Tag Archives: Danielle Shealy

Cartoons, Forum

#SPEAKOUT: Hunt for what you’re proud of

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By Danielle Shealy

Hunting for the perfect holiday bird is easy when you’re hunting ground is a big store with everything you need.

During Thanksgiving, we come together as different families celebrating what we are thankful for.  For me, thankfulness isn’t about who got you what. It isn’t about about who decorated the house the best. Those things are nice, but thankfulness should be about having someone or something in our life that makes everything better, even if we’re having a bad day.

I am thankful for so many things in my life.  I am thankful that I live in a country where I can get a free education. I appreciate that I can choose any job I want and not have to be told no because I have a disability or that I will get the beneifits I need when I turn 18. I appreciate that I have people in my life that keep me grounded and try to keep me on the right path.

Something that I am most thankful for is that I am able to speak my own mind.  So many children in my position don’t have the opportunity.  It hurts me to see that look in their eyes and how they want to communicate, but they can’t.  I am thankful that I can speak so eloquently that I am able to affect someone by just sharing my thoughts.

I am thankful that most of the time I am happy in my own skin.  I am thankful that I am able to go to bed at night and not wander where my next meal will come from.  I am thankful that people believe in me and will always be there to support me.  I am thankful for my friends that pick me up on the worst days and bring me back to reality.

I hope you are able to find a hunting ground as good as mine.

Columns, Forum

#SPEAKOUT: Columnist overcomes the hurdles of every day life

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By Danielle Shealy

So, imagine a life where your feet hardly ever touch the floor.

Imagine a life where all others have to do is pull a switch to walk. That’s something that a lot of people don’t go through, but I do. This is the life that I have to deal with every day. Now, I know people may see me zooming around the hallway, but can students and staff identify what my face looks like?  Do I wear glasses?  What color is my hair?  What does my laugh sound like?  Many people don’t realize that I am more than just struggles. One may think that my life is just having other people do things for me, but it is much more. I am able to advocate for those people like me who can’t speak up for themselves.

My biggest point of writing this is for others to watch how they judge me by just my appearance alone. People need to be aware that it’s fine to talk to me even though I am different from them.  Please just embrace me as an individual like everyone else. Sometimes people try to do too much for me and it upsets me because I know I can do more than they are letting me do.

Something to know about me is that I enjoy writing.  I stay home a lot on the weekends and make up super amazing stories.  I enjoy getting sucked into reality television.  I don’t like scary movies but I love comedies and “little kid” movies.  I am very sarcastic and I like to joke around all of the time.

So, as one can tell, just because I’m in a wheelchair doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the same things as other teenagers do.  I enjoy the good life.

What I have told you about is something that affects me every day.  It is my life, and I wanted to share it with others.