My Year in Review

Dear Friends,

Wow, I can’t believe the year is coming to a close! I bet I am the only one who feels that way. I had felt very scattered for much of the year, but now I feel so proud of all I have done and so content with how the year went. This was pretty much aligned with my third year of fluency in my daily communication, and I suppose each additional year will come with more options for defining what I do. This made it harder to get a grasp of this year, but I realize that I actually did a lot and grew so much.

To help me wrap up this year, I want to share my highlights:

• I am now able to type autonomously for meetings and short posts; I still need my main CRP with me, but it is a huge step forward!
• I started regularly posting on Danny With Words and gained over 2,000 followers on both Facebook and Instagram; this is still small as far as influencers go, but it is massive to me who had been silent and ignored for decades.
• My yoga practice has come a long way thanks to the guidance of Erin at Sunrise Therapies; I feel so much more in tune with my body, and my stamina and coordination have really improved!
• I am also much more attuned to my motor skills thanks to working with Michelle Hardy on music therapy; I so love the way she has coached me, and I look forward to more growth with her!
• I submitted a book of poems to be published by Unrestricted Interest; it should be out in early 2023!
• I co-taught 2 short courses to Spellers, Introduction to Poetry and Art History of 20th Century Abstraction; I loved this so much, appreciated being a paid instructor at Transcending Apraxia, and look forward to much more teaching in the new year!
• I gave my first presentation for a conference, invited by the Nurture Program, and was paid for it; it was so fulfilling to be able to share lessons from my experiences in education and to earn money from my work!
• I travelled to Ireland to see family and meet Spellers over there; it was so meaningful and has given me life goals of writing about my heritage, travelling to Ireland as often as possible, and being part of the community of Spellers there!
• I also travelled to Maryland and Virginia for I-ASC’s Motormorphosis; this was my first conference in person, and it was amazing to meet so many Spellers and mentors face to face!
• I continued with my ocean sports, and kept making progress in all, and saw so many cool critters.
• I was elected to join the Nonspeaking Leadership Council of I-ASC, which is an honor and great opportunity for learning!
• I made great progress toward a healthier diet and a less anxious mind thanks to the support of my family and my amazing therapist; I am so proud of how I work to care for my physical and mental health.

I can’t capture the wonderful experiences of this year in a post, but there were so many gorgeous times with friends and family. I feel so lucky and so absolutely loved, and so grateful to be ever growing and learning. Thank you all for being a part of my journey this year! Wishing all a wonderful start to 2023!

Your Friend,

Danny