Disabled turns into IN-abled: Chad's story

Photography is a passion for Chad!

Dweezil, the Mascot!

Cover your space,  Change your world!

              

Chad and sons Micah and Ben :)

                                                        IN-abled.com is the brainchild of President/ Founder Chad Moore.  The company celebrates the accomplishments of people who have not allowed their limitations to stop them from doing what they dream of and living life to the   full!        The idea for this company came after spending the day with his friend Noah Hiles at a Special Olympics event.  Chad is an avid photographer and it seems like the camera is never out of his reach!  That day was no different.  450 photos of Noah, his friends and fellow athletes were taken.  Chad said after he took the pictures he was more than inspired, but the inspiration didn't stop there.  Everyone who saw the pictures kept talking about them and using words like happy, accomplished and free!  Positivity was at an all time high and it was too good to keep to himself!  Along with Vice Presidents Amy Parker and Chris Hiles, they put their heads together and thought,  How can we share these pictures with the world?  Chad's background as a Director for the State of Ohio in the area of re-employment, is what lead him to start asking that question.  Part of his job meant time spent going into employment offices presenting workshops and training courses.  For as many buildings as he went into, he always felt like there wasn't really anything a person could connect with.  Nothing to celebrate the abilities or passions of the potential employees.  Nothing to give them hope about the positive outcome of re-entering the workforce.  Not only did this thought cross his mind for the people he served, but for himself, as well.   You see, Chad was diagnosed with bipolar in 2003.  It's classified as an "invisible disability" but with the challenges he faces it doesn't always feel invisible.  When I met Chad, the first thing that stood out to me was his captivating personality!  He seems to walk in the room and own it in such a warm exuberant way.  He views the work and the challenges he faces as things that have helped him be more creative and more accepting of other people's challenges as well as celebrating their successes!!

IN-abled.com's main focus is on ABILITY and INclusion. With their person centered, vibrant eye-catching designs, it doesn't take long to see that people with disabilities seek to step up to their challenges and prove that they don't just want to exist... they want to LIVE as people IN-abled!!       That is SUCCESS indeed!! :)

The IN-abled.com staff are the nicest people I have met!!  Thank you, Chad, Amy and Chris for all you do!!  You are all ROCKSTARS in my book!! :)

Michelle Fischer is the host of A View From My Window, a podcast produced by The Arc of Indiana

Listen to my interview with Chad! www.arcind.org/upload/media/A%20View%20into%20IN-abled%20with%20Chad%20Moore.mp3

Jumping into the Twitter-sphere! (tweet, tweet!!)

Twitter is complicated! So thought my brain :)

The plunge into Twitter has been a long time coming.  Why, you ask?  It was due to my own thinking that it was going to be too complicated.  Trust me, it happened with Facebook, too.  Fear of the unknown and getting accustomed to "the lay of the social media land".  Hashtags, @symbols, tweets..... What if I put a hashtag in the wrong spot in a tweet?  Or what if I don't put the @ symbol in the tweet that let's a person know I'm talking to them?  Will they feel ignored?  What in the world is a retweet?  Is it loud?  Will someone be offended if I retweet something that is now old news, but to me, is something I think looks cool?   Kinda like....if a friend of yours goes to the mall and buys a hip dress and then you go to the mall two weeks later, and realize the next time you see your friend that you have the EXACT SAME DRESS!!  (gasp!!)  HA!...Ok, Twitter for me, wasn't quite life-altering, but it was much easier then I thought it was going to be and REALLY fun!  I have met and connected with a lot of nice people so far, and hope to keep connecting more and more!

I'm an internet podcast show host of a podcast called AView from My Window.  The podcast takes you inside the lives of people with disabilities. Their stories in their own words, the services they receive, and the organizations that help make their lives better through their advocacy and hard work!  I'll tell you more about how AView from My Window got it's start in another blog post, but that's why Twitter has come into the life of this podcast show host and I'm certainly glad I get to share the podcast with all of you!  I hope you enjoy listening as much as I love hosting!   It's truly a dream job!

I'm Michelle Fischer, Host of AView from My Window....and I have entered the TWITTER-SPHERE!!!!! (Tweet, Tweet) :)

This Twitter-shere is not like Facebook!?!
WHOA......

If you forget this when talking to someone, will they feel ignored?!?!