The Real Fear, 2017, Digital Media, 12000 X 12000 PX​

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The Real Fear, 2017, Digital Media, 12000 X 12000 PX $600.00 Not going to jail, but going back to nursing homes and worse. If there will be Medicaid cuts, it will send thousands of PWDs back to live in nursing homes and institutions. This will take away hall of our rights and be treated worse than inmates.

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Be Thankful, Obey Me, 2002 etching on paper, 9.5 X 10.5 inches

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Price: $350.00

Everyone sees electric chairs as a tool of freedom, but when you get one it morphs into your body.  Everything good as long you treat it well and keep it charge, or stay in places that are accessible.  When your chair need charge, or break it is someone cutting off your feet and stripping away your independence.

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How do you talk to someone with a disability? Try this magic word

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Having a Disability is hard for the whole family...

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Having a Disability is hard for the whole family, nobody has all of the answers even those who think they better. I know parenting is not a friendship, but at the right age the parent and child need to work together to see if they are taking the right path. They need to support each other in the failures and their successes. In addition, this will help the child gain their independence a learn how to network.

Fun and Interesting Things In The World of Disabilities

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Thanks to 3D printing, prosthetics can now be built faster and way cheaper than ever before. 

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This crazy, I am sure he was causing damage to both trucks. I just hope the easy way was worth it.

A blind dog was scared to walk, so its owner made this nice little device.

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On the last day of camp at BEMAA, we were trying to give examples to the camper of how the blind can be independent by remember, imagining the world around them. Each week we world talk about different disabilities so they could understand not all disabilities are the same.

Holy Fudge Batman!

Source: King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Friday, August 14, 2015

this looks awesome, I am too caution of water. I have been under too many times to push my luck.

Montgomery aims to make all taxicabs wheelchair accessible by 2025

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This also address my question about an extra charge for Uber and Lyft.
The council also approved a 25 cent surcharge on Uber, Lyft and other transportation network services that start in the county. The funds will be used to help offset the costs of purchasing and retrofitting an accessible taxicab and facilitate the delivery of accessible taxicab services in the county.

Posted by King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Thursday, August 13, 2015

Do people with different disabilities actually support each other?

I think we all are trying to have same goal of seeing PWDs having the rights of living life to the fullest, but the path is not the same. Think about it there are different groups in the disability community, I can at least name four. They are the Disabled Vets, Physical Disabled, Mentally Ill, Autism, and Deaf communities and they all have their interest to best benefit their needs.  Not that this is a bad thing, that is lust how the world works.

I think we all want to raise awareness so PWD have the same rights and are treated just as anyone else in America. I know my way of achieving this goal might not be the same as the next person's. I am ok with that, because the messages all add up to get to the end point that all want.


Posted by King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Thursday, August 6, 2015

Clients Always Have The To Express Feelings

So this is an email I just wrote to me Service Coordinator at Service Coordination incase I make to much noise.

I am very frustrated with UC2, the fired another one of my service coordinators.  This would be my 4th coordinator in 3 years.  I think it is very sad, because they use "paper work" as there reason to fire people. One coordinator quit only after a week on the job, because he did not like how things were run.

This week I am going to meet with Diane at UC2 to express how I feel.  I only wanted to inform you of the situation just incase.  I feel if I am a client of UC2, I should be able to  express when I feel they are letting their clients down. If UC2 feels people cannot do a good job, why hire them in the first place?

Posted by King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Monday, July 27, 2015

Budgets Are all Talk That People Think They Understand

Full Budget

This is just a interest chart to look at, not that I can understand it one bit. I know all these funds are meant to help #PWD, but by time it funnels down to the individual's service plan it is really pennies.

We always hear different agencies talk about tight budgets. I know there are a lot of people trying to do good with a small amount. The flip side is at some point I am sure some people are making money off of population that live on pennies a day.

Posted by King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Thursday, July 16, 2015

"Go forth and be HUMAN!"

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I can really relate to the third situation, because even the littlest of help can throw my whole system off.
This is along the lines of the presentation that Wifey and gave, we use stories and humor to get our message. This way people are learning without being told what, or what not to do.


Posted by King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Monday, July 13, 2015

Day Programs Becomes a Job With No Breaks

When a person with a disability attends a "day program" do they have the option of taking days off? To me this becomes a job and even people who work have vacation, sick or personal days  to do as they will. Especially when the only time when it's ok to miss a day when one is sick, or for a Dr. appointment, or when they are closed.

So why should it be any different in the disability world, we also have business to take care of, or like an extra day take it easy.

Posted by King Gimp - Dan Keplinger on Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Arts Participation among People with Disabilities

New NEA Research on Arts Participation among People with Disabilities

Very interesting article, It is just funny how art is still that to be as a luxury, or something that should be done on intellectual level.  When one still goes to a museum there are still expectations of how one should act. Don't point, if you talk you need to whisper almost everything what art is against.

Art to me, is just about expressing how one feels! Art does not need to be complex, or cost a lot to produce. Of course there are different level of art, but the commend thread of every form of  art is the power of  emotions.

Really the lack of art in disability community is sad, because art is the only thing that is not full of rules.  Being creative is freedom, there are no right or wrong. For people with disabilities it might be the only true freedom they would have.

An Example Why PWDs Get in Bubble

Wifey and I sat out today on our errands and I received a check that I wanted to cash on our way.  To get it cash today we went to the check's bank as I have done before, although I do not have an account with this bank. We made sure that we had two forms of ID and my stamp.

so we found a branch of the  bank in the area that we were in, we get up to the teller and gave her the check and both IDs. We also told her that I could make an X, or stamp the check, but right away she asked if I had a payee rep?  I have been to other branches of this bank and never had a problem although I do not have and account with them. Any other time I would just need to put a thumb print on the check and be done in 5 minutes.  After the third time the teller asked  Wifey about a payee rep. I lost it and loud.  She acted like I was not even there and she could not cash it, I just needed to go to my bank. The bank manager stepped in and I got my money. I am sure the manager knew I was pissed.  I know my actions were not appropriate, but I am just done!  I would rather act liked an asshole  and have my voice heard, be sides everyone remember assholes.

This is why People With Disabilities get in a routine, because once we get a comfort zone we feel respected. That is just want from society, but at the same time it becomes a bubble and becomes limited for resources when there is whole world to explore!

New Reddit thread asked disabled people to submit their pet peeves.

My biggest pet peeves is being told to calm down when I trying to talk, or do something.

Is it really that bad to be call inspirational, or will we just end up cutting off our noses in in spite? Really I do not like to be put on a pedestal, I am not perfect by a long shot. I just go the things that I do get the success that I want out of life. Maybe when people call the PWDs inspirational, it might be their way of reaching to us not always from pitty. If you we keep telling people: don't do that, or don't do this at some they will stop trying. When someone says, I am a inspiration to them I act humble and explain anyone can do it when they have a passion.

For example ‪ableism‬ ‪#inspirational porn‬, I myself do not really know what this term mean. The other day I was chatting with a parent and for her all of the new terms are making the lines blurry. How are we going to make other people understand what we want if I may be guilty of contributing to these terms just being myself? Is it not our goal to educate the rest of society about people with disabilities so we are accepted?

Is It Worth Getting Out Any More?

I have seen clips of the pinned down passenger that was rushing the cockpit on the flight to CO. I know it is better to be safe then sorry. I cannot help to think how easily that could be me on the bad end. I could be getting something out of my book bag and some one could take it the wrong way by me struggling. The more people tell me to calm down when I'm trying to do something, that just pisses me off. Then if people try to hold me down, I know I would end up in cuffs. Society has just become too aggressive and not wanting to take time to understand, I'm better off staying at home.

Just last year a person with developmental disabilities died in police custody for staying in a movie for a second showing. If police are trained on how to detain people safely and ends up dead, what happens if this is the out come with the layperson?

Why is it, If someone needs help some people do not want to get involve because if something goes wrong they might get sued?

PWDs Time Valuable Too

Maybe Gov. Hogan can finally fix MTA Mobility, I started using the service  when was 18 and now I am 42 and they use the same story for 23 years. We have a hour of window to pick up the client, do they understand a hour of waiting is even a hour waisted for PWDs. Most of all, it could be the different between missing your PCA and getting settled for the night.
While we were at Make Studio Friday, there were  two Artists that had to wait for at least an hour to be pick up. I can imagine how frustrating that is to spend the day creating art, getting to your Zen place and all of that can be undone because your ride cannot be on time or find the place.

Disabilities As Characters

Very interesting article,It can be amazing that most of society still see PWDs as someone needing to be taken care of, or always need to be watched. Think about it, in a span of less in 12 hours I have experienced being kick of hotels for not having PCA with me, or kick out of a bar for "being to drunk" when I just have CP. Then hours later I could be honored for my art and speaking out for PWDs. Maybe since people know movies and plays are scripted and can be fiction, after 2 hours people still go back to old mind set of "what it is to be disabled"?  I will be disabled for 42 years Monday and I am trying to figure it out!

I always say, I can just change one mind at a time then I am still doing my job.

We wouldn’t accept actors blacking up, so why applaud ‘cripping up’?

A Gimp’s Dilemma

The other week I rode with Wifey to her work’s office to drop off some paper work on the way to my studio since they are closed to each other. As always she leaves the car running while I sit in the car, so I can turn the music on or adjust the temperature if needed. It was a warm, but it was enough just to have the windows open.

As I was sitting there were some other employees started to gather, because they have a policy not to leave the car running while their clients sit in car.  I am trying to talk with this guy and women that approached my window.  To make a long story short, the guy figured out whom I was and I was there with my Wifey.

I could understand they were only doing their job, but I really wanted to tell the woman to kiss off since her attitude was so offensive. Does she really assume that everyone that has a disability can only be a client? To mean that is saying no one with a disability can be her equal. The thing that really got me steamed is as I was talking, I was spraying.  Under her breath I heard her say, I hope he does not have anything contagious?

I really wanted to tell her, she needs a new freak’n job! First she was acting like I had no idea what she was saying and second she was scared to be around me. If you have no passion, or compassion for people with disabilities, you need to get out of this field.