What I am doing in the next couple of months

Good day,

I hope everybody is having a good summer. I am enjoying it for sure. I try to be more active and to be more involved in the community. Being part of the Calgary Transit Access Eligibility Appeal Board gives me the opportunity to advocate for the people with disabilities in the city, but I have the feeling that I have to do more. Next month I will apply to be part of the Advisory Committee on Accessibility, because I want to be an ambassador for the accessibility community and City of Calgary, trying to improve the quality of people's lives. 

The next step is to make a movie for the Superfest International Disability Film Festival in California. It will be a short movie, 45 minutes long. The festival has awards and prizes like Disable Filmmaker Award, Advocacy Award and Access Award. I will send my movie to the Advocacy Award where they will choose the film with the most powerful message for disability justice. The movie will highlight the successes and struggles of people with disability, relying on my life experience and story. 

What I'm working at

Hi everybody,

How's it going? It is a long time since I write anything. I been busy with going to the Disability Film festival and my two films were in there. 
Now I am on the Calgary Transit Access Eligibility Appeal Board, where I try to advocate for people with disabilities. 
Also, I started a new project. I want to be a speaker for TED. That's why I made a short video for them about my life using the app that I create with a great team from the U of C. If you want to get a look at it go to Youtube, using this link: https://youtu.be/34SJdxGs6Hk

Have a nice day,
Shawna

Taking Life by the Horns/ my Deepest Desire

I was out for coffee with my friend and she told me she wanted to get away ... but she's being a real chicken about it. She's told me a couple of places she wishes to go,  I just think "Oh my gosh, if I were you I'd be out of here in one hot minute". 

I wonder what I would do if I didn't have a disability... Would I grab life by the horns and never look back? I have family and friends here but I don't have "roots" as in no job, no man, no pet, no kids, I'm a pretty free bird. Sometimes I wish I could go to the airport and just pick a flight somewhere. Wherever I ended up, I would would email my parents to let them where I am... and so they know I'm still alive. haha. 

 Sometimes I want to go all over the world and advocate for individuals with disabilites and write about it on my blog for everyone else to see. I would want my blog to be accessible all around the world. That's my heart's desire. Ultimately, because of my own battles with disabilities I have a connection and understanding with other people with disabilities. I guess I can thank my Cerebral Palsy for my balsy advocate desires. 

The reality is that there are so many fears I have associated with taking a risk like that. For instance, what if I left and something tragic happened to my parents... or another family member. What could I do being so far away from them? Perhaps it's more advantageous to them if I'm gone because then no one has to be responsible for me and my well being... Well, that's not entirely true. Everything that I need help with over here I would still need help with anywhere else in the world. If it wasn't a friend or family member, it would have to be someone else assisting me where I am. Don't get me wrong, I love my family! They are the reason I'm here and I couldn't be who I am without them. But they also have their own lives and I understand that and I'm happy for them! 

This is what's in my heart and this is where I can be myself. If I can't be honest here I might as well stop trying... and stop writing.... On a happier note, I still live pretty grand adventure and I hope I can keep living my life out the way I want to.