Category: Disability Awareness

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Hi friends, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday. What are some of the hobbies or sports you like to participate in? I am 35 and have limited mobility due to my disability. So my options are limited. Yes, there are challenge or baseball leagues, and the Special Olympics has every sport you can imagine. I’m at the age where most other participants are either way too old or way too young. In addition, the concept of everyone getting a trophy or metal at the end doesn’t seem right to me. Most importantly, it would take 50 more steps if I just wanted to play wheelchair basketball for an hour. What if I just wanted to distract myself for a few minutes? Yes, there are plenty of video games with adaptive controllers. That truly is wonderful. However, I wanted something more realistic and a guaranteed challenge.

“for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;” Proverbs 1:2‭-‬3 NIV

I recently discovered chess. I know the game of chess has been around almost forever, but it really is a brilliant game, and it has so much to teach us about life. I picked up the following lessons from playing the game, among others Have a good day, everyone. Let me know in the comments if anyone has tried playing chess and what they’ve learned from it

• No matter how much you can or cannot move, you can still play even if someone else moves the pieces for you because every piece and square on the board has a name.
• Chess is not for nerds! It’s a very social game you can always learn from other players. Especially in today’s world with players constantly streaming their matches. Players of all races are represented. There’s always someone waiting to connect even if it’s just to teach or play a game.
• I currently have the lowest rating in all of Chess, but it is almost impossible to play the same game twice so you always constantly being challenged and learning a new strategy.
• Every piece on the board has a specific role you have to see the big picture. I specifically enjoy this aspect because we get so focused in this world about what we’re doing in the moment we never take a step back to look at the whole board of life.
• Most people when they start a plan of any kind. Get excited when they start a new project but lose interest in the middle and never get to the end. In chess the middle game is where the challenge really begins. The game will not end until the king is captured so you constantly have to keep adapting to a new scenario.
• After you play games, you have to study your mistakes. In life people don’t want to learn from mistakes but in chess if you don’t analyze your past you can’t get better in the future.
• Chess does not require physical strength, but strictly. Your mind and your heart working together.

Disability Limbo Newsletter

I started Letters from the Limbo as a way to connect with you on a deeper level. Twice a month, I send out an email filled with personal anecdotes, professional updates (like my recent reelection as Vice Chair of the NJCDD), and the policy insights I don’t share anywhere else. This isn’t just another email—it’s an unfiltered look at the life of a disability advocate. Join my community and get an exclusive, honest look at the work that matters

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The following was an opinion piece Kevin Nuñez wrote for the Burlington County Times in March 2020. Click here to read

I am a 32-year-old disability advocate living with cerebral palsy. I am of sound mind and spirit, and I’m inviting you to go down a linguistically inspired rabbit hole with me to start a much deeper conversation about human awareness and language.

Before beginning, I know what I’m about to say is controversial and might raise more questions than answers. I am trying to make people aware of the way we are communicating with one another. Unlike Alice in Wonderland, we cannot wake up from this nightmare. Just like my disability, it will not disappear. This should be an ongoing conversation, with people allowed to draw their own conclusions. We should learn to understand the meaning behind words and phrases before we use them. If we look up the etymology of most words, we would find a negative connotation for most of them.

My function as an advocate is to educate and collaborate with others to better the lives of those affected by disability. I have come to realize that I am more of a human advocate, because everyone has a disability.

One day, I was giving an orientation to new direct support professionals (DSPs) on how to treat individuals with respect and so forth. Later that night, I was out with friends whom I have not seen in a long time. During the conversation, they jokingly used the R-word once. I did not want to break up the conversation and begin a lecture on disability and why the word is offensive. No one at the table was trying to be offensive; there was no malice behind it. I immediately cringed internally. What was I to do? I can’t wear my advocacy hat all the time. I have the right to have fun as well.

The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.- Proverbs 14:15 NIV

When the night ended, I pulled the one person aside and simply explained the situation. That person apologized, and that was the end of it. There was no need to cause a scene in the middle of a restaurant. I did not have to shame them in front of everyone. We didn’t have to stop being friends because they made a mistake. All I had to do was express myself in a calm way and make sure they didn’t forget it.

These days, everyone preaches acceptance, but we also need to preach tolerance. People will say the wrong thing. This does not mean they should be punished for the rest of their lives. Words are tools, like hammers and knives. Yes, they can be used to hurt. They can also be used to build and create wonderful statements that can change the world. We are so quick to destroy anyone who says something we don’t like, instead of educating them to make the change.

Comedian Kevin Hart made a joke many years ago about how he would discipline his son if he ever said he was gay or transsexual. At the last Oscars ceremony, Hart was scheduled to host. There was such a huge uproar about his statement that he removed himself. If we are going to judge every word every person ever said, then we should all put tape over our mouths and learn to communicate telepathically.

In conclusion, language is like comedy — totally subjective. It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it. Tone and delivery matter. Think of it like this: Have you ever texted someone and then had to send another text immediately after to explain it?

How we communicate is like driving. Everyone does it a little differently. We have all sped up and broken a rule once in a while. We may cause a major tragedy, a tiny fender bender, or get away with it.

We can do only so much. First of all, know your audience. Find the most effective way to deliver your message. Learn to accept feedback and reactions. Most importantly, be patient with how to respond to someone’s message back to us.

Disability Limbo Newsletter

I started Letters from the Limbo as a way to connect with you on a deeper level. Twice a month, I send out an email filled with personal anecdotes, professional updates (like my recent reelection as Vice Chair of the NJCDD), and the policy insights I don’t share anywhere else. This isn’t just another email—it’s an unfiltered look at the life of a disability advocate. Join my community and get an exclusive, honest look at the work that matters