In 2019 I want to write more about the challenges in front of me to keep moving towards independent living. It’s not easy to figure all this out and I’ll share what I find out in case it helps others in their own lives or just so everyone has a better idea of what’s involved. And, of course I’ll also be blogging about political issues impacting disability rights, weird random stuff and my experiences with accessibility.

As you know, I took a break from Twitter and Facebook to work on my book, mainly. It has been a couple of weeks since I started my break. I probably wrote about the same amount in my book than if I had been on Twitter and Facebook. So, maybe social media isn’t as distracting for me as I thought. I’m okay with not being sucked into the non-stop drama of our current political reality. But, think instead of a total blackout, I’m going to just limit my time on social media – maybe 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon.

Here is what I will be focusing on over the next several months because all of these things need to be in place for me to live independently. I love my parents but like any young adult, I really would love to live in my own place in the next couple of years. So, how do I get from here to there?

My first step is that I need to get my Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS) Medicaid/Medical Assistance waiver figured out. This is the funding that helps pay for my support staff, adaptive equipment not covered by insurance, etc. I mentioned this in a previous post, Minnesota Department of Human Services is now requiring me to create my own small business to hire and manage my support staff. My parents and I will be meeting with several different providers over the next several weeks to decide if we’ll stay with our current provider or switch to a new one. Then I’ll need to complete all of the paperwork to become a small business and rehire all of my current staff and have them go through background checks again. The provider I choose will handle the payroll but we also need to figure out how to protect me from liability as a small business (this is more than just worker’s comp and unemployment insurance!). There’s a lot to figure out and it has to be done and in place by March in order to keep having the choice and flexibility for me to hire my own staff. This may all sound confusing. That’s because it is. Thanks very much DHS for making my life more complicated than it already was.

Along with figuring out support services, I’m also trying out new ways to continue growing as a writer. I’m going to try finding a class to take either through someplace like the Loft Literary Center, White Bear Center for the Arts or an edX online class. This could be a fun way to stay connected with other writers and improve as a writer.

And, guess what? It’s almost time for the new legislative session in MN! I’m going to try to get to more of the Disability Days at the Capitol to continue my advocacy for disability rights. Just got my tickets to the Walz-Flanagan Inaugural event at the Orpheum. I’ve heard back about wheelchair accessibility and also have asked if there would be CART captioning.

And, I have a whole lot of doctor and therapy appointments coming up this month – one or two a week. I’m getting botox on my lower leg and foot that’s been so painful on January 9th. Hoping it works.

I’m also going to keep having fun listening to music, watching AFC Wimbledon football (soccer) matches, going to concerts, and hanging out with my family. My younger brother is graduating from high school this spring so life is going to have a lot of changes this year for all of us.

Happy New Year everyone!