A week ago at this time, Whitney and I were answering questions from third-graders who attend Goudy Elementary, a Public school in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. The third graders are part of a Friday “reading buddies” program at Admiral At the Lake, a retirement community where I lead weekly memoir-writing classes. Goudy is near The Admiral. […]

My part-time job moderating the blog for Easterseals national headquarters keeps me in touch with a lot of important people: people with disabilities and their friends and family members who write guest posts. This morning Easterseals published a post written by Bernhard Walke. Bernhard and his wife Rosa are the proud parents of seven-year-old Elena, […]

Whitney and I took a commuter train to Deerfield, Illinois Thursday to talk with third graders at Wilmot Elementary about what it’s like to be blind and get around with a Seeing Eye dog. I started by explaining the three rules Wilmot students should keep in mind if they happen to see a guide dog […]

This morning my Seeing Eye dog Whitney and I take off for Union Station to head to the Chicago suburbs. It’s Disability Awareness Week at Wilmot Elementary School in Deerfield, and we’re slated to give a presentation to eight- and nine-year-olds. The third graders are studying Helen Keller, and you can bet I’ll be publishing […]

Four weeks ago today I was eating cheese and petting goats on a beautiful, warm, sunny afternoon in central Illinois. I’ve written here before about Marcel’s Culinary Experience, the culinary retail store and cooking school my childhood friend Jill Foucré opened in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The success of Marcel’s inspired her to open Marché, an […]