tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28439599650242131292012-01-29T07:18:46.331-08:00Thoughts on health research and the representation of disability in popular cultureSarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-78044927077753377342011-06-30T16:21:00.000-07:002011-06-30T16:21:12.313-07:00

Over at Diversity In YA (an awesome site devoted to young adult and middle grade novels that celebrate diversity), they have a summer reading challenge on the go. It's the Diversify Your Reading Summer Challenge, and I am totally going to play! The mission is: "to read diverse MG and YA books throughout the summer (you choose the books!) and write an essay (at least 500 words) about your

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-63034326406506805542011-04-09T09:41:00.000-07:002011-04-09T09:43:39.423-07:00

I was asked by one of the writers of a supa sweet blog, YA Highway, to write a guest post on Great Characters With Disabilities in YA and MG (young adult and middle grade) novels. I'm rawther pleased with how it came out. Go! Read! Also, for no specific reason, here are two super rad photos from 2010's Peak-to-Peak Pedal. In both shots I am the one in the red helmet, fourth in the line.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-44685780027274000122011-04-06T13:33:00.000-07:002011-04-06T13:38:38.094-07:00

Dear Universe,I will try to update my blog more.Sincerely,SarahI just got some great pictures back from the 2010 Peak To Peak Pedal and I will try to post them soon!My current stats, for the curious: 14 query letters, 3 rejections thus far.Querying: Micah On Mumbly Peak, MG fantasyRevising: Snow Big Deal, MG contempFinishing sometime soon: The Third Arjuna, YA fantasy

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-47638533677424630442009-07-20T13:21:00.000-07:002009-08-23T16:46:52.003-07:00

Hello!My name is Sarah Heacox and I've been a volunteer ski instructor at the U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center for several years, teaching downhill skiing to individuals with disabilities. I'm participating in a USARC fundraiser called the Peak-to-Peak Pedal, riding a bicycle 335 miles from Mammoth Mountain to Big Bear this fall. The money we raise supports outdoor recreation for children and

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-42965840690928054322009-07-19T15:18:00.000-07:002009-08-23T15:49:58.916-07:00

Some pictures from the 2008 Peak-to-Peak Pedal, riding between Big Bear and Mammoth!Ahhh, going downhill...Taking a quick rest at the top of a hill.Layered up against the below-freezing weather, the hill I just climbed in the background.I'm smiling because I'm at 6000 feet approaching Mammoth Mountain, there's no oxygen, and Tom is pushing me up the hill.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-71182206818714219072009-07-02T14:50:00.000-07:002009-07-02T16:16:46.524-07:00

So I let the blog die because I was so caught up in writing other stuff. Namely, mad revising of a middle-grade story about adaptive skiing, and writing a completely unrelated adult fantasy novel. The MG story is done and polished and I'm actually writing an actual query letter for it (meep!), and the fantasy novel second draft is done and in the hands of beta readers as we speak! And a new YA

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-10873385786408360672009-06-29T14:55:00.000-07:002009-06-29T14:58:38.722-07:00

I'm just raising this blog from the dead, zombie style. Hi. Stay tuned.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-16661684889592957012008-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:002008-08-12T09:27:00.547-07:00

This week on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, Kathy performs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. From the previews, it looks like she visits the disabled soldiers in rehab. It looked like an interesting pop culture take on the subject, so I thought I'd put it out there. It is supposedly one of the only times that a camera crew has been inside the rehab facility at Walter Reed. This Thursday

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-15234404556140589382008-08-06T18:37:00.000-07:002008-08-06T18:47:54.069-07:00

The song is "Blessed," by Brett Dennen.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-41951697126370738312008-07-29T16:20:00.000-07:002008-07-30T12:09:45.703-07:00

The Paralympic Games in Beijing will start on September 6th. Learn about the twenty Summer Paralympic Sports at this website! Did you know that this year Rowing is a new event at the Paralympic Games? Do you know how to play goalball? Brush up there. Do you know about the different classifications for different events? Lots of great info on that site. Did you know the Summer Paralympic mascot is

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-22939075717811700692008-07-17T00:06:00.000-07:002008-08-01T16:26:15.285-07:00

This week the New York Times had a very interesting article on restraining in school, called "Calm Down Or Else." Before reading this story, I actually thought that the use of restraint on children in school was reserved for situations in which someone's safety was at risk (i.e. a student attempting to injure himself or another student). In fact, schools use restraining as a disciplinary measure

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-24860950108122778202008-07-14T09:20:00.000-07:002008-07-14T10:32:57.253-07:00

This morning I read this shameful story on the LA Times. It's about a deaf three year old boy who is learning to speak with the use of a cochlear implant. This sweet little pumpkin had the external portion of his cochlear implant stolen, not once, but twice! Teenage thieves swiped it right off of his ear while he was running errands with his mother. The first time, his mother chased the thieves

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-41725846884450181192008-07-02T12:40:00.000-07:002008-07-02T12:40:36.303-07:00

I thought this was very cool. The FDA has just approved a new device, called the NeuRx DPS RA/4 (OK, the name's not too catchy). It is intended to help people with high-level spinal cord injuries with paralysis of the muscles used for breathing. People with paralyzed breathing muscles have to live attached to a bulky ventilator that breathes for them (think Christopher Reeve).This device is an

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-24612777112383254982008-07-01T12:26:00.000-07:002008-07-01T20:56:31.042-07:00

I've kept very busy over the past week, what with a new long commute to the job and trips out of town and generally hustling and bustling. I will try to post some pics soon. In the meantime, here are some great links I have seen this week:A post at Disability Studies, Temple U about when independence may not be the ultimate and desirable goal of everyone with disabilities. This one really got me

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-48427130557744701932008-06-25T08:41:00.000-07:002008-06-25T08:56:44.649-07:00

From The Daily Mail comes a story (with pictures!) of Hope, a very tiny and adorable dog born without her front legs. An orthotist made a mold of her torso and fitted it with two prosthetic wheeled limbs. When she grows, she will need a new prosthesis made. The story has some great photos of Hope, her custom prosthetic, and the molding process. As I said, you have been warned that your head may

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-60774209990703292352008-06-23T20:54:00.001-07:002008-06-25T08:41:06.507-07:00

Definitely click here to check out 'Heavy Load,' a punk band from the UK. From boingboing.net, we learn that the band's mission is "to demonstrate that disability rocks"! They also have a campaign (in the UK) called Stay Up Late, to help people with developmental disabilities advocate for themselves to be able to stay out late enough to go to a show. Most punk/rock/pop shows last until 11 or 12,

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-5459150754730113562008-06-19T08:14:00.000-07:002008-06-19T09:09:18.402-07:00

A great story appeared in the NY Times this week about a swimmer with multiple disabilities and his journey to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.Kendall Bailey qualified for the Paralympics in the 100 meter breaststroke. As an athlete with cerebral palsy, he qualified within a classification of athletes with similar disabilities. He also has Klinefelter's Syndrome, autism, and mental

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-48135399122402911022008-06-17T10:16:00.000-07:002008-06-17T11:36:01.117-07:00

The LA Times says that "although nearly 20% of Americans from the ages of 5 to 64 have some kind of disability, less than 2% of the characters on TV display one, and only one-half of 1% actually have speaking parts."This year a new show on AMC debuted a great kid actor with a disability in a great role. The show is Breaking Bad starring Brian Cranston (who you may recognize as the dad from

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-19925237736805525242008-06-13T12:58:00.000-07:002008-06-13T13:00:03.309-07:00

I created this quick guide so that the disability community (including people with disabilities, parents, friends, and allies) can see what the candidates intend to do as relates to people with disabilities. While health care is a hot-button issue in this campaign, services for people with disabilities isn't. I started researching it because I was curious and I figured others would be interested

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-18312989331492614782008-06-11T10:29:00.000-07:002008-06-11T10:52:18.442-07:00

I am three weeks into my training for my upcoming 335 mile bike ride to raise money for the US Adaptive Recreation Center, the Peak-To-Peak Pedal. It's going pretty well. I've been hitting the bike at the gym and also the weight room. I haven't lost any weight yet, but I'm hoping it's because I am adding muscle. You know how people always say that exercise gives you loads of energy, but then you

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-38029614534190928422008-06-06T09:44:00.000-07:002008-06-10T09:36:21.114-07:00

I wanted to share a site with lots of links to resources for including people with developmental disabilities in religion. Earlier I wrote about Adam Race, an autistic boy whose church obtained a restraining order to prevent him from attending Mass due to his autism-related behavior. Adam's family has created a website called Project Adam's Pew. The website includes this page of great resources.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-11704983436048023242008-06-06T08:28:00.000-07:002008-06-06T09:25:15.038-07:00

Wow! Today Google's Homepage is celebrating the birth of Diego Velasquez with a special Google logo containing his painting "Las Meninas" (The Ladies-in-Waiting). It'll only be there for a day, so I have posted a copy above. Velasquez is one of my favorite painters, so pardon me while I geek out. Here's the painting, so you can see it a little closer:There are all sorts of awesome things about

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-7352685991690279852008-06-04T11:41:00.000-07:002008-06-04T12:24:46.792-07:00

I just noticed this story about China's extremely backwards attitudes towards people with disabilities. A guide went out to one hundred thousand Olympic Volunteers for this year's Summer Games. In the section titled, "Skills for helping the disabled," China's Olympic Committee brings us such gems as: Some physically disabled are isolated, unsocial, and introspective. They can be stubborn and

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-66213312230073348412008-06-02T12:44:00.000-07:002008-06-03T08:00:40.746-07:00

This Sunday, someone invited me to the Abilities Expo in Anaheim. There was lots of interesting stuff. I also went to a presentation by Craig Kennedy, of Access Anything. I took a couple of pictures.The absolute coolest technology I saw while I was there belonged to a little girl, about ten years old, in a wheelchair. She was a double amputee and she had on two racing blade prosthetic legs for

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-70184669600332186202008-05-30T08:38:00.000-07:002008-06-10T10:13:25.538-07:00

I love reading novels, particularly fantasy and science fiction. Too often, a character with a disability is either a. tragic, b. inspirational, or c. the narrative is focused on the person's disability to the exclusion of any personality traits, hobbies, feelings, or interests. There are numerous exceptions to this, but they are still quite rare. The interesting, well-developed character who has

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-76057234214967769952008-05-29T09:10:00.000-07:002008-05-29T09:14:36.970-07:00

At one point in my life, I was very athletic. At this moment in time, however, I am what Eric Cartman would call "Festively Plump." I decided I needed to do a good thing for myself and a good thing for an organization that I love to support as well. So I've signed up for the 14th Annual USARC Peak-to-Peak Pedal, a 335-mile bicycle ride from Big Bear to Mammoth in California.I used to do road bike

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-85910962990267322242008-05-27T09:06:00.001-07:002008-05-27T11:16:21.511-07:00

I missed lots of interesting stories over the weekend because I was in Las Vegas. My good friend JB was playing in a baseball tournament so we went to cheer him on and be tourists as well. I had a great time and at the baseball game I met one of the stars from one of my favorite tv shows, Grey's Anatomy. She was hilarious and awesome and she was nice enough to let me take a photo with her. Most

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-14265772065469908422008-05-22T09:42:00.000-07:002008-05-22T13:11:53.167-07:00

I just joined a new gym, LA Fitness. Last night, I visited a new branch of it in a different part of town. I was very impressed with what they had done to make the place accessible to people with mobility impairments. To enter the gym, you have to go to the second floor of a shopping center. There is a really long and goofy-looking staircase to the entrance for this purpose. There is also an

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-36327336788695600062008-05-22T09:24:00.000-07:002008-05-22T09:42:08.912-07:00

A biology researcher at the sci-fi blog io9 tells us all about cutting edge and future technology that will help people with disabilities. It's a nice overview with lots of good links. Check it out!I was feeling left out of the cyborg revolution until I remembered that I became a cyborg child at the tender age of 3. My cyborg parts, although tiny, greatly reduced the frequency of chronic ear

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-52424056151591709062008-05-20T11:20:00.000-07:002008-05-20T11:21:20.434-07:00

In Part One of All About Adaptive Skiing, I explained the who, what, and why of adaptive skiing, skiing technique, equipment, and instruction for people with physical or cognitive disabilities. In part two, I'll address the how. How do you ski?I'll break it down starting with the basics. Two-trackers: A typical ski setup is, as most people know, a pair of stiff plastic boots and two long skis.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-66357627212004907872008-05-19T13:24:00.000-07:002008-05-20T09:38:18.034-07:00

I am feeling sickened by this article on ABC News, about a 13 year old boy named Adam Race. The article is well-written and provides a balanced view of the issue. Adam has autism. He is also a big lad-six feet tall and 220 pounds. His family of seven attends Catholic church services every Sunday. They sit in the last row or the "cry room" (I guess this is where you take your crying baby during

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-69951462990023562192008-05-19T10:41:00.000-07:002008-05-19T21:46:44.886-07:00

I wrote in a previous post that Natalie du Toit, the South African swimmer, and Oscar Pistorius (if he qualifies), the South African sprinter, would be the first Olympians who have amputations to compete in the summer Olympics. I have to take it back, though, because I read about George Eyser, an American gymnast with a wooden leg who won 3 gold medals (plus 2 silver and 1 bronze!) at the 1904

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-19320289621667918582008-05-16T10:16:00.000-07:002008-05-19T09:48:45.889-07:00

The NY Times has a new story up about a young American athlete going to his second Paralympic Games next year, Josh George. I enjoyed it. He talked about his frustration about not being taken seriously as an athlete due to his disability.“You tell them, ‘I’m a wheelchair racer,’ and they’ll say, ‘Good for you!’ like, ‘Good for you, you’re getting out of the house and doing something,’ ” said

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-16746601812663102792008-05-15T12:17:00.000-07:002008-05-16T10:17:55.044-07:00

California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage banA historic decision was made today in California's Supreme Court. If you consider yourself to be an advocate of disability rights but you don't follow gay rights issues, I would share two quotes with you. First from a man interviewed for this article, asked about what the decision means for him:"I think this is the beginning of the end of

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-45380214754659141722008-05-15T11:45:00.000-07:002008-05-15T11:56:16.625-07:00

From io9, a wicked sci-fi blog, comes a story about an art show called "Cyberdine" in NYC. The artists in the show are a sculptor who is a former prosthetist and a painter, who are "exploring the boundaries between man and machine." Looks very interesting. Zillions of us are walking around with various artificial parts, from screws to steel rods to joints to valves to limbs! Technology is

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-79004528798423237112008-05-14T10:36:00.000-07:002008-05-14T12:00:21.680-07:00

Today an article appears in the NY Times entitled "For the Disabled, Age 18 Brings Difficult Choices."I thought the topic of the article was very interesting, and important to bring to light. The piece was about very medically fragile children with multiple health issues and/or disabilities who live in rehab/palliative/chronic care children's hospitals. At age 18, the kids 'age out' and have to

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-41941481878788266032008-05-13T16:09:00.000-07:002008-05-13T16:47:50.337-07:00

I was looking at the adorable mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics today. They are all really cute but the cutest one is Sumi! I am totally in love with this little creature! Love love love him! He is an "animal guardian spirit," according to the vancouver 2010 website. His top half is a thunderbird and his bottom half is a black bear. He "wears the hat of the orca whale," whatever that means.

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-7882472556851444262008-05-12T14:42:00.000-07:002008-05-20T11:23:51.752-07:00

I have been fortunate enough to volunteer at three different adaptive skiing programs. Similar programs exist at ski resorts all over the world. When I tell people about what we do as adaptive skiers and instructors, they are almost always very surprised. I thought I would share some info about adaptive skiing and my perspective on it.Skiing is my thing. I didn't learn to ski until I was nearly

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2843959965024213129.post-53499741046442038922008-05-12T13:45:00.000-07:002008-05-12T14:35:46.774-07:00

Welcome! A little bit about me and why I started this blog:I am very interested in aspects of disability culture, rights, and portrayal in popular culture. I also have an interest in biology, especially human biology. I would consider myself to be an ally to the disability community. While I was at university, I worked at a camp for people with developmental disabilities. In addition, this year

Sarah Heacoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14277016857178909494noreply@blogger.com1