True Tales by Disability Advocates
Where advocates harness the power of storytelling to build community with their peers and hope to develop empathy in others. A team of disability advocates creates this True Tales podcast to share personal stories by disabled storytellers and add their voices to the growing community of podcast listeners.
True Tales by Disability Advocates
Awkward Moments
"Awkward Moments" is being launched in March 2023, featuring two female storytellers with international stories in recognition of International Women's Day. For the first time, we feature a member of our multi-talented working group as storyteller and host. Host Kamand Alaghehband opens the episode with "London Calling", by storyteller Jennifer McKinney, about an awkward moment with her cane when riding the tube during her first trip to London, that in retrospect, reveals her ability to be independent.
Jennifer becomes the host for our second story “Matu Bird” by storyteller Alisha Momen. Alisha shares her ongoing battle with her beloved African Grey Parrot “Matu.” Alisha’s favorite religious and cultural events include her favorite Indian dishes. Since Matu loves the same dishes, Alisha has to figure out a way to avoid the awkward moment of Matu stealing her food at these family celebrations. Can she and Matu find a way to coexist peacefully, that honors them both?
Did you know March 19th is Awkward Moments Day. Awkward Moments Day is our chance to embrace those embarrassing or awkward moments from our past and learn from them, and hopefully laugh about them too.
The great thing about us humans is that we are all a beautiful tapestry of individuality and commonality. The great thing about awkward moments is that they are a bridge between our individual and shared experiences, they connect us, everyone has them, and they are part of being human. Awkward moments can be embarrassing but when we recognize everyone has them we can turn them into playful stories that build connections. We hope this episode highlights the gifts and resilience an awkward moment can offer us all.
Storyteller and Host Jennifer McKinney was born legally blind. She has always enjoyed reading and writing. Some of her work has been published in Soupstone Literary Anthology. Despite the challenge of being visually impaired, Jennifer graduated from American Broadcasting School. She went on to work for KOOP 91.7 FM, a community radio station in Austin. An active member of her community for the past nineteen years, Jennifer joined Art Spark Texas in the Spring of 2014. She was introduced to OMOD by a friend. In her spare time, Jennifer loves traveling abroad and singing along with the radio poorly.
Storyteller Alisha Momin is from a Muslim, Ismaili Hindi family living in Houston, Tx. She is a writer, artist, musician, singer, and dancer. She studies theatre arts at The River inclusive arts program.
Host Kamand Alaghehband - My name is Kamand Alaghehband. I was born in Austin Texas and I have autism. In 2020 the CDC reported approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. diagnosed with autism ratio is more than all cancer patients combined. But what about us? what happens to our future? What kind of jobs and lifestyle is available to support us? I am me, I am Kamand. I love Special Olympics. My favorite sports are swimming, basketball, and Track. I am a member of the executive committee of Special Olympics athletes leadership in Texas. I created podcasts and videos of various health activities during the pandemic to keep the athletes' minds occupied in a healthy way. My mission with my population is to bring peace for today and create a vision for tomorrow. I feel grateful for what I have. I choose to be thankful. I choose to be happy.
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Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates. Authentic voices of people thriving with disabilities. Were individuals use the art of storytelling to change the world. True Tales by Disability Advocates podcast is produced by Art Spark Texas Speaking Advocates Program. Keep listening to hear how lives challenges can spark a desire to speak out and advocate for ourselves and others.
MsBoye:Welcome to Season two of True Tales by Disability Advocates, the podcast where advocates harness the power of storytelling to build community with their peers and hope to develop empathy in others. A team of Disability Advocates creates True Tales to give disabled storytellers the opportunity to share their personal stories and lived experience in their authentic voices. We offer our unique and often underrepresented perspective to the growing community of podcast listeners worldwide. Did you know that according to the CDC, one in four Americans are disabled? That's about 61 million adults with 61 million experiences and points of view about what it means to live in a world not designed for them. Recognizing that everyone's life is enriched by the inclusion of multiple voices, Art Spark Texas has been training Disability Advocates as storytellers for over twenty years."Awkward Moments" is being launched in March, 2023, featuring two female storytellers with international stories in recognition of International Women's Day. For the first time, we feature a member of our multi-talented working group as both storyteller and host. Host Kamand Alaghehband opens the episode with"London Calling", by storyteller Jennifer McKinney, about an awkward moment with her cane when riding the tube during her first trip to London, that in retrospect, reveals her ability to be independent. Jennifer becomes the host of our second story,"Matu Bird" by Storyteller, Alisha Momen. Alisha shares her ongoing battle with her beloved African Gray Parrot"Matu". Alicia's favorite religious and cultural events include her favorite Indian dishes and since"Matu" loves the same dishes, Alisha has to find a way to avoid the awkward moments that happen when Matu steals her food at these family celebrations. Can she and Matu find a way to peacefully coexist that honors them both? Jennifer uses extra large print to read while Alisha uses braille and vocal prompts from her mother. Reading this way can result in longer silences than us sighted folks are used to, especially during an audio broadcast where long silences are traditionally discouraged. Throughout the editing process, we have attempted to balance honoring their natural rhythms with the limitations of us sighted listeners. Now, many people associate March with St. Patrick's Day, but did you know March 19th is Awkward Moments Day? Awkward Moments Day is our chance to embrace those embarrassing or awkward moments from our past, learn from them and hopefully laugh about'em too. You know, the great thing about us humans is that we are all a beautiful tapestry of individuality and commonality. And the great thing about awkward moments is that they are a bridge between our individual and shared experiences. They connect us, everyone has them. They're part of being human. Awkward moments can be embarrassing, but when we recognize everyone has'em, maybe we can turn them into playful stories that build connections? We hope this episode highlights for you the gifts and resilience an awkward moment can offer us all.
Kamand:Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates. Our storyteller, today is Jennifer McKinney. Jennifer is a long-term friend of mine. We met in public speaking and writing class in Austin, Texas. I guess we are the only two students they have had since day one, however, Jennifer has shared more stories than me. Today Jennifer is here to talk about her experience with traveling abroad for fun. Her story's called"London Calling." This was her first experience traveling to England. Neither lack of experience nor her Disability prevented her to pursue her dream. Her courage and curiosity made her determined to go without anyone's support. I'm a second generation of migrated people from the Middle East. I've been obligated to travel abroad with my parents so many times just because my parents relatives were living overseas. There are so many obstacles and stages to go overseas, which none of them was easy for me. I'm very inspired by your determination and I can't wait to hear your story. But before you start your story, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Jennifer:Hi, I was born legally blind and I've always enjoyed reading and writing. Some of my work has been published in"Soup Stone Literary Anthology". Despite the challenges of being visually impaired, I graduated from American Broadcasting School. I went on to work at K O O P 91.7 fm, a community radio station here in Austin. I have been an active member of the community for the past nineteen years. Then I joined Art Spark Texas in the spring of 2014. In my spare time, I love traveling abroad and singing poorly with the radio
Kamand:Kamand Laughs) Wow. I didn't know you were working for a radio station. What did you do for them?
Jennifer:I did many things at the station as it was run by members of the community. Mainly though I was an on-air personality with another girl for a show about World Music.
Kamand:Wow, I didn't know that. I just learned something new about my friend. Thank you for sharing your experience working at a radio station. Okay. Here is Jennifer and her story about traveling abroad,"London Calling".
Jennifer:I am Jennifer McKinney and my story is called"London Calling". In 2001, Tony Blair was Prime Minister of England. After the foot and mouth scare due to meat that was contaminated, Blair addressed his country. In his speech, he said something to the extent of"What the tourist industry needs now is tourists." What a concept! Prior to the foot and mouth scare, my friend Anna and I were planning a trip to Washington DC. She had been there before, but I never had. We were listening to the BBC from our respective cities and heard a little snippet of this speech that I mentioned above. As a result, we changed our plans to help the tourist industry in England. While our parents were a little hesitant to let us go off on our own at first, we managed to get through to them. In late July of 2001, I met Anna in her home state of New York at LaGuardia Airport. I spent the night on Anna's couch, and the next day we were off in a cab to LaGuardia Airport again. This time though, we had passports in hand and London was calling. The picture that stands out in my mind extremely well is of Anna and I hurrying across Abbey Road in the City of Westminster. We took a day trip out there, and let me tell you, it was a long ride on the London Underground. While boarding and departing the tube, as the underground is also known, a recorded female voice repeats"Mind the gap!" The gap that she speaks of is the space between the station platform and the train doors. Eventually, I blocked out this recording, the way we all do when we listen to something over and over again. At one point on our way out to the City of Westminster, I was rushing off one train to catch another, and apparently not holding onto my cane tight enough. As I stepped across the threshold, it fell through that gap. After retrieving my discombobulated cane, I threw it in the trash. It was useless. From then on, Anna and I walked slower, and she helped me out by telling me about curbs and traffic for the next few days. In Westminster, we watched quite a few people hold up traffic at noon on a weekday to get their picture taken in the famous Abbey Road album cover poses. After a while, Anna and I got up the nerve to try and do our own version of the Beatles Abbey Road cover crossing. A nice girl, a stranger really offered to take our picture for us as we crossed the street. As we began to cross Abbey Road on foot, the cars came to a halt before the zebra crossing, which is the fancy British term for a crosswalk. We paused for a split second for the photograph to be taken, at which point someone honked. Also a woman was walking around us in the opposite direction, talking on her cell phone, I guess she was local and used to people stopping for a photo opportunity because she said nothing to us as she passed by. As it turned out, the photo caught the wind in my hair as I started moving again. Anna was still very much frozen in the picture. We both looked a lot like tourists with our backpacks on and dressed in vibrant colors. Anna and I traveled around London for three days without my cane, and we did well. When I got back to Oklahoma City, I didn't receive the usual parental"Hi! How was your trip?" Instead, the first thing my parents said was,"Hi, where's your cane?" I didn't realize exactly how independent I could be and how little credit I was given for it. While I rely more on the white cane today than I did in my younger years, I am still independent. I heard London calling and I haven't stopped traveling since. Thank you.
Kamand:Welcome back. I'm here with Jennifer. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I'm very inspired by your story because it shows so clearly the importance of following your heart, no matter how little you know what the outcome will be. I have a funny experience about having a ride with an underground. When I traveled with my parents to Germany, we got lost so many times using the underground. It was very difficult to read the map and understand if the station was a right destination, which turned out to be a disaster. I can't imagine how stressful it was not knowing the area, but also losing my cane. I'm pretty sure you have a great amount of confidence and independence to overcome the situation. Jennifer, you mentioned you have traveled since then. Where else did you go besides London and what have you learned from your other trips?
Jennifer:I've never been to Germany, that sounds like an interesting trip.
Kamand:Yes.
Jennifer:Regarding my other trips, I've been to Dublin, Ireland, and the Netherlands. In both countries I learned to ask for the"lift", called an elevator on this side of the Atlantic. Stairs are not my friend. Also, when the herd of bicyclists come at you in Amsterdam, just stand still, they will go around you.
Kamand:I have a cousin in Amsterdam. They don't have a speed limit on their highways. When the cars were crossing by ours, I remember it felt like the car was shaking so hard from their speed. My cousin had a friend who was in a car accident on that highway and almost died from a very minor collision. I'm so glad I don't live there. Do you have any advice for people with disabilities who desire to travel, but are so afraid just because they don't know how to start?
Jennifer:Good question Kamand. Traveling abroad with family and friends can be daunting, but there are ways to do so safely and have fun too. My advice would be to take walking or rolling slowly, especially on wet cobble stones. Also go with people you know and trust. My final advice is to have fun and be polite when you're visiting another country, a smile is universal and can go a long way.
Kamand:What great advice, Jennifer. I'm so glad you are my friend. I'll make sure if I ever travel alone that I share my to do-do list with you to make sure I'm doing the right thing. It's amazing how advocating for ourselves becomes advocating for others and we can change the world.
Jennifer:I agree entirely I, I couldn't say it better myself.
Kamand:Great chatting with you.
Jennifer:It's been great talking to you Kamand. Thank you for having me on the show.
Kamand:Thank you for spending time with us. Thank you. Thanks for listening to True Tales by Disability Advocates."London Calling" was hosted by me, Kamand Alaghehband,produced by Brittany Sessum and Kaye Love, and edited by MsBoye. Special thanks to our guest, Jennifer McKinney.
Jennifer:Welcome back to True Tales by Disability Advocates, changing the world one story at a time. I'm Jennifer McKinney, and I'm your host. Our second storyteller in this episode is Alisha Momen. She will share her story,"Matu Bird" with us today. Hello and welcome Alisha.
Alisha:Hello.
Jennifer:You know, Alisha, you wrote this story for an Opening Minds Opening Doors Showcase. Why do you enjoy the OMOD classes?
Alisha:Um, well, I, it gives me opportunity, gosh, to, to, uh, to communicate my emotions and thoughts.
Jennifer:Thank you so much, Alisha. That that is a very good answer. I can't wait to hear your story.
Alisha:Give me a moment... We're trying to pull it up.
MsBoye:Hey Alisha, what did you do this summer?
Alisha:Oh, you, oh, yeah. You know what, uh, this summer I went, uh, I went to mentoring the summer, and, uh, you know what, uh, so the last, so this was the last class, and, and then, uh, then I came home and I, uh, um, was, you know, feeling, you know, feeling a bit, you know, uh, you sad that, oh, we don't have any of weekly, you know, there's no weekday classes left. It's this is it. So, so what I was thinking is that, um, Miss Eileen, uh, told us about the, did not tell us about the Day Program, but, but I expecting mom to register me for the Day Program for the first week of September. Which is gonna happen on Saturday. So this...
MsBoye:Cool!
Alisha:Ms. Eileen told us the classes for Saturday. It's, it's, it's all for age groups. It's all for age groups. So they, so we switch, Um, the class, The River class to, to, uh, The River class is to Saturday. It's not on weekdays anymore. It's not on Mondays or Tuesdays or Wednesdays or Thursdays or Friday. This is it. Now, the classes are starting back on Saturday, starting in September 1st.
MsBoye:All right.
Alisha:Here at the West Gray River. So I am looking forward to the month of September. Going to the Day Program. you know, having a good time at The River, you know. Doing, doing the, you know, the choreography is music, acting and art and dance class with Ms. Maya and, you know, doing the Day Program activity for... doing the Day Program for the all ages. And it is for little kids and teens and young adults. So, then... And including the, the men and the, you know, the, the guys and the girls. The guys and the girls are doing the Day Program. Everybody's doing it on the first week of September, which is a Saturday.
MsBoye:That sounds fun.
Alisha:Because the classes are switched to Saturday. It's not day, it's not, uh, mentoring anymore. It's the gonna be the day program. Which is gonna start on Saturday.
Jennifer:Very good.
MsBoye:Were you being a mentor, Alisha?
Alisha:Well, I, I was being a mentor for the summer. I was a mentor. Yeah. I was alone, but, but I was, uh, you know, doing, you know, doing what? Doing what I, what I can. In order for me to, to be a mentor, but, but you know what? I, but I just, uh, stopped. But, uh, this was the last week of, of mentoring for the, for the weekdays. We don't have it anymore, but the classes. But now on Saturday, the 1st of September is the Day Program, which is gonna start on the first week of September. And that's what...
MsBoye:Right!
Alisha:...Ms. Eileen, Ms. Rosie said. It's like, oh, I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready for my"Matu Bird" story. This is Met, Matu Bird from Alisha Momin. Hello, I'm Alisha with my"Matu Bird Story".. I am from a Muslim, Ismaili Hindi family. We have many special traditions that I enjoy. Most of all I love the celebrations with all of the delicious foods. I especially loved Butter Chicken and Samosa. This is my favorite at the engagement, weddings and restaurants. But no one makes better Butter Chicken and Samosas than my mom. Unfortunately I cannot, I cannot always enjoy the food because of Matu. Matu, Matu is a South African Parrot, and where I am from, where I am from it, it is okay to let him out of his cage and be free. But Matu has no respect for Butter Chicken or Samosas. When I am trying to eat, he, he flies around, he pecks my hand. Even though I leave cashews at Matu's tray, he flies around, and still pecks at my hand. Where I am from, we, we like to keep animals happy. I like to let him out of the cage and be free, but what makes me happy, happiest Matu does not understand. I like to be called Georgie Lalilu. I like to be called Georgie when I do, what I love most, like practicing for track and sports, but Matu still pecks my hand. Where I am from that is okay for this little bird from Africa to bite me on the finger and on my thumb when I am doing my exercises to get ready for track. I do the long jump and sprinting and many sports. Where I'm from maybe not everyone understands that is, um, that is why I'm Georgie Lalilu, because Georgie listens to the coach, she does her exercises to prepare for track, to prepare for the Special Olympics. She's not afraid of Matu. She's a winner. Where I am from is a place of winning at sports, eating Butter Chicken and, and keeping Matu away from Mom's Samosas.
Jennifer:Welcome back. I'm here with Alisha. Thanks for sharing your story with us today. I have to tell you that I also love samosas, but I don't think I've had any as good in restaurants as your mom's, I bet. I bet she makes the best ones.
Alisha:Oh yeah.
Jennifer:Hey, don't parrots have really long lives? How long has Matu been a part of your family?
Alisha:Oh, good question. Two 20 years and they live up to 40 years.
Jennifer:Wow! That is a very long time. I guess Matu is a true family member, it's like having a sibling without feet or hands.
Alisha:Yes and we do have Matu in our house. Yeah. And Matu is also..., but Matu says all kinds of words.
Jennifer:In the story you mentioned keeping Matu away from the food, have you found any tricks that help keep Matu away from the buttered chicken and samosas?
Alisha:Well, first of all, he, he, first of all, he is a bird. He likes to eat what I eat. I like to eat. So, I found, I found out that, I found out that Matu likes almonds and lentils that I put, that I put in the cage. and he really enjoys it really well. Better than Butter, chicken, and samosas.
Jennifer:Great. It seems like you've learned some really good tricks. I don't think I told you yet, but I have another friend who lives with a African Gray Parrot named Baby. And Baby is a ham, let me tell you. He's always playing around chanting,"Cookie, cookie,"
Alisha:OH!
Jennifer:"Cookie!" And of course he gets one, which, well, they aren't really cookies, they're just Cheerios. But he gets one anyway for being
Alisha:Just...
Jennifer:funny.
Alisha:Just like Matu.
Jennifer:Exactly, but parrots are really smart and can do lots of tricks. What are Matu's favorite tricks? Does he talk? What does he say?
Alisha:Oh yeah. Matu. Oh, good question. Matu always says,"Cookie. Cookie." Matu always says,"Cookie. Cookie." Whenever Matu wants a cookie, but, but we give Matu peanuts. That's what, that's what Matu means by cookie. And Matu says"Kiss. Say Kiss." And we give Matu peanuts.
Jennifer:That is so awesome. I'm not really a bird person, but I'm an animal lover, like all around animal lover. So I think that's pretty cool. You know what I love the most about Parrots, though? I really love the ones in the videos of them dancing to music and they bop their little heads. It's so adorable. It makes me laugh. Anyway, that's enough about parrots. I wanna know more about you. In the story you say you are Muslim. Recently you celebrated Eid. Can you tell us about that holiday?
Alisha:Um, Eid we go, uh, it, it is a, it is, it is all about where we dress up and our tradition, traditional clothes, and we go to the, the mo... uh, the mosque. And we say our prayers and we, and we give, uh, hugs for brotherhood and sisterhood, and everyone is happy. And we wish everyone a good will, prosperity, a lot more happiness in the future, for the next day, for the next Eid.
Jennifer:How often does Eid come around and is there a big feast?
Alisha:Well, It come, it comes around four times a year.
Jennifer:Wow! That's a lot of, a lot of, um, good cheer. I love that. That's so peaceful. Is there a big feast after that?
Alisha:Oh yeah. Like, like everyone invites their family and friends to their homes with their, with their special foods, and they gather and they sit and eat. So it's a very, it's a very special time.
Jennifer:It sounds very special, and the food sounds delicious.
Alisha:Oh, oh yeah.
Jennifer:What are your favorite treats?
Alisha:We, we usually do dry fruits. We give each another dry fruits. We give small gifts of sweets, which are, which are made of dry fruits.
Jennifer:And why the, um, dried fruit gifts for everyone. What does it represent?
Alisha:It. It represents, it. It represents to to live the Spirit with of what the Mother Earth offers, offers to human kind.
Jennifer:Cool. Very nice. Thank you, Alisha. I have one final question for you. I know through the grapevine that you're a writer painter and that you're a musician too. What are you creating now?
Alisha:Oh, you, I, I am getting to know myself. That is, that is, that is my most important interesting, interesting topic right now. The most important interest topic for right now is a self-expression through singing. Yeah. You know, know, knowing the, the self-expression through singing and acting and music and, uh, and art and dance. So, um,(coughs) I like it a lot. I mean, I, I do, um, I do a lot at The River.
Jennifer:So you are creating yourself as a work of art?
Alisha:Yes.
Jennifer:That is fabulous. I am a writer as well, and I know that it is a long journey, but it's worth it. Um, it was great chatting with you today, Alisha. Thank you for sharing your part of your day with us.
Alisha:Thanks.
Jennifer:And, um, please give Matu a cashew from all of us on the podcast team.
Alisha:Yeah. Matu, Cockcoo! Oh yeah, Matu. I mean, you know, Matu sounds like, uh, sounds like a South African Gray Parrot, but Matu, you know, kind of talks in a, I mean, you know, talks in a, um, in a birdie voice, but Matu talks like,"Cookie!Cookie!" Tweet, tweet! Cheep,cheep!,
Jennifer:Oh.
Alisha:(Laughs) Matu! No, no, no. Matu says,"Ishiqa!" whenever Matu wants a wants a treat like an almond. Matu!
Jennifer:Awesome.
Alisha:Okay. Thank you. Ms. Boye. Thank you.
Jennifer:Bye, Alisha!
Alisha:Bye, Ms. Jennifer McKinney.
MsBoye:Bye!
Alisha:Bye, Ms. Boye.
Jennifer:Matu Bird" was produced by Brittany Sessum and Kaye Love. Editing and mixing by Msboye. The production team also includes Kamand Alaghehband. Special thanks to Alisha Momen. I'm your host, Jennifer McKinney, and you've been listening to True Tales by Disability Advocates. Thanks for listening, we hope you've enjoyed our storytellers and learned something new. If you have enjoyed this episode, you can check out our other episodes at www.ArtSparkTx.org/truetalespodcast. If you relate to the topics touched on in this episode, we'd love to hear from you, please give us your feedback and share your stories with us on the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/truetalespodcast. Don't forget to share us with your friends and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
Kristen:All episodes of True Tales by Disability Advocates are free on Apple podcast, Spotify and anywhere you get your podcast this program is funded in part by a grant from the Texas State Independent Living Council, the Administration for Community Living and individuals like you. To learn more about The Speaking Advocates Program, sign up for our newsletter at artsparktexas.org, that's A R T S P A R K T X dot O R G. This free virtual training program is open to people of all disabilities, no matter where you live.
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