Young man in wheelchair in front of quote painted on wall by Soren Kierkegaard, 1849, "Once you label me you negate me."
Advocacy, Political, travel

Part 2: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Hi – here’s part 2 of my trip to Washington DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Oh, by the way, I just got denied for the Section 8 housing voucher for the 4th time so might be a little distracted. The barriers I’m running into is why my advocacy and opportunities to meet with my US Representative… Continue reading Part 2: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Accessibility (#A11y), Advocacy

ADA 32 & Me 24

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 32 years old last Tuesday. And, I turn 24 years old on this Tuesday. My entire life has been post-ADA. The ADA addressed some of the concerns like employment discrimination, access to buildings and more. There’s a long way to go though. In Minnesota, I’m finding it all… Continue reading ADA 32 & Me 24

Justin and his dad in the crowd
Advocacy, Music, Writing

“Never let ‘em break you down”

Actually, independent living in and of itself, is cool. It’s the systems that I need for support that I’m finding incredibly frustrating. Going to keep up the good fight to live a self-directed life! “No matter how far I go, I always end up back here” Remember when I said I was getting a housing… Continue reading “Never let ‘em break you down”

tshirt that says Imagine
Accessibility (#A11y), Advocacy, Political, Writing

2022 goals

Here are my goals for what I think is going to be a big year for me. Writing About that book I’ve been working on… I am going to finish the horror\SFF (sci-fi and fantasy) book this year. Then, I am going to edit the hell out of this book. I am about 45k words… Continue reading 2022 goals

Justin wearing mask, sitting in wheelchair, looking at bookshelves in bookstore
Accessibility (#A11y), Music, travel

Austin Trip: Music, Fun & Accessibility

Some of the things I like to do when travelling or any time is to listen to live music, explore, and learn a bit about where I’m traveling. My parents and I flew to Austin, Texas, in mid-November. All in all, it was a cool trip.

First Avenue crowd on main floor
Writing

What am I…

The thing is, you might be sick of the politics. That is why I bestowed it upon myself to write fun alongside writing political.  So, when not obsessing about politics, what am I doing? What am I reading right now? I’ve started rereading this political book…damn…I wanted to keep politics out of this post. It… Continue reading What am I…

tshirt that says Imagine
Advocacy, Political, Writing

Time for change

 I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.  Ralph Ellison There are so many places I would have rather been this week – like rallies, protests, volunteering to help in some way. George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis and I live in the Twin Cities. This was hard for me to not… Continue reading Time for change

Kris and Justin smiling
Accessibility (#A11y), Advocacy, Political

A New Way

I’m honored to again be chosen as a delegate the Minnesota State DFL Convention. It’s a pretty different experience at the DFL virtual convention this year than in Rochester two years ago. It was exciting to be around all of the people, meet the candidates and other delegates, be part of the action and drama… Continue reading A New Way