By: Cheryl Angelelli Getting your driver’s license is an exciting and highly anticipated rite of passage for most teenagers. Not for me. I remember being terrified sitting behind the wheel for the first time with a driver’s education instructor. Just four years earlier, I had sustained a C6 incomplete spinal cord injury and thought… how […]
By: Cheryl Angelelli Twenty-one beautiful women in sparkling tiaras anxiously arrived in Grand Rapids, Michigan this August to compete for the title of Ms. Wheelchair America (MWA) 2025. Although diverse in age, ethnicity, occupations and types of disabilities, they share a sisterhood and bond that comes from their shared experience of navigating the world in […]
By: Cheryl Angelelli Gorgeous, bedazzled costumes shimmering under the bright lights, perfectly coiffed hair and makeup, hours of rehearsed choreography performed in perfect unison to heart-thumping music…welcome to the world of competitive wheelchair ballroom dancing. I have been competing internationally in wheelchair ballroom dancing, known as Para Dance Sport, since 2017 with my standing partner, […]
By: Cheryl Angelelli Rolling across the Great Wall of China, taking an elevator to the top of the Eiffel Tower, going on a safari tour in South Africa; these are just a few of the amazing travel experiences I have had since becoming a quadriplegic in 1983 due to a spinal cord injury. I love […]
By: Cheryl Angelelli As a C6 incomplete quadriplegic, living with a neurogenic bladder can sometimes be overwhelming and exhausting, especially during the first couple years following a spinal cord injury. My diving accident happened when I was just 14 years old. I was still grappling with the idea that I would never walk again, so […]
Adaptive biker and disabled community advocate Annijke Wade talks neurogenic bladder management and inclusivity For Annijke Wade,* mountain biking is more than a hobby, it’s an obsession – and it’s what she loves most in the world. A year and a half ago, Annijke rode on her favorite trail in Angel Fire, New Mexico – […]
In the second part of our dating series, Ali Ingersoll (@quirkyquad_ali; www.quirkyquad.com) talks about not letting your injury stop you from dating or having sex. Read part one here. Getting Intimate Five years after Ali’s shallow water diving accident that left her paralyzed from the chest down with limited hand mobility, she went on a dating […]
As an intermittent catheter user, the right catheter is critical to your health. Have you ever been told that your catheter of choice isn’t covered by your insurance? Unfortunately, dealers are giving this reason for not providing a product as they promote lower cost products. The truth is that all catheters are covered by insurance. […]
Dating with a disability can be intimidating. Where do you start? How do you meet people? How honest should you be if you date online? In the first of our dating series, Ali Ingersoll (@quirkyquad_ali; www.quirkyquad.com) shares her dating experience, tips on setting up your online profile and advice for when you date in person. […]
After sustaining a C5 spinal cord injury the summer after high school senior year, Neil was determined to be an athlete and live his life, now in a manual wheelchair. “We were coming home [from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho] and it was two o'clock in the morning. I was sleeping and [the driver] fell asleep at […]
