So with this in mind, I began to reach out to people of this marginalized community to get to know them more. And then I had epiphany number 2: These people are brilliant and amazing. Actually that doesn’t encompass it well enough, the are BRILLIANT and AMAZING. Yes, all caps is needed here.

The people I met are super intelligent, creative, patient, passionate and compassionate. They have discovered methods and tools to accomplish many of their goals, which are usually the same as yours and mine. Yet, despite being able to prove the desire and skill to do what drives them for a living, they are denied employment.

That’s the dream: To build a design and development agency comprised primarily of people that have the skills but are denied the opportunity because something allows the government to call them “disabled”, because they are not.

I’ve been thinking of something like this in the dark corners of my mind. But this is the first time I’ve seen it written down. And you know what that means? It’s more likely to happen! Read more about Gregory’s idea.

Life Rolls On cover

My first reaction was something like, “Whoa, this is like someone taking my thoughts and then publishing them.” It was real. I don’t know many people who know exactly what I go through with SMA. My brother, Matt, knows me inside and out as we often share moments of identical brain activity. Other than that, the people my age that I have talked to who truly understand living with SMA is a tiny, one-digit number. Despite the relentless tragedy that a book about SMA inevitably exudes, I found comfort in knowing that someone else has faced the same challenges I have. But it wasn’t all bad news. Duane’s story was one of hope, acceptance, courage, love, endurance, and positivity.

What affected me the most was the period in Duane’s life just after graduating high school. He was unemployed and lived with his parents. He was struggling with depression because his life lacked purpose. It had been reduced to a life of being isolated in his house only to emerge into the real world for so-called “soda runs” which were less about a craving for soda than they were about a craving for human interaction. He wanted a job and a family even. But those things seemed far out of his reach. At the risk of spoiling the plot, I’ll say he finally did achieve those wishes. But reading about his inner-battle reminds me of where I am in my own life. In fact, I even have his daily soda-runs in the form of having my attendant take me out to lunch. And I hope that, like him, I will find an employer who won’t write me off and maybe I can even run into my own “Kim”, perhaps on one of my lunch-runs. Who knows, right? :-)

The takeaway of Life Rolls On is just that. Life keeps going and you have to roll with the punches. Do what you can, be positive and proactive, and take a leap of faith. As I said before, you still have your dreams. Duane’s book is a case study in achieving them.

See the very raw video explaining the idea.

NaNoWriMo is both an easy and hard thing to define. It’s an event. It’s a challenge. It’s a game. It’s work. It’s art. It’s paradoxically social and anti-social. The event takes place on the NaNoWriMo website and in the computers and notebooks of aspiring writers the world over. The latter is where the work gets done and the former is where everyone goes to talk about it. The site lets you keep a tally of your word count, chat with other Wrimos on the forums, and stay up to date with all things NaNo. It’s social novel writing. And it’s brilliant.

It’s also inclusive. Thanks to the concept of a “home region” on the NaNoWriMo forums, I was able to get in touch with folks in Mississippi who were participating in the event. A few of us got together in person just before the first of the month to talk about our ideas (and then several times throughout the month). It was the first meetup I had been to. It was interesting and fun meeting new people who had the same dorky goal as I did. Something occurred to me. At our table, there sat a lawyer, a high school student, a waitress, an architect, and a web designer. It was a diverse bunch indeed.

And that’s when I realized that I had stumbled upon something special. I had found an activity that was inherently inclusive. At a concert or sporting event I would need special seating and other accommodations. And many activities that I can do are passive. They involve watching and being entertained. But NaNoWriMo is active, and I can participate as well as anyone else can (except the ones who finish their novels; they are totally out of my league). I think it’s important for people with disabilities to have social activities that they can participate in, especially if they spend a lot of time confined at home. NaNoWriMo is a good one because one can talk to fellow writers on the website and one can step it up a notch and attend a local meetup. And a local meetup is usually a small group conversation over coffee, so no worrying about large crowds, weird access problems, and other obstacles people with disabilities run in to.

I didn’t get to the finish line this year, but I had fun and learned things that will help me get there next November. If you are looking for an inclusive, social activity be sure to check out NaNoWriMo. And if you can’t wait until next November, then check out other Office of Letters and Light events, including Script Frenzy, and Camp NaNoWriMo.

From a broader perspective, I see NaNoWriMo as yet another exhibit of evidence that creative pursuits are worth the time and effort and that they can be especially beneficial to people with disabilities. So to all my fellow creatives out there, keep doing what you love. And to all my fellow Wrimos, here’s to a wordy 2012.

The opening keynote on Day 1 was the perfect way to begin a conference — of any kind. It was titled “Dwelling in Possibility: the Values, Beliefs & Habits of Inclusive Schools” and was presented by author and speaker Dr. Paula Kluth. I’ll be the first to admit that as someone who has finally finished the “schooling” part of his life and is mostly focused on employment, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by a talk about our nation’s school systems. Boy was I wrong! In hindsight, this talk set the foundation for the rest of the conference.

A vision bigger than our vision

Rightly so, Dr. Kluth began with one of the most prolific civil rights dreamer of our time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was a visionary. In his epic “I have a dream” speech, he described what he saw was possible at a time when such things were very impossible. We have come a long way since then. But, sadly, people with disabilities fell behind in the civil rights movement.

It took a while for children with disabilities to gain access to schools (because why would they need to be educated, right?). Even when children with disabilities got access to schools, they didn’t necessarily get access to educations. Even when I was in grade school in the early 90s, kids with disabilities were often segregated from the rest of the kids and educated at a level deemed appropriate for them. And how was this level determined? Standardized assessments? As it turns out, neither IQ nor behavior patterns, nor any other typical data point is a good indicator of how well a kid with a disability would be included. The most reliable indicator for inclusion is zip code.

Yes, where you live is what determines how well you will be included.

Communities, parents, teachers, and administration who have higher rates of inclusion do so because they see what is possible. Had Anne Sullivan not come along and saw what was possible for Helen Keller, what would the world be like today? And what if she had given up after weeks of seemingly useless teaching? But she had a vision. And she stuck with it until Helen had her defining moment.

The point is that if people are willing to see what is possible for a child with a disability, that child has the potential to go far. The most dangerous assumption is that the student won’t learn anything. That he or she won’t understand. The least dangerous assumption is to believe that the student will understand and will learn. Because the reward will far outweigh the risks. We have to have a vision instead of writing people off. And when we think we have achieved everything that is possible, we need to have an even bigger vision.

A SaaS model that allows users to choose from a range of web features that are not accessible to them. Those preferences are saved on the Service. Web developers can check users’ preferences before programmatically implementing the features in question.

For example, before a jQuery slideshow is implemented, a check is done against the Service to make sure that slideshow transitions are OK for the current user (because it could cause motion sickness for some people). This would probably be done in a PHP function. If there is no conflict, a PHP function is run to implement the slideshow. If there is a conflict, a fallback PHP function could be run.

Graceful degradation.

We like the idea of being Macs, not PCs. Computers were boring plastic boxes meant to function as part of an office workspace (it’s called a “desktop” for goodness sake). Macs aren’t just trendy; they embody a creative spirit. From the physical design to the applications they are best at running – Macs were made for artists – and everyone wants to be an artist.

The technology inspired by Steve Jobs has helped me keep going when my atrophied body was trying to stop me. I applaud his accomplishments and am grateful for his help. So here’s to the crazy one himself.

I’ve been out of college since May 2009. I’ve been trying to find work ever since. I know I am a good web designer. I know I have a lot to learn. But I know I can succeed if given the chance. I want to contribute. I need to contribute. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life on disability.

I’m an avid learner when it comes to web design. I read constantly. I keep up with best practices and technology. I study principles of design and apply them to my work. All this has managed to keep me satisfied. I justified not having a job to myself by saying that I have been using the time productively, getting better and better at my craft. My good friend Jeff Horton, president of Stop SMA, put me to work on Stop SMA’s websites, and that has really helped me keep going during these last two years.

Earlier this year, I worked briefly as a Happiness Engineer for Automattic on a trial basis. In short: it was awesome. I could work from home just like everyone else in the company. I got to interact with great people. And I got to help people with their WordPress.com blogs. A win-win-win. But I’ve always told myself that I wouldn’t go for a position if my disability kept me from doing a good job. The primary function of the job was replying to email. And one of the things I am slowest at is writing email. Code is easier. I have tools that make me much more proficient at writing code. But good old-fashioned English language I can only output at the mind-blowing rate of about 18 words per minute, thanks to HippoRemote and KeyStrokes. Otherwise it would be a lot slower. Let me be clear. Automattic did everything right. My team leader said she was looking at quality over quantity. They gave me honest feedback and they offered to help however they could. I will forever be grateful for that. But in the end, support requests were flooding in and I didn’t feel like my output was going to help the Happiness team much. In the interest of the company and the users, I ended my trial with Automattic on good terms. It was back to square one.

About three weeks ago, things looked like they might turn around for me. I applied for a web-related position with a Mississippi-based company (of which I won’t name). I completed a questionnairre that was reserved for only the “serious” candidates. I did a one-hour phone interview. The next day, I did an in-person interview. I talked to three people and the entire interview was nearly two and a half hours. Few candidates made it that far, possibly me and one other person. I was told I would here from them, regardless of whether I was hired or not, in a couple of days.

It’s been three weeks. I’ve yet to receive any contact whatsoever. I may have to eat my words (in fact, I hope I’ll have to) but it seems that they hired the other candidate and the courtesy of calling me to let me know just fell through the cracks. I’m not making any accusations, but after a while, I start to wonder why I am able to make it to in-person interviews but never get an offer. How much does my disability affect my chances? I don’t want to think it affects them at all because that would be a tough pill to swallow.

So here I sat. At the very desk on which I am writing this post. And somehow, I stumbled upon the September 1 episode of The Big Web Show with Jeffrey Zeldman and Dan Benjamin. Let me set the stage. This podcast is big, as the title suggests. Jeffrey Zeldman is like the Godfather of web design. His circle of influence hit me early in my quest to be a web designer. And Dan Benjamin is this mad genius with a perfect radio voice who, I’m convinced, can carry on a conversation on any topic with any person and look like a seasoned expert in that area.

So there I was. And I they were covering a topic dear to my heart. Disability. And not just the usual screen reader angle. They interviewed this amazing woman, Marissa, who in many ways is going through the same thing that I’ve been going through for the last two years. And they were just chatting about her disability. And she wants to be a web designer. And she needs to work from home. And Jeffrey and Dan were taking to heart her struggle and sharing it with the world. And it was amazing.

Back in 2008, I managed to attend the awesome conference for people who make websites, An Event Apart (co-owned by Zeldman). It was one of the best learning experiences I’ve had. And I want to go to another one. But traveling is extremely difficult. And accessible hotel rooms are expensive. And the conference ticket price is expensive. So I haven’t gone back. I don’t have any web designer friends in my area. I’m isolated from that world. And it’s hard to get in when you’re isolated.

But here was Marissa. She made it to The Big Web Show and she was sharing with Jeffrey and Dan my exact frustrations, as well as my aspirations. While listening to the podcast, I get a phone call from my Mom. She felt bad about the whole job thing and wanted to take me to eat and see a movie (don’t hate, Moms are awesome!). It was in that moment that I realized something.

We still have our dreams.

Regardless of whether this company hires me or that company hires me, I am going to continue making websites. And with each one I will get better and better. Hearing Marissa’s story made me remember when I was in that same predicament. Well, not exactly the same. But close. I was just getting started in web design. It was scary. I didn’t have the means (physically or financially) to go to a design school. But I knew I wanted to make websites. I lucked out and had what may very well be the best course I ever took: Advanced Languages I with Dr. Rodney Pearson. In it, I learned JavaScript and HTML basics. I began picking up CSS and design principles on my own. I started making websites. Starting is at least half the battle. Regardless of what obstacles came in my way, I pushed forward in stubborn ignorance, determined to do what I wanted.

Sitting at my computer the other day, I realized that I had, indeed, become a web designer. I make websites. And not having a job right now isn’t going to take that away from me. I still have my dreams. One day, something big is going to happen. I’ll land my dream job. Or I’ll become a successful freelancer. And even if neither of those things happen, I’ll at least keep volunteering for charity, working on personal projects, and contributing some of my creations to the world (WordPress theme is in the works!).

We still have our dreams. We have them when we are frozen with fear. We have them when people think it silly to reach for them. We have them when it seems everything is working against us. Sometimes life can appear a bit hopeless. But when we don’t quit believing in ourselves, when we have friends and family behind us, and when we take a leap of faith, who or what is going to stop us?