Dr Kelly Fleming

Life is a journey, each person's journey is unique.

disability

  • I will succeed

    “Are you stupid?” uttered to me the first day of kindergarten has stayed with me for 45 years and will continue to stay with me my entire life. I decided that day that I would show people I wasn’t stupid because I’m Deaf. It has, most likely contributed to me becoming an overachiever but aside Read more

  • Mental Illness and Disability

    Mental Illness is still stigmatized in society. As a result, people are not seeking the help they need or would like. Those that do seek help are often faced with barriers preventing them from accessing assistance. I want to discuss barriers that Disabled People have in accessing assistance. Disabled people have to fight for access. Read more

  • What Can’t You Do?

    🙄⁉️🤦‍♀️ I make no apologies when I say this is one of the stupidest questions I’ve been asked countless times in my life. The first thought that comes to me is – this person only sees my disabilities, they can’t see me. I have only two responses : ° I can’t hear ° I can’t Read more

  • “Despite Your Disabilities”

    Oh, how much do I hate this phrase? I’ve heard it dozens of times and it feels like a knife cutting through me. It is said by well-meaning abled people who just don’t understand how hurtful these words actually are to someone who is disabled. When I moved into my second apartment, I had already Read more

  • To Go or To Stay

    I was born Deaf. My Mum realized I was Deaf before I was two years old. She taught herself about speech therapy for Deaf children using resources from the library. My speech therapy began before I was three years old. It was exhausting and frustrating. I had some residual hearing but not enough to be Read more

  • My 50th Birthday

    Today is my 50th birthday. It is a bittersweet day for me. I never thought I’d live to see 50. Let me share with you why this is a bittersweet day for me. At the age of six, my parents took me to the Emergency Room as I was literally dying in my Mum’s arms. Read more

  • Unwanted

    I was born Deaf into a family that was both hearing and Deaf. My birth family placed me up for adoption prior to my birth, as my birth mother did not have the developmental capacity to raise me alone. However, after I was born, I was considered non-adoptable by Children’s Services Adoption Agency, due to Read more

  • Pull Over…

    Imagine yourself driving down the road and a police car pulls you over. Your heart skips a beat. You’re disabled and you have no way to tell the officers who are trying to get you to “listen” to them. Disclaimer: I’m unable to drive due to my vision loss but what I describe here has Read more

  • A Journey

    Everyone’s life is a journey. Is mine different from anyone else’s? Yes. Why? Because it is my journey. My journey includes discrimination, frustration, joy, loss, excitement and pain. My journey has taken many paths. It is a work in progress and I look forward to where it will lead me. My journey has taken me Read more

  • Does Disabled Mean Broken?

    I have no issues with being disabled. I was born Deaf so I don’t know anything about what it’s like to be hearing. I had my sports accident two months before my 10th birthday. I remember being active in sports: playing softball, rugby, doing track and field, ice skating and gymnastics. All those events feel Read more