Beyond the Disability

A podcast that features the lives of those persons with a disability who are living their lives to their fullest

# 46 Farwell 03/09/2023

# 46 Farwell Hi, good evening, everyone. This is the last podcast of the Beyond This World podcast. This is your doctor Janice Brown. The Beyond the Disability podcast was my passion project. For almost two years now. I published every other week. I looked for persons with disabilities who were doing amazing things. I was honored that they allowed me to tell their stories and get a glimpse into their lives. I was even more honored when my guests from the 4th episode became my first return guest on the 45th episode the ones who sparked the idea to create the podcast. And I am so proud of how far along she has come. What I have learned is that life happens. Any one of us can have an accident or an acute illness that robs us. Of some of our physical and psychological functions. What many of my guests taught me is that there is a choice to allow disabilities define to define them; or to move beyond their disability. In the world of physical medicine and rehabilitation. I have seen many people who choose to allow a disability to define them. I'm not here to judge. But I know it removes from them the power to heal. I hope these podcasts will help them see beyond their disability. And open their eyes to the possibility. I will continue to work with persons with disabilities in my practice. Advocating for them whenever I can. I will continue to offer non-surgical and non-opioid pain management to those who seek it. But more importantly, I now will place my energy on educating people. That chronic diseases are not the norm. And empowering them to take control of their health and well-being. We can no longer leave it up to the medical establishment to guarantee a quality of life. That is completely up to us. So many people are afraid to manage their chronic diseases. I'm not sure why, as a result, is a life that is more pleasurable and fulfilling. We are humans and death is inevitable. Your quality of life is a choice. I want to thank all my guests for their time. And again, for being vulnerable and being and telling their stories. All episodes of the podcast will be available to listen to. I welcome. All who are interested in my work reach out and connect with me via my website, . You can contact me there as well as book a free consultation with me to see if I can help you achieve better health. Finally, share the podcast with someone you know who is struggling with their disability and could be uplifted by any of the stories told. As always, I am here to serve. And will continue to do so until the inevitable happens. /episode/index/show/beyondthedisability/id/26072205

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Lois Strachan on being blind at 21 12/15/2022

Lois Strachan on being blind at 21 After losing her eyesight, Lois was forced to learn to navigate the world with blindness. She thrived from being in a band, writing books, hosting a podcast, and helping businesses to be accessible. Today she shares her story of inspiration with us. Highlights: {02:00} Lois Journey {12:20} Learning to navigate the world blind {16:33} Getting her first job {18:11} Helping business set up their space to be usable for people with disabilities {24:30} Writing books and hosting a podcast {32:36} The work that needs to be done to make the world more accessible {39:08} The Six Ps Lois Strachan bio: When Lois Strachan became blind at the age of 21 as a result of Type 1 (childhood-onset) diabetes, she realized she had a choice –to go home and give up and be angry, bitter, dependent, and depressed for the rest of her life… or she could take back control of her destiny and actively choose to move forward as a blind person in a sighted world. As an inspirational speaker and author, Lois is passionate about two things: Helping people to see their own lives, and their challenges, in a different way De-mystifying the abilities of those who are a blind and have low vision to facilitate increased integration into society and the workplace Lois is the author of “A Different Way of Seeing: A Blind Woman’s Journey of Living an ‘Ordinary’ Life in an Extraordinary Way, allowing readers to gain a greater understanding of how Lois accomplishes simple, everyday tasks without sight, including personal stories to back up her explanations. She is also the author of the illustrated children’s series “the Adventures of Missy Mouse” which help children understand how blind people lead normal lives. In 2015 Lois was awarded the prestigious Tributes Excellence award, which honour women with disabilities who have exceled in their fields, in the category of education and literature. In the same year she was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for Casual Day, South Africa’s largest fund-raiser for persons living with disabilities. Since losing her sight Lois has achieved a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English Literature and Classical Civilisations, and an Honours degree in Classical Civilisations from the University of KwaZulu Natal, a diploma in practitioner Coaching Skills, a Certificate in Human Resource Management from UNISA, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. She has worked as an office manager in a marine engineering company, has been a singer/songwriter in a rock band, and has served as District Director of Toastmasters International (Southern Africa), a non-profit volunteer organisation focusing on communication and leadership development. She is an avid reader, enjoys music, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband and a houseful of dogs, one of whom is her guide dog, Fiji. Links: https://www.loisstrachan.com /episode/index/show/beyondthedisability/id/24986148