Page 49 - Lauren Lolo Spencer Issue

don’t know, it just seemed simple to me. But, I realized I had to dig deeper and share more about the moments in my life that contributed to my success today. So that was the purpose of the book, to give more insight and explain that, “Hey, I didn’t find a magic lamp in some bushes and just rub it!” It was just one experience after another. Every decision I made led to the next pivotal point in my life that led to the next one. So, that was my intention for writing the book.
Goga: What a great resource. A lot of this resonates with me being legally blind. You offered some content and insights about how non-disabled people interact with people with disabilities. In my case, I use a white mobility cane to navigate in public spaces, and a lot of people do not know what the cane is all about, so I get a lot of different reactions.
Goga: I understand.
Goga: And even those who do know what the cane is for often think that I’m faking, because I do have some limited vision. People come up and say, “Hey, you’re not blind!?” I like the way you address situations like mine and talk candidly about the right way to interact with people with disabilities. It’s not that hard. We’re all people. I’m happy to tell people about my condition, why I’m blind, how I do things, but sometimes it’s diffi- cult because they don’t quite know how to approach me.
Spencer: I hoped to provide information and tangible takeaways at the end of each chapter that people can apply to their own lives as well.
Goga: That’s great. So your website Live Solo how did you come up with that? When did that start and what was your goal with it?
Spencer: Exactly! And that’s what I think is important about Live Solo. The writers we have on our blog are not only just wheelchair users. It’s people with vary- ing disabilities, because we want everyone to be involved. That way if someone’s on the site and they’re learning tips on how to travel, and then the next blog that pops up might offer information about using a mobility cane as a blind person. I am so happy that Live Solo helps a broad range of people learn and understand many different perspectives. Even I am learning. I’ve read every blog that’s up there, and I’m learning about other people’s disabilities, about severe food allergies, OCD, ADHD, etc. It’s fascinating to learn how people have been able to navigate based on their particular disabilities.
Spencer: Live Solo was an idea I started brainstorming during quarantine. Similar to the thought process behind the book, I realized people wanted answers on what I was doing differently than everyone else. There was a lot of interest in my fashion, the traveling, the experi- ences, the parties, the networking that I was doing. Peo- ple were interested in my hair, my nails, how I was liv- ing independently in my own apartment. And dating was such a big, big, big topic of interest.
I thought, how do I share this part of my life and make it again something tangible for people to access. I wanted to create something that was bigger than just my life and my own experiences, because I know that this commu- nity isn’t only me, and I’m not the only one living the life I’m living at the scale I’m living it. There are people with disabilities who are dating and live on their own and are fly and fashionable. So I wanted to tap into the community.
It’s really a dope world to be a part of! (laughs)
Goga: And you have a lot of information on the website. I saw that you have guest bloggers who contribute dif- ferent points of view from varying disability experi- ences.
Goga: For sure, there are so many great people doing great things these days. At ABILITY Magazine, we’ve been in the disability advocacy space for more than 30 years. And from that, we have created the only fully accessible virtual career fair for people with disabilities. It’s a face-to-face platform where recruiters can meet one on one with job candidates. It’s compatible with screen readers and we also offer live ASL interpreters if someone is hard of hearing or deaf. It’s something we are so excited about. You have the ear of young people, and I would love for you to tell them that it’s out there, among other things. There are so many great resources.
Spencer: I wanted to create something that was bigger than me and my own experiences and something that is helpful for the overall disabled community and those who want to support us. That’s where Live Solo came up from. We’re continuing to build a community for young adults with disabilities who are seeking indepen- dence and self-empowerment. Live Solo is a place online where you can tap into and learn more about dis- ability lifestyle. There are resources for wheelchairs and devices and all of the medical stuff. But there isn’t enough stuff out there to teach us how to date, how to dress, how to do our hair, all of these different things. And Live Solo is also a place to learn about each other’s disabilities from a humanity perspective. That’s what it’s all about. We’re continuing to grow it.
abilityEntertainment is our newest project. It’s part of a whole suite of services we provide for actors and per- formers and writers and producers who have a disabili- ty. We are helping them get access to the entertainment industry. I wasn’t sure if you had a chance to look at the site?
Spencer: Yeah!
Spencer: I did! I did have a few moments to be able to quickly scroll through and see what you guys were
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