By Adria Nassim One day, shortly after I began taking classes at Indiana University, I missed my bus. It was cold and snowing, and I wandered around trying to find my way home for quite a while with no hat and my jacket unzipped. Soon I was lost. I pulled out my phone and called… Read more »
Entries by wausbrook
Welcome, Thomas!
By Adria Nassim August 13 will always be a special day to me. That was the day I met Thomas. I had driven that morning from Bloomington, Ind. to Indianapolis with my parents to meet him. The staff at the Indiana Canine Assistance Network in Zionsville, Ind., had called a few days earlier saying they… Read more »
Fear, Discomfort, and Disability
By Adria Nassim When I’m in front of an audience sharing about my life with multiple disabilities, I try to be very relaxed, natural, and easygoing and make my presentations fun and interesting. I recognize that not every person listening may have had prior experience with anyone with a disability, and they may be a… Read more »
Diagnosed at 15
By Adria Nassim I remember sitting in the developmental pediatrician’s office as she reviewed the clinical assessment her partner, a child psychologist, conducted. The results stated that I fit the criteria for what, at the time, was called Asperger’s Syndrome. “I would say she fits the syndrome,” she said quietly. Asperger’s Syndrome, now folded into… Read more »
I Am My Own HR Department
by Adria Nassim For several years now, I have recruited and brought my own direct care providers to the disability services organization I use for supports. The advantage to this is that I have more control over who provides supports to me. The direct care industry is currently strapped and struggling to find enough providers… Read more »