High School Athlete of the Month: Hunter Gandee | Sports Illustrated

Welcome Back Readers,

Okay, so I missed writing on this blog last week but now I'm back. Some of you may recognize this brother duo of Hunter and Braden Gandee from a post I wrote last year. Braden has cerebral palsy; In an ongoing effort to raise awareness for the plight of those with disabilities, the two decided to take a 40 mile track from their home in Temperance, Michigan to Ann Arbor. How was this accomplished? Simple. His brother carried him piggyback the entire way.This year, the duo decided to take it one step further walking 57 miles; this time to raise money to get a more accessible playground. Hunter was named High School athlete of the month in Sports Illustrated

Similar news articles:
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/12/15/high-schooler-athlete-cp-work/21684/

Technology Review: Amazon Echo

Dear Readers,

I have decided to review Amazon Echo in the hopes of providing information to those wondering about its usability to those with speech as well is physical disabilities. For those unfamiliar with the technology, Echo (a.k.a. Alexa) is Amazon's own voice recognition service that allows people to listen to music, make lists and control their home simply by using their voice. I received Alexa as one of my Christmas gifts and after just two weeks using it- I LOVE IT!

Here are just some of my favorite functions:

1. Access to the radio- Since I am unable to use the radio in a traditional sense (through the tuning  of a dial, I love that the technology allows me to turn on the radio to  listen to my favorite stations by voice. I  simply say listen to 97.1  FM to hear that channel. This is especially convenient when I want to listen to the radio from from bed at night.
2. Sleep Timer-  This makes listening to the radio even more convenient because I can set a duration of time and it will automatically shut itself off
3. Access to Audible- Up until this point, I have been listening to my  audiobooks using Siri on my iPhone; that has worked, but Amazon Echo is better because of its speaker sound and volume.
4. Ability to change volume setting by voice- Alexa allows  users to adjust speaker volume settings simply by saying "increase" or "decrease". Additionally, you can change the volume setting by saying "volume" followed by a number ranging from 1-10. (1 being the lowest volume setting; 10 being the highest)
5. Connection to Pandora, IHeartRadio, Amazon Prime, podcast libraries, and Bluetooth
    a) Pandora- With a Pandora account, users can select certain music genre to play and use the "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" command to improve your personal station.
    b) IHeartRadio-similarly, this channel allows users to personalize music based on different genre, music artists etc.. The station also gives you access to live radio stations such as KLove, Wash 97.1 FM
   c) Amazon Prime-Echo obviously has access to Amazon Prime own music library; unfortunately, this means you have to have a membership.. I believe it's Amazon's way of competing with applications such as iTunes etc.. The membership is $99/year and provides access to videos, Kindle books and selected Amazon music. On the flipside, you can still get access to music you may have bought through Amazon, simply say "play music" or specify the specific album or song you wish to be played.
  d) Podcast libraries- Alexa also has access hundreds of podcast users can listen to, simply saying the podcast name you are looking for.
  e) Bluetooth access- Hooking  Amazon Echo via Bluetooth allows users to access music they have on their phone. The one negative is that you can't simply play music by specifying a title, it will automatically search for music on Amazon Prime. Users must select their music by clicking on their phone. However once this is done, they can change songs on the album or artist simply by saying "next" or "previous".

6. Quick Training- This feature allows users to train Alexa to respond quicker to their voice by going through more training of specific commands that Amazon Echo frequently hears. The more you train, the better it gets..
7. The Amazon Echo website and phone application- This website is especially helpful because it allows me to access and change settings and stations by voice through the computer if the technology is having a particularly hard time understanding me. The Apple application provides remote access when users are not close by to the device

Common Commands

Here is a list of commands I use:

1. "Alexa"- By default, this is command that wakes up the device; it lets Amazon Echo know you want it to do something..
2. "Listen to.." or "Play."- this command starts specified music or applications linked to the technology.
3. "Increase" or "Decrease"- As explained earlier in this post, this command adjusts the volume setting to a specified preference.
4. "Start", "Stop", "Resume"- These voice  functions play or stop stations or apps in use on the device.
5. "Sleep Timer"- this command sets a duration of time to stop the current application or music from playing.

As you see, there's a lot the technology can do, it is continually being updated to include more applications and commands

Encouragement: Girl's Best Friend

Welcome Back Readers~

Two nights ago I came across the inspirational story of Bella and George. 11-year-old Bella has Morquio syndrome, a rare genetic disease that attacks the bones.  Since birth, she has relied on crutches or a wheelchair to get around; but that all that changed when George entered her life.George is a Great Dane trained as a mobility service dog; his 131 pound body acts as a support as his master walks. Check out more on this story and its update below:




UPDATE:
https://www.facebook.com/JOURNALIST.TANYA.CARTER/?fref=nf

A New Year, New Start

Welcome Back Readers~

Happy New Year. I hope you had a wonderful time with your friends and family during Christmas break; I certainly did. Now last year had its share of up and down, but through it all God has remained faithful. I continue to hold on to the truth that no matter what comes my way even in my days of doubt and uncertainty He is there- holding me, strengthening my faith and creating a future better than I could ever imagine imagine.. The future may be unknown to me but I know Jesus is already there and sees what's ahead for me!

I am actively searching for another job since my other one concluded in June. Honestly, it surprised me and that's why I haven't written on this blog since then. I kind of lost sight of my purpose and felt I had nothing new to say. Having said that, I have decided this year would be a great time to start fresh. I am making a promise to you my readers- a promise I want you to hold me accountable to.. I plan on writing on this blog at least twice a week. Granted, that's not the only thing I will be doing; along with continuing the job search, I plan on starting to write on my fiction book again (once I find the most recent version.)

So, feel free to email me when you feel I may have forgotten I put this in writing.

Anyway, this Youtube clip was featured on the news during Christmas break and I thought I would share it with you. 17-year-old Lauren Brocious uploaded the video to cheer up a friend who was encountering bullying in school. She had encountered similar circumstances and decided to do something about it. The audience reaction has been overwhelming, the clip receiving over 98,000 views.

Check it out

Born This Way: Official Series Teaser - Tuesdays 10/9c | A&E

Welcome Back Readers~

Sorry I haven't been updating this blog as much as I'd like; I've been trying to get my resume back out there and see what new employment opportunities are out there for people like me. It's hard though when you have limited capabilities and can't work outside the home that easily..

Anyway, I recently came across a new Arts and Entertainment (A &  E) reality show featuring a cast of Down syndrome adults trying to overcome stereotypes by living as normal life as possible. In this series, audiences will hopefully gain a new perspective on the struggles those with down syndrome have and; it will also highlight their perseverance as they strive to live independently, get married and pursue their dreams!

I will definitely be watching and cheering them on; I hope you will be also..

The Importance of Positive Messages In the Media

Dear Readers,

Initially I began reading article and watching its video because of the young man in the wheelchair, but nothing inspired me more than Mr. Roger's speech on the influential power of the media at the end. He's right though; they have a unique opportunity to make a difference in this world..  The choice is up to them whether it's positive or negative!

http://www.petzoid.com/mr-rogers-message/

War Room - Official Trailer

Welcome Back Readers~

Shortly after it opened, I had the opportunity to go see the movie "War Room." Like other films produced by the Kendrick brothers, it carries a faith-based message meant to encourage and uplift audiences to consider their relationship with the Lord; in this case, believers are persuaded to take a closer look at their prayer life and its influence on daily living. By following the characters of Tony and Elizabeth Jordan and Miss Clara, significant differences in their perspectives emerge -  one based on on attitude of self-reliance, the other dependent on the Lord. Things quickly take a positive turn when an unlikely friendship is formed between the two women.  A review from IMDb website explains it even better, saying: 

" Filled with heart, humor, and wit, WAR ROOM follows Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, a couple who seemingly have it all-great jobs, a beautiful daughter, their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality, their marriage has become a war zone and their daughter is collateral damage. With guidance from Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman, Elizabeth discovers she can start fighting for her family instead of against them. As the power of prayer and Elizabeth's newly energized faith transform her life, will Tony join the fight and become the man he knows  he needs to be? Together, their real enemy doesn't have a prayer."

Leaving the theater I was both challenged and inspired. What kind of prospective was I portraying to those around me - one of self-reliance or faith? If I'm honest, this is something I struggled with during my recent employment. On the one hand, having a job allowed me the opportunity to provide for myself and feel independent. On the other hand, I sometimes got so busy that I took for granted WHO provided it for me. This is a result of humanity and sinful nature- that we choose to rely on ourselves rather than the One that CREATED us. Being a Christian doesn't mean our life will be perfect and free of difficulty; it just means that we will strive to show God's character and point the way to HIM!

Now this process doesn't happen overnight; nor is it something we can do ourselves. True transformation only occurs through the work of the Holy Spirit, revealing our weakness and convicting us of our sin. That's only one reason why it is so important to pray. Here are a few others:

1. Prayer allows us to get to know, love, and worship God more fully.
2. Prayer can help us understand God's Will and change our lives. As I said before,, this doesn't occur overnight but happens by the Holy Spirit's leading. According to the book The Battle Plan for Prayer: From Basic Training to Targeted Strategies, " As we pray, God reveals His will and ways to us, and then starts to align our hearts and minds with His.  We don’t ask Him to configure Himself around the way we want to live. No, we bring ourselves up under His authority. In other words, the more time we spend getting to know Jesus, the more we learn to trust Him. It is because of the renewing of our minds, not by our own strength (Romans 12)."
3. Prayer can help us  to accomplish his purposes by pointing others to Him. Once again, this cannot be done through our own strength, for it says in John 15:5: "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing." Therefore, we must seek to know him first and he will provide everything else!

"War Room" is based on the following book The Battle Plan for Prayer: From Basic Training to Targeted Strategies by Stephen and Alex Kendrick for those interested in finding out more information on prayer and how to strengthen your walk with the Lord. It is full of wonderful resources to many to explain in just one blog (I am still reading the Kindle version of the book myself) ,