TamraHayden performs Black is the Color (of My True Love’s Hair) during The Jesse Terry and Friends Concert at The Winery at St. George in Mohegan Lake NY, July 30th, 2014
I still remember the three girls. I’ll never forget their names or what they did. The hateful looks, the eye rolling, the whispers and muttering under their breath when I was nearby. The comments got louder when there were no adults around. It started when I was 11, and in the sixth grade at a…
As I’m writing this, it is March 2021 and it’s been a year since I’ve updated this blog. Although I don’t only write about travel here, it’s been depressing to look back on my past trips and have to wonder when I could be in the world again. But I’ve been far from silent during…
Recently, the online disability community has been discussing ableism and whether we should let disability define us. On the one side, some people say “I am more then my disability. I don’t let it define me.” On the other side, there are those who believe we should “Let disability define us. Be proud. It’s part of our…
Along with the rest of the world, I watched the recent video of a doctor being dragged from a United Airlines flight with horror. Horror, but not surprise. While the physical violence in this incident was egregious and unusual, similar incidents occur regularly at airports and on flights around the country. They happen to people…
Dear Anderson Cooper: I recently watched your 60 Minutes piece about so-called drive-by ADA lawsuits. As a person with a disability, I too am dismayed by law firms that choose to target businesses for minor Americans With Disabilities Act violations. But by choosing this small number of questionable lawsuits as the focus of your story,…
When I was about 7 years old, I found a little paperback book on my parents’ bookshelf. It was on its side in front of the other books, spine facing out. The cover showed a little girl with long red pigtails and a big smile. Her name was Karen Killilea, and the book was entitled Karen, by…
