“I think that education and living so people see that the difference

between us is no difference at all--- That is the beginning of PEACE.”-- Dani

I had a stoke in my brain stem before I was born. This effects the function of all the process of my brain that are automatic. I need 9 different pieces of equipment to keep all those processes going throughout the day. I also uses several other pieces of technology to speak, write , read, stand and .move.

Namaste!!!

I use a ventilator to breath while asleep and needs it to support my own breathing while I’m awake.. The stroke effects my vision, hearing and movement. I see only below the horizon. Too many sounds at the same time are difficult..

I (am told) that taught herself a means of communication at 6 months with yes and no eye blinks. I learned to read because my parents labeled the whole house with print and braille when I was little, and closed captioned everything on TV. Presently, to communicate I must either have a yes/no conversation or use voice output software on my computer.

MY software is much better than single word typing but is still much slower than having a spoken conversation. It is often very frustrating because most adults and all children are too impatient to wait. Quiet waiting drives them crazy!!

I LOVE TO READ AND LEARN EVERYTHING. From Ancient History, Astrophysics, to Comparative Religion and Political Science, no subject is off limits.

DoodlingKeyboard

Driving

Swimming FootballFashion

Art

Reading

I was honored to have an artcle I

wrote as a school project, “The Normal

Girl in a Not so Normal Chair”

published in Chicken Soup for the Soul

in July 2011.

I live outside Dagsboro Delaware with my two moms, two sisters and one of my older brothers. My little sister Ayashe passed away suddenly in December 2011. She is my inspiration.

I live my life looking for possibilities. I want to always remember that I am just one small chess piece in the game of life. I want to share my life experiences to make our world more peaceful. I hope to someday join the US State Department or the UN as a Cultural Liaison.

Dani’s Blog http://myvoicedani.wordpress.com

Presume CompetencePresume Competence