November 19, 2022 • 40 mins
Hosts Brittany Sessum and Kaye Love introduce storytellers Gene Rodgers and Cade Insall, who share stories about the ways they have used Kindness and Connections to transform their lives.
As we enter the holiday season, listening to “Kindness and Connections” brings you the courage you need to find hope and peace in your life, no matter the circumstances right now.
Guest - Gene Rodgers
As a wheelchair user, Gene Rodgers traveled in 44 countries, on 6 continents. Rodgers sailed on many types of ships on several oceans. He has enjoyed diverse recreational activities including skydiving, snow skiing, sailing, scuba diving, paragliding, and trekking in the Himalayas on an expedition to Mt. Everest Base Camp.
Rodgers worked in several states and earned a merit award for computer programming. Working full-time, and later as an entrepreneur provided funding for his adventures.
Rodgers earned several college degrees and a Switzer Fellowship. He did all this after becoming almost totally paralyzed at age 17, in a hiking accident.
Rodgers learned to thrive on all sorts of adventures. Put him in a country ten thousand miles from home, where he doesn’t know the language or culture, and he’ll feel quite comfortable.
My Memoir - AwesomeByAccidentBook.com
My web page - https://genosplace.org
My TV/Web Show - https://thegeneanddaveshow.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gene.rodgers.982/
Guest- Cade Insall:
Cade Insall is a Texan that loves to be around family and friends. Cade loves animation and making 3D modeling projects through Blender. Cade likes interacting with others and learning new things in his expression through art.
Host
Brittany Sessum is a Houston native and Army veteran who loves connecting with others. She has a passion to serve her family, the community, and her country by giving back in any capacity. She believes that her passions and actions live beyond herself. Brittany loves writing poetry, reading, traveling, and working as an entrepreneur.
Host:
Kaye is passionate about assisting individuals to explore and enhance their sense of meaning and purpose in life in a way that is sensitive to and respectful of their religious or non-religious understanding. She understands the challenges of developing an appreciation of a personal skill set that is unique, positive self-esteem, and creative work-arounds for functional limitations, as well as the difficulties involved in navigating education, employment, healthcare, and community organizations designed for those with typicality. Kaye has over eight years of experience working with individuals with developmental and learning disabilities, including Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder, in Special Education and Vocational Rehabilitation. She is experienced with providing spiritually sensitive counseling to clients who identify with diverse belief systems “Faith and Inclusion”
Website: kayelove.com
LinkedIn: J. Kaye Love, MSSW/MBA, LPC, - Austin, Texas, United States | Professional Profile | LinkedIn
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Kristen Gooch (00:09):
Welcome to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Authentic voices of peoplethriving with disabilities.
Were individuals use the art ofstorytelling to change the
world.
True Tales by DisabilityAdvocates podcast is produced by
Art Spark Texas SpeakingAdvocates Program.
(00:30):
Keep listening to hear how liveschallenges can spark a desire to
speak out and advocate forourselves and others.
MsBoye (00:51):
Welcome to Season two of True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
The podcast where advocatesharness the power of
storytelling to build communitywith their peers and hope to
develop empathy in others.
A team of Disability Advocatescreates True Tales to give
disabled storytellers theopportunity to share their
(01:11):
personal stories and livedexperience in their authentic
voices.
We offer our unique and oftenunderrepresented perspective to
the growing community of podcastlisteners worldwide.
Did you know that according tothe CDC, one in four Americans
are disabled?
That's about 61 million adultswith 61 million experiences and
(01:35):
points of view about what itmeans to live in a world not
designed for them.
Recognizing that everyone's lifeis enriched by the inclusion of
multiple voices, Art Spark Texashas been training Disability
Advocates as storytellers forover twenty years.
Episode two of this season,"Kindness and Connections" is
being launched in November,2022, which is Epilepsy
(01:58):
Awareness Month, and we alsorecognize World Kindness Day,
honor the National Day ofMourning and celebrate
Thanksgiving.
It is the month that Americanstraditionally celebrate the
things we are thankful for andare encouraged to express that
gratitude.
This year I am full of gratitudefor the opportunity to be part
of this podcast and to workalongside the amazing team of
(02:20):
people who put so much hard workinto creating each episode.
As well as our listeners acrossthe world who choose to click
play for our little podcast.
It's easy to be grateful for thegifts in our lives, but have you
ever thought about beinggrateful for all the problems in
your life too?
About 30 years ago, a friend ofmine told me I should read the
book,"A Road Less Traveled" bythe psychiatrist M.
(02:43):
Scott Peck, who by the way, isnot one of my favorite people,
but that's a rant for anothertime.
These are the opening lines ofthe book:.
"Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one ofthe greatest truths.
It is a great truth because oncewe truly see truth, we transcend
it.
Once we truly know that life isdifficult-- once we truly
(03:04):
understand and accept it-- thenlife is no longer difficult.
Because once it is accepted, thefact that life is difficult, no
longer matters." I have toconfess, the first time I read
those lines, it made me souncomfortable I immediately gave
up on the book.
It was a difficult time in mylife, as I struggled with the
chaos and trauma that inevitablyaccumulates in the lives of
(03:26):
undiagnosed neuro-divergentadults.
I could only understand thosewords through the fog of
powerlessness and hopelessnessof shame, anger, and
self-loathing that surrounded meand that led me to believe that
I was condemned to a lifesentence of suffering.
I am so grateful that these daysI can read those words and
experience them for the wisdomand comfort they offer.
(03:48):
I think we have a tendency toexpect that the gifts in our
lives will come to us wrapped upin warm, fuzzy feelings, but
that's not always the case.
I am a great believer in thephilosophy that says, no matter
what we're going through, thereis always a greater good acting
in our lives.
Now, don't get me wrong, thisisn't something we can always
see while it's happening and norshould we.
(04:08):
In fact, some situations are sodifficult, so awful to not feel
mad, devastated, or evenvictimized by them would be more
Vulcan than Human.
We feel powerless because oftenin the moment we are powerless
to change these situations.
But in retrospect, I find once Ireach acceptance of what is,
grieve and begin to recognizewhat I can do, I can eventually
(04:31):
find the gifts that came to mewrapped up in a package of pain
and suffering.
Gene Rodgers and Cade Insall,the storytellers in this episode
are proof of this philosophy.
Ice Cream Angels" by GeneRodgers from his book,"Awesome
by Accident," was an obviouschoice for this episode.
Host Brittany Sessum chats withGene about their experiences
traveling the world and thepower of kindness to build
(04:54):
connections beyond culture andlanguage.
After becoming paralyzed at ageseventeen in a hiking accident,
Gene struggled for years withthe reality of his new life.
He shares, how he was eventuallyable to shift his perspective
and open his heart to unexpectedencounters.
Since then as a wheelchair user,he has traveled in forty four
(05:15):
countries, on six continents.
Thriving on all sorts ofadventures Gene enjoys
skydiving, snow skiing, sailing,scuba diving, paragliding, and
even trekking the Himalayas onan expedition to Mount Everest
base camp! He finds kindness inthe form of"Ice Cream Angels" in
the most unexpected places.
(05:35):
Our second storyteller, Cade,tells of his commitment to move
beyond what he felt were thelimitations of his Autism
diagnosis.
With the help of coaches andteachers, he is learning to make
connections and buildfriendships.
He dreams of pursuing a careerin 2D animation and will use the
skills he has learned from hiscoaches with his new employers,
(05:56):
to share with them the gifts ofhis Autism, as well as
expressing his concerns as theycome up and asking for help when
he needs it.
Host Kaye Love chats with Cadeabout his journey and his big
plans for the future.
Kaye is a passionate advocatefor epilepsy awareness.
She will be sharing her journeyto acceptance and self-kindness
in the next episode.
(06:17):
You can also listen to herstory,"Faith and Inclusion" in
Season One.
The link will be in the shownotes for this episode.
As we enter the Holiday Seasonthis year, may listening to
"Kindness and Connections" bringyou the courage you need to find
hope and peace in your life, nomatter the circumstances you are
dealing with right now.
Brittany (06:43):
Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates,
changing the world one story ata time.
I'm Brittany Sessum, and I'myour host.
Our first storyteller, GeneRodgers shares his story,"Ice
Cream Angels", highlightingcultural acceptance, disability,
and acts of kindness.
Hi, Gene Rodgers! Welcome to theshow.
Gene (07:06):
Hi, Brittany.
Thanks for having me.
Brittany (07:09):
You're so very welcome.
I'm very excited for you comingon the show with us today.
So Gene?
Gene (07:16):
Yes.
Brittany (07:17):
When I first thought about your title I actually
thought of the completeopposite, which is like what
people call a snow angel,because that is a term that many
people know.
In which a person uses theirbody to make an imprint in the
snow.
Growing up in Houston, Texas,there was not that much snow,
but I still tried to make one onthose thin layers of snow that
(07:39):
we had back in Houston.
Those imprints tell a story ofsomething that once was there,
but you have me intrigued aboutyour title Ice Cream Angel", can
you tell our listeners when andwhy you wrote it?
Gene (07:52):
Sure Brittany,"Ice Cream Angel" is a piece that I wrote
for a live performance groupcalled Actual Lives.
Actual Lives was composed ofpeople with, uh, all sorts of
disabilities.
We would write short, storiesabout events in our lives, and
(08:14):
then we would perform them onstage.
This way we gained speakingskills and learned what it takes
to get someone's attention to,um, further our advocacy skills.
So this was very helpful in, uh,other areas of our life.
The piece I wrote,"Ice CreamAngel", is a true story of
(08:38):
something that happened to me inJuárez Mexico.
And I wrote it because, um, thisperson really touched my heart.
A little girl, uh, who I thought(laughs) was an angel.
When I think of Angel, I thinkof, um, uh, uh, a Bright Spirit
(08:58):
or, um, really, um, mesmerizingfigure that that could, that,
that's just wonderful.
And I was just happy to be ableto share it with other people.
As I read the story, you'll seewhy I call her"Ice Cream Angel".
So if I may, I'd like to read itto you now.
Brittany (09:22):
Okay, Gene, before we get to your story, I just wanna
say, thank you very much forgiving your reason why you
wanted to write the story, causebecause some people, they
usually write stories thatmainly about themselves, but
you're, you're writing about aperson that have impacted your
life in a positive manner.
Gene (09:43):
Absolutely.
Brittany (09:45):
It's so great that you used it for advocacy, because
the way you wrote"Ice CreamAngel," it kind of touched me as
well.
I write poetry, not only do Iwant to be impacted because I
wrote it but it's also good whenyou're, when you have an
audience that's engaged by whatyou wrote and they can feel the
(10:07):
passion that you put into,um,"Ice Cream Angel" That's what
we want to do.
And so I just wanna say, youknow, thank you.
Um, it's a very good treat thatour listeners are about to hear.
So, please share your story withus.
Gene (10:23):
Thank you, Brittany.
My name is Gene Rodgers and thisis my story,"Ice Cream Angel".
As usual, I was out of town onholiday.
(10:46):
This holiday, however, would befar from usual.
It was a warm, sunny EasterSunday in Juárez Mexico.
I sat in my wheelchair on theplaza in front of a large
church.
My friends Patrick, Debbie, andI wanted to attend Easter Sunday
(11:06):
services, but there were toomany steps to get into this
church.
Rather than have my friendscarry me in my wheelchair up the
steps, I told them I would justwait outside for them, soaking
up the sun.
I don't know how long I wassitting there observing all the
Easter decorations, all thepeople wearing their finest
(11:29):
Easter clothes.
The vendors hawking everythingfrom flowers to ice cream.
The mariachis rounding out theambience.
My casual observations wereinterrupted by a little girl,
perhaps no more than six yearsof age.
She was holding an ice creamcone and saying something to me
(11:51):
in Spanish.
I couldn't speak Spanish then,and it became clear she didn't
speak English.
I regretted not studying Spanishin college.
Science majors were encouragedinstead to study German.
Besides, growing up in ClevelandI was among more German speaking
(12:12):
people than Spanish.
I wondered what were the chancesof this little girl speaking
German.
she held up the ice cream conegesturing to me I think she
wanted to hand it to me I usedmy best sign language to
indicate I couldn't use myfingers or my hands This
persistent little tyke wouldn'tgive up.
(12:32):
She held the ice cream cone upso I could lick it.
Then she took a turn licking it.
Every time she offered up thatcone of goodness, I could sense
the innocence and love behindthose big brown, beautiful eyes.
We took turns sharing that icecream cone until it was all
gone.
(12:53):
When we finished the ice creamcone, my"Ice Cream Angel"
disappeared as mysteriously asshe appeared.
That Easter Sunday, a child andI shared something more than an
ice cream cone.
She touched my heart in a wayI've never experienced.
(13:14):
I don't know if she remembersthat day, but I know I'll never
forget it.
Since then, I have used the term"Ice Cream Angel" to describe
any refreshing person,situation, or event that gives
me a revitalized perspective onlife.
(13:34):
Thank you.
Brittany (13:45):
Welcome back.
I'm here with Gene Rodgers.
Thanks for sharing your storywith us today.
Gene, you spoke on the child'sinnocence and love that you
sensed.
What new perspective about lifedid you learn from the ice cream
angel?
Gene (14:00):
Well, Brittany, you know, this person didn't know me at
all, but she could see that Iwas at somewhat of a
disadvantage.
I was in a wheelchair.
I couldn't really move thechair.
I, I couldn't grab hold of theice cream cone she wanted to
give to me but she wanted to dosomething good.
(14:22):
She wanted to offer something tome and without any expectation
of getting something in return.
And my gosh, you just, you justdon't see that kind of thing
nowadays.
Um, I, I could have sat on thatplaza a thousand years and that
would never happen again.
(14:43):
So, um, I was just reallytouched that somebody would do
something that nice
Brittany (14:51):
That's very beautiful.
And so, when you had wrote yourstory, and even listening back
to it again, I was thinkingabout a time when I went to
China.
When I went to China, I seen aman, in front of the forbidden
city and he had half of hisbody, um, was, was cut and to
(15:12):
stand up, he stood up on like aboard with wheels.
And to move around he had somehammers that he moved, um, so
that he could move his arms to,to kind of skate himself
throughout the road.
And one of the things that eventhough he was asking people for
money, one of the things thatkind of caught my eye, which
(15:34):
kind of brings me...
helps me to think about thisstory, is the type of smile that
he had, of looking beyond wherehe was, not feeling sorry for
his self and his, his smile wasinfectious.
To the point of I asked him if Icould take a picture, not for
exploitation, cuz I never put iton social media or anything like
(15:54):
that.
But I took a picture becausethat's a moment in time that you
can freeze and that you can goback and look to.
And just like your story, it's apicture in a sense with words
because you used this story froma time, way back, um, to show
your appreciation for someonethat that meant so much to you.
(16:19):
So when you use the term"IceCream Angel" in your story to
describe any refreshing person,situation, or event that gives
you an a revitalized perspectiveon life?
Have you ever had any otherinstances when you considered
other people to be an"Ice CreamAngel"?
If so, what was your experience?
Gene (16:42):
Sure.
Brittany.
Um, let's say for example, whenI was in, uh, Puerto Rico, uh, I
stayed at a, uh, Airbnb there.
Um, an Airbnb is like a bed andbreakfast.
And the way it works is the, theowner wants to screen people
(17:02):
very carefully cuz he doesn'twant any troublemakers on his
property.
And I didn't wanna answer awhole lot of questions, so I
just sent him the address for mywebpage.
Well, that was enough for him tobe impressed that he allowed me
to stay there.
But then he also forwarded thataddress to a friend of his, a
(17:24):
woman named Dilca.
Well, Dilca decided she had tomeet me.
I didn't know who Dilca was, allI knew was I wanted to get
started, uh, exploring theisland.
But I waited for Dilca to comeover and my goodness, this, this
woman was something else.
She was, she was like anambassador to Puerto Rico.
(17:46):
She, um, was, was beautiful andkind and compassionate.
We, we had a wonderfulconversation.
I told her where we wanted to goand she told us,"Oh yeah, I've
been there.
I can show you this and that."And after a while I said,"Well,
Dilca maybe you can join us for,for some of our travels?" And
(18:08):
she just looked and said,"Sure,why not?" So Dilca in her
wheelchair, Um, joined us forsome of our travels.
My friend Brian, um, lifted herup, put her in the van, and
then, uh, did the same with me,put our wheelchairs in the van,
(18:29):
and, uh, off we went.
But, uh, it was such arefreshing experience.
I had absolutely no ideasomething like that would
happen.
Then there was another time, uh,a little girl, Katie.
I met her at a church picnic.
She kept looking at me from afarand she told her mother she
(18:52):
wanted to meet me.
So her mother brought her overto me, um, introduced us.
We chatted for a bit, and thenshe went away.
Then her mother came back andsaid,"Katie would like to visit
you.
Can she do that?" And I, I said,"Well, sure.
I, I don't know what we woulddo, but yeah, that's fine." I, I
(19:14):
should mention too, uh, Katie isdeaf.
They had moved to Austin fromHouston because Austin has a
pretty good school for the deaf.
Now, Katie's father couldn'tfind work here in Austin, so he
stayed in Houston.
Um, so Katie would come over tomy place and we, we would find
(19:39):
things to do.
Uh, at one particular moment weran out of things to do, but I
had a plate of cherries on thetable.
So even though I couldn't reallyuse my fingers, I can wedge a
cherry between my fingers andpick it up and put it in my
mouth.
So I ate the flesh of a cherry.
(20:00):
Then I spit the pit out atKatie.
She was really surprised.
Then I did it again.
That's when she realized it wasa game.
So we just took turns spittingcherry pits at each other.
And, and it was just so much funto be able to interact with
someone.
(20:21):
She later told her teacher, atthe Deaf School that I'm her
other Dad.
I was really touched by that.
So yeah, there, there are anumber of other times I just,
um, I I should make a collectionof"Ice Cream Angel" stories.
Oh, by the way, when her fatherdid come to Austin, Katie got
(20:45):
some cherries and she spit a pitout at her, her dad and her dad
started yelling at her, andKatie said,"But Gene likes it!".
laughs)
Brittany (20:56):
Thank you so much Gene, really good stories about,
people that have been anotherversion of, of a"Ice Cream
Angel" to you.
And so those were some verysweet moments, um, that you just
described.
Gene (21:11):
Yeah.
Thank you, and I would encourageeveryone to travel and to meet
people, be open to, to all sortsof things.
Um, like, like in my case, Ididn't know sign language um,
and Katie was deaf but wasstill, I was open to meeting
her.
We got along fine.
So just when an opportunitypresents itself, take it.
(21:36):
You'll, you'll enjoy it!
Brittany (21:38):
You reminded me of that, that famous quote, carpe
diem, seize the day!
Gene (21:43):
Yes.
(laughs) Thank you.
Yes.
That's it.
Exactly!
Brittany (21:48):
So you have a book called"Awesome by Accident." Can
you tell our listeners what yourbook is about?
Gene (21:54):
Yes, thank you, Brittany.
The book is"Awesome ByAccident." It's my memoir.
It starts when I was seventeenyears old.
I broke my neck in a hikingaccident and became totally
paralyzed.
So for a number of years, for 50years I struggled.
(22:16):
I mean, I really struggled untilI finally found my place in the
universe, so to speak.
And, err, I had so manywonderful experiences and
wonderful friends.
I was compelled to share thatstory with other folks.
Particularly people withdisabilities.
(22:38):
So I started, and it took meabout a year to write it.
I used a, um, mouth stick totype it, letter by letter.
And, um, so I, I made a fewmistakes, but um, overall it was
a wonderful experience for meand I got a lot of good
feedback.
(22:58):
So I'm pretty happy with it.
And really the, the underlyingmessage in that book is personal
responsibility.
All of us have some sort oftrauma or trouble that comes
into our lives, and it's at thatmoment we have to decide what
we're gonna do.
(23:20):
Like, Roy, in the movie Tin Cup,played by Kevin Costner, when a
defining moment comes along,you've got to define the moment
or it defines you.
In my case, I decided I'd betterwork the hardest I can in
rehabilitation to further mylife.
(23:41):
Now this happened, I broke myneck in 1972, this was before
personal computers, so I had noidea what I would be able to do
in terms of studying at schoolor later on getting a job,
because there no one could evendescribe a personal computer.
(24:03):
But I kept trying, working thebest I could and when I tried
just to do the best I could,people called me awesome! And
one editor, editor I had said,"Oh, you're so awesome.
You're so awesome." And Ieventually decided that would be
(24:23):
a good title for my book,"Awesome by Accident." So you'll
find a, a number of stories inthere, um, and you'll learn all
about my friends.
It's on sale at just abouteverywhere books are sold.
There's even a PDF and Kindleversion, electronic version on
(24:43):
Kobo.
So, if you have any questions atall where to get it, go to
Awesome by Accident book.com andthat page will list everywhere
you can get the book.
Brittany (24:59):
Thank you so much Gene and I love that quote that you
stated about not letting thesituation define you.
And speaking of, um, definingyou what our listeners don't
know, but if they do go toAwesomebyaccident.com, they will
see the cover photo of yourbook, which is a picture of
(25:21):
you...
Gene (25:22):
dangling!
Brittany (25:23):
Just hanging from a mountain, which is very awesome
because this goes to show thatanyone can still experience
climbing a mountain.
Having a mountaintop experience.
You don't have to stay in the,in the low valley of a, a dark
place or anything like that.
You can always have amountaintop experience where you
(25:46):
overcome obstacles, and I thinkthat the cover of your, your
book truly defines, um, youGene, like you continue to
persevere.
I've seen the, the clip of you,in your YouTube and I really
like that video,"Dear WheelchairMaker," where you're jumping out
(26:08):
of the airplane, you're on aboat.
And you know, this is veryencouraging because some people
might think,"Hey, I'm in awheelchair.
I can't really go that manyplaces.
I can't really do anything." Butone of the things that most
people may not have tuned intoon your story is you stated in
your story that every holidayyou're not at home, you're
(26:29):
always out and about.
And one of the things that Iwould like to ask is when a
person wants to travel with a, awheelchair what are some of the
things that they would need todo to prepare?
And when I say that to prepare,are they looking for people that
(26:49):
know how to plan trips or areyou planning your own trips?
Gene (26:55):
I plan my own trips, Brittany.
I would say one of the mostimportant things you could do is
get a travel buddy that's easygoing, that's flexible and could
roll with the punches.
Because there are so many timessomething happens and you're
(27:15):
gonna need to go to plan B andyou better have someone with you
that is gonna relax and say,"Alright, we got this now."
There were times, I mean(laugh),like I was on a plane,
international plane somewhere,and I had a problem with my
(27:35):
bowels and um, they let loosewhile I was on the plane and
when it was time to changeplanes, I knew I had to take
care of that but I only had oneattendant with me so we had to
recruit someone in the bathroom,some international bathroom at
the airport.
(27:56):
For some people that might endtheir travel, um, aspirations,
but it's just, just part of thegame.
Just part of life.
So, um, you keep going on, keepmoving forward.
And then you've gotta realizetoo, people in other countries
have different ideas ofaccessibility.
(28:17):
So if you call or writesomeplace and ask for an
accessible room, and they say,"Sure, we've got one." Then you
show up and it's not at allaccessible laughs).
It's just because people havedifferent perceptions.
So you have to anticipate beingable to adapt to different
(28:38):
situations Oh, and learn how tobe careful traveling with
medications.
You don't wanna be caught likethe young, uh, American
basketball player and she hadsome items that, uh, weren't
permissible in Russia, and sothey have her in jail.
So you gotta be careful what youbring.
(28:59):
Bring prescriptions with you inaddition to the medications.
Put all that in your backpackbecause hopefully your backpack
is going with you everywhere.
If you put that stuff in yourluggage, it's...
It, it should not surprise youif your luggage gets lost or
stolen.
So you have to anticipateeverything, everything that can
(29:21):
possibly go wrong.
Because it will.
Brittany (29:25):
Thank you Gene And you're so right you have to roll
with the punches.
You have to be prepared foranything.
And I know from experience, um,with my service that you have to
be prepared for whatever comes,everything is not gonna be
sunshine and rainbow and goperfectly, um, as you have
(29:46):
planned it to go.
You have to allow yourself tohave accept some type of error
or something to go wrong, butdon't have the mindset that it
will always go wrong or alwaysgo badly.
If our listeners would like toreach out to you, how can they
find you?
Gene (30:04):
Um, Brittany, the best way to reach me is my email.
It's U S A G E N O at gmail dotcom.
Brittany (30:18):
And then also, I know that you have a couple other
social, um, media platforms,https://genosplace.org/.
You also have the Gene and Daveshow.com and you could be found
on Facebook, Gene Rodgers 9 82.
Then lastly, on YouTube just bytyping in Gene Rodgers, and then
(30:42):
you'll be able to see more indepth, the video that I was
talking about, the"DearWheelchair Maker." And so Gene I
just wanna just tell you again,how much I appreciate you taking
your time out to be with ustoday.
Gene (30:57):
Thank you, Brittany.
It's been a pleasure.
I had a great time.
Thank you for, uh, including me.
Kaye (31:34):
I'm Kaye Love and our second storyteller is Cade
Insall here to share his story,"Autism and Self Imformation."
I'm excited to speak with himtoday and to hear his story, so
welcome Cade.
Cade (31:48):
Hi, I'm excited to be here.
Kaye (31:51):
Great.
Before you share your story,please tell us a little bit
about yourself.
Cade (31:57):
I go to school and then I go to a program called SELF, to
be Independent and to work wellwith others.
I go to training school callednonPareil and I'm taking the art
track.
I'm from Austin.
I enjoy building with Legos, andthe last thing I made was a
space station.
Kaye (32:17):
Oh wow, that's cool! So it sounds like you have a lot of
exciting things going on.
So now please share with us yourstory.
Cade (32:37):
So my story is called "Autism and Self Information."
When I was back in middle schooland high school, I had trouble
with communications because Ihave trouble saying what I need
to say to others about likesolving problems and also I need
to figure out how to ask peoplefor help.
During my ninth or 10th gradeyear in high school, I went to a
(32:59):
program called Autism Spectrum,that is a community for people
with disabilities to help oneanother and to communicate.
During Autism Spectrum I wassitting in a room with a couple
students named Cameron and myprevious language arts teacher,
Ms.
Sour.
We have social disabilities, andthe room was not too loud and
not too quiet, because we werein two groups.
(33:22):
In SELF, a transition programfor young adults with
disabilities had more studentsand more interaction than Autism
Spectrum because Spectrum hadstudents still in high school
who need help with theirproblems to make their way
towards graduation.
During my class time, I went toMr.
Miller, I started to talk abouthow I could speak up to others,
(33:44):
and this was my first step atcommunicating.
I also talked to my speechteacher named Ms.
Gonzalez because I needed helpto work on my voice when it's
time to talk to the class.
During my year in SELF, I neededto learn how to manage my life
as an adult whenever I'm on myown.
So the first step I did in SELFwas meeting new students and
(34:07):
playing social games to havefun, but also to learn about
each other.
The second step I learned atSELF was communicating to the
job coaches to get some helpwhenever I'm working.
The last step I learned Excelwas how to communicate in an ARD
meeting for big plans comingsoon.
For example, I want to pursue acareer in 2D animation.
(34:30):
Now I'm confidently asking forhelp through communications
whenever I'm confused at a taskI don't know.
Those experiences of striving tobreak my boundaries has helped
me to stand where I am today.
I once thought my weakness wascommunicating due to Autism.
Now I know my strength is Autismbecause I learned how to build
(34:51):
interactions with people byusing my Disability as a topic.
Kaye (35:13):
Thank you for sharing your story with us Cade.
It sounds like the SELF programhelped you with learning to make
friends.
I'm wondering how you have usedwhat you learned to continue to
grow your circle of friends.
Cade (35:26):
Well, I got to meet the new people first and then I got
to know them about their, uh,past in high school and also,
uh, we played a special game toget to know each other better.
Kaye (35:40):
So it sounds like it helped you with kind of learning
how to make friends.
In your story, you talked aboutlearning to communicate with
your job coach.
Can you share a little bit aboutyour work?
Cade (35:51):
So I started to, uh, set up a time with my job coach to
help me practice, uh, aninterview whenever I need to
meet with a manager or also a,an assistant one too, to a know
what my task would be.
Kaye (36:10):
That sounds great, it helped you to be successful with
your job.
You talked about learning toparticipate in creating big
plans for yourself.
What are those big plans?
Cade (36:21):
Well, I uh, I intend on, uh, finding a job where I'm
gonna be making characters cometo life through a site called
"Blender."
Kaye (36:33):
Okay.
So what kind of characters areyou making?
Cade (36:37):
I kinda made the, the model ones through, uh, the
class task actually.
I'm making a modeling characterslike the Klaint robot.
And also I made the car modeltoo through"Blender."
Kaye (36:55):
Oh, that sounds very creative and an exciting career
path.
Um, what do you hope theaudience will take with them
from your story?
Cade (37:05):
I'm hoping that they, uh, take some time to look at, uh,
how"Blender," uh, can make thesecharacters.
Also, uh, it can teach them alot, how they can, uh, make
certain objects come to lifewhenever they're interested of
working in a company or studioor also, uh, gaming.
Kaye (37:27):
So you'd like them to kinda look at what they can do
and, and move forward forthemselves.
Cade (37:32):
Yeah, well, I think this is just, uh right.
Kaye (37:35):
That's great advice.
Thank you for sharing with ustoday.
Good luck with all of your bigplans.
Cade (37:42):
Thank you.
And I hope you enjoy your pathtoo.
Kaye (37:47):
Thank you.
And if you would like to knowmore about Cade's Graphic Art,
you can see it using the link inthe show notes below.
Cade (37:56):
Right, see ya.
Take care.
Uh, see you Brittany, Kaye andJennifer.
Brittany (38:04):
Thanks for listening to True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Kaye (38:08):
I'm Kaye Love and I'm your host.
Brittany (38:11):
I'm Brittany Sessum and I'm your host.
Kaye (38:13):
This show was produced by Brittany Sessum
Brittany (38:16):
and by Kaye Love, The production team also includes
Kamand Alaghehband
MsBoye (38:21):
And Jennifer McKinney.
Brittany (38:23):
Thanks to our storytellers for coming on the
show today.
Kaye (38:27):
I also want to give thanks to our guests for taking time
out of their schedules to bewith us.
Special, thanks to MsBoye forediting and mixing.
MsBoye (38:39):
Thanks for listening to "Kindness and Connections." We
hope you have enjoyed enteringthe worlds of our storytellers
and that maybe you gained someinsight for yourself.
If you heard your personal storyreflected in their stories or
were touched by the content ofthis episode, we'd love to hear
from you.
You can share your stories andcomments on our True Tales
(38:59):
Podcast Facebook page.
If you'd like to hear morestories like this, season one is
available at Art Spark Texas dotorg/ True Tales podcast or on
your favorite podcast platform,we're on'em all.
Look out for updates aboutseason two and bonus episodes by
following Art Spark Texas onFacebook, Instagram, TikTok,and
(39:22):
Twitter Please share us withyour friends.
Thank you for your support
Kristen (39:30):
All episodes of the True Tales by Disability
Advocates are free on ApplePodcasts, Spotify, and anywhere
you get your podcasts.
This program is funded in partby a grant from the Texas State
Independent Living Council, TheAdministration for Community
Living and individuals like you.
(39:52):
To learn more about The SpeakingAdvocates Program, sign up for
our newsletter at ArtSparkTexasdot org.
That's A.R.T.S.P.A.R.K.T.X.
dot O.R.G.
This free virtual trainingprogram is open to people of all
(40:16):
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
Welcome to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Authentic voices of peoplethriving with disabilities.
Were individuals use the art ofstorytelling to change the
world.
True Tales by DisabilityAdvocates podcast is produced by
Art Spark Texas SpeakingAdvocates Program.
(00:30):
Keep listening to hear how liveschallenges can spark a desire to
speak out and advocate forourselves and others.
MsBoye (00:51):
Welcome to Season two of True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
The podcast where advocatesharness the power of
storytelling to build communitywith their peers and hope to
develop empathy in others.
A team of Disability Advocatescreates True Tales to give
disabled storytellers theopportunity to share their
(01:11):
personal stories and livedexperience in their authentic
voices.
We offer our unique and oftenunderrepresented perspective to
the growing community of podcastlisteners worldwide.
Did you know that according tothe CDC, one in four Americans
are disabled?
That's about 61 million adultswith 61 million experiences and
(01:35):
points of view about what itmeans to live in a world not
designed for them.
Recognizing that everyone's lifeis enriched by the inclusion of
multiple voices, Art Spark Texashas been training Disability
Advocates as storytellers forover twenty years.
Episode two of this season,"Kindness and Connections" is
being launched in November,2022, which is Epilepsy
(01:58):
Awareness Month, and we alsorecognize World Kindness Day,
honor the National Day ofMourning and celebrate
Thanksgiving.
It is the month that Americanstraditionally celebrate the
things we are thankful for andare encouraged to express that
gratitude.
This year I am full of gratitudefor the opportunity to be part
of this podcast and to workalongside the amazing team of
(02:20):
people who put so much hard workinto creating each episode.
As well as our listeners acrossthe world who choose to click
play for our little podcast.
It's easy to be grateful for thegifts in our lives, but have you
ever thought about beinggrateful for all the problems in
your life too?
About 30 years ago, a friend ofmine told me I should read the
book,"A Road Less Traveled" bythe psychiatrist M.
(02:43):
Scott Peck, who by the way, isnot one of my favorite people,
but that's a rant for anothertime.
These are the opening lines ofthe book:.
"Life is difficult.
This is a great truth, one ofthe greatest truths.
It is a great truth because oncewe truly see truth, we transcend
it.
Once we truly know that life isdifficult-- once we truly
(03:04):
understand and accept it-- thenlife is no longer difficult.
Because once it is accepted, thefact that life is difficult, no
longer matters." I have toconfess, the first time I read
those lines, it made me souncomfortable I immediately gave
up on the book.
It was a difficult time in mylife, as I struggled with the
chaos and trauma that inevitablyaccumulates in the lives of
(03:26):
undiagnosed neuro-divergentadults.
I could only understand thosewords through the fog of
powerlessness and hopelessnessof shame, anger, and
self-loathing that surrounded meand that led me to believe that
I was condemned to a lifesentence of suffering.
I am so grateful that these daysI can read those words and
experience them for the wisdomand comfort they offer.
(03:48):
I think we have a tendency toexpect that the gifts in our
lives will come to us wrapped upin warm, fuzzy feelings, but
that's not always the case.
I am a great believer in thephilosophy that says, no matter
what we're going through, thereis always a greater good acting
in our lives.
Now, don't get me wrong, thisisn't something we can always
see while it's happening and norshould we.
(04:08):
In fact, some situations are sodifficult, so awful to not feel
mad, devastated, or evenvictimized by them would be more
Vulcan than Human.
We feel powerless because oftenin the moment we are powerless
to change these situations.
But in retrospect, I find once Ireach acceptance of what is,
grieve and begin to recognizewhat I can do, I can eventually
(04:31):
find the gifts that came to mewrapped up in a package of pain
and suffering.
Gene Rodgers and Cade Insall,the storytellers in this episode
are proof of this philosophy.
Ice Cream Angels" by GeneRodgers from his book,"Awesome
by Accident," was an obviouschoice for this episode.
Host Brittany Sessum chats withGene about their experiences
traveling the world and thepower of kindness to build
(04:54):
connections beyond culture andlanguage.
After becoming paralyzed at ageseventeen in a hiking accident,
Gene struggled for years withthe reality of his new life.
He shares, how he was eventuallyable to shift his perspective
and open his heart to unexpectedencounters.
Since then as a wheelchair user,he has traveled in forty four
(05:15):
countries, on six continents.
Thriving on all sorts ofadventures Gene enjoys
skydiving, snow skiing, sailing,scuba diving, paragliding, and
even trekking the Himalayas onan expedition to Mount Everest
base camp! He finds kindness inthe form of"Ice Cream Angels" in
the most unexpected places.
(05:35):
Our second storyteller, Cade,tells of his commitment to move
beyond what he felt were thelimitations of his Autism
diagnosis.
With the help of coaches andteachers, he is learning to make
connections and buildfriendships.
He dreams of pursuing a careerin 2D animation and will use the
skills he has learned from hiscoaches with his new employers,
(05:56):
to share with them the gifts ofhis Autism, as well as
expressing his concerns as theycome up and asking for help when
he needs it.
Host Kaye Love chats with Cadeabout his journey and his big
plans for the future.
Kaye is a passionate advocatefor epilepsy awareness.
She will be sharing her journeyto acceptance and self-kindness
in the next episode.
(06:17):
You can also listen to herstory,"Faith and Inclusion" in
Season One.
The link will be in the shownotes for this episode.
As we enter the Holiday Seasonthis year, may listening to
"Kindness and Connections" bringyou the courage you need to find
hope and peace in your life, nomatter the circumstances you are
dealing with right now.
Brittany (06:43):
Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates,
changing the world one story ata time.
I'm Brittany Sessum, and I'myour host.
Our first storyteller, GeneRodgers shares his story,"Ice
Cream Angels", highlightingcultural acceptance, disability,
and acts of kindness.
Hi, Gene Rodgers! Welcome to theshow.
Gene (07:06):
Hi, Brittany.
Thanks for having me.
Brittany (07:09):
You're so very welcome.
I'm very excited for you comingon the show with us today.
So Gene?
Gene (07:16):
Yes.
Brittany (07:17):
When I first thought about your title I actually
thought of the completeopposite, which is like what
people call a snow angel,because that is a term that many
people know.
In which a person uses theirbody to make an imprint in the
snow.
Growing up in Houston, Texas,there was not that much snow,
but I still tried to make one onthose thin layers of snow that
(07:39):
we had back in Houston.
Those imprints tell a story ofsomething that once was there,
but you have me intrigued aboutyour title Ice Cream Angel", can
you tell our listeners when andwhy you wrote it?
Gene (07:52):
Sure Brittany,"Ice Cream Angel" is a piece that I wrote
for a live performance groupcalled Actual Lives.
Actual Lives was composed ofpeople with, uh, all sorts of
disabilities.
We would write short, storiesabout events in our lives, and
(08:14):
then we would perform them onstage.
This way we gained speakingskills and learned what it takes
to get someone's attention to,um, further our advocacy skills.
So this was very helpful in, uh,other areas of our life.
The piece I wrote,"Ice CreamAngel", is a true story of
(08:38):
something that happened to me inJuárez Mexico.
And I wrote it because, um, thisperson really touched my heart.
A little girl, uh, who I thought(laughs) was an angel.
When I think of Angel, I thinkof, um, uh, uh, a Bright Spirit
(08:58):
or, um, really, um, mesmerizingfigure that that could, that,
that's just wonderful.
And I was just happy to be ableto share it with other people.
As I read the story, you'll seewhy I call her"Ice Cream Angel".
So if I may, I'd like to read itto you now.
Brittany (09:22):
Okay, Gene, before we get to your story, I just wanna
say, thank you very much forgiving your reason why you
wanted to write the story, causebecause some people, they
usually write stories thatmainly about themselves, but
you're, you're writing about aperson that have impacted your
life in a positive manner.
Gene (09:43):
Absolutely.
Brittany (09:45):
It's so great that you used it for advocacy, because
the way you wrote"Ice CreamAngel," it kind of touched me as
well.
I write poetry, not only do Iwant to be impacted because I
wrote it but it's also good whenyou're, when you have an
audience that's engaged by whatyou wrote and they can feel the
(10:07):
passion that you put into,um,"Ice Cream Angel" That's what
we want to do.
And so I just wanna say, youknow, thank you.
Um, it's a very good treat thatour listeners are about to hear.
So, please share your story withus.
Gene (10:23):
Thank you, Brittany.
My name is Gene Rodgers and thisis my story,"Ice Cream Angel".
As usual, I was out of town onholiday.
(10:46):
This holiday, however, would befar from usual.
It was a warm, sunny EasterSunday in Juárez Mexico.
I sat in my wheelchair on theplaza in front of a large
church.
My friends Patrick, Debbie, andI wanted to attend Easter Sunday
(11:06):
services, but there were toomany steps to get into this
church.
Rather than have my friendscarry me in my wheelchair up the
steps, I told them I would justwait outside for them, soaking
up the sun.
I don't know how long I wassitting there observing all the
Easter decorations, all thepeople wearing their finest
(11:29):
Easter clothes.
The vendors hawking everythingfrom flowers to ice cream.
The mariachis rounding out theambience.
My casual observations wereinterrupted by a little girl,
perhaps no more than six yearsof age.
She was holding an ice creamcone and saying something to me
(11:51):
in Spanish.
I couldn't speak Spanish then,and it became clear she didn't
speak English.
I regretted not studying Spanishin college.
Science majors were encouragedinstead to study German.
Besides, growing up in ClevelandI was among more German speaking
(12:12):
people than Spanish.
I wondered what were the chancesof this little girl speaking
German.
she held up the ice cream conegesturing to me I think she
wanted to hand it to me I usedmy best sign language to
indicate I couldn't use myfingers or my hands This
persistent little tyke wouldn'tgive up.
(12:32):
She held the ice cream cone upso I could lick it.
Then she took a turn licking it.
Every time she offered up thatcone of goodness, I could sense
the innocence and love behindthose big brown, beautiful eyes.
We took turns sharing that icecream cone until it was all
gone.
(12:53):
When we finished the ice creamcone, my"Ice Cream Angel"
disappeared as mysteriously asshe appeared.
That Easter Sunday, a child andI shared something more than an
ice cream cone.
She touched my heart in a wayI've never experienced.
(13:14):
I don't know if she remembersthat day, but I know I'll never
forget it.
Since then, I have used the term"Ice Cream Angel" to describe
any refreshing person,situation, or event that gives
me a revitalized perspective onlife.
(13:34):
Thank you.
Brittany (13:45):
Welcome back.
I'm here with Gene Rodgers.
Thanks for sharing your storywith us today.
Gene, you spoke on the child'sinnocence and love that you
sensed.
What new perspective about lifedid you learn from the ice cream
angel?
Gene (14:00):
Well, Brittany, you know, this person didn't know me at
all, but she could see that Iwas at somewhat of a
disadvantage.
I was in a wheelchair.
I couldn't really move thechair.
I, I couldn't grab hold of theice cream cone she wanted to
give to me but she wanted to dosomething good.
(14:22):
She wanted to offer something tome and without any expectation
of getting something in return.
And my gosh, you just, you justdon't see that kind of thing
nowadays.
Um, I, I could have sat on thatplaza a thousand years and that
would never happen again.
(14:43):
So, um, I was just reallytouched that somebody would do
something that nice
Brittany (14:51):
That's very beautiful.
And so, when you had wrote yourstory, and even listening back
to it again, I was thinkingabout a time when I went to
China.
When I went to China, I seen aman, in front of the forbidden
city and he had half of hisbody, um, was, was cut and to
(15:12):
stand up, he stood up on like aboard with wheels.
And to move around he had somehammers that he moved, um, so
that he could move his arms to,to kind of skate himself
throughout the road.
And one of the things that eventhough he was asking people for
money, one of the things thatkind of caught my eye, which
(15:34):
kind of brings me...
helps me to think about thisstory, is the type of smile that
he had, of looking beyond wherehe was, not feeling sorry for
his self and his, his smile wasinfectious.
To the point of I asked him if Icould take a picture, not for
exploitation, cuz I never put iton social media or anything like
(15:54):
that.
But I took a picture becausethat's a moment in time that you
can freeze and that you can goback and look to.
And just like your story, it's apicture in a sense with words
because you used this story froma time, way back, um, to show
your appreciation for someonethat that meant so much to you.
(16:19):
So when you use the term"IceCream Angel" in your story to
describe any refreshing person,situation, or event that gives
you an a revitalized perspectiveon life?
Have you ever had any otherinstances when you considered
other people to be an"Ice CreamAngel"?
If so, what was your experience?
Gene (16:42):
Sure.
Brittany.
Um, let's say for example, whenI was in, uh, Puerto Rico, uh, I
stayed at a, uh, Airbnb there.
Um, an Airbnb is like a bed andbreakfast.
And the way it works is the, theowner wants to screen people
(17:02):
very carefully cuz he doesn'twant any troublemakers on his
property.
And I didn't wanna answer awhole lot of questions, so I
just sent him the address for mywebpage.
Well, that was enough for him tobe impressed that he allowed me
to stay there.
But then he also forwarded thataddress to a friend of his, a
(17:24):
woman named Dilca.
Well, Dilca decided she had tomeet me.
I didn't know who Dilca was, allI knew was I wanted to get
started, uh, exploring theisland.
But I waited for Dilca to comeover and my goodness, this, this
woman was something else.
She was, she was like anambassador to Puerto Rico.
(17:46):
She, um, was, was beautiful andkind and compassionate.
We, we had a wonderfulconversation.
I told her where we wanted to goand she told us,"Oh yeah, I've
been there.
I can show you this and that."And after a while I said,"Well,
Dilca maybe you can join us for,for some of our travels?" And
(18:08):
she just looked and said,"Sure,why not?" So Dilca in her
wheelchair, Um, joined us forsome of our travels.
My friend Brian, um, lifted herup, put her in the van, and
then, uh, did the same with me,put our wheelchairs in the van,
(18:29):
and, uh, off we went.
But, uh, it was such arefreshing experience.
I had absolutely no ideasomething like that would
happen.
Then there was another time, uh,a little girl, Katie.
I met her at a church picnic.
She kept looking at me from afarand she told her mother she
(18:52):
wanted to meet me.
So her mother brought her overto me, um, introduced us.
We chatted for a bit, and thenshe went away.
Then her mother came back andsaid,"Katie would like to visit
you.
Can she do that?" And I, I said,"Well, sure.
I, I don't know what we woulddo, but yeah, that's fine." I, I
(19:14):
should mention too, uh, Katie isdeaf.
They had moved to Austin fromHouston because Austin has a
pretty good school for the deaf.
Now, Katie's father couldn'tfind work here in Austin, so he
stayed in Houston.
Um, so Katie would come over tomy place and we, we would find
(19:39):
things to do.
Uh, at one particular moment weran out of things to do, but I
had a plate of cherries on thetable.
So even though I couldn't reallyuse my fingers, I can wedge a
cherry between my fingers andpick it up and put it in my
mouth.
So I ate the flesh of a cherry.
(20:00):
Then I spit the pit out atKatie.
She was really surprised.
Then I did it again.
That's when she realized it wasa game.
So we just took turns spittingcherry pits at each other.
And, and it was just so much funto be able to interact with
someone.
(20:21):
She later told her teacher, atthe Deaf School that I'm her
other Dad.
I was really touched by that.
So yeah, there, there are anumber of other times I just,
um, I I should make a collectionof"Ice Cream Angel" stories.
Oh, by the way, when her fatherdid come to Austin, Katie got
(20:45):
some cherries and she spit a pitout at her, her dad and her dad
started yelling at her, andKatie said,"But Gene likes it!".
laughs)
Brittany (20:56):
Thank you so much Gene, really good stories about,
people that have been anotherversion of, of a"Ice Cream
Angel" to you.
And so those were some verysweet moments, um, that you just
described.
Gene (21:11):
Yeah.
Thank you, and I would encourageeveryone to travel and to meet
people, be open to, to all sortsof things.
Um, like, like in my case, Ididn't know sign language um,
and Katie was deaf but wasstill, I was open to meeting
her.
We got along fine.
So just when an opportunitypresents itself, take it.
(21:36):
You'll, you'll enjoy it!
Brittany (21:38):
You reminded me of that, that famous quote, carpe
diem, seize the day!
Gene (21:43):
Yes.
(laughs) Thank you.
Yes.
That's it.
Exactly!
Brittany (21:48):
So you have a book called"Awesome by Accident." Can
you tell our listeners what yourbook is about?
Gene (21:54):
Yes, thank you, Brittany.
The book is"Awesome ByAccident." It's my memoir.
It starts when I was seventeenyears old.
I broke my neck in a hikingaccident and became totally
paralyzed.
So for a number of years, for 50years I struggled.
(22:16):
I mean, I really struggled untilI finally found my place in the
universe, so to speak.
And, err, I had so manywonderful experiences and
wonderful friends.
I was compelled to share thatstory with other folks.
Particularly people withdisabilities.
(22:38):
So I started, and it took meabout a year to write it.
I used a, um, mouth stick totype it, letter by letter.
And, um, so I, I made a fewmistakes, but um, overall it was
a wonderful experience for meand I got a lot of good
feedback.
(22:58):
So I'm pretty happy with it.
And really the, the underlyingmessage in that book is personal
responsibility.
All of us have some sort oftrauma or trouble that comes
into our lives, and it's at thatmoment we have to decide what
we're gonna do.
(23:20):
Like, Roy, in the movie Tin Cup,played by Kevin Costner, when a
defining moment comes along,you've got to define the moment
or it defines you.
In my case, I decided I'd betterwork the hardest I can in
rehabilitation to further mylife.
(23:41):
Now this happened, I broke myneck in 1972, this was before
personal computers, so I had noidea what I would be able to do
in terms of studying at schoolor later on getting a job,
because there no one could evendescribe a personal computer.
(24:03):
But I kept trying, working thebest I could and when I tried
just to do the best I could,people called me awesome! And
one editor, editor I had said,"Oh, you're so awesome.
You're so awesome." And Ieventually decided that would be
(24:23):
a good title for my book,"Awesome by Accident." So you'll
find a, a number of stories inthere, um, and you'll learn all
about my friends.
It's on sale at just abouteverywhere books are sold.
There's even a PDF and Kindleversion, electronic version on
(24:43):
Kobo.
So, if you have any questions atall where to get it, go to
Awesome by Accident book.com andthat page will list everywhere
you can get the book.
Brittany (24:59):
Thank you so much Gene and I love that quote that you
stated about not letting thesituation define you.
And speaking of, um, definingyou what our listeners don't
know, but if they do go toAwesomebyaccident.com, they will
see the cover photo of yourbook, which is a picture of
(25:21):
you...
Gene (25:22):
dangling!
Brittany (25:23):
Just hanging from a mountain, which is very awesome
because this goes to show thatanyone can still experience
climbing a mountain.
Having a mountaintop experience.
You don't have to stay in the,in the low valley of a, a dark
place or anything like that.
You can always have amountaintop experience where you
(25:46):
overcome obstacles, and I thinkthat the cover of your, your
book truly defines, um, youGene, like you continue to
persevere.
I've seen the, the clip of you,in your YouTube and I really
like that video,"Dear WheelchairMaker," where you're jumping out
(26:08):
of the airplane, you're on aboat.
And you know, this is veryencouraging because some people
might think,"Hey, I'm in awheelchair.
I can't really go that manyplaces.
I can't really do anything." Butone of the things that most
people may not have tuned intoon your story is you stated in
your story that every holidayyou're not at home, you're
(26:29):
always out and about.
And one of the things that Iwould like to ask is when a
person wants to travel with a, awheelchair what are some of the
things that they would need todo to prepare?
And when I say that to prepare,are they looking for people that
(26:49):
know how to plan trips or areyou planning your own trips?
Gene (26:55):
I plan my own trips, Brittany.
I would say one of the mostimportant things you could do is
get a travel buddy that's easygoing, that's flexible and could
roll with the punches.
Because there are so many timessomething happens and you're
(27:15):
gonna need to go to plan B andyou better have someone with you
that is gonna relax and say,"Alright, we got this now."
There were times, I mean(laugh),like I was on a plane,
international plane somewhere,and I had a problem with my
(27:35):
bowels and um, they let loosewhile I was on the plane and
when it was time to changeplanes, I knew I had to take
care of that but I only had oneattendant with me so we had to
recruit someone in the bathroom,some international bathroom at
the airport.
(27:56):
For some people that might endtheir travel, um, aspirations,
but it's just, just part of thegame.
Just part of life.
So, um, you keep going on, keepmoving forward.
And then you've gotta realizetoo, people in other countries
have different ideas ofaccessibility.
(28:17):
So if you call or writesomeplace and ask for an
accessible room, and they say,"Sure, we've got one." Then you
show up and it's not at allaccessible laughs).
It's just because people havedifferent perceptions.
So you have to anticipate beingable to adapt to different
(28:38):
situations Oh, and learn how tobe careful traveling with
medications.
You don't wanna be caught likethe young, uh, American
basketball player and she hadsome items that, uh, weren't
permissible in Russia, and sothey have her in jail.
So you gotta be careful what youbring.
(28:59):
Bring prescriptions with you inaddition to the medications.
Put all that in your backpackbecause hopefully your backpack
is going with you everywhere.
If you put that stuff in yourluggage, it's...
It, it should not surprise youif your luggage gets lost or
stolen.
So you have to anticipateeverything, everything that can
(29:21):
possibly go wrong.
Because it will.
Brittany (29:25):
Thank you Gene And you're so right you have to roll
with the punches.
You have to be prepared foranything.
And I know from experience, um,with my service that you have to
be prepared for whatever comes,everything is not gonna be
sunshine and rainbow and goperfectly, um, as you have
(29:46):
planned it to go.
You have to allow yourself tohave accept some type of error
or something to go wrong, butdon't have the mindset that it
will always go wrong or alwaysgo badly.
If our listeners would like toreach out to you, how can they
find you?
Gene (30:04):
Um, Brittany, the best way to reach me is my email.
It's U S A G E N O at gmail dotcom.
Brittany (30:18):
And then also, I know that you have a couple other
social, um, media platforms,https://genosplace.org/.
You also have the Gene and Daveshow.com and you could be found
on Facebook, Gene Rodgers 9 82.
Then lastly, on YouTube just bytyping in Gene Rodgers, and then
(30:42):
you'll be able to see more indepth, the video that I was
talking about, the"DearWheelchair Maker." And so Gene I
just wanna just tell you again,how much I appreciate you taking
your time out to be with ustoday.
Gene (30:57):
Thank you, Brittany.
It's been a pleasure.
I had a great time.
Thank you for, uh, including me.
Kaye (31:34):
I'm Kaye Love and our second storyteller is Cade
Insall here to share his story,"Autism and Self Imformation."
I'm excited to speak with himtoday and to hear his story, so
welcome Cade.
Cade (31:48):
Hi, I'm excited to be here.
Kaye (31:51):
Great.
Before you share your story,please tell us a little bit
about yourself.
Cade (31:57):
I go to school and then I go to a program called SELF, to
be Independent and to work wellwith others.
I go to training school callednonPareil and I'm taking the art
track.
I'm from Austin.
I enjoy building with Legos, andthe last thing I made was a
space station.
Kaye (32:17):
Oh wow, that's cool! So it sounds like you have a lot of
exciting things going on.
So now please share with us yourstory.
Cade (32:37):
So my story is called "Autism and Self Information."
When I was back in middle schooland high school, I had trouble
with communications because Ihave trouble saying what I need
to say to others about likesolving problems and also I need
to figure out how to ask peoplefor help.
During my ninth or 10th gradeyear in high school, I went to a
(32:59):
program called Autism Spectrum,that is a community for people
with disabilities to help oneanother and to communicate.
During Autism Spectrum I wassitting in a room with a couple
students named Cameron and myprevious language arts teacher,
Ms.
Sour.
We have social disabilities, andthe room was not too loud and
not too quiet, because we werein two groups.
(33:22):
In SELF, a transition programfor young adults with
disabilities had more studentsand more interaction than Autism
Spectrum because Spectrum hadstudents still in high school
who need help with theirproblems to make their way
towards graduation.
During my class time, I went toMr.
Miller, I started to talk abouthow I could speak up to others,
(33:44):
and this was my first step atcommunicating.
I also talked to my speechteacher named Ms.
Gonzalez because I needed helpto work on my voice when it's
time to talk to the class.
During my year in SELF, I neededto learn how to manage my life
as an adult whenever I'm on myown.
So the first step I did in SELFwas meeting new students and
(34:07):
playing social games to havefun, but also to learn about
each other.
The second step I learned atSELF was communicating to the
job coaches to get some helpwhenever I'm working.
The last step I learned Excelwas how to communicate in an ARD
meeting for big plans comingsoon.
For example, I want to pursue acareer in 2D animation.
(34:30):
Now I'm confidently asking forhelp through communications
whenever I'm confused at a taskI don't know.
Those experiences of striving tobreak my boundaries has helped
me to stand where I am today.
I once thought my weakness wascommunicating due to Autism.
Now I know my strength is Autismbecause I learned how to build
(34:51):
interactions with people byusing my Disability as a topic.
Kaye (35:13):
Thank you for sharing your story with us Cade.
It sounds like the SELF programhelped you with learning to make
friends.
I'm wondering how you have usedwhat you learned to continue to
grow your circle of friends.
Cade (35:26):
Well, I got to meet the new people first and then I got
to know them about their, uh,past in high school and also,
uh, we played a special game toget to know each other better.
Kaye (35:40):
So it sounds like it helped you with kind of learning
how to make friends.
In your story, you talked aboutlearning to communicate with
your job coach.
Can you share a little bit aboutyour work?
Cade (35:51):
So I started to, uh, set up a time with my job coach to
help me practice, uh, aninterview whenever I need to
meet with a manager or also a,an assistant one too, to a know
what my task would be.
Kaye (36:10):
That sounds great, it helped you to be successful with
your job.
You talked about learning toparticipate in creating big
plans for yourself.
What are those big plans?
Cade (36:21):
Well, I uh, I intend on, uh, finding a job where I'm
gonna be making characters cometo life through a site called
"Blender."
Kaye (36:33):
Okay.
So what kind of characters areyou making?
Cade (36:37):
I kinda made the, the model ones through, uh, the
class task actually.
I'm making a modeling characterslike the Klaint robot.
And also I made the car modeltoo through"Blender."
Kaye (36:55):
Oh, that sounds very creative and an exciting career
path.
Um, what do you hope theaudience will take with them
from your story?
Cade (37:05):
I'm hoping that they, uh, take some time to look at, uh,
how"Blender," uh, can make thesecharacters.
Also, uh, it can teach them alot, how they can, uh, make
certain objects come to lifewhenever they're interested of
working in a company or studioor also, uh, gaming.
Kaye (37:27):
So you'd like them to kinda look at what they can do
and, and move forward forthemselves.
Cade (37:32):
Yeah, well, I think this is just, uh right.
Kaye (37:35):
That's great advice.
Thank you for sharing with ustoday.
Good luck with all of your bigplans.
Cade (37:42):
Thank you.
And I hope you enjoy your pathtoo.
Kaye (37:47):
Thank you.
And if you would like to knowmore about Cade's Graphic Art,
you can see it using the link inthe show notes below.
Cade (37:56):
Right, see ya.
Take care.
Uh, see you Brittany, Kaye andJennifer.
Brittany (38:04):
Thanks for listening to True Tales by Disability
Advocates.
Kaye (38:08):
I'm Kaye Love and I'm your host.
Brittany (38:11):
I'm Brittany Sessum and I'm your host.
Kaye (38:13):
This show was produced by Brittany Sessum
Brittany (38:16):
and by Kaye Love, The production team also includes
Kamand Alaghehband
MsBoye (38:21):
And Jennifer McKinney.
Brittany (38:23):
Thanks to our storytellers for coming on the
show today.
Kaye (38:27):
I also want to give thanks to our guests for taking time
out of their schedules to bewith us.
Special, thanks to MsBoye forediting and mixing.
MsBoye (38:39):
Thanks for listening to "Kindness and Connections." We
hope you have enjoyed enteringthe worlds of our storytellers
and that maybe you gained someinsight for yourself.
If you heard your personal storyreflected in their stories or
were touched by the content ofthis episode, we'd love to hear
from you.
You can share your stories andcomments on our True Tales
(38:59):
Podcast Facebook page.
If you'd like to hear morestories like this, season one is
available at Art Spark Texas dotorg/ True Tales podcast or on
your favorite podcast platform,we're on'em all.
Look out for updates aboutseason two and bonus episodes by
following Art Spark Texas onFacebook, Instagram, TikTok,and
(39:22):
Twitter Please share us withyour friends.
Thank you for your support
Kristen (39:30):
All episodes of the True Tales by Disability
Advocates are free on ApplePodcasts, Spotify, and anywhere
you get your podcasts.
This program is funded in partby a grant from the Texas State
Independent Living Council, TheAdministration for Community
Living and individuals like you.
(39:52):
To learn more about The SpeakingAdvocates Program, sign up for
our newsletter at ArtSparkTexasdot org.
That's A.R.T.S.P.A.R.K.T.X.
dot O.R.G.
This free virtual trainingprogram is open to people of all
(40:16):
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
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