disABILITY Resource Center

A message from the director of the National Council on Independent Living-Theo Braddy:

Life Happens!

One of my family members is in his seventies. Until recently, he lived a life most people would describe as healthy. No major hospital stays. No daily medications. No need for help getting through the day. His body mostly did what he asked of it, when he asked.

Then life changed.

He became ill suddenly, and in ways he was not prepared for. Bladder and kidney issues now require him to use internal catheters. He needs medication. He needs assistance. And he is not handling it well.

He struggles with the catheter. He resists the medication. He has an especially hard time accepting care from others. What has shaken him the most is not just the illness; it is the loss of independence he never imagined losing.

Watching him has stirred a reaction from me and caused me to write this message.

I have lived with a disability since I was fifteen years old. I have used both internal and external catheters. I have needed assistance with daily life activities for most of my life. This is not unfamiliar territory for me. This is my everyday reality.

That contrast between his shock and my lifelong adaptation has been impossible to ignore.

For many people, independence is taken for granted. It is invisible until it appears. You do not think about your bladder until it stops cooperating. You do not think about needing help until you cannot get through the day without it. And you do not think seriously about disability until you are forced to confront it.

Millions of people live every day with what society often labels “major health issues.” That causes them to use catheters, medications, needing assistance and lifelong supports. Even navigating systems and an environment that were never designed with them in mind. This is not a temporary disruption. This is life.

Yet too often, these realities remain poorly understood, not because people are unkind, but because they are uneducated and unexposed. We have built a culture where disability is something to feel sorry about, not something to learn from.

If we truly want to be better prepared for the realities of life, education must come before crisis.

Education means listening to disabled people, but it does not stop there. It also means interacting. Working alongside us. Being in community with us. Learning from our lived experience before you need it yourself.

Understanding disability cannot come only from sympathy or secondhand stories. It comes from proximity, participation, and honest engagement.

My family member’s struggle is not a personal failure. It is the result of a society that does not teach people how to live with changing bodies, and shared support, or interdependence. We teach independence as the goal, but we rarely teach the ability to adapt as a skill.

Disability does not only arrive through birth or accident. Often it comes with age. Sometimes it comes quietly. Sometimes all at once. But for most people, it comes eventually.

The real question is not whether life will change us.

The question is whether we will have taken the time to learn before it does.

I have been living these lessons for decades. My family member is being introduced to them abruptly.

My hope is that others do not wait until life forces the lesson. Seek education now. Engage with disabled people now. Learn how millions of us navigate our days, not as an abstract idea, but as a lived reality.

Because when life happens to you, what you will need most is not only medical care, but also knowledge, adaptability, and the understanding that none of us, I mean none of us, gets through life alone.

So, I will leave you with these questions:

If your body changed tomorrow, would you be prepared or would you finally start learning from the people you once overlooked?

Lastly, what happens when life hands you what others have been living with all along? Life happens!

This is Theo W. Braddy, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living. Until we speak again. Bye-bye now.

Send a message to learn more

See what is happening and coming up next with Joni and Friends...

Joni & Friends with First Baptist Concord

CALLING FOR ACTS!

Shining Stars Talent Show

Singing, dancing, magic, and more!

Friday, March 27th

First Baptist Concord Chapel

11704 Kingston Pike

6-8 pm

Refreshments following

FREE ADMISSION

Reach out to [email protected] to sign up as a talent or crew.

Sign up deadline: March 20th

FYI…Due to Knox County School’s Spring Break, March 9th thru the 13th, dRC will be closing for the week of Spring Break! Our offices will reopen on Tuesday, March 17th at our regular business hours!

Send a message to learn more

dRC celebrating Valentines with all our friends!

FYI: the disABILITY Resource Center will be closed on Tuesday, February 3 due to inclement weather and road conditions. We are staying updated with the weather and reviewing road conditions and will consider reopening on a daily basis. If you need to contact dRC staff, please email your independent living specialist or email Mary Lu at [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

dRC is open today, Wednesday the 28th and tomorrow, Thursday the 29th from 10 AM until 3 PM!

Send a message to learn more

Due to inclement weather and icy roads, dRC will be closed on Tuesday, January 27!

Send a message to learn more

dRC wants you to BE PREPARED BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER WINTER WEATHER. HERE IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO ASSIST YOU THROUGH THIS EXTREME WINTER STORM!

Stay warm! Stay safe! Check on your neighbors and friends!

We want to share an important reminder as the Southeast U.S. prepares for a dangerous upcoming winter storm.

If you are in immediate danger or have an emergency, call 911 right away.

During and after the storm, check on your neighbors, friends, and family members who may need extra support, including older adults and people with disabilities.

Keep these tips in mind.

-Keep emergency supplies together in an easy to reach place, including flashlights, batteries, water, and non-perishable food.
Put all medications in a water-tight bag in case you need to move to a safer location.

-Make sure your phone, medical devices, wheelchairs, and backup batteries are fully charged. There is a potential for power outages with this storm. If your medical equipment requires electricity, have a plan to relocate to a place with power.

-Allow faucets to slightly drip to help prevent frozen pipes. Cover exposed pipes with insulation or foam, if possible.

-Cover gaps at windows and doors with blankets or towels to prevent drafts at doors and windows.

-Should you need help with food, shelter, utility assistance, or other community resources, you can dial 211.
Basic Needs: Food, housing assistance, utility help, clothing.
Health: Mental health, substance abuse support, clinics, prescription assistance.

Helpful Fact Sheets from the ADA National Network

Bedside Emergency Supply Kit Checklist
Web: adata.org/factsheet/bedside-checklist

Emergency Power Planning for People Who Use Electricity and Battery-Dependent Assistive Technology and Medical Devices
Web: adata.org/factsheet/emergency-power

Emergency Supply Kits
Web: adata.org/factsheet/emergency-supply

Southeast ADA Center
A project of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University

Emergency Supply Kits | ADA National Network Emergencies can occur when you are at home, at work, on vacation, or just out and about. Are you prepared for an emergency no matter where you are?

For your information...

Date Night

Friday 6 - 9 PM

JAN. 23

$20 PER COUPLE

Join us for a marriage-enriching evening, including a delicious dinner, fellowship with other parents, and engaging activities led by Marla Delong, a licensed marriage & family therapist.

CEDAR SPRINGS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

9132 KINGSTON PIKE, KNOXVILLE

To register, contact Claire Gamble by Jan 16:
claire.gambleajoniandfriends.org, 865-770-5715

Look what’s happening at the disABILITY Resource Center on Monday, December 15th!!! Please help dRC and the Signal Center spread the word!!!

Assistive Technology Services

A program of SIGNAL CENTERS

ADAPTIVE GIVEAWAY

DECEMBER 15, 2025

CHATTANOOGA

Assistive Technology Center

2300 Bailey Avenue

Chattanooga, TN 37404

10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

VIRTUALLY

(see flyer)

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

KNOXVILLE

Disability Resource Center

9111 Cross Park Drive

Building E, Suite 130

Knoxville, TN 37923

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Here’s some fun for the holidays and for a good cause…

JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF FESTIVE FAMILY FUN AT

CHRISTMAS KARAOKE

DECEMBER 19, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

HARDIN VALLEY CHURCH OF CHRIST

11515 HARDIN VALLEY ROAD

KNOXVILLE, TN 37932

Wear your most festive attire, whether that's a sweater, pa jamas,

or a full-on costume!

RSVP by December 16 to Claire Gamble,

[email protected] or

865.770.5715.