Amanda Listens’

A space to share my thoughts, concerns, dreams, and aspirations for advocacy and social change.

Blog
Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

3 Reasons a Diagnosis is Important!

A diagnosis means something to a person with a disability. While it should not be the key to participation, it can open doors to informed decision-making and quality of life. Read three reason why a diagnosis can be crucial.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

A Diagnosis Should not be the Key to Participation

When your body is different than what is consider an abled bodied person, a diagnosis means everything. As the healthcare system is struggling with the increasing demand and pressure, many people who are searching for that answer is waiting to fully get the supports to meaningfully participate in society. Do you want that?

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Being Part of Social Movements and Change is Radical

In social movements, the radicals are the ones that get the most mainstream media attention and shapes the public’s perception of activism. Do you know that there are more roles in a movement? Even better, being radical can exist anywhere when advocating for social change. Read to learn how working within the system can also utilize the radical energy.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Living with Disabilities: What Does That Mean?

As the society we live in puts emphasis on healthy as a fully abled bodied person, living with a disability is still seen as inferior and less than. Ableism impacts us all, so read more to gain insight on how much accessibility is crucial to both the disability community and for all.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

How Do They Identify?: Personal Identity vs Group Identity

Have you ever heard of one person’s identity and then try to refer to the entire group with the same term and it is not correct? Learn how there is a different between personal an group identity and how you can find out how people would like to be referred to as.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

If You Can Only Do One Action For Accessibility, Here is The Tip.

With the many different ways that accessibility is needed throughout our interactions and spaces, the steps to take can be overwhelming when you do not know where to start. Take this one tip that can help with all aspects of creating an accessible and inclusive society.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

4 Ways Embracing Your Identity Can Find Your Freedom

Identity is hard. It is a phrase to sum up all your lived experience so that people know your unique position in society. Learn about the 4 ways that embracing your identity can take you where you want to go.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

5 Approaches to Take to Accept Your Disability

Accepting your disability is quite a journey. With many ways to learn the value of living with a disability, each person approach is unique. Learn the 5 approaches that Amanda took to accept her disability to take on your journey.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

The Most Crucial Step to Embrace Your Disability Identity

Gaining a disability is life-changing, especially if you gain it later in life. Getting a diagnosis for a disability that has always been there is freeing. But losing something that you can vividly remember experiencing is difficult to let go. Learn what Amanda sees is the key step to embracing the disability identity from her journey.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Accessing International Conversations

Being in the international cooperation sector for two years now, it is time to reflect on the inaccessibility in the sector. Is there still hope to improve disability inclusion in the sector?

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Quick Tips for Accessibility: Path to Disability Inclusion

Accessibility can be overwhelming when it is not considered from the start. It does not mean that action cannot be taken to improve experiences for persons with disabilities. Read to get an overview of why accessibility in design is important and some quick tips for whatever stage you are in.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Why are Accommodation Requests Not Providing Access to Meaningful Participation?

We all want to be in a world where we can just participate in anything without questioning if we can access it or unsure if we can contribute to the conversation. While providing a place to request is a great tool, it is not a replacement to ensuring that what you design is accessible for all. Read about how accommodation requests can be more stressful for everyone and the importance of designing access from the start.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Barriers to International Conversations: My Experience at CSW67 as an ICN Youth Delegate

Imagine having an amazing opportunity to go to the United Nations Headquarters to be part of international conversations but you cannot participate due to lack of accessibility accommodations. That was my experience at CSW67. Read to learn what I did, how I navigated the barriers, and what I learned to help provide more access to international conversations

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Establish Communication: How to Handle Accommodation Requests

Going through the process of requesting accommodations to access to events and programs is difficult. It is harder when communication is not maintained (or even started) leaving you in the dark. In efforts of increasing access to meaningful participation to society, read my tips on how to establish communication from someone who has been left in the dark on their access needs.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

How To Be Productive, Even When You Have No Energy

Energy is a limited resource, even more so if you are living with disabilities. There are still tasks that needs to be done and basic needs that need to be met. Learn how you can still be productive even when energy is not optimal.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

Time to Start Designing With Access in Mind: Designing from the Start

Can everyone access any event? program? As society puts emphasis on accessibility requests, the incentive to design events with access in mind is not always high on everyone’s list. If inclusion is important to you, learn why it is time to start designing from the start to allow full participation for everyone.

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Amanda Hendrie Amanda Hendrie

5 Ways to Navigate Global Issues for Collective Momentum

Global Issues can be overwhelming. As people are trying to balance local, national, and global issues, learn five ways to navigate global issues that can move towards greater collaboration among different priorities and issues.

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