For some reason, society has unreasonably low expectations of youth with disabilities and a propensity to stereotype. In fact, there’s a prevailing and widespread belief—even sometimes within the educational establishment—that youth with...
Read More
In the second section of my book I talk about how multimillionaire celebrities I reached out to demanded tens of thousands of dollars to briefly appear at charity events I had conceived and organized benefiting individuals with disabilities, and...
Read More
FROM THE IDAHO STATESMAN (www.idahostatesman.com) SPOTLIGHT ON IDAHO AUTHORS “Special Stories: Short Stories on Youth with Disabilities and My Adventures Working in the Disabilities Field” by Mike Kelly; Vendue Books ($19.99 pbk/$6.99 e-book)...
Read More
Over the last fifteen years, award-winning transition educator Mike Kelly has worked with hundreds of youth with a wide range of disabilities living across America. During that time he has served as an employment specialist, job coach, event...
Read More
PART 2 OF 2 I’d built momentum from the last charity event I created, organized, raised funds for, and promoted. Now I needed to replicate its success. I conducted research, made some calls, and drafted a heartfelt letter to send to...
Read More PART 1 OF 2 For many years people have debated which fighting style is superior. Boxers argued they would knock out wrestlers. Wrestlers claimed they’d defeat boxers after bringing the fight to the ground. Karate practitioners, kickboxers, tae...
Read More
Tall and slender with a wide smile, brown hair and pale blue eyes, Connor is a movie-star-handsome seventeen-year-old high school junior that girls his age would typically want to date. Because Connor has Cerebral Palsy, cannot walk, and uses a...
Read More
PART 2 OF 2 During my next visit to Charleston the following December, I was once again contracted by Lindsay’s parents to help their daughter with a new project. Her parents reported that she was still working well with Carly at The...
Read More PART 1 OF 2 Due to the flexibility of my job and my wife’s work—combined with our desire to travel and embark upon new adventures—I was able to build a small caseload of students in Charleston, South Carolina each winter. During my...
Read More
Classified with intellectual disabilities, Benson (not his real name) was a friendly fourteen-year-old with an engaging smile and an easy personality. I first met Benson when his mother called me after she read a newspaper article about my work...
Read More While there are a great many people out in the business world who will bend over backward to accommodate my students at work, I’ve come to find out there are even more that won’t. These folks always seem to watch my students more...
Read More NOTE: The names of all students have been changed SHANNON– After acting part-time for seven years on the hit TV show Sesame Street, when Shannon turned thirteen she was told by producers that she was no longer the adorable little kid with...
Read More