Kathy Jo:

There have been several suggestions during the past two weeks to try to help
you but I have not seen any response from you that you would try them. Can
you physically go outside on your own or do you need assistance? How much can
you do for yourself? Are your parents being over protective because of your
disability or do they trust you that you will not hurt yourself?  If you want
some kind of independence you must take small steps first like walking or
using your wheelchair to get around your own neighborhood. I believe Gary or
Anthony suggested going to a store and that's a great suggestion. You should
try to talk to your parents and let them know what you want for your future.
If they do not want to listen to you then you should talk to someone that
they respect and that person may give you the support you need. It's a great
feeling when you go to the store for the first time and buy what you choose
to. When doing these kinds of things you build up confidence in yourself and
then you will be talking about your able to do.

All of us want to be as independent as we can be.  Everyone needs some kind
of help  but for people with physical disabilities there are more obstacles
in the way. Some of us need more assistance than others but we can achieve
our goals by being realistic, working hard and accepting our strengths and
weaknesses. We need to work on our strengths and weaknesses so we can
physically and emotionally become stronger.

What does being independent mean? All of us may define independence in
different ways. Some of us may find ways to communicate better, some may find
ways to get dressed or fed or have our bathroom needs met. We can find ways
to have these basic needs met by doing them ourselves or getting assistance.
There is no shame in getting assistance if it is truly needed. Many of us
want to live in our own place, get a job and earn what we get out of life.
For many of us our disabilities effects us in getting jobs and there are many
instances where the attitudes society has on the disabled community hurts our
chances to live the best lives we can. We cannot change everyone's attitudes
towards the disabled but we can educate as many people as we can that have
open minds

How do we become as independent as we can be? We must accept our own
disabilities. We should always search to improve physically, emotionally and
spiritually. I believe we should never make our disabilities an excuse for
not attempting to improve your life. We are human and it's healthy to get
frustrated at times at what we cannot accomplish but we should not dwell on
that. Many of us with disabilities have more time and then we dwell on what
we cannot do but I try to use my anger to push myself more. I also believe
it's important to help people and keep the mind and body active

Stephen Allman