Ella Sigander is an 8th grade student, who was diagnosed with the learning disability dyslexia in 2nd Grade. Ella faced difficulties at school with reading and writing. Unfortunately, she was bullied for her difference by her peers. Moreover, Ella also dealt with educators who did not understand dyslexia and lacked empathy. Her parents requested a 504 plan, which is a blueprint that supports a student with a disability and removes barriers to one’s learning, to assist Ella during school hours. Even though Ella was being supported with her 504 plan in place, Ella’s parents decided they would seek out additional ways to assist Ella with her dyslexia.
With her parents’ persistence, Ella decided to try a new approach to tackle her dyslexia; this approach is called the Neural Organization Technique (NOT). NOT is a chiropractic-based technique, which primarily deals with identifying and correcting faults within the autonomic nervous system. After implementing this technique, Ella went back to school and her Lexile Measurement improved by three grade levels. Ella was experiencing positive results and her confidence skyrocketed.
In the interview with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Ella eloquently shares her personal experiences with dyslexia. Ella is a role model and a huge source of encouragement for people with dyslexia and other differences. Describing her disorder, Ella has said, “I may never accept it, but it won’t define who I am.”
Tylia Flores is a multi-published author, advocate, activist, podcast creator and host. She was born with spastic cerebral palsy and as a child, Tylia noticed that there was little to no disability representation in her favorite television shows. Tylia used this realization to become the successful writer she is today.
After publishing her first book at sixteen, Tylia continues to write in the hopes that her work can help bring awareness to those with cerebral palsy. She creates books and media that represent people with disabilities to combat the stigma of differences in society. Tylia published her autobiography and a five-part series called, Handi-capable Stomping on the Barriers that Come My Way. She is currently working on a children’s book called, Larry the Differently Abled Bear.
As a Radio Disney fan, Tylia strove to be in broadcasting. Today, she is the host of her own radio show, Stomping on CP Radio, where she talks about her life journey behind the microphone. Tylia also co-hosts a podcast, Stompers in Love, with Joey Odum. In this podcast, Tylia and Joey talk about dating with a disability and how they conquer all stigmas surrounding relationships. Radio and music have always been a part of Tylia’s life. She is a huge fan of Blake Shelton and his song, Austin.
In the interview with our President & Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Tylia discusses how she tackles stigmas and gives her take on life as a young woman with cerebral palsy. She also discusses her passion for creating books and being an integral part of the media community that represents people with disabilities. With her tenacious attitude, Tylia states, “When life gets tough you just got to keep on stomping.”
Amanda Leduc is a disabled writer and author of the non-fiction book, Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability and Making Space, which was published by Coach House Books in 2020 and shortlisted for the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Non-Fiction and longlisted for the 2020 Barbellion Prize. She is also the author of the novel, The Miracles of Ordinary Men, published in 2013 by ECW Press. Her new novel, The Centaur’s Wife, is out now with Random House Canada.
Her essays and stories have appeared across Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia, and she speaks regularly across North America on accessibility and the role of disability in storytelling. She is represented by Samantha Haywood at the Transatlantic Agency.
Born in British Columbia, she has lived in Ontario, England, BC, and Scotland, and holds a Master in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews. Amanda has cerebral palsy and presently makes her home in Hamilton, Ontario, where she lives with a very lovable, very destructive dog and serves as the Communications and Development Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD), Canada’s first festival for diverse authors and stories.
Interviewed by our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Amanda unpacks the many ingrained biases lurking in classic fairy tales, while also exploring her own experience with cerebral palsy. She also discusses the pedagogy of fairy tales, disability representation, writing tips, moving space, and responsible social media use for public figures. Amanda states, “Disability isn’t visited on us in response to a grand, overarching narrative plan, but rather is a lived, complex reality that reimagines the very nature of how we move through and occupy space.”
Russell Lehmann is an award-winning and internationally recognized motivational speaker and poet with a platform of autism and mental health. His words have been featured in USA Today, LA Times, NPR, Yahoo! News, Success Magazine, and archived in the Library of Congress.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology “Leadership in the Digital Age” course, Russell sits on the National Board of Directors for The Arc, is a council member for the Autism Society of America, the Youth Ambassador for the mayor of Reno, Nevada, sat on the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, as well as the Nevada Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Russell showed signs of autism as a newborn. However, he was not formally diagnosed until the age of twelve after suffering through five weeks in a lockdown psychiatric facility. In 2011, Russell wrote a book titled, Inside Out: Stories and Poems from an Autistic Mind, which was featured in the LA Times. He earned an Honorable Mention at the 2012 NY Book Festival. Russell’s book was also read by Temple Grandin and won the award for Literary Excellence at the 2013 International Autistic People’s Awards in Vancouver, Canada.
His new book, On the Outside Looking In, recently hit bookstores nationwide. In 2018, Russell was named as Reno-Tahoe’s “Most Outstanding Young Professional Under 40.” In 2019 and 2020, Russell lectured for the prestigious King’s College of London and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Special Education in Abu Dhabi.
Russell currently travels the world spreading hope, awareness, and compassion in a raw and dynamic fashion and hopes to erase the stigma and stereotypes that come with having a disability. His passion is to be a voice for the unheard. Russell knows how difficult and frustrating it is to go unnoticed.
In this interview, Russell and Alexandra Nicklas, our Different & Able President & Founder, talk about Russell’s autobiography, Inside Out: Stories and Poems from an Autistic Mind, and his newest book, On the Outside Looking In. Russell also shares his experiences growing up on the spectrum, how he is able to manage the different symptoms of autism, the stressful and difficult day he experienced with air travel in 2017, and his role as a public advocate. Russell encourages those who suffer from autism to embrace their challenges and use them as a chance to grow; “Yes, there are challenges that make us who we are, but they do so much more than that. They inspire hope, change, and accomplishment,” Russell states.
For more information about Russell and his work, visit his website at www.TheAutisticPoet.com and follow his journey on Instagram and Facebook.
In 1817, a British surgeon, James Parkinson, published the first written description of what he termed “The Shaking Palsy,” later named Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is described as a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle tremors and muscular atrophy (Goetz, 2011).
What Is Parkinson’s Disease?
In the United States, about 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year (DeMaagd & Philip, 2015). Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive neurological condition affecting both motor and non-motor functions. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease occur because the brain stops producing a vital substance, called dopamine. Dopamine plays an important role in body movement, memory, and our experiencing feelings of satisfaction and motivation.
There is not a specific test that is used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease, but clinicians can diagnose the disease by the presence of specific signs and symptoms that we have listed below.
Motor Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease is known for the impact it has on the body’s movement. These motor symptoms are:
Bradykinesia – The term for the slowing of movements. Activities of daily living, such as dressing and showering, are performed at a slower pace, as are some automatic movements such as swinging one’s arms while walking or getting up from a chair. It can even affect your facial expressions.
Tremors – Involuntary movements that can affect an individual’s limbs or face. There are three kinds of tremors that impact individuals who have Parkinson’s: resting (occurs while someone is not using their body), rhythmic (slowed and continuous movements), and asymmetric (starting on one side of the body).
Rigidity – Bilateral or unilateral stiffness in the arms or legs.
Akinesia – Spontaneous loss of voluntary muscle movement.
Hypomimia – Reduced facial expression, also referred to as facial masking.
Non-motor Symptoms
Parkinson’s disease has a physical impact on individuals, but there are also unseen symptoms which individuals who have been diagnosed may experience.
Mental Health – A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease can cause depression, anxiety, and apathy.
Respiratory – Individuals may experience shortness of breath or respiratory dyskinesia, which may be a side effect of medication prescribed to reduce Parkinson’s disease symptoms.
Speech & Swallowing Issues – Parkinson’s disease can affect the systems that enable speech by lowering the control of respiration, and tongue and throat muscles. There is also an increased risk of developing aspiration pneumonia, caused when a liquid or food is breathed into the lungs or airways.
Sleep Disorders – Physiological changes in the brain and medications prescribed for Parkinson’s disease can cause disruptions in sleep. Individuals may experience drowsiness during the day, difficulty falling and staying asleep, restless leg syndrome, talking, vivid dreams, and frequent trips to the bathroom.
Pain – Parkinson’s can cause individuals to feel different kinds of pain. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, pain is divided into 5 categories:
Musculoskeletal pain that occurs when Parkinson’s disease affects bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
Neuropathic/Radicular pain that occurs when the nerve root is pinched.
Dystonic pain that occurs when muscles continuously twist or have spasms and cramps.
Akathisia – restlessness or being unable to be still.
Central pain – pain that is because of the pathways not functioning properly in the spinal cord, brain, and brainstem.
What Are the Risk Factors?
According to researchers, about 90,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease each year (Willis et al., 2022). Though there is not a specific cause, scientists have determined there are risk factors associated with being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Hopkins Medical lists age, biological sex, heredity, and exposure to pesticides as the highest risk factors correlated with a diagnosis.
Age – Parkinson’s disease is mostly seen in older (70+) adults. Early-onset Parkinson’s is less frequent but can occur around age 50 and has been seen in people as young as 30 years old.
Biological Sex – Parkinson’s disease affects more men than it does women.
Heredity – Individuals with a family member who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are 15 to 25% more likely to also be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Are There Treatments for Parkinson’s?
Parkinson’s disease cannot be cured, but there are interventions that can be implemented to ease symptoms.
Medication – According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there are three kinds of medication that are prescribed to combat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: dopamine precursors, which help increase the level of dopamine in the brain; medications that affect neurotransmitters, which can help reduce some of the motor symptoms; and medications that help with the non-motor symptoms. Read more about medications here.
Exercise – Staying active and stretching can help individuals with their mobility, balance, and body strength.
Surgery – Surgery may be an option for individuals when they have become tolerant of the medications prescribed. Surgery options could include removing specific parts of the brain that cause many of the motor symptoms. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is also an option. DBS is a surgically implanted electrode that helps to ease motor symptoms.
Resources for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s Foundation – An organization that provides information and resources for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. They have multiple initiatives, including the Parkinson’s disease GENEration: Mapping the Future of Parkinson’s Disease, which offers genetic testing and counseling at no cost for people with Parkinson’s disease. You can also check out the “ABCs” of Parkinson’s disease here.
American Parkinson Disease Association – Supports and empowers anyone affected by Parkinson’s disease through a nationwide network that provides information and referral, education and support programs, health and wellness activities, and other events, while also funding vital research.
PAN Foundation – Offers financial assistance for medications to individuals who have chronic and rare diseases, and advocates for long-term policies that help improve healthcare access, affordability, and equity for all.
PMD Alliance – Offers online and in-person training that is created by professionals for individuals who have Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. They offer information on healthcare providers, care facilities, and support groups.
Works Cited
DeMaagd, G., & Philip, A. (2015). Parkinson’s Disease and Its Management: Part 1: Disease Entity, Risk Factors, Pathophysiology, Clinical Presentation, and Diagnosis. P & T: a peer-reviewed journal for formulary management, 40(8), 504–532.
Goetz C. G. (2011). The history of Parkinson’s disease: early clinical descriptions and neurological therapies. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 1(1), a008862. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a008862
Willis, A.W., Roberts, E., Beck, J.C. et al. Incidence of Parkinson disease in North America. npj Parkinsons Dis.8, 170 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-022-00410-y
To millions of television viewers, Marc Summers was the fun, fast-talking host who made Double Dare one of the most beloved game shows in Nickelodeon history. What those viewers did not know was that behind the bright lights and the slime, Marc was privately living with obsessive-compulsive disorder so severe it consumed hours of his day and threatened to unravel everything he had built. His story is one of the most striking examples of what it means to live with an invisible condition in one of the most public professions in the world.
About Marc Summers
Marc Summers is a television personality, comedian, game show host, producer, and talk show host with a career spanning decades. Best known for hosting Nickelodeon’s Double Dare, Marc became one of the most recognizable faces in family entertainment before moving into production and talk show hosting. He currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Philadelphia, where his company Marc Summers Productions maintains a branch office.
Warm, jovial, and relentlessly charismatic on screen, Marc spent years concealing a reality that was anything but easy. His OCD went undiagnosed and unnamed for most of his career, and he had not even heard of the condition until he was diagnosed live on his own Lifetime talk show in 1995. That moment, unexpected and completely public, became a turning point not just for Marc personally but for public awareness of OCD as a serious and treatable condition.
Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition characterized by unwanted, recurring thoughts or fears known as obsessions, which drive repetitive behaviors known as compulsions. People living with OCD are often aware that their thoughts and behaviors are not entirely rational, but that awareness does not make the compulsions any easier to resist. OCD exists on a spectrum, and for some people it can be genuinely debilitating.
For Marc, his OCD manifested as an intense, consuming need for order and precision. He would spend hours each day meticulously arranging items in his apartment, from the contents of cupboards to the fringe on his rugs. These rituals were not quirks or preferences. They were compulsions that took over significant portions of his day and created serious disruption in both his personal and professional life.
What makes Marc’s story particularly powerful is how long it went unnamed. He managed a high-profile career, maintained a public persona of ease and humor, and privately lived with a condition he had no language for. His 1995 diagnosis, as unexpected and public as it was, gave him that language at last and opened the door to getting the support he needed.
Raising Awareness Through His Own Story
Following his diagnosis, Marc became an open and candid voice on OCD and mental health. Dateline interviewed him and followed his journey as he worked to manage his OCD and build a life that accommodated his condition rather than being controlled by it. His willingness to speak publicly about a condition that carries significant stigma has helped countless people recognize their own experiences and seek support.
Marc’s story is a reminder that OCD does not look one particular way, and that the people living with it are often the last ones anyone would suspect.
In this interview with D&A President and Founder Alexandra Nicklas, Marc discusses his experience living with OCD, the moment he was diagnosed on live television, and how he has navigated one of entertainment’s most demanding careers while managing a condition that once consumed his daily life.
What Marc’s Story Teaches Us
OCD is far more than a preference for neatness. For many people living with it, it is a serious condition that affects every part of daily life.
Invisible conditions exist in every workplace, including the most glamorous and high-pressure ones.
Being diagnosed can be a relief even when it is frightening. Having a name for what you are experiencing is the beginning of being able to address it.
Stigma around mental health conditions keeps people from seeking help. Public figures who speak openly about their experiences save lives.
Managing OCD is an ongoing process, not a single moment of resolution.
Marc Summers spent years making the world laugh while quietly carrying something most people never knew was there, and his decision to speak openly about it has made it easier for countless others to do the same.
Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day (MSAD) was created by the Many Faces of Moebius Foundation in 2011. Every year, MSAD is celebrated on January 24, on Professor Paul Julius Moebius’s birthday, the first man to give a diagnosis of Moebius Syndrome in 1888. Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day helps spread information, resources, and support for caregivers and individuals who have been diagnosed.
What is Moebius Syndrome?
Moebius syndrome is a neurological condition that affects the body’s ability to control the muscles in their face. It develops occurs when the 6th and 7th cranial nerves (the ones responsible for facial movements) does not fully develop or does not develop at all. Moebius syndrome is a congenital disease, meaning it is present at birth. There is not a known cure for Moebius syndrome, but there are treatments and research is ongoing.
What are the symptoms?
There are many common symptoms of Moebius syndrome, which include:
There is not one specific treatment for Moebius syndrome. Every individual is different and needs treatment that will be most beneficial for them. Some treatments may be:
Surgery
Feeding tubes
Physical therapy
Speech therapy
Nerve and muscle transfers
Current Research
Research allows practitioners to have a better understanding of Moebius syndrome and how they can better care for patients.
Moebius syndrome may be rare, but there are many resources available for those in need. If anyone needs assistance in getting connected to help, do not hesitate to contact us.
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF), more than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma. The National Eye Institute projects this number will reach 4.2 million by 2030, a 58% increase.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that causes optic nerve damage. As a result, one can experience vision loss and blindness. There are different types of Glaucoma that includes:
Open-Angle Glaucoma
Vision loss begins on the side of eye or peripheral
Vision sharpness remains stable until late in disease
Treatable
Congenital Glaucoma
Occurs in babies and young children
A rare condition that can be genetic or by incorrect development of the eye’s drainage system
Signs include unusually large eyes and excessive tearing
Symptoms include enlarged eyes, cloudiness of the cornea and photosensitivity to light
Normal-Tension Glaucoma
Damage to the optic nerve without a known cause
Those at risk include family genetics people of Japanese descent and those with a history of systemic heart disease
Glaucoma & Employment
With the proper treatment, technology and understanding of the disease, one may be productive in the workplace. It is important to understand your needs and to advocate for what you may need.
Receiving accommodations is one step to ensuring proper success. Accommodations are specific to one’s individual vision impairment but can include:
Proper lighting and color contrast
Computers with special software for accessibility such as enlarged font and dictation
There are many resources on glaucoma that are available for those in need. Should you require assistance in finding a specific resource, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Veterans Day, November 11th, is an important day set aside to honor and show appreciation for all who have served in the United States military—in wartime or peacetime, living, or deceased.
Different & Able would like to spotlight stories this month of our past veteran interviewees. Retired United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, Retired United States Army Sergeant Noah Galloway, and Veteran of the United States Navy John Quinn, we thank you for your sacrifice, your bravery, and the example you set for us all.
Many veterans are living better lives today after reaching out for support. Learn more. You are not alone. Please see the link below sponsored by the United States Department of Veterans affairs for more information.
Video that explains how sound travels to the brain.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is when an individual hears a ringing, roaring, clicking, hissing, or buzzing in their ear. The noise heard can be at a high or a low pitch and may be unilateral or bilateral (heard in one or both ears).
Subjective tinnitus
Subjective tinnitus is when the noise can only be heard by the individual and accounts for 99% of tinnitus cases.
Objective tinnitus
Objective tinnitus is when the noise can be heard by others and the individual. The noises heard are produced by the body internally; conduction through body tissues delivers the noise from the source to the ears. Sources for objective tinnitus can be caused by blood flow or Musculo-skeletal movement.
Who is affected by tinnitus?
It is estimated that about 25 million Americans (10% of the U.S. adult population) experience tinnitus. For youths, it is estimated about 2.5 million 12–19-year-olds in American have experienced tinnitus.
Is Tinnitus a disease?
No, tinnitus is a disorder. Experiencing tinnitus is a symptom that something is wrong with the body’s auditory system.
What causes Tinnitus?
Experiencing loud noises
Medication side effects
Earwax blocking a canal
Ear infections
Vascular tumors
Aging
Meniere’s disease
Thyroid abnormalities
Is there a cure for tinnitus?
There is not a specific cure for tinnitus, as it is a symptom, and the treatment would depend on the underlying health condition. Tinnitus cannot always be cured, but there are some treatments that can help reduce it.
Is there any current research?
Yes! Research is constantly being conducted to understand tinnitus better and how to treat it more efficiently.
A recent study conducted by the Veterans Health Administration Office looked at how physical therapy can treat somatosensory tinnitus in the VA population. This study has been completed and results should be posted soon.