It's actually really, really

393
00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,400
great.
And the interesting thing that

394
00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:46,200
I've noticed as I was watching
some of your videos is that you

395
00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,400
are learning more about yourself
and you are evolving to where

396
00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,360
before you might have been a
little bit shy to ask for help,

397
00:19:52,360 --> 00:19:55,160
but now you feel more confident
about asking for help.

398
00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,360
And so it's really nice for
people to know that, you know,

399
00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:00,320
you're on your own journey as
well.

400
00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:03,320
And the thing that I have
noticed of having a disabled son

401
00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:05,360
is that a lot of people were
just scared.

402
00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:08,880
They were intimidated and shy to
even approach somebody for fear

403
00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,320
that they might say the wrong
thing, that they might do the

404
00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:13,920
wrong thing, they might just
mess up and it would be just

405
00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,120
embarrassing and shameful for
everybody involved.

406
00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:17,960
But that's not necessarily the
case.

407
00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:20,560
I always say like air on the
side of asking.

408
00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:22,600
It's like, hey, oh, what's going
on?

409
00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,040
But not doing it in a way like
oh.

410
00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:27,640
What's wrong with you?
Like, oh, I'm gonna pray for

411
00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:28,920
you.
It's not that near like know

412
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,240
that this is a human being and
there is a sense of dignity and

413
00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,160
empowerment that, you know,
everybody wants to feel.

414
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,640
And so just having that
conversation and saying, hey,

415
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,200
need a hand or hey, you know,
can I help with that is that you

416
00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:42,520
know something completely.
OK.

417
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,880
The word disabled.
A lot of people are like, oh, I

418
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,240
don't want to say the word
disabled differently.

419
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:48,720
Able to something.
I hate that.

420
00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:50,760
Yeah, it's like, don't pussyfoot
around it.

421
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,320
Come on.
Just like, exactly OK to say

422
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,520
disabled and to say disability.
I think that most people feel

423
00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:59,160
that way.
Some people, again, I don't want

424
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,600
to make a blank statement, but
you know, some people may get

425
00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:03,960
offended by it.
But for the most part, it's just

426
00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:07,520
an easier way to say this is how
I am, this is how I know that

427
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:09,560
I'm allowed to park in this spot
and.

428
00:21:10,680 --> 00:21:13,720
Exactly.
All of those things.

429
00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,040
So you're also the president of
the Disability Alliance at your

430
00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:22,280
college.
So I'm a junior at college now

431
00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:19,160
and when I was applying to.
Can you tell us more about that?

432
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:29,120
My school, I knew that they had
a disability club because I was

433
00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:32,720
talking to a current student and
she was a part of it and it had

434
00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:36,880
a different name at the time.
But when I got to college, I got

435
00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,880
in contact with the president of
the current club and shared some

436
00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:44,080
of my ideas with her and told
her that I wasn't fond of the

437
00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:46,400
name of the club.
It just kind of sounded a little

438
00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,800
condescending.
It had the words diverse

439
00:21:48,800 --> 00:21:52,080
abilities in there, so we were
not a fan of the name of the

440
00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:54,120
club.
So we had some conversations.

441
00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,200
About changing the name and
revamping the club a little bit.

442
00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:01,480
And so last year, my sophomore
year, we did that and changed

443
00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,200
the name and kind of came up
with some new goals for the

444
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:06,800
club.
And the president of the club

445
00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,960
was a senior last year and I was
a sophomore, so she made me Co

446
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,680
president with her.
And then when she graduated last

447
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,800
year, I became president this
year.

448
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,400
And we've done some cool things.
We're trying to focus on

449
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:23,880
disability culture and identity.
So we felt that that was a big.

450
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,440
Need at my school because we're
trying to get people to realize

451
00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:31,320
that disability is diversity and
we're seeing that disabled

452
00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:34,080
students want that as well.
So that's a big focus of our

453
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,160
club.
But we also have the focus on

454
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,960
educating the campus community.
So we've done an event that was

455
00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,000
a service dog etiquette
education event where two

456
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:45,760
students with service dogs
talked about their experience

457
00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,400
and like what to do and not to
do around service dogs.

458
00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,560
And every year we do an
accessibility scavenger hunt

459
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,120
where we go to a building on
campus and find.

460
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:56,480
Things about it that are
accessible and then things that

461
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,560
are inaccessible and then
whoever finds like the most

462
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,120
creative things when surprised.
We on Friday are doing

463
00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:07,480
disability trivia, so we'll have
some trivia questions written

464
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:11,440
and people can come and get some
free food and play trivia to

465
00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:14,560
test their disability knowledge.
So just do like fun events like

466
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,920
that and a variety of different
things and we have a good amount

467
00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,000
of people who come to the
events.

468
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,000
Our education event had about 40
attendees and it was open to

469
00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,480
the.
Whole campus, so anyone could

470
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,520
come, and it's nice seeing that
people are interested in

471
00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:30,800
learning about disability.
I feel like there's a good

472
00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,120
amount of people here who are
showing an interest, which gives

473
00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:36,200
me hope.
That's amazing.

474
00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:39,200
Well, congratulations on all
those fun activities and for

475
00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:40,800
such a great turn out.
Thank you.

476
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,960
So now I also noticed on your
TikTok videos that you are

477
00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,520
showing the accessible and
inaccessible items around your

478
00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,400
college campus, probably very
similar to your scavenger hunt

479
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,000
that you had done.
I'm just curious because I know

480
00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,120
that you also did a video on a
hotel where the lift was

481
00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,480
inoperable and then, you know,
after several months, they gave

482
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:04,040
you kind of a lame letter back
about like, oh, we're so sorry,

483
00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:04,960
kind of thing.
And.

484
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:06,680
And that was pretty much it.
Wah wah.

485
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:12,440
But but yeah, I'm curious, like,
have you gotten any surprising

486
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,360
responses in terms of being able
to call out certain

487
00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:18,560
inaccessibilities?
Have there been some changes

488
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,680
based upon, you know, you're
vocalizing that you've noticed

489
00:24:21,680 --> 00:24:23,960
something?
So usually when I know.

490
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:26,000
Something's inaccessible at my
college.

491
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,560
It's oftentimes a door.
Like that's almost always the

492
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:30,800
thing.
And I'll have someone help me

493
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,800
film a video of it to educate
just the broader world on

494
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:36,760
accessibility.
And then I'll share that on my

495
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,520
TikTok and my Instagram.
And then I go to the disability

496
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,800
office and let them know that
it's broken.

497
00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:45,880
And then they submit a work
order and physical plan fixes

498
00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,040
it.
And that usually is very quick.

499
00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:49,440
It usually just takes a few
days.

500
00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,880
But most of the change at my
school hasn't come really from

501
00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:54,520
like me posting on.
Talk.

502
00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,640
It's more like I notice things.
I'll post them and then I also

503
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,560
have to take the extra step to
e-mail them and let them know.

504
00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:03,360
Yeah, but they are really
responsive, which is great.

505
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:06,400
I do just wish that that
responsibility didn't fall on

506
00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:09,960
students to report things.
I suggested to them that it

507
00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,480
would be nice if fiscal plant go
around like once a month and

508
00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:15,200
check the elevators and the
doors.

509
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,200
And they said that they didn't
have the capacity to do that.

510
00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,640
But I wish that there was just
something where it wasn't.

511
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:24,080
Always students having to report
things is broken because it.

512
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,640
It's exhausting.
Like, I don't feel like doing it

513
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,760
all the time, but once it's
reported, they do fix it, which

514
00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:31,800
is good.
HM yeah, I know.

515
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,000
That's unfortunately the the
realities of life sometimes.

516
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:36,080
That's sad.
Yeah.

517
00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:38,880
Hopefully with additional
attention maybe maybe there will

518
00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:42,000
be some other measures that can
be taken that are more proactive

519
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:43,920
than.
Yeah, I would hope so.

520
00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,520
I mean, my disability club has
talked about maybe making like

521
00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:51,880
little signs for the accessible
door buttons that say to please

522
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,040
press them gently because I feel
like they break.

523
00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:57,040
A lot when people smack them or
hit them with their feet and

524
00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:00,640
then we're going to put a QR
code that people could scan that

525
00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,040
will send them resources on how
they can report the button is

526
00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,440
broken.
So that's an idea that we had

527
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,680
that we're going to see if we
can implement on campus.

528
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,320
I haven't asked the disability
office about it yet, but I kind

529
00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,520
of want to get their input on if
that could be done, If we could

530
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,880
go around and do that.
And if they say yes, then I

531
00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:19,400
think we'll go around and put up
those signs and that might make

532
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,880
a difference, Yeah.
And it seems like the newer

533
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,440
buildings are a little bit
better, you know, they the

534
00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:28,200
better quality equipment.
And they seem to have the ADA

535
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:30,480
much more in mind.
Some of these universities with

536
00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,920
much older buildings, Oh boy,
it's treacherous going up some

537
00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:35,440
of this.
Hard.

538
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:37,520
Yeah.
And some of the elevators are

539
00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:40,880
just really old and creaky.
And yeah, it's hard.

540
00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:46,520
All right, let's shift gears and
talk about something fun.

541
00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:48,640
Let's talk about clothes.
Gosh darn it.

542
00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,480
Let's talk about accessible
clothes.

543
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:53,440
Now, I saw some videos where I
always give love to Zappos

544
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,840
because they are one of my
favorite accessible places, as

545
00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,320
well as Hilfiger.
I always give love to Tommy

546
00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:00,960
Hilfiger for all the incredible
outfits.

547
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,640
But do you have some favorites
or there's some favorite pieces

548
00:27:03,640 --> 00:27:05,960
that you have, some other
favorite brands that you have?

549
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,560
I agree.
I love Zappos.

550
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:09,920
They're my favorite.
Tommy Hilfiger is one of my

551
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:12,120
favorites.
I've been posting some social

552
00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,400
media.
Zappos talking about their

553
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,040
clothing.
The dress I'm wearing right now

554
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,360
is from Zappos.
They just have like really good

555
00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:20,760
variety.
They have great kids clothes,

556
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,840
which is awesome for me because
I tend to wear kids clothes

557
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,600
because they fit me the best.
So I love Zappos and it's nice

558
00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,800
to see companies thinking about
disabled people and being

559
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:33,680
innovative in design.
And what really helps me is

560
00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,720
finding clothing that doesn't
have buttons and zippers because

561
00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:41,120
I can't do those independently.
So finding clothing that maybe

562
00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:44,720
just has like a stretchier.
Neck so I can like easily put it

563
00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,760
on and take it off on finding
things like elastic waistbands

564
00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,760
that's easy to pull up and down.
I found some great shoes from

565
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,200
Zappos that look like they have
laces but they're slip on shoes.

566
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,640
So I get like the style like and
the look that I want but the

567
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:00,640
function is there which is
amazing.

568
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,440
So those are like some of my
favorite things to look or and

569
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,440
especially to dresses and tank
tops that have like adjustable

570
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:12,480
straps is so nice because I'm so
small and it's just so hard so.

571
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,280
Yeah, I love Zappos.
I love Tommy Hilfiger.

572
00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:19,000
JC Penney has some stuff too.
I just posted some social media

573
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,360
ads for them as well.
And so, yeah, it's really nice

574
00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:24,400
seeing these companies caring
about disability and making

575
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,920
their items inclusive.
Yeah, awesome.

576
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,400
Yeah, we've been pretty loyal to
this brand called Billy that

577
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:34,120
makes these great shoes that you
can like, zip around.

578
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:37,720
And I think that my son has them
in like 5 or 6 different colors.

579
00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:40,240
I've heard of those.
I've heard they're great.

580
00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:42,560
They're really great for kids
that are wearing AFO.

581
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,320
Those or those that don't have
the ability, to your point, LASA

582
00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,680
or even, you know, do Velcro.
These are just so easy to just

583
00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:53,680
zip around the tongue and get on
and off with with no trouble at

584
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:55,040
all.
Those are fabulous.

585
00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:58,160
Yes, I love shoes.
Like, shoes are so hard.

586
00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,520
So finding shoes they're easy to
do is amazing.

587
00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:03,280
Yeah, for sure.
And walking around campus too,

588
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,320
you want to make sure that
they're comfortable as well.

589
00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,560
Yes, yes.
And my favorite shoes right now

590
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,760
are my ones from Zappos that are
just like slip ONS, but they

591
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,440
look like shoes with laces.
Love that.

592
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,760
So ingenious.
Yeah.

593
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,360
So tell me, like, if there is a
day that is particularly tough

594
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:21,920
and you're feeling like, who?
I'm just curious, Like, I mean,

595
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:24,040
we went through COVID.
There must have been some pretty

596
00:29:24,040 --> 00:29:25,800
tough days.
But you know, is there anything

597
00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,680
that you do or that you've got a
routine that helps to kind of

598
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:31,440
lift you out of that?
I mean, it sounds unrealistic,

599
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,160
but I'm honestly like hardly
ever in a bad mood.

600
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,960
Like it happens so infrequently.
I mean there are sometimes where

601
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,520
like it typically happens if I'm
like walking to class and I'm

602
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:42,240
just like thinking while I'm
walking.

603
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,400
Or maybe sometimes where I'm
like wishing that whatever I'm

604
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:48,240
wearing, like, fit me better.
And because a lot of the time my

605
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,480
clothes don't fit me well
because my arms have a lot of

606
00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,480
muscle atrophy.
And so I know that if I didn't

607
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:57,000
have a disability, stuff would
fit me better and I would look

608
00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:59,720
better in certain things.
So sometimes I get down about

609
00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,200
that, but not really in an
insecure way, more so just in an

610
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,080
annoyed way.
So that's something I might get

611
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:06,040
frustrated with.
Or if I need help with

612
00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:08,040
something.
And on the odd chance that

613
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:11,120
someone's not around, that can
be annoying, but I usually just

614
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:12,600
have to wait a bit and then
someone can.

615
00:30:12,680 --> 00:30:13,680
Income help.
I don't know.

616
00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,160
I mean, sometimes I just like,
have the thought and I let

617
00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:19,000
myself have the thought and then
just in kind of like, you know,

618
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,000
it's OK Like I'm hardly ever
upset about anything.

619
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,160
And so when I am, I let myself
think it and don't like, try to

620
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:26,960
make myself not think those
things.

621
00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,440
That's incredible.
And so you've always been just

622
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:32,240
naturally upbeat, happy, high
vibe.

623
00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:34,360
It's.
Not, yeah, like I said, you.

624
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:38,360
Do it sounds unrealistic, but I
mean, yeah, I really am like

625
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:41,880
hardly ever upset.
And like, if I am, it's usually

626
00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:47,240
not disability.
Related SO do you have any

627
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:51,840
favorite mottos or quotes that
you like to think about during

628
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,320
the day?
Yes, I actually have one on my

629
00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,080
desk, and this was my senior
quote.

630
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,800
It's painted on the Berlin Wall.
And so my mom and I took a trip

631
00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:04,800
to Germany three years ago and
looked at all the art on the

632
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,520
remains of the Berlin Wall.
And there was this one quote

633
00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:11,280
that says many small people who
in many small places do many

634
00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,520
small things that can alter the.
Face of the world.

635
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,560
And I loved that quote.
I liked how it was written.

636
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,200
I thought that was very unique
and it stood out to me.

637
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,800
And I feel like, I like how it
can be applied to so many

638
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,400
different things.
It could be applied, um, to what

639
00:31:24,400 --> 00:31:27,440
I'm doing, which I like about
that, but it can be applied like

640
00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:30,400
to the history, like it was on
the Berlin Wall, which I thought

641
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:33,400
was very interesting.
So I really love that quote.

642
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,400
And then another one I really
love is something like going

643
00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,160
through things you never thought
you go through will take you

644
00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,200
places you never thought you'd
go to.

645
00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:42,560
Or something like that.
Just so.

646
00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:44,280
True.
For my life, I'm doing things

647
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,840
that I never would have done if
I hadn't become disabled.

648
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:50,240
And I think that's one of the
most beautiful things about

649
00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:53,880
disability is you really do end
up having all these cool

650
00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:56,400
experiences.
You learn amazing things that

651
00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,080
you never would have learned if
you didn't become part of this

652
00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,480
community.
So those are two of my absolute

653
00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:03,040
favorite quotes.
I love that.

654
00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:06,320
And I love that you're able to
see disability as a gift.

655
00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:09,280
I see it that way, too.
I look at, you know, my son has

656
00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,480
introduced me to a whole world
of special needs children and a

657
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,880
whole special needs population.
And I'm like, it's such a gift

658
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,520
to be able to know what it's
like and to just feel this

659
00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:22,640
unabashed love and kindness that
comes from being, you know, part

660
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,120
of the community.
And I really feel that, like, I

661
00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,720
feel so grateful for it.
I feel really like blessed.

662
00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:30,840
And I'm like, wow, He chose me
as his Mama.

663
00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:34,160
I couldn't be happier to be, you
know, the mom of this special

664
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:35,400
boy.
What do you think that you're

665
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,280
most thankful for?
That's such a hard question.

666
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:42,160
I mean, I'm most thankful for my
mom because she's like my best

667
00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:44,040
friend.
I always tell her I'm like, I

668
00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:45,720
will never love anyone more than
you.

669
00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:47,200
And she's like, yes, you will,
one day you will.

670
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,280
And I'm like, no, never is she
most thankful for her.

671
00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:53,760
And then I guess just right now,
in terms of my life, I'm so

672
00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,040
thankful to be at college
because I always knew I would be

673
00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,280
able to go, but I didn't know
how it would really work.

674
00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:03,080
And I knew I would figure it
out, but I just didn't really

675
00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:06,040
know what it would look like.
And so I'm really thankful to be

676
00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:09,520
at the college that I'm at.
But also you're independently

677
00:33:09,600 --> 00:33:11,800
and there's sometimes where I'm
like walking around campus and

678
00:33:11,800 --> 00:33:13,880
I'm just thinking.
About how thankful I am that I'm

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00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:16,200
here.
So I would say yes, my mom in

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00:33:16,200 --> 00:33:18,600
terms of people and then college
right now.

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00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:22,480
Wow, such great things and such
a great person to be thankful

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for.
Sarah Todd, thank you for being

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you and I appreciate you being
on the show today.

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00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,120
Thank you for having me.
This has been a fabulous

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00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:31,000
conversation.