Mindy Henderson Page

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

I am so very honored to be, on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, hosting the esteemed panel below for a conversation around creating a diverse and inclusive culture at your organization AND how individuals with disabilities can better navigate the rough terrain.

With 1 in 4 individuals in this country living with a disability, if disability is not included in those programs or conversations, your inclusion program is not, well…inclusive.

The unemployment rate of individuals living with disabilities is disproportionately and alarmingly high compared to the unemployment rate of individuals with no disability. Biases are strong. Incorrect assumptions are made all the time. And, the right conversations are not being had.

Join us on October 9 at 1 PM ET for a 90 minute conversation, including audience Q&A. Register at https://mdaquest.org/career-quest/ -Register.

Huge thank you to the individuals below for joining me for this discussion:

Donna Bungard, CPWA - Indeed
Nicholas K Iadevaio Jr - L'Oréal Paris
Stephane Leblois, MA - The Valuable 500
Theo Braddy - National Council on Disability

Last week was a whirlwind of meetings and events in Washington DC. I'd like to send a special thank you to Rep. Lloyd Doggett for meeting with myself and other Texas constituents, while we were on Capitol Hill, representing the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and advocating for the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, and the reauthorization of the Pediatric Rare Disease Priority Review Voucher program.

Not only did he listen and engage in conversation with us intently, but he showed me incredible personal kindness and interest.

Never question whether your voice matters in this world! People are listening. Speak up for what matters most to you.

It was the honor of a lifetime to represent the Muscular Dystrophy Association at The White House today, among so many who I admire and have come to call friends! There were no words for sitting on the south lawn today, listening to the president speak, and celebrating the 34th anniversary of the .

So proud to be part of this community of advocates. Tomorrow… Capitol Hill!

🚀✨ So thrilled to share that I was a guest on the ReEmployAbility podcast! 🎙️ This episode is all about raising awareness for Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Month and diving deep into the incredible work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. 💪❤️

We talked about my journey as an advocate, my book, THE TRUTH ABOUT THINGS THAT SUCK, and so much more. It's a conversation close to my heart, and I’m excited for you all to hear it! 🌟

Tune in and join the conversation here: https://www.reemployability.com/empowering-voices-in-the-muscular-dystrophy-community/ 🎧

Why am I smiling??

"I just like to smile. Smiling is my favorite." -Buddy the Elf, from one of the best movies ever made, the movie "Elf."

But seriously, though, I am actually smiling because today is National Accessible Air Travel Day.

Y'all. Before May 2023, I didn't fly for 14 years because of the risk of injury while being transferred out of my wheelchair, the risk of damage to my $100,000 wheelchair, and because of the absolutely unacceptable loss of dignity wheelchair users must endure when flying.

Since then, I realized what I was sacrificing. My life. My career. World experiences. That is no longer OK with me, and I will continue to get on airplanes, no matter how risky, dangerous or emotional, in order to live the life I want to live. Since then, I have flown 10 more times and I won't be stopping anytime soon.

BUT while I do it, I am also working alongside organizations that are creating real change in air travel, like All Wheels Up and the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support their efforts to help create wheelchair spots on airplanes, and to help create awareness of what air travel is actually like for wheelchair users… for those who simply don't have any reason to know firsthand how awful it actually is.

So today I am smiling because we are making progress, and we are creating change, and because a day like exists!

Austin Peeps! Who is coming??

I was in LA on Tuesday for the premiere of this incredible film, and I will be at the AMC theater tomorrow at 2pm for this showing.

This movie is a first of its kind, with such authentic disability representation. There has never been an easier way to be an ally - just come watch a movie with me. I promise, you will love it.

Click the link below to get your tickets - see you there!

Movie Times at AMC Theatres View AMC movie times, explore movies now in movie theatres, and buy movie tickets online.

TODAY! The film I have been raving about, GOOD BAD THINGS, is in 50 AMC Theatres across the country. There are a handful of tickets left for today and because of demand, there is also an additional showing on Sunday, August 18.

Let's make this a complete sell out!

I guarantee, you do not need to have a disability to enjoy or relate to this movie. If you have ever fallen in love, wondered if you were worthy of that love, sabotaged love... Then you will be able to relate. Beautiful story. And you will also laugh so hard you will cry.

Get your tickets while you still can. https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/good-bad-things-77505/showtimes/good-bad-things-77505/2024-08-15/amc-century-city-15/all

Hi there friends, a few weeks ago, I posted about me and my exhaustion after having spent hours and hours and hours…and then a few more hours... speaking to what had to have been 974 hotels in Los Angeles trying to find one that had the magical accommodation I, and so many other wheelchair users need when staying at a hotel.

I wanted to come back and share some pictures of what it was that was so impossibly hard to find.

Take a look at the picture of the bed. You can see that there is space under the bed. That is the single most important accommodation for me and thousands of other wheelchair users when we stay at a hotel. The reason is that we use a piece of equipment to get in and out of bed, and if you look at the picture of that piece of equipment, you can see that the base needs to be able to roll underneath the bed. Without this, I can't get in and out of bed. Period. End of story. No sleep for me, without this.

After Covid, it became nearly impossible to find a hotel room with a bed that does not have an open frame underneath. I understand why, beds are hard to clean under, and sanitation of rooms became a huge issue during Covid, but I humbly suggest that there is a way… Maybe even multiple ways… To have the best of both worlds; the accessibility and the sanitation.

This is why - AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT - it is critical for businesses to include individuals, representing all kinds of diversity, including disability, in the planning and ex*****on of their products and services. This is a huge issue for the disability community that could have been avoided if individuals with disabilities had been involved in the creation on this new "standard", and I have had way too many people tell me that the lack of this specific accommodation is why they stay home.

Not OK.

I want to give huge props to the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel for such incredible, thoughtful accessibility in their hotel rooms. A few other things I want to call your attention to that made this stay comfortable and exceptional:

🙌🏻 No carpet! When you use a wheelchair or have to be pushed through a room with the piece of equipment, you see below, flooring without carpet, makes all the difference.

🙌🏻 No threshold to balance over in your wheelchair, or with this piece of equipment from the bedroom to the bathroom, and into the rolling shower

🙌🏻 A vanity mirror that is low words, so a seated person can actually see themselves and put on make up or fix their hair.

Thank you, Muscular Dystrophy Association for continuing to send me on the road to do the work I love!

I was so honored to receive a award from EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases. With so many incredible advocates and organizations working hard to create change in the rare disease space, I can't wait to see who the winners this year are.

There is not much time left. I encourage you to nominate someone you have seen make a difference in the life of families and individuals living with rare disease.

If you know an individual and/or patient organization who has gone above and beyond as rare disease leaders, having passed or catalyzed legislation for the rare disease community in 2023 and/or 2024, nominate them now at www.rarevoiceawards.org.

When you wake up in the morning and your hair is this big, you smile for the camera and get on with it.

Had the absolute pleasure to speak with Rich Holmes this morning, a writer who is working on an article for Cape Cod Healthcare (Cape Cod Health News) about the upcoming film, GOOD BAD THINGS, and the partnership between the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the filmmakers to launch the movie.

Had a fantastic conversation about why this film is so important for the disability community, why everyone - disability or not - will find something to relate to in the movie, and the general landscape of disability representation in entertainment.

Can't wait to share the link to the article so you can read all about it. Meanwhile, don't run… don't walk… don't wheel… just click the link below and buy your tickets now for the exclusive launch of the movie before tickets sell out!

https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/good-bad-things-77505

Friends! I am involved in a project, so deeply meaningful to me, and you can support it just by going to the movies!

GOOD BAD THINGS is a movie starring Danny Kurtzman, and the executive producer is The Steve Way . Both gentlemen are wheelchair users, and live with neuromuscular disease. This movie is a first of its kind. The Muscular Dystrophy Association is supporting the launch of the movie, and I had the pleasure of representing them at the press screening last week in Los Angeles. I was surprised by the emotion I was overcome by. Let's be honest. I cried like a baby.

This was the first time I had seen anyone on a screen who looked like me in a completely authentic way. It was the first time I had seen a story told on the big screen that told the story of a person who looked like me. To live as many years as I have lived, not seeing anyone on the big screen, or the little screen, or in magazines or advertisements who looked like me…has been lonely. It makes you feel like you are innately not OK.

This movie has been winning awards at film festivals and will be released for a limited run in 50 AMC Theatres across the country starting on August 15.

PLEASE. Let's sell out every showing of this movie and use our voices to tell mainstream Hollywood that we want more movies like this one. That we believe in this story, and that people like me, and Danny and Steve need to see their stories told. We are not here for your inspiration. We are here as humans who coexist alongside you and have talent and valuable, relatable stories to tell. PS - you don't need to have a disability to relate to this movie.

You don't have to write a letter to your congressman, or go to lobby for this on Capitol Hill. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BUY YOUR TICKET TODAY (WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE!) AND GO ENJOY A BEAUTIFUL, HEARTFELT, FUNNY-AS-ALL-GET-OUT… MOVIE.

Get your tickets at https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/good-bad-things-77505.

Good Bad Things An entrepreneur with a physical disability reluctantly tries a dating app, leading him on a profound journey of love and self-discovery.

What an incredible day! Thank you to the The White House for inviting myself and my colleague Joel Cartner, Esq. to join you for your disability pride celebration today, representing the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Hearing from powerful advocates and senior advisors to the Biden-Harris Administration about work that is being done every day to change our world for the better for members of the disability community was empowering. I am filled with hope for the future, but also the realism of how much work is left to do. But together, bit by bit, we will change everything.

Keely Cat Wells Michele Campanelli-Erwin