ones that are not televised or advertised as much as swimming or basketball . I think those athletes understand the sort of obstacles that we have to go through as Paralympians .
As for the training , you love the sport so you want to put in the work . I loved being in the gym with my teammates and I loved scrimmaging and practicing . All that wasn ’ t hard ; that was the fun part . It was the politics part . Always the politics .
How have your children dealt with the success of your book ?
It ' s really interesting . My kids see the level of ableism in our world that I didn ' t even see as a disabled person . My husband is not disabled , and the way that people interact with me compared to the way they interact with him is different . Our kids see that and they ' re always asking , “ Why do they do this with you and not to him ?” or “ Why did they ask you this and not him ?” So I think my kids have already been really immersed in the disabled community , whether they wanted to or not . You are born into advocacy just being kids of a wheelchair user .
My kids are very proud of me , super proud . They always brag about me and I think , because of proximity , their friends also have this awareness of disability because of us . My hope with Tenacious is that we can have this representation , this awareness , this education of disabled individuals at such an early age that it mitigates those harmful stereotypes and micro-aggressions that disabled people face on a daily basis . I hope it can target the youths , so they can be the change makers . They could really change the narrative around disability .
In your work as an author , a disabled advocate and a DEI professional , what achievements stand out for you ?
I ' m really proud of my time at the University of Wisconsin- Madison , which is where I started my career change . I was
as elementary teacher then I transitioned to higher education and into the field of diversity , equity and inclusion ( DEI ). I learned so much about myself and my students , and about the work that it takes to be antiracist and be a true advocate for social justice and learning . I was able to learn and share that with my students , which was very meaningful . These students weren ’ t kids but they could still have a huge influence as newer voters . We can make such an impact on our society just by learning and sharing . We can put that into practice at the ballot box or in classes or with community events , public service , etc . It was really great to be able to transition into this career and learn and share all things DEI with students .
34 Accessibilty for All