0:09

Welcome to The True Tales by Disability

0:12

Advocates, authentic

0:14

voices of people. thriving with disabilities.

0:17

Where individuals use the art

0:20

of storytelling to change the world.

0:22

The True Tales by Disability

0:25

Advocates Podcast is

0:27

produced by Art Spark Texas, Speaking

0:29

Advocates Program. Keep

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listening to hear how lives challenges

0:34

can spark a desire to speak

0:36

out and advocate

0:38

for yourselves and others.

0:44

Welcome to episode twenty of True

0:47

Tales by Disability Advocates podcast,

0:49

where we're diving into "Smashing

0:51

Ableism: Tales of Resilience".

0:54

In this episode storytellers

0:56

Alina Arredondo and Peter Richter

0:59

share their stories highlighting resilience

1:02

in the face of ableism. The cohosts

1:04

for this episode, Jennifer Howell and Joey

1:06

Gidseg are along for the ride,

1:09

chatting about the common threads that bind

1:11

these narratives together, the power of

1:13

family support, love, gratitude,

1:16

resilience, and bouncing back. In

1:18

our first story "To My Heart in Heaven", Alina

1:21

talks about her grandfather.. and the impact

1:23

he had on her life. About the

1:25

dream they shared that Alina would go to

1:27

Law School. Discover how her

1:29

grandfather's wisdom and encouragement has

1:31

been Alina's secret weapon in

1:34

her experience navigating a world

1:36

not designed with her in mind and

1:38

unprepared for her abilities. Then

1:41

with a critical eye on issues like

1:43

entitlement of ableism, she guides

1:45

us through her journey from being in an abusive

1:47

situation as a child, experiencing

1:50

discrimination at college, recovering

1:52

from mental health issues and eventually

1:54

her resilience in the face of systemic

1:57

ableism. Her conversation with

1:59

Jennifer is intimate, honest

2:01

and vulnerable and full of wisdom

2:04

and knowledge about life and

2:06

the importance of knowing yourself and knowing

2:08

your rights. In the second

2:10

part of the show, we embark on a

2:12

sweet journey with Peter and

2:14

his story, "Mimi and Papa."

2:17

He shares heartwarming memories

2:19

of his awesome, adventurous grandparents,

2:22

as well as his love and gratitude for the

2:24

acceptance and support of his whole

2:27

family and that includes his

2:29

canine companions Magic and Winnie,

2:32

who bring immense joy to his life.

2:34

Then we explore his Peter's gratitude

2:36

for a fulfilling job that not only

2:39

sustains him, but also let's

2:41

him give back to his supportive crew members,

2:43

the community that has supported him. These

2:46

stories, highlight the importance of recognizing

2:48

and appreciating the good stuff, even

2:51

when life throws curve balls. This

2:53

is a tool that can help us all, regardless

2:55

of our life circumstances. This episode

2:58

is all about being thankful no matter

3:00

what life throws your way. Join

3:02

us as we celebrate International

3:05

Day of Persons with Disabilities 2023

3:08

by listening to "Smashing Ableism:

3:10

Tales of Resilience". And,

3:13

you know, it's not just a podcast episode, it's

3:15

a vibe that sparks gratitude:, it's

3:18

a, it's a platform for, for stories

3:20

that foster change and inclusivity.

3:22

So get comfy and stay with

3:24

us for these stories that'll challenge

3:27

your assumptions make you

3:29

think laugh, and maybe even get

3:31

a bit fired up about how much there is left

3:33

to do to break down the barriers for folks

3:35

with disabilities.

3:50

Welcome back to True Tales

3:52

by Disability Advocates. Changing

3:55

the world one story at a time. I'm

3:57

Jennifer Howell, and I am your

3:59

host. I am here with storyteller

4:02

Alina Arredondo. Hello,

4:04

Alina, and welcome.

4:06

Hi, thank you for having me here. It's

4:09

such a great pleasure and such an honor to

4:11

be here today.

4:12

Oh, well, you are welcome. We

4:14

are very eager to hear your

4:16

story. Thank you so

4:19

much.

4:20

I'm super excited and this is my first

4:22

time being on a podcast.

4:24

Oh, wonderful. Well,

4:27

Alina, what inspired you to

4:29

write this story?

4:31

Well, we were given a topic of

4:33

who is a person that we admire

4:35

the most. And it

4:37

was between my father and my grandfather.

4:40

But obviously I wanted it to be

4:42

a memory of my grandfather's

4:45

past, so I decided to

4:48

go with my grandfather since he

4:50

actually influenced my father

4:52

to be the father he is now, so

4:54

that's why I picked him. And

4:57

I am so eager to tell you guys.

4:59

Oh, that is beautiful. Okay,

5:02

listeners, you are in for a treat.

5:04

Alina Arredondo will now present

5:07

her story, "To My Heart

5:09

in Heaven", in which she shares

5:11

about the positive impact her grandfather

5:14

had and continues to have

5:16

on her life.

5:38

Hi, my name is Alina Guadalupe Arredondo,

5:40

and this is a story that I wrote "To

5:42

My Heart In Heaven." Dear

5:45

Viejillo, (Grandfather), I

5:47

want to tell you how much I miss

5:49

you, how I wish

5:51

I was looking into your eyes. What

5:54

would I give to see your face,

5:57

and retrace each wrinkle that the

5:59

years marked on you. I

6:01

would bestow my own soul

6:03

in exchange to feel your warm embrace

6:06

around me, to hear

6:08

your voice call me by the nickname

6:10

you gave me, "Burrita," which I know

6:12

means donkey, but you meant it

6:14

in the sweetest, nicest way. I

6:17

would jump through a volcano just for

6:19

you to see what a great young lady

6:21

I have become. Oh,

6:24

what I would give to hear you tell

6:26

me how proud I have made

6:28

you, and that your pride

6:30

in me has not changed since the day

6:32

you left. Since you

6:34

left, a lot has changed in me

6:36

and around me. First of all,

6:39

I am still short and a bit chunky,

6:42

maybe not as short as when you saw

6:45

me, but still kind of

6:47

the same. Second, I

6:49

have had three different graduations,

6:52

with each one being higher academically.

6:55

Motivated by the constant memory

6:58

of what you told me as a child,

7:01

that I would one day represent my last

7:03

name. Not only have

7:05

I graduated from high school, I

7:07

received my Associate's degree, and

7:10

last year in May, I graduated

7:12

with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.

7:16

Third, I have taken my Law

7:18

exam twice. The second

7:20

time I took the LSAT, what

7:22

motivated me to improve from the

7:24

last time were your words in

7:26

my head telling me, “You

7:29

can do anything, if

7:31

you want to.” All

7:34

those hours of isolation

7:36

and studying have finally

7:38

paid off because a new chapter

7:41

will soon begin. The chapter

7:43

of going to law school will

7:45

be another form of stress, but

7:48

I know I can get through it because

7:51

I know you're watching over

7:53

me. You always told

7:55

me that I would do great things.

7:58

I remember the day I took my first

8:00

step, you heard grandma screaming

8:03

with joy. You rushed

8:05

into the master bedroom and you asked

8:07

grandma what was wrong. Grandma

8:09

could not speak due to the excitement. She

8:12

just pointed at me, and you

8:14

asked me what I did, but instead,

8:17

I showed you. At that

8:19

moment, your eyes filled up,

8:22

and you rushed to pick me up. While

8:24

in your arms, you told me

8:26

something I carry dearly in my

8:28

heart, “Ya ve

8:30

Burrita todo lo puede si

8:33

usted quiere,” “You

8:35

see, you can do anything

8:38

if you want to." Taking

8:40

my first step was a huge miracle,

8:43

because my doctors wanted to amputate

8:45

my legs, but you never gave

8:47

up on me. We did home

8:49

therapy because you believed that I

8:52

would walk, and thanks to your

8:54

stubbornness, I have not

8:56

stopped walking. I

8:58

remember as a child, every time you

9:00

received your check... You would take

9:02

me to the bank with you because the only

9:05

way the cashier would cash your check was

9:07

with my signature. Of

9:09

course, this was not true, but

9:12

you would do it to make me practice my writing.

9:15

Or what about the time we were playing kitchen

9:18

and I grabbed some jelly bean eggs and

9:20

pretended they were chicken eggs. Remember

9:22

I made you and your brother eat my jelly

9:24

bean eggs? Your brother was not

9:27

cooperating in eating my jelly bean eggs.

9:29

So, I started to cry because I

9:31

made those eggs with love. So,

9:34

you asked for seconds and made your brother

9:36

eat my jelly bean eggs. Or

9:38

the times you would take me to McDonald's

9:41

only for the toys. I remember

9:44

your truck was full of McDonald's toys.

9:46

I can honestly say you had

9:49

me spoiled, in a good way. But

9:52

the memory I cherished the most was the

9:54

last time I saw you. It

9:56

was a week before you left. I

9:58

remember eating cereal outside under

10:01

the tree. You could hardly walk.

10:04

The pain had invaded your entire body,

10:07

but that did not stop you from playing with us.

10:10

We played ball and you pushed me

10:12

on the swing. That day

10:14

stood still as if God was

10:16

warning me to cherish what would be

10:19

my last time with you. All

10:21

these great memories I shall treasure for

10:23

the rest of my life. You

10:26

once told me how one day

10:28

I would represent my last name. One

10:31

day everyone would be talking about

10:33

Alina Guadalupe Arredondo and

10:36

you would proudly proclaim to the

10:38

Four Winds, I am your granddaughter.

10:41

Thank you, my Viejillo, for

10:44

believing in me. I offer

10:46

all of my accomplishments in your

10:48

honor. You will always

10:50

live in my heart. I

10:52

am grateful that I met you, and

10:55

it was an honor to have called you my

10:57

Grandfather. I

10:59

will see you soon, but until

11:01

that day comes, I know

11:04

you will be by my side, guiding

11:06

me towards becoming a family

11:09

lawyer. Sincerely,

11:11

and always, your Burrita.

11:20

Welcome back. I'm here

11:22

with Alina. Thanks for sharing

11:24

your story with us today. We

11:27

know that a lot of time

11:29

has passed since you first shared

11:31

your story in 2013

11:35

or 14. What was

11:37

your experience with higher education

11:39

as a person with a disability, and

11:42

did you finish law school?

11:45

Uh, yes, my experience with higher

11:47

education, at first when

11:49

I did my associate's and my bachelor's, it

11:51

was pretty easy

11:54

to transfer from high school

11:56

into college or university.

11:59

But for some reason,

12:01

when I went to a

12:04

master's level or J. D.

12:06

level, kind of, education,

12:09

there's not that many, uh,

12:11

accommodations for people with disabilities.

12:15

Because not a lot of people with disabilities

12:17

go beyond that bachelor's degree,

12:19

so it was very difficult for me to have and receive

12:22

those accommodations. So because

12:24

of that, I did not finish

12:27

my law school, only

12:29

because I missed GPA

12:31

requirement by a decimal point,

12:34

and I tried to appeal,

12:37

and it didn't work out, and

12:40

I just became really depressed.

12:43

Errr, I had invested

12:45

so much time and energy,

12:48

and... I moved from El

12:50

Paso all the way to a new

12:52

state. And I,

12:55

I had failed and I blamed myself

12:58

when it was actually the

13:01

school that should have been prepared, the society

13:04

should be prepared for

13:07

making the world a little bit more

13:09

equal, equal. Equal

13:11

for people with disabilities. You

13:13

know, we, especially in education, we say, oh,

13:16

um, education, equality for

13:18

everyone, but in reality, that's not the case.

13:22

Alina, I, I actually,

13:24

um, I want to say this,

13:26

in the rehearsal...of course,

13:29

we were very casual, you know,

13:31

and we were having a conversation and,

13:34

and, um, it's something that's not

13:36

covered in your story. Um,

13:39

I really, I really would like

13:41

to ask you to share some of the things

13:43

that we discussed in the rehearsal, about

13:46

the lack of accommodations. You

13:48

mentioned that you didn't receive

13:51

the accommodations that you needed.

13:53

I'm sure that there are many others

13:55

who have faced that same situation.

13:58

Please, Please if you are comfortable, tell

14:01

us a little bit more about that?

14:03

Yeah, so what happened was, you know, I have

14:05

always acknowledged

14:08

that I do have a disability, but

14:10

never truly understood the importance

14:12

of knowing your rights and what accommodations

14:15

and all this stuff. So, when I graduated

14:17

from my bachelor's, I made sure that

14:19

I went to the Accommodation Center, grabbed

14:21

my documents, and when we moved

14:24

over there, that was the first thing I turned

14:26

in, and I explained like, this is what helps me,

14:28

Dragon Natural Speaking, a recorder,

14:31

somebody to take notes And at

14:33

that moment, they said, "You know what, you are

14:35

the first person with a

14:38

severe physical disability

14:41

that is requiring a lot of

14:43

accommodations that we cannot provide.

14:46

So, in that instance, my dad,

14:49

he doesn't really know much

14:51

English, English is not his first language.

14:54

He had to sit with me in the classrooms

14:56

and try to take notes. Try to understand

14:59

and take notes for me, which was very difficult.

15:01

And as you can see, I don't have

15:04

upper limbs. So for me to

15:06

pay attention and constantly taking

15:08

notes myself was really difficult,

15:11

and it's very different

15:14

in the environment that everybody's

15:16

in a competition mode, and everybody

15:19

wants to go and be number one.

15:22

So, my colleagues didn't even

15:24

offer to help me,

15:26

and I didn't know for sure that I had

15:28

rights as a person with a disability. Uh,

15:31

I didn't receive any accommodations.

15:33

Um, there was a time where

15:36

for extra time on my exam,

15:38

they would just sit me on the floor and

15:41

the lights would turn off and I have to be typing

15:43

with the TV or the screen

15:45

light and I, they

15:48

were just not as helpful

15:51

as I wish they could've. I

15:53

had briefly thought, okay, they

15:55

have to follow this, they know what they're doing. And

15:57

since they said no, I just stopped there.

16:00

So that made it very difficult, uh,

16:02

for me to receive my accommodations.

16:05

Um, even though I did go to other

16:07

agencies that do advocate

16:10

on behalf of people with disabilities, it

16:12

wasn't enough to help

16:15

me to succeed that first year

16:17

of law school.

16:19

That had to be incredibly

16:21

disappointing, frustrating,

16:24

heartbreaking, and

16:26

certainly...(sighs)

16:28

very unfaIr. Um,

16:32

but you... You

16:35

didn't stop there, although you,

16:37

um, did not

16:40

continue with law school.

16:43

Um, share with us what came next.

16:46

So after the disappointment of

16:49

them not accepting my

16:51

letter to fight back,

16:54

to go back into the, um, law school,

16:56

they basically told me," Why don't you go back

16:58

to that little town that you come from? Take take

17:01

any course you want to and come back when you get an A,

17:03

and then we'll see if your accommodations are truly

17:05

what will help you succeed." And

17:08

I was like, that's not true, if I go back to

17:10

El Paso, take a Spanish course, get an A,

17:12

you're not gonna accept me back." So

17:15

when they told me that, I really felt like society

17:17

was just focusing on the lack of ability that

17:19

I don't have, have. And it's that.

17:22

I feel like, even though I am

17:24

a person with a disability, I

17:26

have so much more to offer, and

17:29

for people just to, at a glance, see

17:31

my physical disability and say, Oh, she can't

17:33

do it! it's really difficult, you know? And it

17:37

goes back, I'm gonna backtrack just

17:39

a little bit, um, I

17:41

come from a very abusive background.

17:43

My mother, my biological mother was

17:45

very abusive So all

17:48

that trauma of, you know, my mom not

17:50

accepting who I was, and I am useless,

17:52

and all of that learned helplessness

17:55

of, I cannot do it, you don't

17:58

have any value. And then for someone

18:00

with high authority to tell me that, uh,

18:03

it did come a point where I wanted

18:05

to commit suicide.

18:07

And it was very difficult for me to get

18:10

out of that funk, uh,

18:12

just because I

18:14

had dedicated since the age of

18:16

nine that I wanted

18:18

to become a lawyer.

18:20

I'm so sorry. It's so

18:23

unfortunate, but

18:25

thank you for giving us

18:27

a look into your experience,

18:30

about, being, abused as a child Your

18:32

courageous story has not

18:34

only inspired us, but maybe

18:36

perhaps, it's initiated a very

18:39

thought provoking, important conversation,

18:41

that we need, Uh, about, um being

18:43

abused as a child?

18:46

Uh, yes, I hope that this helps somebody especially

18:48

a person with a disability. So,

18:50

when I moved back to El Paso,

18:54

my um,

18:56

friends asked me, "Well, what

18:58

is it, the passion that

19:00

started you to want

19:02

to become a lawyer? And it

19:04

was to advocate for people. So

19:07

now I am a

19:10

graduate of The University

19:12

of Texas El Paso with my Master's

19:15

in Social Work. And as

19:17

of January of this year,

19:19

I received my license

19:21

as a Master in Social Work. So

19:23

now I can officially call myself in the state

19:26

of Texas a Social Worker. And

19:28

life has been pretty crazy! Um, I,

19:30

I work at our local, um, independent living

19:32

center. Um, I just bought

19:35

a house. And I, I don't

19:37

stop. I use my story as a way to push to my consumers

19:39

that, hey, you do have a disability, but it's very

19:42

important to know your rights and advocate on your

19:44

behalf.

19:45

That is wonderful.

19:47

You are unstoppable,

19:50

(Laughs) and the world is a better

19:52

place because of you.

19:54

(Laughs) Thank you.

19:55

You have, yes,

19:58

you have achieved so much

20:00

at such a young age. What

20:03

are your current goals and

20:05

dreams? What's, what's next?

20:07

And what are your hopes for the future?

20:10

Well, academically, I think I have reached my

20:12

full potential. So my next goal would

20:14

probably be to open my own agency.

20:17

Um, I have noticed working with people with disabilities,

20:20

adults and young adults with disabilities,

20:22

that there is not a Save Haven for them, like

20:24

a place where they can live and work and

20:26

feel wanted and appreciated. So,

20:28

So, I would like to create like

20:30

a community living situation

20:33

where they can work in

20:35

the community. And we can

20:37

teach them those independent living skills,

20:39

so they can know how to fold their clothes, or wash

20:42

their clothes, or, um, how do you use, uh,

20:44

money, how do you time manage, all of those

20:46

things, uh, it's my next goal As As

20:48

far as, like, my more personal goals,

20:51

I would say for sure, learn how

20:53

to drive. That is a huge

20:55

passion of mine that I want to, for

20:57

sure, um, work on,

21:00

just because, you know, I am always on the

21:02

go, and depending on people, or,

21:04

you know, public transportation is not

21:07

always the best. And then

21:09

a more intimate, personal goal

21:11

would be becoming a mother. I

21:13

know it sounds really silly, um,

21:16

but since I didn't have that

21:18

love and appreciation with my mom,

21:21

that connection from mother and daughter,

21:24

um, I hope that, by

21:26

having a child, I can share

21:29

that love that I have. I mean, I

21:31

share the love with my friends, with my

21:33

significant others, with

21:35

my father, with my siblings,

21:38

but it's not the same as...

21:41

having somebody who looks up to

21:43

you as a role model, say. And I would say, okay, I

21:45

didn't have this in my own childhood, but

21:47

let me share that with you. Um, so

21:49

those are my hopes and my dreams and my goals

21:51

for the future to become a mother, learn how to drive

21:54

and create my own, uh, agency.

21:56

There is nothing silly

21:58

about that at all. You have a

22:01

lot of love to give. Yes.

22:04

So, you've

22:08

faced discrimination.

22:11

umm, an abusive situation.

22:15

Yes.

22:16

Um, you,

22:18

mental health issues.

22:21

Oh, yeah.

22:21

And, and ableism

22:25

has created so many

22:27

barriers in every aspect

22:29

of your life.

22:31

Yes.

22:32

You are a strong

22:34

woman, a very strong woman, who

22:37

has earned a Master's Degree,

22:39

a professional license, and

22:41

you are a homeowner.

22:43

Yes.

22:43

Wow!

22:45

(Laughs)

22:45

What advice do

22:48

you have for anyone listening

22:50

today who is facing a barrier that

22:52

seems hopeless?

22:54

Like I said earlier, for sure

22:56

know who you are, know

22:58

your rights. As a person with a disability,

23:01

you have so many rights, so

23:03

many laws that yes, they could be improved

23:05

upon, but, you know, what we have,

23:08

use that tool. If you

23:10

are not comfortable with who you

23:12

are, don't even know what you

23:14

like to do, and don't even know what

23:16

laws protect you, how do you

23:18

expect to become somebody? How

23:20

do you expect to push yourself and say,

23:23

you know what today, I'm going to do something simple

23:25

as cleaning the house, but I need a provider, or I

23:27

need this, or I need that Whatever that

23:29

person may need in order to do a simple task.

23:32

That That is knowing who you are,

23:34

you're advocate, advocating for

23:36

yourself. And that's something

23:38

that I wish somebody would have told

23:40

me at the beginning, and I would have pushed at the beginning

23:42

of my law school journey and say, hey,

23:44

these are my rights. This

23:47

is what I need to do. Um,

23:49

I'm going to stand up for myself and you are not

23:51

going to be an ableist towards me and I'm going to

23:53

show you that I can do it maybe

23:56

differently than others, but I'm going to do it.

23:58

Um, so, uh, for sure, for sure, for everyone

24:01

who is listening, know who

24:03

you are, know your rights, and it's

24:05

okay to fail! You're You're still going to fail,

24:07

that's just part of life, but it doesn't matter

24:09

how many times you fail or how

24:11

hard you have failed, what matters

24:13

is, how do you get yourself

24:15

back up? Uh,

24:18

like I said, I have gone through

24:20

so many things, and a

24:22

lot of people ask me, "Hey, Alina, why do you

24:24

continue? Why do you get

24:26

up every night and every morning?" And say, "Hey,

24:28

I'm gonna, I'm going to keep going and with

24:31

a smile because I'm always smiling. I'm always

24:33

joking. I have such a positive

24:35

vibe that I want to portray to everybody

24:37

that I meet because I have grown to, um,

24:40

to see that everybody struggles in their own

24:42

way, shape, or form. And it's not a competition

24:44

of, oh, I've done this or

24:47

this has happened to me. It's more

24:49

of, let me help you, let me provide

24:51

that resource, let me be that listening

24:53

ear, but you also have to put your heart in saying

24:55

"Okay, I failed, what are my

24:57

next options? People may

24:59

laugh at me, and that's fine. But

25:02

let me get out of this funk and keep moving forward."

25:04

So that's what I will tell them. Find who

25:07

you really are. Learn

25:09

the laws and keep pushing.

25:11

And if you fail, try again.

25:14

That is such wonderful

25:16

advice and, uh,

25:18

so valuable. I know

25:21

that Um, that

25:24

was really speaking to,

25:27

um, our listeners, and

25:30

I know that it will be helpful to them.

25:32

Thank you very much for that.

25:35

No, thank you for having me and thank you for

25:37

allowing me this platform to share

25:40

not only my love for my grandfather,

25:42

who still helps me on

25:45

a day to day basis, but

25:47

for sharing my experience, even

25:49

the ones that I did not mention in

25:52

my story. I hope this helps

25:54

somebody and motivates them that

25:56

your disability is not a

25:59

barrier. It's actually a

26:01

positive thing to help you.

26:04

And expanding and growing

26:07

as a person, you just

26:09

got to do things a little bit different,

26:11

and there's no shame in the game.

26:14

Oh, thank you. Thank you

26:16

so much, Alina. If

26:18

you are a person with a disability,

26:21

who has a dream of going to graduate

26:23

school, you can find some great resources

26:26

at gograd

26:29

dot org slash

26:31

resources slash

26:34

students hyphen with

26:38

hyphen disabilities. We'll

26:41

put that link in the show notes. Okay,

26:44

now listen, Um,

26:46

I was wondering if we were going to stop

26:48

there Alina, or if you have Um,

26:51

a suggestion about this very

26:54

thought provoking, important

26:56

conversation that we had uh,

26:59

go ahead.

27:00

Um, no, I mean, um, whatever

27:03

you guys want me to talk, I know we mentioned more in the

27:05

practice. Um, I didn't know,

27:07

maybe, I think

27:09

ableism is the biggest takeaway,

27:12

the biggest barrier,

27:15

or the biggest, yeah, barrier,

27:18

um, that has created

27:20

a ripple effect in my

27:22

life, that, It has continuously,

27:26

um, you know, affected.

27:28

uh, I think um, how

27:31

is the ableism still,

27:34

um, affecting me right now,

27:36

even though, like, I graduated and

27:38

have a license, uh, and finding

27:40

employment. Um, it

27:42

was, like, still ongoing,

27:45

like, it didn't just magically stop.

27:47

And it's just, it's still continues.

27:49

Um, okay, so what I was going to

27:51

say was basically along the lines of

27:55

that the world is the

27:57

one that's not prepared for people like us.

28:00

And they could at least

28:02

be considerate enough to have the decency

28:04

of having some sort of sensitivity

28:08

training or even taking into

28:10

account, (Uhh!) You know,

28:12

the ADA does exist and

28:15

that law is not just for the

28:17

people who are born with

28:19

disability, it also affects people

28:21

who acquire disabilities.

28:23

And the world doesn't really

28:25

understand that as people get older, you

28:27

do acquire disabilities. Uh,

28:31

from simply wearing glasses to having

28:33

disability, um, diabetes or

28:35

high blood pressure or a

28:37

pregnancy as a temporarily disability.

28:39

And people just say oh, a disability

28:42

is this little box, as a person

28:44

that uses medical equipment

28:47

to move around. Er,No,

28:50

disabilities come in all shapes and sizes

28:52

and colors and flavors, and the

28:54

world needs to really take in charge

28:56

of saying, okay, we

28:59

signed this law, the ADA

29:01

law that protects people with disabilities,

29:04

let's actually put into practice what

29:06

we're actually signed up to

29:08

do. There's still so many buildings

29:10

that you know, are

29:13

not even accessible and they're new buildings,

29:15

or they have the button to

29:17

open doors, but they don't work.

29:20

Nobody comes and checks on them. And

29:22

it's so frustrating that when

29:24

people walk into my home, they're like, "Oh,

29:27

everything's so small, oh, everything

29:29

is... to your needs!" I'm like, "Yes,

29:32

welcome to my world. This

29:34

little corner right here. Um,

29:36

this is what I got to deal with outside! The

29:39

stress that you're feeling in my home because

29:41

it's not accommodated to your needs.

29:43

That's what I have to feel, when I walk out

29:45

my door, (Laughs) every

29:48

day." Like, come on.

29:50

Um, be considerate, be more humble,

29:53

(Laughs), actually put into

29:56

practice what you're trying to preach. Um,

29:58

a few days ago, uh,

30:00

we went to go pick up the proclamation

30:03

for the ADA. And I

30:05

was at City Hall and they

30:07

didn't even bother to say, what can

30:09

we do to accommodate you? They

30:12

expect me to accommodate to their

30:14

needs. They weren't even paying attention to

30:16

me. And I was like, excuse me, I

30:18

am a paid taxpayer. I

30:21

am an active member of society.

30:23

Like, listen to me, look at me.

30:26

I've already been shut down by

30:28

my mom, by law school

30:30

people who think that they were the

30:33

biggest thing because of their titles,

30:35

and now you're doing the same thing? Like,

30:37

no. Yes, I am three times

30:39

a minority, Hispanic, a woman,

30:41

and a person with a disability, but

30:44

I am an active member of society.

30:46

Like, treat me as one. My

30:48

disability is not contagious. My

30:51

disability... is not

30:54

going to push me aside

30:56

and be like, "Oh, poor her, pobrecita,

30:59

she can't do that." No, my disability

31:02

is only one of the million

31:04

hats I wear, and

31:06

it's only because you can see it that

31:09

doesn't mean I lead with it. That

31:11

doesn't mean that," Oh, she doesn't

31:13

have hands. How can I shake her arm?

31:16

Like, shake my arm like a normal

31:18

person. Don't make me feel

31:21

like I need to baby you and hold your hand

31:23

and be like okay, this is how you

31:25

do it, (Laughs). This is what you're supposed to

31:27

ask. Like, no. Do

31:30

it. Put in the effort and learn

31:32

how to adapt to our world, not

31:34

us just adapting your world!

31:37

Jennifer Laughing) Alina Arredondo

31:39

for president! (Both

31:42

laughing)

31:44

Thanks. (More laughing)

31:47

Yes. laughs) maybe.

31:50

Okay. Thank you for being

31:52

a guest on True Tales

31:55

by Disability Advocates.

31:57

Thank you.

31:58

We really appreciate you.. This was fun

32:00

Yes, thank you. And I learned a lot from

32:02

you guys. This was an awesome experience

32:05

and thank you again for letting me be part of this.

32:34

Welcome I'm Joey Gidseg your host and

32:36

today I'll be chatting with storyteller, Peter

32:38

Richter. Welcome, to the

32:40

podcast, where we change the world one

32:42

story at a time Peter Peter,

32:44

thanks for joining us today.

32:47

You're welcome.

32:49

Peter, we are so excited for you to share

32:51

your story with our listeners.

32:54

Yeah, I got it. I got it right here. Okay,

32:56

I can start? I'm Peter

32:58

Richter. This is my story, "Mimi and Papa".

33:03

I remember my Mimi and Papa, my

33:05

grandparents. They were air pilots

33:07

from World War II. Their

33:09

names were Millie and

33:11

Edwin Dalrymple. Millie's

33:14

first husband died in the war, and she

33:16

met Edwin, when they were both

33:18

pilots. Edwin

33:20

was a Longhorn fan. He

33:22

went to a lot of games. He

33:25

was a very good man. Millie

33:28

was a tennis player. Her favorite player

33:30

was Andy Roddick, who she

33:32

met a few times. She

33:34

actually played with him, too. My Mimi and

33:37

Papa, they had great kids. Tom,

33:39

Dennis. And

33:41

the best mom I could have, Gail. They

33:44

have six good grandchildren, Travis,

33:46

Tracy, Scotty, Holly, Neil, and me.

33:49

My mom and I used to visit

33:51

Papa when he was in assisted living, and

33:54

I read them stories from the sports pages.

33:57

Edwin died in 2006,

34:01

and Mimi in 2012. When

34:03

Mimi died, my friend Robert called right

34:05

away. Um, thinking

34:07

about Papa has also made me think about

34:09

my dog, Magic. She bit

34:11

Papa once and he never forgave her. I

34:14

loved her though. Before

34:16

we got Magic, we were walking

34:18

down the street and saw a dog. We

34:22

took the dog home and the owners came

34:24

to pick her up. After that, we

34:26

wanted our own dog. We got

34:28

one, had her for 11 years. I

34:30

named her Magic because she brought magic

34:33

into our lives. I now

34:35

have my own dog named Winnie. I

34:38

love her very much. I really

34:40

miss my grandparents, but I like thinking

34:42

about them.

34:49

I'm here with Peter Richter. So, Peter, I'm

34:51

about to start, um, asking you

34:53

those questions we sent you ahead

34:55

of time. So, after

34:58

I ask you, I think you already

35:00

have some answers.

35:02

Mm hmm.

35:03

To help you think, yeah. So, that's

35:05

what we're about to do.

35:06

Cool, cool, cool.

35:07

Peter ,Thanks so much for sharing your story

35:10

with us today. In your story,

35:12

you mentioned that your dog brought magic into

35:14

your life. What is your favorite memory

35:16

of Magic?

35:18

My best memory of Magic is that she is

35:20

playful. I like Magic,

35:22

but I really like Winnie.

35:25

Will you tell us more about her?

35:27

Um, yeah, I would like to talk

35:29

about my dog, Winnie She's very

35:32

loyal and loving. She's a smart

35:35

She cuddles with me. She's very

35:37

friendly to people. She likes to go

35:39

on a walk. She is

35:42

trustworthy, very trustworthy. Winnie

35:44

is a terrier mutt. She's very nice.

35:47

She barks at other dogs, but she never bites.

35:49

Winnie is three years old.

35:51

Aw, she sounds like a wonderful puppy.

35:54

I also have puppies, and I know they are

35:57

our family members. So,

35:59

thank you, Peter, for sharing more with us. In

36:01

your story, you mentioned your Mimi and Papa,

36:04

and that you have the best mom ever. What

36:06

other people in your life have helped you become the

36:08

person that you are today? Would

36:10

you share what you would like for us to know about

36:13

them?

36:14

Robert Pierson is the person who's helped

36:16

me with Mimi and Papa. He

36:18

was my drama teacher at TSBVI.

36:21

He called me when Mimi died. I

36:23

was happy that he did that. It's an

36:26

interesting story how Mimi

36:28

died. My dad was coming back

36:30

from a trip. We went out to eat. He

36:33

got a call that Mimi died. When

36:35

Mimi died she was telling a story.

36:39

Peter, that sounds rather sudden

36:41

and must have been hard for you and your family.

36:43

I'm so sorry for your loss. And

36:46

Robert, you're right sounds like a really

36:48

great friend. You are really lucky

36:50

to have such supportive and caring family

36:52

and friends in your life. Thank you for telling

36:55

us more about them.

36:56

Mm hmm. Yeah.

36:58

Yeah. It's been a while

37:00

since you wrote this story with Opening Minds,

37:02

Opening Doors. And we know that you've been

37:04

working at Whataburger for a few years.

37:07

How do you like working there? What

37:09

kind of things do you do at work?

37:12

I take care of the customers at Whataburger

37:14

I have worked there for almost three years I'm

37:16

excited about work.

37:18

I would like to talk about Whataburger. The

37:21

people there are supportive. They care about

37:23

me a lot. They're kind to me. I'm

37:25

a hard worker. It's the best

37:27

job ever.

37:29

Wow! That sounds really, really cool.

37:32

It's always good when we love our, our

37:34

jobs that we get to do. So

37:36

I know that we have a lot of people who,

37:38

um, listen to and follow our

37:40

podcast. So what would you like

37:42

for our listeners to know about you?

37:45

I have a very kind

37:48

person. I like sports a lot. My

37:50

favorite team is the Astros and Tigers.

37:53

uh, TILT, TILT, yeah,

37:55

TILT. I'm in TILT

37:57

Performance Group, we do plays,

38:00

we, uh, we, uh,

38:03

we perform. We had three

38:05

great directors a long time ago. We had Robert.

38:08

We had, uh, Adam

38:10

and we had my mom. Yeah., TILT,

38:14

was started because of me. I

38:16

was doing acting in high school and

38:19

Robert was the director of my

38:21

high school play and he started it.

38:23

My mom and him, and Adam started TILT. Yeah.

38:27

I do. I really enjoy doing it. Thanks.

38:30

Yeah, and Peter, I remember you sharing with us that

38:32

you sort of grew up in theater,

38:34

so that really makes a lot of

38:36

sense, and it's pretty cool that, that

38:38

that was started and still happening.

38:41

Mm hmm. Yeah.

38:42

Cool. So Peter, we've learned a lot

38:45

about you today, and we really, really,

38:47

really appreciate you sharing your story with our

38:49

listeners. Uh, Thank you so much

38:51

once again. If our audience

38:54

wants to learn more about you or connect,

38:56

What is a good way for them to? Do you

38:58

have a blog or accounts on social

39:01

media?

39:02

Not right now, but I'm going to.

39:05

Cool. Cool. Thank you. Thank you for sharing

39:07

that. I'm sure that

39:09

in the future we can add something like

39:11

that to our

39:14

podcast and people can follow

39:16

you there.

39:18

Yeah, no problem. Okay.

39:29

Thank you for listening to this episode of

39:31

True Tales by Disability Advocates.

39:34

To find out more or to

39:36

hear previous episodes, you

39:38

can go to www

39:41

dot art spark TX

39:44

dot org. That's Art

39:47

Spark T X

39:49

dot org backslash

39:52

True Tales Podcast.

39:55

If you relate to the topics touched in this

39:58

episode, we'd love to hear from you.

40:00

Please visit our Facebook

40:03

page at Facebook.

40:05

com backslash True

40:08

Tales Podcast, and

40:10

share your stories with us. This

40:12

episode of True Tales was hosted

40:14

by me, Jennifer Howell,

40:16

and I'm host, Joey Gidseg,

40:19

and produced by

40:19

Joey Gidseg

40:20

and Toby Al-Trabulsi.

40:23

Editing and mixing by MsBoye.

40:26

The production team also includes Kristen

40:28

Gooch. Special thanks to Alina

40:31

Arredondo,

40:32

and Peter Richter.

40:33

I'm Jennifer Howell,

40:34

and I'm host, Joey Gidseg.

40:37

And you've been listening to True Tales by Disability

40:39

Advocates. Don't forget to share

40:41

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40:46

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40:57

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40:59

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41:01

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41:04

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41:06

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41:08

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41:11

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41:13

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41:16

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41:18

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41:25

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41:27

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41:31

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41:33

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41:35

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