Educating Young Minds

In October, I spoke to Brandon's 3rd Grade Class about people with disabilities. Brandon read an age appropriate "First Look at Disability" book to the class. Afterwards, Brandon's peers asked questions. Not only was I blown away by number of questions I received, but also the level of intelligence of the questions. The question I usually get, "Were you born in the wheelchair", but instead, they asked "Were you born with a disability"? Also, I did not only get questions about the disability, they asked about me. I got "What is your favorite color" and "What is your favorite holiday"? The kids were so enthusiastic about asking questions, the teacher had to stop them off after 30 minutes.

After a number of questions about me, I turned the direction towards Brandon. I wanted to kids to have the opportunity to see disability from his perspective. Brandon's peers asked him questions like, "Does it bother you that your parents have disabilities", "Do you like riding on their wheelchairs", "Who helps you with your homework?" Then to normalize our life for them, I told the students that I am pretty mobile, so when I wake Brandon up in the morning I get out of my wheelchair, crawl to his bed, sing to him, then we roll on the floor with the dog and laugh. With  Brandon and I laughing together during most of our talk, the kids could tell with have a lot of fun together.

When Brandon and I finished, I felt inspired that we opened these bright minds. My inspiration only multiplied when I received an e-mail from Brandon's teacher thanking me for coming to speak, then she told me some of the things the kids were saying after I left, such as:

"That was fun!" , "At first I was nervous to ask questions, but then I felt really comfortable." "At first I had a hard time understanding, but by the end I could understand."  

Then Brandon's teacher finished by telling me "This really left a positive impression on the class, and they so enjoyed you and Brandon."

Well, my goal as a Mom and a Motivational Speaker was accomplished. As a Mom, I wanted to break down any barriers between Brandon and his friends at his new school. As a Motivational Speaker, I wanted to break down ignorance and fears about people with disabilities through education.  I know this was achieved because when I come to Brandon's school now, the kids smile and wave at me.

My motto is: If I can inspire one person a day, I have achieved my goal.

Making a difference through Volunteering

I have never took interest in volunteering until recently.  My recent experience changed my attitude and my life. I saw how my involvement could make an impact in people's lives.
When Brandon started his new school, I knew I wanted to get involved, but I didn't know how. Then I saw the advertisement looking for volunteers in the library. My first instinct was, "What can I do in the library?" and "I can't read to the kids, they will not understand my speech." Well, anybody who knows me, knows the words "I can't" do not exist in my vocabulary.  Ok, so let's try it. After signing up, I soon received an email announcing a "library volunteer" meeting. I was hoping the meeting would calm my fears

I arrived at the meeting a little late, which did not help my anxiety. After sitting in the meeting for a few minutes listening to the librarian, Mrs. Forbes, I began to feel more relaxed. She had a very bubbly personality, and she gave me a warm smile when I rolled in late. As I was sitting in the meeting, I began to think, "I still do not know what I can do in the library, but Mrs. Forbes seemed like someone I could figure this out with".

The first day of my volunteering I was really nervous. I felt awkward and I did not want to go, but I knew if I wanted to get past my fear I had to confront it. As I opened the door to go into library, I saw about 20 kindergarteners staring back at me. Mrs. Forbes introduced me as "Ms. Dina", and said I would be helping them in the library. She said it in such a "happy go lucky" tone, it looked as though the kids did not give it a second thought. Mrs. Forbes continued reading the Halloween story. When Mrs Forbes finished the story, she dismissed the kids by rows to go pick out books. After they found their book, the kids were to sit at the round tables and read.

As the kids were gathering their books and sitting around the tables, Mrs Forbes announced that I was there if anybody wanted me to read to them. My first instinct was "Oh, I have nothing to worry about, none of these kids are going to want me to read to them."

Then it happened. A tiny little girl's hand bolted into the air. As I saw her hand go up, I figured she wanted to ask Mrs. Forbes a question. Mrs. Forbes asked, "Would you like Ms. Dina to read to you"? She nodded, with a big smile across her face. Since I can not remember the little girl's name, I will name her "Maria". After she nodded, I rolled over to where she was sitting.  As I approached, Maria greeted me with a bright smile. She looked adorable in her black and pink outfit and her black hair pulled back in pig tails. I also admired her pink & black nail polish.

When Maria showed me the book she wanted me to read, I began laughing to myself wondering if this was a joke. The book was about "The Day of the Dead", it was written in Spanish.  I did not know if this was a blessing or a curse. At least I would not have to worry about her understanding me, or not understanding me. I began reading the story not knowing if she was understanding me, in English or Spanish. Regardless, she obviously enjoyed my presence, smiling at me adoringly as she was turning the pages. As I was reading, all 6 or 7 kids at the table were staring at me. I looked at the boy sitting next to me and asked him his name. Instead of letting him tell me, Maria proceeded to tell me his name along with all names of the other kids at the table.

At the end of reading time, Mrs. Forbes told all the kids to put their books away and line up by the door. After helping to put the books away, I look up and I see little sweet Maria smiling at me and waving. She totally melted my heart.

After that day, I realized the power of volunteering. Since then, Mrs. Forbes discovered that reading was not something I generally felt comfortable with, so after we talked about my interests and abilities, I assisted with filing, data entry and running errands. Even though I was not directly working with the kids, I still felt like I was making an impact because the kids would see me come in and out of their classrooms as I ran errands, and Mrs Forbes would introduce me when they came into the library.  The kids started getting to know me and began saying Hi to me on their own.

Another powerful tool to combat fear is through education. With Brandon going to a new school, I feared the kids would give Brandon a tough time because his parents were different. Instead of holding on to my fear, I decided to nip it in the butt by speaking to his class. Since my speech can be hard to understand, I found an age appropriate book, that I let the teacher read, explaining disability, then I answered questions. Also, throughout the story, I would interject my own experience. I found the one part that captivated the audience, I asked them, "how many of you play soccer?". More than half of the kids raised their hands. Then I asked them if they thought I could play soccer. All of them said, "No"! All jaws dropped when I told that I play wheelchair soccer and that I am on a team. Knowing this was probably beyond their comprehension, I brought pictures and explained how I move the ball around field and get it into the goal. The kids were really receptive and asked a lot of questions. Since then, the kids smile and say Hi to me when they see me.

I have never shown an interest in volunteering until I experienced the profound effect it can have on me and others. More importantly, being involved in your community, could make a difference and an impact  in someone's life, and you may not even know it. Thank you Mrs. Forbes and Maria for making a difference in my attitude and an impact in my life!

Healing my Child Back to Health

My ability as a parent never ceases to amaze me! When my child needs me, nothing gets my way!

When  Brandon woke up in the middle of the night, he felt very warm. Instead of waking Daniel up, I decided I can take care of Brandon myself. I asked Brandon to take his temperature. I got scared when I saw his temperature was 102.9, however this fear was not going to get the better of me. I need to be strong for him.

We heated up chicken nuggets because he needed to eat, in order for me to give him medication. Brandon was so tired & lethargic from the high fever, he just kept laying his head on the chair & closing his eyes.

Meanwhile I was going back and forth, between him and the bathroom, constantly applying cool wash cloths to his forehead and neck to bring the fever down.

At one point, Brandon looked at me and said in a weak voice,  "Mommy, what if I don't ever go back to school and see my friends?" Ok, now I am getting scared. However, my fear instantly turned into motivation and a drive! How am I going to get this kid to eat so I can give him the medication?

I told him a story about his body being weak because these monsters called "fever" were attacking his body. I told him he needed to eat the food to build up his strength. Then, with strength of his body and the medication, it will get rid of all the monsters out of his body. He said, "Mommy, I don't want these monsters in my body." I said, "Ok, let's fight!" He began eating very slowly. Every time he wanted to stop, I said, "Come on Buddy, fight the monsters. You're a fighter!" I swung my hands in the air and said, "come on, don't let the monsters win, you are getting stronger!"

I was surprised that this was actually working, he was eating and his color was coming back into his face. I guess the poor little guy felt so bad, he just wanted to feel better.  When he finished his chicken nuggets he looked better! He was more animated. He took his medicine, then we decided to wake up daddy in order to give Brandon an alcohol bath. Between the food, the medicine & the alcohol bath, Brandon's temperature was down to 100 and he was back to his bouncing, happy self. Daddy went back to bed while Brandon and I started washing the dishes, I rinsed and he put them in the dishwasher.

When I put Brandon back to bed, I said, "Brandon, I am very proud of you! You are a fighter, just like mommy!!" It was only 1.5 hours, but yet I felt like I conquered the world, I nurtured my child back to health.

Dina Garcia’s Autobiography

 Dina Garcia began her speaking career at the age of three.  

It was at that age that Dina was chosen as the poster child for United Cerebral Palsy. Most children only serve in that capacity for a year or two, but Dina was so effective at tugging heart strings and personifying the UCP message that she remained for ten years.  Over that decade, she appeared on the annual UCP telethon, met many stars and donors at cocktail parties and photo shoots, as well as appearing on a CBS movie-of-the-week, “Marion Rose White” with Nancy Cartwright, now the voice of Bart Simpson, and Katherine Ross. She also played a role in the prime time soap opera, “Knots Landing” with Lisa Hartman. 

 As Dina got older, her role quickly changed from actress to advocate when she encountered discrimination in junior and senior high school due to her disability. She had to fight for the right to do her homework with a typewriter rather than having to write it out.  She even had to fight for the right to go to her neighborhood high school, against the wishes of some members of the faculty. She wound up graduating with honors.         

Dina’s advocacy skills continued at Cal State University Northridge where she was president of the Students with Disabilities Connection. She transformed the basically inactive organization into a vibrant and progressive social group. Upon graduation in 2000, there were 40 active members.

In keeping with her love for advocacy, Dina got a full-time job at theWestsideCenterfor Independent Living as a System Change Advocate. She taught self-advocacy skills to people with disabilities, educated local, state and federal legislators on the needs of their constituents with disabilities, generated communication between Los Angeles County Paratransit system and the riders and helped stop proposed cuts to the transit system that would have limited the rights of the riders.

She also served for two years on the Los Angeles City Commission on Disabilities under Mayor James Hahn. As commissioner, Dina worked to install an audio signal on a busy street, to ensure the safety of pedestrians who are visually impaired.

Dina has made several trips to Sacramento to participate in rallies, speak with legislators and give testimony at hearings to fight against cuts to services that help people with disabilities live the independent lifestyles they are entitled to.

Dina's most recently endeavor was auditioning and being casted in a new HBO Drama Series, LUCK, starring Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte. The show will premiere in January 2012 and Dina will be in four episodes.

In addition to all this, Dina is married to her husband, Daniel, owns a house, and is a mom to son, Brandon.

In her spare time, Dina enjoys snow skiing, water skiing, jet skiing, parasailing, wheelchair dancing, traveling, and, of course, spending time with her family and friends.

Dina is pursuing a career in motivational speaking because she wants to share her knowledge and experience with others.