Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

The purple heather-covered moors of North Yorkshire

Early this morning the Learjet landed at Heathrow and I drove the leased MG Midget to the north of England, through the moors covered with purple Heather and thinking about my mom Heather. At the Moors National Park Centre I meet Emma, an avid knitter – another reminder of Mom.

Emma is also mom to adorable Oliver who turned eight earlier this week and has cerebral palsy. While Oliver and his Dad entertained themselves with his new Nintendo, Emma and I chatted about friendships while growing up with a disability, finding funding for much needed equipment, and using communication devices. Join us in the beautiful English countryside.

I now fly back to Australia (who arranged this itinerary?) for the last stop on this magical Summer Sojourn virtual book tour. But I sense I’ll return to England in the near future. For now, please cast your daily votey so I may win the opportunity to be paid to blog for a year (be sure to click on “Vote for Glenda Watson Hyatt”). My goal is #3 by Labour Day. With your support, I know I can do it. Thanks!

See you tomorrow, down under!

Canberra’s Parliament House

Overnight I was back on the Learjet, flying to Isabella Plains, a suburb of Australia’s capital city Canberra. This trip to the land down under I am meeting with Ruth Ellison, an interaction designer who is extremely passionate about creating accessible and useful user experiences.

Today we chatted about living with cerebral palsy, our common passion for web accessibility, and a new term I recently coined: Disability 2.0 – “Nothing about us without us”. Please join us.

Tonight I board the Learjet for the United Kingdom – I’m training for the life of the rich and famous!

Turkey Run State Park, Indiana

After spending the day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (being so close, I just had to!), I drove over to Turkey Run State Park to meet blogger Jana. A quiet place to chat was what we both needed.

Being a woman about to embark on married life, I found myself offering Jana some advice. Jana is also serious considering fostering children with special needs. Because my parents were such a positive impact on my childhood, growing up with cerebral palsy, I also found myself offering advice to parents with special needs kids. Please help yourself to a cool beverage and join us for our chat under a shady tree.

With time travel involved, I’m heading back to Australia tomorrow! Until then, please vote daily so I may win the opportunity to be paid to blog for a year (be sure to click on “Vote for Glenda Watson Hyatt”). I have secured fourth place! My next goal is #3 by Labour Day. With your support, I know I can do it. Thanks!

(Photo credit: Hannah Boettcher)

After driving nearly six hundred miles in my red Ferrari this weekend (yes, life is tough!), I pulled up in front of Karen Putz’s home in Bolingbrook, Illinois, shortly after she got her kids off to school. Not bad timing!

Karen is a deaf mom to three deaf and hard of hearing kids. Her husband is also deaf. Her dog Kaycie hears a rabbit breathing a half mile away! Through her involvement with Illinois Families for Hands & Voices, Karen is active as both a Deaf Mentor to families with newly identified deaf children in the Chicago area.

Over a box of still warm Krispy Kreme doughnuts, we discover that communication is the largest barrier that we both face, particularly in group settings. Those times can be the most isolating for us. The internet levels the playing for us, making communication much easier. Karen appreciates when people add captioning to videos and provides transcripts for podcasts, making those forms of communication also accessible to her. Please join us for our chat. There may be a couple of doughnuts left!

Tomorrow I am off to Indiana, home of the Indy. Sounds like a side trip is in order! Until then, please vote daily so I may win the opportunity to be paid to blog for a year (be sure to click on “Vote for Glenda Watson Hyatt”). With your support, I have secured fourth place! Thanks. Can we make #3 by Labour Day?

Finally, a reminder that an ebook version of my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself is now available, and autographed paperbacks are also still available. Order yours today. Gas for this Ferrari is expensive!

Thomas Jefferson penning the Declaration of Independence felt an appropriate image for today. (Photo credit: Thad Zajdowicz)

From Queensland, Australia, I flew overnight to Dulles International Airport in the suburbs of Washington DC to meet with Susan Reynolds, a new media consultant.

Initially, like any good hostess unsure how to be around someone in a wheelchair, she fussed over me until I could share with the first etiquette tip when communicating with someone with a disability:

Relax. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you’re unsure of what to do.

Once reassured and comfortable in her living room, we had pleasant chat about how interacting online gives us the freedom to choose what and how much we reveal about ourselves, which can be quite liberating. Please join us. Thanks Susan for a great day!

I now pull out my US road map, jump in my Ferrari and leisurely make my way to Bolingbrook, Illinois, for Monday. Until we meet again, please vote daily so I may win the opportunity to be paid to blog for a year (be sure to click on “Vote for Glenda Watson Hyatt”). Only 65 votes needed to take fourth place. Together, we can definitely achieve that today. Thanks kindly!

Have a great weekend!