Leadership and Disabled Individuals

Hi All,

Today I would like to talk a bit about leadership. Leadership is something that is commonly spoken of and admired but is not a common quality. Moreover, individuals with disabilities might never think of themselves as having the potential for leadership but this assumption is entirely inaccurate.

If you're an individual living with a disability there are numerous ways you can become a leader. Some ways include:

*Participating in a club, group or organization
*Teaching someone else something new
*Emulating the examples of other good leaders
*Taking a class on public speaking or assertiveness
*Joining a team

I hope that this helps you in your path to leadership!

~Mainstreaming

People First Language

Hi All,

I say all even though I dont have any followers yet, however I hope that there will be so I'm anticipating the event! At any rate I'm writing today about people first language. When refering to people with disabilities, they should be refered to as just that: people with disabilities. They are still people and they have a disability. To call someone a disabled person draws attention first to their disability and second to their humanity. Hope that this bit of information is informative and enlightening!

~ Mainstreaming

Louisiana

Hi All,

I am very excited because I will be giving a presentation to the ARC of Louisiana in Baton Rouge next week. The presentation is actually a speech about starting your own business as a disabled person and will be given to those with disabilities as well as their care takers. The speech is meant to be motivational as well as informative. At any rate I cant wait to be out there!

~ Mainstreaming

My Heroes

Dear Listeners,

When I was younger I was always asked who my heroes were. Many people named famous movies stars (including myself) or people who had 'made it big'. But recently I have had a change in perspective. God gives everyone their individual talents and gifts. After working with individuals who have disabilities, and who endure the same hardships that everyone else does in life, my heroes are now these men and women. Its far more interesting and enjoyable to see what someone with limited abilities can accomplish in their life as opposed to someone who finds everything comes easy to them.

~ Mainstreaming

Introduction

Hello!

My name is Hallie Long and I am a disabilities advocate. As a person born with a disability I have a unique take on just what it really means to be disabled and to overcome the challenges associated with those issues. I created Mainstreaming In America in 1996 to help educate the public, non-profit organizations, and for-profit organizations on topics pertaining to disabled persons in the work place, as a customer, and in society at large. We here at Mainstreaming In America hope you'll enjoy our blogs as much as we enjoy posting them. Please visit our website at www.MainstreamingInAmerica.com to get a better picture of who we are and what we do. Thanks and God bless!

~ Mainstreaming