I dunno if I’ve posted this before, but if I have, it’s so good, it’s worth posting again. :)  It’s short and very sweet, well-written and inspiring like mad. ^_^  

Plus, it features a bellydancer (w/what I believe is a milder case of cerebral palsy) who has done AMAZING things w/her own pursuit of this dance.  Check her out, ‘cause Neena Nour is a -faboo- dancer! ^_^)

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If you’re physically challenged through disability or injury, you may think dancing is beyond your grasp. Belly dance may offer the solution!

LOVE this!!  Are there any teachers out there in the VA/MD/DC area that’d like to make this happen in the bellydance arena..?  Let me hear you! ♥♥♥

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Hiring folks w/disabilities makes more of an impact than most people realize:  It impacts the national economy, the lives of the individuals hired, the attitudes & perceptions of those who interact w/those individuals on the job, as well as the lives of the friends and families of those disabled people who get hired (as they may no longer need to depend on others as much for things like living expenses, housing, transportation, care, etc.).  Decent-paying jobs give people the income they need to live independently, often live in better places, buy better, more nutritious food, stay healthier, support the economy w/their general commerce, and overall, have a better quality of life.  (Not to mention doing WONDERS for one’s personal sense of worth & overall self-esteem.)  Plus, they could allow folks to pursue other interests in the meantime- like painting, weaving, or.. *gasp* bellydance. ;))

So if you know someone who feels like there are too many “lazy” people “draining decent tax-payers of their hard-earned money,” by being on disability, remind them of how much impact changing peoples’ attitudes could make.  Many disabled people find difficulty finding jobs not because they’re unqualified, but simply BECAUSE they happen to have a disability.  (You’d think in this day & age that wouldn’t happen, but it does- and faaaar more frequently than most would like to admit.)  So encourage people to help others get OFF of Disability:  Not by giving them handouts, but by making sure that there are fair, EQUAL opportunities for people w/disabilities to get competitive, decent-paying jobs.  -And no, I’m not talking about hiring x person over y person BECAUSE they’re disabled.  All I’m saying is, we need to change peoples’ attitudes, so the most qualified candidates can get decent employment and decent pay- REGARDLESS of disability.

‘Cause we all deserve the opportunity to prove we have the skills, talents and abilities to achieve our dreams. ;) 

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