SUCCESS IS NY ONLY OPTION! SN.com

I have cerebral palsy (paraphlegia--affects right side only. As a child societies norn was to act as though the disability community did not exist. My parents followed this same belief. It was a dysfunctional family as well--my father phsically abused his children and my mother verbally and emotionally abused. Both of these issues can be psychologically damaging to any person but to a child with a disability more so.

My older sister is deaf and had so much potential but because she had the type of personality that needed to be encouraged and pushed to succeed today, she lives with my mother, gets a disability check, and physically abuses herself because of her displaced anger.

My younger sister treats her sisters exactly as her parents did and her expectations of her sisters is very low. And yet, she is a special education teacher, teaching childen with disabilities. She once had a student whose family my mother knew and made the remark to her--"at least they gave him a name he could learn to spell". That child has downs syndrome and when he was 13 he had a Bar Mitzvah. What does that tell you about the lind of teacher she is.

As a child growing up in that environment I felt insecure. Being the only child with a disability and having the other kids being cruel to me just because they misunderstood my disability and their own irrational fears did not help either. Growing up neither of my parents ever told us they loved us. Only after entering college and studying both mental health and psychology did I understand how they were scripting me for failure did I start to turn things around for myself. By this time my father was deceased.

First, I had to change my perception of myself, and learn to love myself for whom I am, that I had to decide did I want to accept myself as a failure or recript myself for success. Of course I chose the latter.
Once I start to change my attitude, but my younger sister or mother could not accept the changes in me than there was a rift in our relationship.

I hold an AAS in Mental Health, BS in Psychology, and credits towards an MS in Rehabilitation Counseling. It was when I was in graduate school that the Congress passed the Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA) in 1977. For the first time people with disabilities were gaurenteed the right to an education until the age 21. It was because of this law that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. As you can see because of my experiences I am an advocate for disability rights.

I entered the workplace in 1977. After getting a position with the Lownde-Valdosta Development Center and moved out on my own my mother says I ran away from home. After leaving this position I did not have a lot of opportunities or options opened to me so I started my own business in 1983. I always knew that once I left home it was for good and no going back. First as the Human Relations Development Centre and later the Career Performance Institue. As a member of Toastmasters I achieved both the CTM and ATM certifications. As a member of NSA-GA. I took part in their mentoring program. I wrote a speech titled SUCCESS IS MY ONLY OPTION! Then I took the American Seminar Leaders Association University and received the Certified Seminar Leader (CSL) certification. I have written two seminars that I offer as a homestudy program with personal coaching. They are CREATE YOUR OWN SUCCESS IN LIFE and START YOUR BUSINESS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET. I am also an Internet Marketing Expert and can help clients build their business on the internet.

Because my mother still tries to control me she is unwilling to help me so I've had to build my business as my funds allowed. Taking care of basic needs and keeping the roof over my head took priority. I only now have put together a contract with a client to help them write and market their seminar and assist them with marketing on the internet.

Someday I would like to set up a foundation to assist people with disabilities who want to start their own business with mentoring and low-interest loans. If this had been available to me I may have been able to reach my goals much sooner. I am looking for someone to help me with this ende