Editor’s Note: Ralph’s Riders was launched over 10 years ago by Mayra Fornos in the memory of her late husband, Ralph, who sustained a spinal cord injury while surfing. The foundation has been dedicated to helping people with mobility impairments lead independent, healthy lives ever since. Wheel:Life writer Betsy Bailey talked with the president of […]
Societal attitudes and behaviors have a significant impact on the inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act and various civil rights movements, the effects of negative perceptions of disability are still prevalent in structural and social contexts today. Because of these constructs, children with disabilities experience several challenges in classroom and […]
Editor’s Note: Both Donna Russo and Peggy Lane have been involved in the entertainment industry for the majority of their lives. Russo, who lives with Turner syndrome and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, has a degree in dance, toured with ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks,’ and has appeared in several TV shows and films. Lane modeled as a […]
Wheel:Life has mentioned how incredible Yoocan is a few times now, so if you haven’t yet checked out the global collaborative community for and by people with disabilities, now is the time. Why should you join thousands of others in telling your story? Because sharing your struggles, adventures, accomplishments, frustrations, and passions can make the […]
Having started his career at an early age, actor and comedian Nic Novicki (you may have seen him in Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, or Drop Dead Diva to name a few) noticed he was often the only one on set with a disability. This glaringly obvious underrepresentation of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry […]
Editor’s Note: In 2017, we featured a story about living life to the fullest with Hydred Makabali. After dealing with depression and agoraphobia as a result of a spinal cord injury at the age of 18, she began exploring a career in the arts and also picked up billiards as a form of “productive distraction.” […]
Editor’s Note: Emigrating from Cuba to Southern California, the Fornos & Reyes families spent many a weekend together at the Cuban community center in Culver City. After high school, Ralph Fornos and Mayra Reyes, who had become close friends during childhood, fell out of touch until they crossed paths again at a party during their […]
Editor’s Note: During deployment in 2004 as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq, Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs when her aircraft was struck. Harnessing her desire to continue serving her country, the Purple Heart recipient began devoting her time to advocating for wounded Veterans, and in 2009, President Obama appointed her to […]
Editor’s Note: Ali McManus spent the beginning of her life running around and playing just like any other kid in her Detroit, Michigan suburb. But at the age of seven, her life took a major turn when she began experiencing pain throughout her body and frequently breaking bones. During those frustrating times of childhood and […]
What started as a small music festival of 700 attendees in 1987 has turned into one of the most prominent gatherings in the nation today. At South by Southwest each March, emerging artists sign record deals, independent filmmakers get their big break, and startup tech companies go viral. The founders of the festival had a […]
