Put Yourself in My Shoes
APU Community,
We have compiled a video library below full of personal stories told by people with disabilities. The video stories cover a range of disabilities that include the following: learning disabilities, invisible disabilities, mental health, ADHD, neurodiversity/autism, blindness, deafness, and a link to disability resources and information. I ask that you think about someone in your life with a disability or someone you once met with disability as you view the selection of stories to choose from and put yourself in their shoes.
Walking in the shoes of others is just what Jesus did in the incarnation. John 1:1 and 14, tells us: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and lived among us.” Typically we think of this miracle as God, revealing himself to humankind and that is certainly true. But it was also God’s way of knowing us in a way he had never before, through walking in the shoes of humanity. We are being like Jesus when we do what we can to enter the experience of others.
Blessings,
Carmen Varela | Director
Office of Accessibility & Disability Resources, Azusa Pacific University
Learning Disabilities
In this inspiring talk, advocate and educator Dean Bragonier offers a different take on Dyslexia. By looking at the unique mindset of Dyslexics as a strength, Dean reframes a perceived weakness as a powerful tool and teaches us all an important lesson about the power of an open mind and an open heart.
Have you ever struggled to remember something you just read? Join Chandni Kazi on an inspiring personal journey as she recounts her struggle with memory and academics, and her eventual road to success.
Invisible Disabilities
Meet many incredible people who live with various invisible disabilities who have shared their stories for the Invisible No More® Campaign! http://www.InvisibleNoMore.TV
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
People with POTS may look fine, but they feel terrible, making it hard for other people to understand.
Mental Health
Jessica Gimeno shares her personal story of hope and recovery from mental health problems.
Young People in Recovery is a series of stories told by young men and women about their new lives in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.
For more stories on Mental Health, please click the links below:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
NAMI California - Stories and Perspectives
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
MentalHealth.org Let’s Talk
Watch Your Words
Neurodiversity/Autism
Neurowonderful
YouTube Channel
Amythest Schaber makes videos about what it's like to be Autistic. Amythest also blogs about Autism, disability, and living life on the spectrum.
What is Neurodiversity? What do the terms "neurotypical" and "neuro-atypical" mean?
For most young adults, the years after high school are the years when they move out of their family home, navigate independence for the first time, and figure who they are and what they want to do with their lives. Unfortunately, this type of transition is rare for students with intellectual difficulties according to Edie Cusack. Life for this population tends to slow down considerably when they graduate from high school. But college can be an inclusive educational experience for students with intellectual difficulties that prepares them for productive and meaningful lives.
Blindness
The Tommy Edison Experience
Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, uses humor to answer the most popular questions about living without sight, takes on more challenges which test his other senses, and goes on adventures that allow him to experience things for the first time.
Does A Blind Person Visualize Things In Their Mind?
Molly Burke
HEY! I'm Molly, a typical sushi and makeup loving millennial girl who just so happens to be blind!
I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at just 4 years old and began public speaking at age 5. Even though I can’t see, I know that there are bright spots in everything we face. Let’s find them together!
Deafness
How can we break down the barriers that hold deaf people back? In a powerful talk signed in British Sign Language and voiced over by Omoyele Thomas, Rebekah Afari shares her experience of growing up deaf in a world created for hearing people and calls on us all to tear down the barriers to inclusion together and make her dream of equal opportunities for deaf and hearing people a reality.
A glimpse of some of the different aspects of daily life for a Deaf person.
Mobility
Can people in wheelchairs attend college?
In this video, Kevin talks about what it was like attending college in his wheelchair.
My first day of college in a wheelchair
I never thought that I would ever go to college, especially with a disability, but you never know what life throws at you and I'm just happy to be going along with it.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
It’s like my mind is running in 10 different directions.