Dayniah Manderson- I Am Not My Wheelchair

I am a tenured, New York City teacher with a master’s degree in School Leadership from New York University. At my school, I held four leadership positions: English Department chair, testing coordinator, grade level chair and professional development committee member. The next step in my career would be educational administration. I also have spinal muscular atrophy type II, a neural disease that occurs in 1 in every 6,000 children. It leads to decreased motor skills and deteriorating muscles. In 2008, I survived a risky surgery in which my spine was exposed, untwisted, and reinforced with titanium, possibly adding as many as 20 years to my life.The Starbucks meeting showed me that no matter how accomplished I am, people’s limited understanding of the capacity of people with disabilities proves to be a major impediment to my career advancement. It is with great pride that I leave home each day to serve my community, my colleagues and my students with dignity, resourcefulness, intelligence and professionalism. My role, as I see it now, is to show how much of an impact a person with a disability can have in the world. I want people to see what we can do. Dayniah Manderson is a 38-year-old veteran public school educator and single mother. She served as Ms. Wheelchair New York 2017 and is an advocate for people with disabilities