by Kara Aiello
 |
| mobileWOMEN.org writer, Kara Aiello |
Dance is a passion that I found early on and has been a part
of my make up for over two decades now. Another passion, writing, is something that
came to me by chance and led me to meeting and working for Wendy Crawford,
founder of mobileWOMEN.org, and many other sites to express my calling.
During my years of school even up to getting a certificate in
Therapeutic Recreation, I was never a number one fan of test taking. It’s not that I would end up with poor
results, I just always felt a particular anxiety to all things unknown in the
world of test taking. But writing papers
for school was far more enjoyable to me and is a big reason that I ended up
getting an MSW in social work as I didn’t have to sit for any exams. Well, not
until I had to take my LSW for social work and that was a humdinger of an
exam. Anyway, I loved writing and even
with endless hours of research and writing 20 to 30 pages for a particular
class, it was still something I had in the palm of my hands and could piece
together a paper that sang my creativity and style even if it had to be a
particular format for a graduate class.
That confidence for writing eventually opened some doors when back in
early 2000’s I was asked by the Philadelphia Inquirer to write an article on
body image for Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania in which I was state coordinator. Having written this first article, it opened
doors for more writing gigs over the next few years which included writing
about dance and current events pieces that took place in the Philadelphia area.
During the time of graduating with my masters in social
work, I was asked by the Philadelphia Inquirer to write an article on
disability and travel. This would be a
big piece that included interviewing fellow travelers with disabilities,
finding sites that would accommodate those who wanted to travel and my own
travel experiences as well. But having
just completed grad school with endless hours of reading and writing papers, my
writing light bulb was burned out and I sadly let this great opportunity slip
away. I felt so bad about not pursuing the
article that it stayed with me for years to come. Until one day when I was away
from the work force and trying to rediscover who I am and what I want to do; I
decided to get back into writing. This was inspired to me by journalists I have
come to admire, one of whom is Richard Engle from NBC News. Their passion for writing and reporting on
world events and people that are sometimes ignored jump started my own inner
journalist (a lay one for sure ha! ha!)
and my passion for writing was reborn.
It’s not just that I became a writer again, I wanted to be a writer with
purpose and give voice to a group that tends to be ignored in their own right;
those with disabilities. Through
writing, I have found confidence and purpose to tell people’s stories and open
up new worlds for readers hoping to learn something new.
My first article, which was published in Life in Action Magazine, geared towards readers with disabilities
was about a dog sled trip I took to northern Montana back in 2011 and acted as
a travel adventure story. Not long after
that, a good friend, Alana Mauger, at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC)
offered me a freelance position as a writer in which I got to highlight
exciting happenings on MCCC’s campus. One special event that occurred during my time as a writer there was the
50th anniversary of the college and the invitation to interview amazing
students as well as faculty whom have graced the halls of MCCC for
decades. I also had the honor of
interviewing a film crew that put together a 50th anniversary
documentary of the campus. This
opportunity and experience opened more doors for me and an inner confidence to
branch out and expose my love of writing to other organizations. One in particular, mobileWOMEN.org, came
about by chance when I attended a seminar for social work and at the end of the
conference, was approached by a woman who told me about this great site that
reaches out to women with disabilities and invited me to check it out. Of
course I did and the rest is history as they say. Writing for mobileWOMEN.org has allowed me to
meet great women with disabilities both near and far. I was also introduced to
the Raw Beauty Project. It has also allowed me to interview many interesting
women such as Shannon Divido, a comedian in Philadelphia, Maysoon Zayid,
another comedian and disabilities activist from the great state of New Jersey,
and Holly Harrar who is running for Miss Pennsylvania this June and is a disabilities
activist as well. I have interviewed
aspiring athletes who are setting their sights on future Paralympics games. Ellen
Geddes who takes part in Wheelchair Fencing, Katherine Beattie, who using her
wheelchair engages in extreme sports and Amberley Snyder, an amazing woman, who
was injured in a car accident and has continued her love of riding and her
dream of being a serious rodeo competitor.
While I live out my dream as a writer, I get to interview many amazing
people living out their dreams as well.
Since writing for mobileWOMEN.org, I have also written for
United Spinal Association, which I am a member and writer, and through this
organization wrote about my experience with The Roll on Capitol Hill that took
place last summer in Washington D.C. I had
a piece featured in New Mobility Magazine about our city of Brotherly Love, its
sites, tastes and sounds, and all that is accessible for every visitor. And
recently I was approached by the wonderful owner of the Mainland Inn restaurant
who is planning on writing her own story and would like me to edit it at some
point.
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