Today, I learned that my
#TedX
Toronto talk has officially made the site. This is the talk I did about
#Change
,
#Leadership
, and
#Agile
in relation to growing up with a
#disability
. Please recommend my video on the Ted site.
Disappointed, frustrated, and angry. My work trip was ruined due to the carelessness of the crew for at Logan airport. They carried my power wheelchair seat with one hand while juggling other suitcases, ultimately breaking it. Their attempt to save time cost me three days of
Today begins a new chapter for me. This is my first day working for
@microsoft
. As a person with a
#disability
, Microsoft Office enabled me to be productive to graduate university and break through many glass ceilings professionally. Now I can enable others to accomplish more.
My body is exhausted, but my heart is full. I had all my loved ones with me while I gave everything I had to help others. I might have cerebral palsy but I’m the luckiest person to be able to have the life I do.
My way of having a good life is the balance of chasing my dreams while being
#grateful
for what I have.
This is the answer I gave being interviewed for a
#Leadership
podcast.
In my recent blog post, I describe the routine that has helped me be prepared to be ready for opportunities and challenges. Please take a moment to read and share.
#Growth
#Health
#Mindfullness
2 years of training. 5 hours to walk 5km. Raising $83,000 for cancer. Crossing the finish line- priceless. I have cerebral palsy, it does NOT have me.
#Reflecting
#Grateful
@maayanziv
@AirCanada
They need to have a more proactive process to avoid damaging all these wheelchairs instead of a reactionary process to fix ALL the wheelchairs Air Canada damages. An anomaly of breaking a wheelchair does not require reactive process with a wheelchair repair company on retainer.
It’s not about what I CAN’T do. It’s about what I CAN do. I’m proud of how much control I have in my unassisted walking after 18 months of training.
#CerebralPalsyAt51
Over 18 months of training and I am so happy I can walk so effortlessly. I’m so
#grateful
for Kelly, Bourilack, and Melissa for their unwavering commitment to me living my best life.
People always ask me, "Do you prefer to be referred to as a
#disabled
person or person with a
#disability
?" People close to me simply refer to me as Dave.
Linear vs. Honest vs. Strategic Roadmap
Pavel Samsonov posted this on Twitter and thinks it's worth sharing. Especially for all the
#Product
Managers and Entrepreneurs in my timeline!
As a person with the
#disability
, I find it weird that people say to me that they’re inspired that I work. I work because I have bills to pay. I wonder if the mortgage company is inspired every time I pay my mortgage?
"If you see the world differently, then you have a different world available to you." This is my
#TedTalk
I did in October. I explain how
#Leaders
need
#vision
,
#vulnerability
, and
#resilience
. If you like it, please share with your network. Enjoy!
There's been a lot of talk about Air Canada's handling of people with
#disabilities
and their mobility devices. However, I want to shine a light on the amazing ground crew at
@yvrairport
. For the past 3 years, they have alleviated my travel anxiety at
#YVR
. Their attentive
Today we bury my mom. Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder in my extreme pain from surgeries. Thank you for being the foot in my ass when I needed it. Miss you. Love you.
18 months of training. Raised $70k for Cancer Research. 4 hours and 15 minutes of extreme struggle to walk 5.6km. Worth it! Thank you to everyone who supported me.
This is my first
#adaptive
shirt with magnets behind the buttons. Adaptive clothing and fashionable do not need to be mutually exclusive.
#BringingSexyBack
#a11y
The adoption of
#AI
capabilities depends on how easily we can change people's
#habits
in how they get their jobs done.
How many people still do a web search as a precursor to creating a list or document instead of going directly to
#ChatGPT
?
We had the honor to host
@Trevornoah
at the
@IncTechLab
today. Although I could not be there in person, technology allowed me to be there in robot form.
#Agile
does not solve problems. Agile exposes problems that you need to fix. It's more convenient to say that Agile did not work for us than to say we quit fixing the problems Agile exposed.
I'm flying out tomorrow for vacation for two weeks. I should be excited, but I have anxiety about my wheelchair being damaged. This has to be fixed.
#RightsOnFlights
Another day, another wheelchair broken by an airline.
We will not stop campaigning until we see travel reform that protects the rights and safety of people with disabilities
#NotLuggage
#RightsOnFlights
In my lifetime, I hope the
#disability
community can shift from being 'grateful' that
#accessibility
is present in products and services to 'expecting' accessibility in products and services. This shift would provide true
#equality
in travel, work, school, and play.
#inclusion
Today is my first anniversary of working at
#Microsoft
! What an amazing time of bringing humanity, design, and tech together to make productivity and creativity inclusive to humans of all abilities.
#a11y
I have always been a huge fan of Coldplay. Chris Martin credits Dakota Johnson for helping
#Coldplay
shows be more
#accessible
for hard-of-hearing fans
#a11y
A professional with a
#disability
has two jobs: The one we get hired and paid for. The other is educating their organization the best way to accommodate, grow, and enable a professional with a disability. The second one we don’t get paid for, it is the tax we pay to do the first.
I am sad to share that my
#mom
passed away. She fought many battles to give me equality for education, independence, and opportunity. My
#disability
would not prevent me from achieving anything I pursued, nor will it entitle me.
“Some people say that what I did changed the world,” she wrote, “But really, I simply refused to accept what I was told about who I could be. And I was willing to make a fuss about it.” - Judith Heumann
I started with walking on flat surfaces. I have progressed to an elevated step with weights. I have cerebral palsy, but it does not have me!
#TheJourneyContinues
I live for transforming organizations to be more
#product
driven,
#agile
, and
#accessible
. I also believe in transforming myself by conditioning to be my best. I LOVE struggle as it’s the journey towards a better tomorrow. I have CP, but it does not have me.
@Stephanie4BC
@AirCanada
I am sorry to hear this.
@AirCanada
needs to improve its consistency for travelers with disabilities. I have had terrible experiences and have had excellent experiences traveling with my powerchair between YYZ and YVR. We need consistency.
I have recently self-identified as a person with a
#disability
♿️ on my social media profiles. I have never felt comfortable self-identifying. Although I feel
#vulnerable
, my hope is the world is changing where disability is embraced as a strength, not a weakness.
I have been told a lot of things would be impossible with having cerebral palsy. Those things did look impossible,,,until I did those things. The Journey Continues.
M365 Co-Pilot has been my tool for a month now. I have a
#disability
that makes authoring an email take me about 8 minutes on average. With M365 co-pilot, I can do it in 3 minutes. Creating a PowerPoint used to take me around 45 minutes on average, now it takes me 8 minutes. In
TV shapes perceptions. The more people with
#disabilities
are featured living their lives on tv, the more understanding society will have in living alongside people with disabilities in reality.
#a11y
LOVE the new
#accessibility
features in Windows 11, like systems-wide captioning, natural voices on Narrator, and my personal favorite - Voice Access preview! Check out below...
I'm late for the party, but my power wheelchair has never limited me. It has enabled me to attend school. It has enabled me to get around the office. It has enabled me to travel around the world. My power wheelchair has enabled me to be me.
#InternationalWheelchairDay
I got to experience something I never thought I would again, playing video games. we setup my XBox and Xbox Adaptive Controller. Playing NHL 2022 and EA Golf reminded me how gameplay enabled a social connection of inclusiveness. So much to be grateful for this weekend.
Scuba diving training at 53. I have Cerebral Palsy, but Cerebral Palsy doesn’t have me. As a product maker it’s not always creating new experiences to the world, it’s about giving users the opportunity to experience existing experiences for the first time.
It was an honor to be the speaker on Assistive Technology and sharing
#Microsoft
accessible products and features at the
#65CPC
. Parliaments that invest in AT will be able to employ more people with
#disabilities
into government.
As a person with a
#disability
, I do not need to be 'fixed' or 'cured'. Simply, I need to be empowered and included to be engaged to live a full life. Technology and amazing humans have enabled me to achieve this. Thank you.
On this International Day for People with Disabilities, I look back on how social inclusion has improved over my life as a person with a
#disability
. It’s not only about having equal opportunities to work, learn, play and live, but also about the people who share these
Today is IDPwD. Early in my life, I was insecure about my
#disability
. I would try to make jokes to make everyone around me feel comfortable with it, while still feeling insecure inside. Today, I am proud of my disability as it made me who I am.
#inclusion
#msfta11y
#inclusion
Today is
#InternationalWheelChair
Day. My wheelchair has enabled me to roll down the altar to marry my love, travel the world, and collaborate with the most amazing people. I'm not sad that I am in a wheelchair. I'm grateful for what my wheelchair allowed me to experience life.
I applaud
@apple
for a recent
#accessibility
find with my iPhone. As a person with a
#disability
, I struggled to push the two side buttons to take a screenshot on my phone. I tried, "Hey Siri, take a screenshot", and it did. Small
#a11y
improvements are impactful.
#grateful
I push myself in my workouts so I can experience life’s simple pleasures like walking in the sand and the ocean. You have one life to make the most of it.
When this picture captured me pointing at the sky, I thought of my dad after getting a standing ovation for my
#Ted
Talk. Now when I point up after a talk, I thank my parents. Thank you for everything. Miss you.
It was awesome to finally get to spend time in person with Stephanie. Sharing our common experience as people with
#disabilities
in our careers, personal lives, and travel for both work and vacation. I’m
#grateful
for everything you do improve
#accessibility
in Canada.
CxO's request that at the end of the year they wanted to be fully
#agile
to be better, faster, and cheaper by year end. I want a cure for Cerebral Palsy and not need my power wheelchair by year end. I guess we both will be disappointed. Agile is a journey, not a destination.
With one life you live it to the fullest. I'm grateful that I'm with you who makes my life complete. Happiest of Valentines to the one I share my life with. Love you, Kelly.
I have started training hard the last two weeks to prepare for the
@WaterlooTFR
in 2021. Am I nervous? Yes. Is it going to hurt? Yes. Why? Because I have to try. 5k At 50 years old.…
Tomorrow is the first day that I will be traveling the GO train completely by myself to teach 26 Scotiabankers Product Ownership. I’m excited and scared at the same time. What if I fall out of my wheelchair again? You know what scares me more? Not making a difference!
#WishMeLuck
Courageous Leaders are not those that only make tough decisions but rather courageous to teach their people to make tough decisions.
#Leadership
#Growth