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  • Headshot of Alison Hayes, a white soman with shoulder-length brown hair with the occasional gray highlight. She is wearing a blue-green shirt with a v-neck cut. She is wearing tinted glasses and is smiling.
    Increasing your independence | Strategizing for success

    So, I’m writing a book!

    ByAlison Hayes September 19, 2024September 19, 2024

    Thriving While Disabled: Navigating Disability Finances I know that I haven’t written another post in way too long. I do apologize for this, but it’s been for a variety of good reasons. But at the most basic, life happened in a way that drew my focus away from writing posts, and I had less time…

    Read More So, I’m writing a book!Continue

  • A snail makes its way across a red running track.
    Strategizing for success | Taking care of yourself

    Pacing: an essential tool for self-care and healing

    ByAlison Hayes January 30, 2023February 1, 2023

    I’m once more participating in A Chronic Voice’s writing prompts. This month’s words are: summarizing, crossing, moving, rebuilding, and expecting. I’ve been thinking about writing about pacing for a while now, and these words felt useful for that process. When the summary is too short So to summarize what most doctors tell their patients: “You…

    Read More Pacing: an essential tool for self-care and healingContinue

  • White woman with shoulder-length curly brown hair walks confidently through a building with large glass windows overlooking trees. Her right leg is prosthetic.
    Increasing your independence | Strategizing for success

    Returning to work after getting on disability: protecting your health

    ByAlison Hayes September 23, 2022September 22, 2022

    For many of us who become disabled, the recognition and acceptance process isn’t easy, and all too often, employment and disability are inextricably linked. For many of us, part of becoming disabled is losing our employment. The grief and loss of becoming disabled is often entangled deeply with the loss of income, and often the…

    Read More Returning to work after getting on disability: protecting your healthContinue

  • Eggs in an egg carton. All are white except for a single black egg in the center. All eggs have faces drawn on them - with the black egg looking frightened, and the surrounding white eggs looking varying degrees of angry or disapproving and appearing focused on the black egg
    Overcoming Obstacles | Taking care of yourself

    Minority Stress and Chronic Illness

    ByAlison Hayes March 21, 2022April 15, 2022

    When writing my post about stress-related medical conditions, I went down an intellectual rabbit hole that I wanted to highlight: the stresses involved in being a minority of any kind. People tend to immediately categorize all they engage with as either “like” or “other”. They connect with those who are like them, and view the…

    Read More Minority Stress and Chronic IllnessContinue

  • Black woman with short, natural hair reads over a document at her desk.
    Overcoming Obstacles | Taking care of yourself

    Health Insurance Plans and the disabled community

    ByAlison Hayes October 29, 2021November 16, 2022

    October through December is Open Enrollment season for the US Health Insurance system. This is the time when people can choose, change, or adjust their healthcare plan. With about 55% of the population covered through private employers, this is when employees have the right to examine their options and select the offered plan that best…

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  • Alison in Bi mask at Poor People's Campaign rally 8/2
    Increasing your independence | Strategizing for success

    Poor and disabled: Participating in the Poor People’s Campaign’s Activism with a Disability

    ByAlison Hayes September 10, 2021September 27, 2021

    I’ve been active during the time I’ve taken off from posting. One of my biggest efforts was a multi-day trip to Washington, DC to join the Poor People’s Campaign in a push for congressional reforms through civil disobedience. We had a simple set of demands for the Senate, which has, of yet, been unfulfilled. Our…

    Read More Poor and disabled: Participating in the Poor People’s Campaign’s Activism with a DisabilityContinue

  • Four disabled people of color gather around a table during a meeting. A Black woman sitting on a couch gestures and speaks while the three others (a South Asian person sitting in a wheelchair, a Black non-binary person sitting in a chair, and a Black non-binary person standing with a clipboard and cane) face her and listen.
    Increasing your independence | Strategizing for success

    Safe at Work: Disclosure and Protection

    ByMichele Harold July 23, 2021July 23, 2021

    This is Michele’s second guest post on my blog – the first also focusing on the disclosure process. She is also part of the Spoonie Entrepreneur School, and is closing out the virtual summit with her talk “Making work work for you” at 12 PM EST today! “Well, I hope you can do the job,”…

    Read More Safe at Work: Disclosure and ProtectionContinue

  • man with white hair sits in wheelchair in front of a red car. Another man, with "volunteer" written on his T-shirt is pushing the chair.
    Increasing your independence | Strategizing for success

    Traveling with a disability: car travel

    ByAlison Hayes June 25, 2021May 12, 2022

    While some health conditions prevent disabled people from driving, many others don’t. What disabilities prevent driving and which don’t can be surprising. There are many accessibility features available today to allow wheelchair users and people with other mobility limits to drive despite their presumed inability to do so. There also are many advances in automated…

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  • A Third Reconstruction: How this House Resolution should help the disabled community
    Social connections | Strategizing for success

    A Third Reconstruction: How this House Resolution should help the disabled community

    ByAlison Hayes June 11, 2021May 9, 2022

    As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m an active participant in the New Jersey Poor People’s Campaign. I want to share with you the most recent activity of the campaign and explain both its significance and how it helps us, the disabled community. The Poor People’s Campaign along with House Representatives Barbara Lee and Pramila…

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  • train rounding a curve. Perspective is onboard train. A person is visible a car down, leaning their head out and smiling.
    Increasing your independence | Strategizing for success

    Traveling by train with a disability

    ByAlison Hayes June 4, 2021June 8, 2021

    I think trains are probably my favorite way to travel. The world goes by at a brisk pace (usually) but you can still see it all. I frequently take a commuter rail to New York City, and we live a short drive from the nearest train station. I also will often take the train down…

    Read More Traveling by train with a disabilityContinue

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Meet The Author

Picture of Alison Hayes

Alison Hayes

As a person with a sometimes-invisible illness that straddles neurology and psychiatry (Functional Neurological Disorder), I've dealt with a lot of the stigma surrounding physical and mental illnesses and both visible and invisible illnesses. I want to help other people with disabilities to regain perspective and control over their lives through manageable steps and make their lives better, one step at a time.

Photography courtesy of Terry Manning(terrymakes.com)

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Disclaimer

I am not a doctor, lawyer, or therapist.  I am a person with a disability who has learned a lot about many aspects of living life with a disabling condition.  My posts are intended as jumping off points connected to the best knowledge I could find.  I cannot be held responsible for the decisions you make or the actions you take.  

For your reading pleasure

  • Functional Neurological Disorder(FND) (13)
  • Overcoming Obstacles (83)
    • Dealing with Doctors (31)
    • Getting Government assistance (36)
  • Strategizing for success (137)
    • Fabulous food (4)
    • Increasing your independence (13)
    • Social connections (33)
    • Taking care of yourself (76)
  • Uncategorized (3)

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