Wellness

[nevergivesup]

I was very pleased to see the recorded message from the actress Selma Blair on the homepage. I knew she had MS and apparently she is coordinating with QVC to bring in practical items to help people with disabilities.

There is so much stigma attached to the disabled community which encompasses many people of all ages, conditions and backgrounds. I was an RN, took care of three elderly relatives until their passing.

However I never fully understood the subtle impact and rejection many disabled feel on a daily basis until I began helping a much younger friend after her stroke. She is very intelligent and fun, has a Masters Degree etc. yet I watch people assume she is retarded, look past her as if she was invisible, get visibly annoyed if she is a little slower pushing her cart, speak loudly to her as if she were deaf etc. It frustrates me to see folks already struggling, having to deal with such ignorance.

Anyway, I congratulate QVC for putting their efforts into shining a light on an often unseen community of people. We can all benefit.

[CJC]

Agree. What a worthwhile new venue for Q to air. I am not disabled, except by growing older, but I'm looking forward to these shows. 

[PhilaLady1]

I admire Selma Blair's strength!  She is inspirational.

[Jk9]

I think many of us can use assistive devices as we age and develope functionally impairments.  I will certainly watch to see what is available.  

[curlygirl13]

I agree! I was diagnosed with MS 14 years ago on March 17. I live with this monster every day. She is a ray of sunshine and hope!!

[twinsister]

I think this is a good thing for QVC to do.   I like Selma Blair as the brand ambassador.  Hope it is successful.

[NYwoman]

---

@nevergivesup wrote:

I was very pleased to see the recorded message from the actress Selma Blair on the homepage. I knew she had MS and apparently she is coordinating with QVC to bring in practical items to help people with disabilities.

There is so much stigma attached to the disabled community which encompasses many people of all ages, conditions and backgrounds. I was an RN, took care of three elderly relatives until their passing.

However I never fully understood the subtle impact and rejection many disabled feel on a daily basis until I began helping a much younger friend after her stroke. She is very intelligent and fun, has a Masters Degree etc. yet I watch people assume she is retarded, look past her as if she was invisible, get visibly annoyed if she is a little slower pushing her cart, speak loudly to her as if she were deaf etc. It frustrates me to see folks already struggling, having to deal with such ignorance.

Anyway, I congratulate QVC for putting their efforts into shining a light on an often unseen community of people. We can all benefit.

---

I agree with you and look forward to shows and products offered.   I even purchased one already.

I grew up in a wheelchair with home schooling due to a genetic condition.   I learned Braille and Sign Language (AMESLAN).   You see things through a different perspective and others see you differently.   

I hope they choose the hosts for these shows carefully.   And I hope they show respect and care for the disabled models, also.    The models I have seen so far were not styled well.  

[Anne2022]

I hope as well they consider this new venture carefully. 

Knowing that accessibility MORE OFTEN looks like the Capitol Crawl and NOT like Selma Blair.

Please tread kindly. 

[Jersey Born]

It is very worthwhile to revisit how the Americans with Disabilities Act came to be in the first place. It was the "Capitol Crawl" on March 12, 1990 that brought about that necessary and momentous change. Until that Act became federal law, people in wheelchairs had no ability at all to enter buildings with stairs or steps outside, including the steps to visit their own representatives in Washington, D.C. Beautiful Jennifer Keelan's difficult crawl up those Capitol building steps made such a tremendous and life-changing impact for everyone with a disability in our country. Jennifer, along with others, made history in our nation that day. 

I am sure that Selma Blair will be a wonderful and inspirational ambassabor for this new line of products.

[DSD2]

I also admire and respect Selma enormously.

Some disabilities manifest themselves physically and are immediately apparent. Others, particularly cognitive impairments, are not.  Although there are no physical indications, there is an internal struggle, a fight to process and communicate oral and written speech. Whether born or caused by a life altering event, many people with disabilities live in a world that challenges every aspect of their lives on a daily basis.

I am a ruptured brain aneurysm survivor. As I received the best and immediate medical care, I lived to tell my story. I am grateful every day for getting my life back and always laugh that I have lived beyond my expiration date. I often struggle, silently. I am writing this only to say that we never know what someone else may be going through. Treating others with kindness and respect is the most effective antidote for those who work hard every day to be true to themselves and who they are.