Life Possible with a Disability

Chelsie Nitschke is 30, flirty, and thriving in Nashville Tennessee. At 18 years old with dreams of being a soldier in the United States Army. In 2011, on her way to basic training on day her car stopped working while on the interstate and while sitting in the undrivable car Chelsie was struck by another car. The car accident caused Chelsie to sustain a C4/C5 spinal cord injury, leaving her paralyzed from the neck down. Without a career path in mind Chelsie started college at Tennessee State University. She graduated with degrees in Sociology and English in 2020, with thoughts of going to grad school. However, she acquired her first job since her injury, tutoring and teaching chess, at an elementary school in Nashville, just this year. She is discovering new passions and goals for teaching to add to her list of “loves”. This includes pop punk concerts, reading books and fashion.

Chelsie found out about the Fashion is 4 Every Body Fashion Show, lead by Alicia Searcy in Nashville and started volunteering for the nonprofit organization years ago. This year Chelsie was asked to be a model and she loved the experience. Chelsie’s love of color and an edgy sense of fashion shined as she rolled down the fashion is 4 Every Body this year.

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Karen

Mark Raymond has a deep-rooted history of serving the community. Building on the legacy of his grandfather, A.P. Tureaud, Mark has played a vital role in advancing various equity-centered efforts across the Greater New Orleans area and beyond. From renaming historic streets and landmarks in New Orleans to creating a more accessible and robust rehabilitative health infrastructure in the Gulf South, Mark’s aptitude for cultivating relationships and driving coordinated, healing-centered change has been vital to the advancement of those most disadvantaged.
This is the link to the Split Second Foundation, https://www.splitsecondfoundation.org/
Mark’s commitment to fighting for justice and equity started as a child but was intensified following a shallow diving accident in 2016, in which he damaged the vertebrae by the base of his neck and lost the ability to walk. For Mark, this life-changing experience illuminated the reality of disparities in access, and there were very few community resources to turn to for help. His new disability and lack of support ultimately pushed him to advocate for millions of others by transforming the split-second that led to his injury into a life filled with awareness, hope, and action.
He founded Split Second Foundation to make people aware of a growing population of individuals impacted by disability, advocate for their rights, fund cutting-edge research, and provide clear-cut steps to immediately improve their quality of life.
To date, Mark’s impact on inclusive health and human services, as well as justice-driven policy work, has been substantial. Mark was able to open Split Second Fitness, which is the first inclusive gym in Louisiana, with an intentional focus on people living with paralysis, amputation, or other neurological conditions that impact mobility.
He also serves on several federal, state, and local boards and commissions to represent and advocate for people living with disabilities. Notably, Mayor LaToya Cantrell appointed him to the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) New Orleans Board of Commissioners, where he holds the positions of Vice-Chair and Chairman of the Finance Committee overseeing the planning, implementation, and execution of the agency’s $109 million budget.
Recently, RTA introduced the first two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant streetcars on the historical St. Charles streetcar line.
Mark’s work within the community and through SSF has earned him numerous awards including:
*Gambit’s “40 Under 40”
*New Orleans Magazine’s “Ones to Watch”
*Millennial Change Makers Award
*Xavier University’s “40 Under 40”

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Karen

Ali Ingersoll has been living with paralysis from the chest down since 2010. In addition to maintaining her blog about life with paralysis Quirky Quad Diaries, Ali is a diversity and inclusion specialist and consultant and a perpetual advocate for the paralysis community. She was Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina 2022 and recently won Ms. Wheelchair America 2023. Ms. Wheelchair America is not a beauty pageant, but a competition based on a female wheelchair users history of disability advocacy and her ability to articulate her platform. Ali recently came up with the idea to have her friend Billy simulate life as a quadriplegic for an evening out on the town. Although Billy could ever fully know the difficulties a quadriplegic, she had him fit for a power wheelchair and they had an interesting experience!
Billy Warden is a writer, TV and events producer, band leader and co-founder of the marketing firm GBW Strategies.  His clients have included Facebook, Dole Food and Uber. As an executive producer with E! Entertainment Networks, Billy worked closely with Joan Rivers and the team that popularized the celebrity fashion reviews. Billy’s journalism has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, FastCompany.com, and Our State Magazine among others. His long-running indy glam rock band, The Floating Children, continues to record and perform. 
Hear about Ali and Billy's adventure and read the article Billy wrote about their adventure! 
Ali Ingersoll profile in Walter: 
https://waltermagazine.com/current-issue/new-heights-disability-advocate-ali-ingersoll/

Ali Ingersoll & Billy Warden "Night on Wheels": 
https://waltermagazine.com/noted/a-night-on-wheels/

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Karen

Mike has provided Complex Rehabilitation Technology Equipment (CRT) and assisted clinicians and case manager in achieving great outcomes for their clients for 30 years.  Mike was among the first group of mobility professionals to sit for the RESNA ATP credentialing exam in 1997 earning his ATP (Assistive Technology Professional) credential.  Mike has been a registrant of NRRTS (National Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers) and maintained his CRTS (Certified Rehabilitation Technology Supplier) certification since 1994.  Mike has served as President of NRRTS’s and remains active within the organization as current Review Chair for Region C.  Mike was awarded the Simon Margolis Fellow Award for having made long standing and significant contributions to NRRTS and the CRT profession.  Mike has served on the RESNA Professional Standards Board as Chair and served on the complaint’s resolution committee.  

Mike has been an active member of the Kansas City Chapter of CMSA for over 25 years.  Mike has assisted case managers and consumers in obtaining custom wheelchairs and seating systems and maintains a strong passion to ensure all goals are met and best outcomes are achieved.

Mike has presented nationally to equipment providers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Case Managers on Complex Rehabilitation Technology.

Mike continues to be a strong advocate for Complex Rehabilitation Technology education and for a client centered approach to providing Complex Rehabilitation Technology equipment to consumers.  Mike is currently the Vice President of National Accounts for Numotion and can be reached at [email protected] 

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Karen

My name is Alicia Searcy, and I am the Spashionista. I live in Nashville, Tennessee, and was born with Cerebral Palsy. I’m wheelchair or walker dependent because CP affects my balance and ability to perform tasks that require fine motor skills such as typing and fastening small buttons. Growing up my mother, who was a model in her youth, was very critical of my body shape and weight. Because of this I struggled between bouts of anorexia and weight gain for most of my life. For many years I simply gave up on myself and my appearance. As a result, and because of my disability many people treated me as if I couldn’t think for myself. They would speak to the people around me but not directly to me. My desire to change the way people perceived me led me to pay attention to how I was presenting myself in public. I basically gave myself a makeover and it made a world of difference in my interactions with others. It gave me the confidence to self-advocate and a passion for using fashion as a means of self-expression.

In 2012, I googled “disabled fashion blogger” and there weren’t any listed. So I started Spashionista (short for spastic fashionista), one of the first fashion blogs by a person with a disability on the internet, to address the need for disabled representation within the fashion industry.

I’m also the co-founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Fashion is for Every Body. Our mission is to challenge stereotypes and change lives using the transformative power of fashion. We use fashion as a language to promote body-positivity and self-esteem while seeking inclusion for adults of all ages, sizes and physical abilities within the fashion industry. 

To learn more about me and my upcoming fashion show, listen to this podcast!

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Karen

As the Chief Program and Policy Officer for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Regina Blye oversees operations of the National Paralysis Resource Center by developing and delivering programs that provide the critical services and resources that help people build healthy, independent lives.

Regina sustained a C6-C7 spinal cord injury at the age of 10. She brings over two decades of disability policy and advocacy experience, making the move to Reeve to work more directly with people living with spinal cord injury and paralysis.

Prior to starting with Reeve, she led the Independent Living Services program at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), monitoring compliance with the Rehabilitation Act and overseeing 155 federal grantees. Before that, as executive director of the Texas State Independent Living Council, she expanded independent living initiatives across the state. Her work has affected thousands of individuals and families living with disabilities and was recognized by President Barack Obama with a 2011 appointment to the United States Access Board, serving as Vice-Chair.

Regina earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications Studies at West Texas A&M University and a Master of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Karen

April Ballentine survived the unthinkable: a domestic violence attack that left her with paralysis. In 2013, April was attacked by her partner. "I was hunted down," she explained. The individual shot her multiple times. April was rapidly transported to the University of Kentucky's trauma unit. "Police officers and the K9 unit guarded my door in the ICU," April recalled. 
April has spent the last nine years navigating life with paralysis. Today, a new opportunity with the same hospital that saved her life gives her renewed hope for a bright, healthier future. April currently works for the Lexington Sheriffs Department helps others who have experienced domestic abuse.
April is a member of the Numotion Customer Advisory Board. The Customer Advisory Board is a forum of diverse individuals who share direct customer insights with Numotion regarding experiences and perspectives, as well as provide ideas and guidance resulting in lasting positive change at Numotion and the CRT industry. 
The University of Kentucky has allowed April to try a ReWalk exoskeleton, a cutting-edge robotic device that will enable people with paralysis to stand and walk again. "The University of Kentucky medical team saved my life," explained April. "Now, nine years later, they are bringing the technology here that will allow me to walk again." April has been training with a personal trainer and has improved her upper body and core strength. Walking with the Rewalk system has also improved April’s overall health and mental well-being.
To bring this life-changing possibility within reach, her community has started a medically verified fundraising campaign with the nonprofit Help Hope Live. If you want to learn more go to https://helphopelive.org/campaign/20338/ Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, and all funds raised will be managed by the nonprofit to cover verified medical and related expenses. Help Hope Live verifies the medical and financial needs of every patient.

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Karen

Leah Holderbaum, OTR, CBIS, ATP received both her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Science, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. Leah has 10 years of clinical experience, which began with Kettering Health Network in Ohio at the NeuroRehab and Balance Center. Leah expanded her career to Texas in 2012, as an occupational therapist on the Spinal Cord Injury Team at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation-Dallas, where she served as the clinical specialist. 
While at Baylor, Leah facilitated a national research study, in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania, regarding compliance with intermittent cathing. Leah has developed and instructed continuing education courses on the therapeutic management of the spinal cord injured patient, and the distinct role of the OT in bladder management, and has provided lectures at Texas A&M, the University of St. Augustine, and TWU on SCI. Her webinar entitled Clean Intermittent Cathing:  An Interdisciplinary Approach to Best Practice launched nationally in 2020. Currently, Leah is serving on a national expert panel regarding establishing a standard protocol for clean intermittent cathing. She developed a passion for education, and bladder management as the Clinical Specialist on the SCI team, based on knowledge and experience with quality of life improvements with patients, which earned her the acclaimed status of “Cath Queen”. 
Leah was recently published in the 2nd edition of the WOCN Core Curriculum, and is also contributing faculty at the University of St. Augustine for the Occupational Therapy Department.
Leah currently works for Numotion as Medical Supply Account Manager, where she has the opportunity to share her love for bladder management, and promote quality of life and independence for customers she encounters.65646454yt

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Karen

In 2007 Heidi McKenzie was in a traumatic car accident that left her a T4 paraplegic at 21. She keeps a positive attitude regarding her injury, and she lives every day to the fullest with a smile on her face. Heidi has a clothing design business called Alter UR Ego, where she designs jeans for other people in wheelchairs that are both functional and fashionable. Heidi also sells the most adorable t-shirts. The mission of Alter UR Ego is to make it possible for those with disabilities to be able to express their “alter-ego” through fashion while breaking down social barriers.
Heidi is a graduate of Morehead State University with a bachelor’s degree in Small Business Management. She is Ms. Wheelchair Kentucky 2012, where she served as an advocate for those in wheelchairs traveling the US sharing. Heidi credits the Ms. Wheelchair America organization for introducing her to other female wheelchair users and the confidence to empower others.
Heidi now works for SpinLife, part of Numotion as a merchandising associate providing people with mobility equipment to live their daily lives. She is also a member of the Ms. Wheelchair Ohio Program Board, empowering women female wheelchair users to be advocates and keep rolling forward! You will love her like I do!

https://alterurego.co/

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Karen

Kathleen Zimmerman is a Numotion customer I met through social media. Kathy was the director of a national nonprofit for nearly 30. She was the Director of National Promotions & Events in the fundraising department and raised 7M annually. She was dealing with a variety of sponsors and vendors across the country.

Born with Dwarfism, Kathy refers to herself as a little person. As a little person, she never considered herself disabled, but suddenly in 2016, she became a person with paraplegia, paralyzed from the waist down due to surgery. Kathy has found the combination of these two diagnoses quite difficult. Kathy and her husband have found that advocacy is the best way to improve accessibility and improve their ability to live a fulfilled and happy life.

Kathy is currently advocating for the NY Assembly Bill A2563 during the 2021-2022 Legislative Session. This bill "Requires full family service restroom facilities in public buildings.” The passage of NY Assembly Bill A2563 could help Kathy and others in New York if it is passed. Kathy hopes this bill passes in New York, spreads to other states, and helps people with disability across the country. You can find the link to the proposed legislation below. 

 https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/A2425

 Disability Advocacy is crucial to improved accessibility, and our voices are always stronger together. I hope Kathy’s story inspires you to advocate for people with disabilities in your community.

Thank for Listening! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @LifePossibleKR. Here is my Linktree!
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If you are enjoying the content or have feedback send me a message. I would love to hear from you!
Karen