Featured Archives | Meriah Nichols

Dear Hearing World

ByMeriah December 5, 2019 Reading Time: 4 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”3d” style=”round”]This is a a video of a poem and performance about being Deaf in a hearing world.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Dear Hearing World Dear Hearing World is a short film directed by Adam Docker, based on Raymond Antrobus’ poem by the same name. The film blends Raymond’s spoken words with music and deaf actress Vilma Jackson’s…

Movies

Disney+ Disability Related Movies

ByMeriah November 22, 2019July 20, 2022 Reading Time: 4 minutes

This is about the best disability-related content on the Disney+ streaming service. I will be updating this post as I watch or hear of more movies, so keep it bookmarked! Disney+ is out now. That is, the full vault of all of their movies, unleashed. In and of itself, that’s huge, but they have also…

Disability | Movies

How to Talk About Disability in Movies with Kids

ByMeriah November 21, 2019November 22, 2019 Reading Time: 7 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”3d” style=”round”]This is about how to talk about disability in movies with kids. That is, how to talk with your kids about disability-related content that you see in movies and TV shows. It includes a free PDF “cheat sheet” and is also available through my podcast (both are linked at the end of the…

DANA Center

Dana’s Place: An Update on My Career Trajectory

ByMeriah November 19, 2019 Reading Time: 16 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”]This is an update post about Dana’s Place with an emphasis on my own career trajectory.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I had been keeping my nose to the grindstone, plugging away and working, working, working when all of the sudden, I looked up and realized that I hadn’t told you any of my plans. Like, I had somehow…

I Bought A House!

ByMeriah November 15, 2019November 15, 2019 Reading Time: 3 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a personal post.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’ve been dying to tell you guys, but nervous to jinx anything, so I waited until we were not only out of escrow, but have actually moved into our new home. And let me just repeat that: NEW HOME! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The kids and I are going from a yurt…

Disability

This Is What Disability-Led Looks Like

ByMeriah November 7, 2019November 7, 2019 Reading Time: 3 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”]This is about NMD United – Neuro Muscular Disabilities United, and their peer-based disability-led social media project, #IndependTips. This is primarily a vlog, a video interview between Brooklyn (of NMD United) and I about their project. The vlog is captioned.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Somehow I started following NMD United on Instagram. I really don’t know how it…

Cool Cat Profiles

Cool Cat: haley brown

ByMeriah November 3, 2019 Reading Time: 6 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a Cool Cat: Voices from the Disability Community post. This is the series in which I ask cool people across the disability spectrum the same set of questions and have fun with the diversity of responses! Read the whole series, and maybe be a part of it yourself by clicking…

Deaf | Resources

Hearing Fatigue is Real & This is What You Can Do About It

ByMeriah October 30, 2019November 27, 2022 Reading Time: 7 minutes

This is about hearing fatigue – also known as listening fatigue. That is, the fatigue that comes from straining to hear when you’ve got hearing loss. This post includes tips for parents of deaf children and for deaf adults in how to resolve and prevent hearing fatigue. What is Hearing Fatigue (or Listening Fatigue)? I’m going…

Resources

Why I Switched From My ABLE-Now Account

ByMeriah October 25, 2019January 9, 2020 Reading Time: 5 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a post about ABLE accounts and switching from an ABLE-now account to a different ABLE account[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I set up ABLE-now accounts for myself and for Moxie (those were links to posts that I wrote about setting up the accounts). I was really happy to do both, because I was actually paid…

Reviews

Apple Watch & Disability: Accessibility Reviews from Users with Disabilities

ByMeriah October 21, 2019July 20, 2022 Reading Time: 18 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is about the Apple Watch and Disability. There are accessibility reviews and opinions by users with disabilities. You will also find a table that compares the Apple Watch Series 5 with the Series 3. There are affiliate links in this post, which means that if you buy something using a link…

Resources | Technology

Mac iOS 13 Accessibility Updates

ByMeriah October 14, 2019October 21, 2019 Reading Time: 3 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is about the new Mac iOS13 Accessibility updates, and the disability related Memoji options[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Mac recently updated iOS 13. With the update, their Voice Over was expanded on. Here’s a good short on some of the possibilities with the new Voice Over:[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/aqoXFCCTfm4″ align=”center” title=”iOS 13 Voice Over Update”][vc_column_text]Here’s a tutorial on…

Disability | Resources

Video Series on Sex Education for People with Intellectual Disabilities

ByMeriah October 13, 2019November 7, 2022 Reading Time: 6 minutes

This is about the vibrant, engaging, powerful new video series that is a guide to practical sex education for people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. I have a daughter with Down syndrome. Having been raised with disabilities myself and been part of the extremely high percentage of deaf children and youth who are sexually…

Deaf | Movies

Samsung Commercial for DeafBlind in India: “Caring for the Impossible”

ByMeriah October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 Reading Time: 4 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”]This is about Samsung commercial for DeafBlind in India. The commercial is called, “Caring for the Impossible.”[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Samsung produced an ad a while ago called, “Hearing Hands.” It was about a deaf guy in Turkey, whose community all of the sudden learned sign language to communicate with him. While I was interested in the…

Parenting

Disabled Moms Interview Project: DeafBlind Mom Lisa Ferris

ByMeriah October 7, 2019December 12, 2021 Reading Time: 16 minutes

Disabled Moms Interview Project featuring DeafBlind mom, Lisa Ferris

Deaf | Disability

Nyle DiMarco: That Dangerous Activist, Destroying the Deaf Community

ByMeriah October 4, 2019October 21, 2022 Reading Time: 5 minutes

A new post is calling Nyle DiMarco’s campaign for ASL acquisition for deaf kids, “dangerous”

Disability | Movies

9 Powerful Disability TED Talks to Unlock & Blow Your Mind

ByMeriah October 2, 2019October 5, 2019 Reading Time: 5 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a collection of some 9 powerful disability TED talks that will make you go, “ah-ha!” They also happen to be my favorite disability TED talks. I’m a list junkie, so it’s sort of a list for you and sort of for me, to have all the stuff I love in…

Down syndrome | Resources

The Kindness Calendar and Kindness Bucket Lists (Free Printables)

ByMeriah September 28, 2019October 5, 2022 Reading Time: 3 minutes

This is about the Kindness Calendar, which can be used at any time of course, but it was made with Down Syndrome Awareness Month in mind. It has been updated to include a new (free) printable with graphics and a pdf list (which might for easier reading for some people), Taking this one step further…

Opinion

Greta Thunberg and the Gift of Autism

ByMeriah September 23, 2019September 30, 2019 Reading Time: 4 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a post about Greta Thunberg and the gift of Autism, the power of neurodiversity.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Greta Thunberg is a 16 year old Swedish activist who is on the Autism spectrum. She is one of the powerful young leaders who recently addressed the United States Congress and the United Nations about climate change,…

Movies

Able: A New Series About Disability in the Entertainment Industry on Amazon

ByMeriah September 22, 2019September 27, 2019 Reading Time: 3 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is about Able, the new series regarding disability in the media on Amazon.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]ABLE is a series of interviews between Kallen and Alie, the producers of the show, and actors with disabilities. It is not a show itself, it’s not a sitcom, it’s not like Special or Speechless. It’s a series of short…

Resources

How to Get Amazon Prime with EBT or Medicaid

ByMeriah September 22, 2019July 20, 2022 Reading Time: 3 minutes

Affiliate links are in this post! That means that if you buy something using a link in my post, I’ll get a percentage of the profit from Amazon (thanks Jeff!), but you pay no more. It’s a great way to support the work I do, so thanks! Amazon Prime Membership with an EBT or Medicaid…

Movies

Peanut Butter Falcon Isn’t For Everyone. Here’s Why

ByMeriah September 21, 2019March 22, 2023 Reading Time: 4 minutes

This is a movie review of Peanut Butter Falcon. There are spoilers in it. Sort of. Not really. But sort of. Peanut Butter Falcon Peanut Butter Falcon is fundamentally a story of adventure and friendship, of healing and connection. A lot of people and places are talking about this movie, so I thought I’d just…

Parenting

Disabled Moms Interview Project, Featuring Stacy Cervenka

ByMeriah September 16, 2019September 23, 2019 Reading Time: 17 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”] Disabled Moms: An Interview Project In honor of Mother’s Day, I ran an interview series with other moms with disabilities throughout the month of May. I enjoyed this so much that I thought I’d keep rolling with it and keep introducing you to cool moms who have disabilities! This interview with Stacy…

Dana | Grief

Understanding the Connection Between Flowers and Stars

ByMeriah September 9, 2019September 14, 2019 Reading Time: 8 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message style=”round”]This is a post about grief.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] I’ll never forget driving to the Bay Area from Redding. Dana had been released from this life. Mom, Dana’s daughters and I had dealt with the Sheriff’s office for hours – since Dana had been shot in Humboldt county, and since the bullets were still in him when…

Disability

Mauna Kea, Being a Hawaiian Ally, and Teaching Kids to be Allies

ByMeriah September 6, 2019September 30, 2019 Reading Time: 10 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round”]This is a post about what it means to be an ally. It attempts to explain the situation that is currently happening on Mauna Kea with the Hawaiians. It also talks about how to teach your kids to be allies and how to involve them, including your kids who have disabilities.[/vc_message][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] What and…

Disability

How to Be an Ally to People with Disabilities

ByMeriah August 31, 2019September 14, 2019 Reading Time: 5 minutes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_style=”outline” style=”round” message_box_color=”turquoise”]This is a post about how to be an ally to people with disabilities. It is available in distraction free pdf at the end of the post, as well as through my podcast.[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Disability is often overlooked in the quest for wokeness. Race, class, gender, sexual orientation are often more readily apparent than…

Parenting

Disabled Moms Interview Project with Sandi Parsons

ByMeriah June 2, 2019July 23, 2019 Reading Time: 10 minutes

Disabled Moms Interview Project, featuring Sandi Parsons

Opinion

Square Pegs in a Round Peg World: The Power of the Neurodiverse

ByMeriah May 28, 2019November 13, 2022 Reading Time: 5 minutes

This is about the value and power of neuro-diversity, with Down syndrome and Asperger’s being used as examples. This is available for free in PDF form and through my podcast, both linked at the end of this post. To receive a PDF bundle of each month’s blog posts from me, connect with my Patreon. A…

Travel

Have Disability, Will Travel

ByMeriah May 25, 2019November 7, 2022 Reading Time: 6 minutes

We’re leaving for Europe soon. It occurred to me recently that this is kind of funny, with regard to disability. All of us except for one person (- Mack, my youngest child), has a disability! We’ve got my mom, who has an Acquired Brain Injury, PTSD, post concussion syndrome and dizziness and balance issues (related…

Parenting

Disabled Moms Interview Project: Featuring Lorna Duff-Howie

ByMeriah May 22, 2019July 23, 2019 Reading Time: 8 minutes

Disabled Moms Interview Project, featuring Lorna Howie-Duff