The Differently Abled Advocate: Anything Is Possible by Luna Eversong-kloss

(Picture Description: Luna is standing in a yard with bushes in the background. She has a black form-fitting dress and is using a red walker. Her hair is brown with bright purple tips.)

One thing my journey healing from domestic violence taught me is to advocate for myself. While on this journey, thanks to my advocate Nicole, I was given the opportunity to advocate for others. This is a desire I had for a while, but I didn’t know where to start. This opportunity was the start of a new journey, the spark of a passion I never thought I’d be able to pursue.

 My name is Luna Eversong-Kloss and I’m The Differently Abled Advocate.

2 years ago, I got a call from Nicole about a panel with Indiana disability Justice that she was going to present on. She asked me if I wanted to share my experience as a disabled person and a domestic violence survivor. I would also share my thoughts on how resources for disabled survivors could improve and better support victims. It was a panel on sexual wellness and violence prevention. I was so excited she invited me. I jumped at the chance. This is the kind of thing I wanted to speak about, but I didn’t know how to get people to listen to me and here was my opportunity.

The day of the panel came. I was nervous and hoping that I would be able to speak and be understood. It was over a zoom call and there were lots of people in there. I was so scared that I would not be able to speak, but it turns out I found my voice. I met some great people, and we had some great discussions. I did so well on the panel that I got invited to come back a few times. And I got paid to do it. I couldn’t believe it. My voice actually had value. I’m going to be honest, as an adult with a physical disability, it was hard for me to feel like I had much value specifically in the workplace. Whenever I would speak to people online about issues in the disabled community, it seemed like nobody listened. Being abused myself, whenever I used my voice and tried to ask for help for a long time, it seemed like no one cared.

Words cannot accurately express the pride that I felt after getting feedback from these panels, from other advocates and organizations who do this kind of thing all the time. Here I was never having done anything like this before, and I actually had the power to make a real impact.

I talked to my family and my therapist and my husband about these panels and they were all really proud of me. That’s when my brother pitched the idea of me becoming a public speaker. My mom agreed that I would be really good at it. I really liked that idea. My dad had been pitching the idea for a while that I should write letters to Congress about some of the issues that myself and other disabled people were facing. But that seemed a lot more daunting than being a public speaker. Maybe becoming a public speaker will one day allow me to be able to speak to lawmakers and actually be listened to, as opposed to writing letters as an anonymous face.

Well, it took me a few months, but I finally took the plunge and launched my own website as a public speaker and advocate.

I want to help people understand that with the right support and resources, anything is possible, and I want to do so by speaking about my experience overcoming adversity while living with a disability. I want to be able to talk to organizations, lawmakers, schools, and anyone who needs to hear it about the importance of having available accessible support and resources for those with disabilities. But I also want to talk to anyone who finds themselves in a vulnerable situation struggling to find support.

Throughout my experience escaping domestic violence, and even recovering, I have found that, depending on where you live, support and resources can be scarce, especially if you are also disabled. Sometimes the available support and resources aren’t even accessible to those with disabilities, and that’s something I don’t think a lot of organizations realize. I remember not being able to go to shelter because the only shelter available to me required me to be fully independent and functioning. Some resources I encountered couldn’t help me because I was too young or because I had a child. I encountered a lot of barriers when I was trying to get help getting out of my situation, and I know that I’m not the only one out there going through the same experience. I’m definitely not the only disabled person going through this experience.

Luckily, I eventually was able to get the support I needed and form the system. But the amount of struggling I had to experience in order to do that, in my opinion, was unnecessary. I don’t want to see anyone else struggle like that to get the help that they need.

Sitting here today. I know that the support and resources that I did have and do have were essential for where I am at today. I couldn’t have gotten here on my own. I don’t even know if I would be here if it wasn’t for my support system. I never thought that I would be able to sit here today and say that I am actively recovering and that I feel strong.  Now I will give credit where credit is due and say that if it wasn’t for my own determination and tenacity, I wouldn’t have got what I needed in order to be here today with you talking about this. But that support system I have has been just as essential to me finding my footing again, as my own qualities that helped me recover. I remember not that long ago I thought something like this would be impossible. Now it’s possible, and I want to show other people that. I want to share my story, my thoughts and my experience in the hope of inspiring real change. Change that will allow people like me, disabled or not, to have a better quality of life, find their strength again and to feel valuable and heard.

If you’re interested in hearing more about my story and what I’m trying to accomplish, I have blogs and video clips on my website discussing issues that people in the disabled community face as well as my own experiences. If you’re interested in speaking with me, you can book time with me on my website. Doing so is a good way to find out If you would like me to give a longer talk or be on an upcoming panel. I would love to speak with you and share my experience and my thoughts on how we can better support people in vulnerable situations, especially the disabled community.

My Website https://thedifferentlyabledadvocate.org

Social Media

Facebook https://facebook.com/109310851920835/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/differently_abled_advocate/

Twitterhttps://twitter.com/imdiffabled?t=Xz1Lb9JvAiwhpMPcWwlgag&s=09

The Differently Abled Advocate

Anything is possible with the right support.

By Luna Eversong-Kloss

One thing my journey healing from domestic violence taught me is to advocate for myself. While on this journey, thanks to my advocate Nicole, I was given the opportunity to advocate for others. This is a desire I had for a while, but I didn’t know where to start. This opportunity was the start of a new journey, the spark of a passion I never thought I’d be able to pursue.

 My name is Luna Eversong-Kloss and I’m The Differently Abled Advocate.

2 years ago, I got a call from Nicole about a panel with Indiana disability Justice that she was going to present on. She asked me if I wanted to share my experience as a disabled person and a domestic violence survivor. I would also share my thoughts on how resources for disabled survivors could improve and better support victims. It was a panel on sexual wellness and violence prevention. I was so excited she invited me. I jumped at the chance. This is the kind of thing I wanted to speak about, but I didn’t know how to get people to listen to me and here was my opportunity.

The day of the panel came. I was nervous and hoping that I would be able to speak and be understood. It was over a zoom call and there were lots of people in there. I was so scared that I would not be able to speak, but it turns out I found my voice. I met some great people, and we had some great discussions. I did so well on the panel that I got invited to come back a few times. And I got paid to do it. I couldn’t believe it. My voice actually had value. I’m going to be honest, as an adult with a physical disability, it was hard for me to feel like I had much value specifically in the workplace. Whenever I would speak to people online about issues in the disabled community, it seemed like nobody listened. Being abused myself, whenever I used my voice and tried to ask for help for a long time, it seemed like no one cared.

Words cannot accurately express the pride that I felt after getting feedback from these panels, from other advocates and organizations who do this kind of thing all the time. Here I was never having done anything like this before, and I actually had the power to make a real impact.

I talked to my family and my therapist and my husband about these panels and they were all really proud of me. That’s when my brother pitched the idea of me becoming a public speaker. My mom agreed that I would be really good at it. I really liked that idea. My dad had been pitching the idea for a while that I should write letters to Congress about some of the issues that myself and other disabled people were facing. But that seemed a lot more daunting than being a public speaker. Maybe becoming a public speaker will one day allow me to be able to speak to lawmakers and actually be listened to, as opposed to writing letters as an anonymous face.

Well, it took me a few months, but I finally took the plunge and launched my own website as a public speaker and advocate.

I want to help people understand that with the right support and resources, anything is possible, and I want to do so by speaking about my experience overcoming adversity while living with a disability. I want to be able to talk to organizations, lawmakers, schools, and anyone who needs to hear it about the importance of having available accessible support and resources for those with disabilities. But I also want to talk to anyone who finds themselves in a vulnerable situation struggling to find support.

Throughout my experience escaping domestic violence, and even recovering, I have found that, depending on where you live, support and resources can be scarce, especially if you are also disabled. Sometimes the available support and resources aren’t even accessible to those with disabilities, and that’s something I don’t think a lot of organizations realize. I remember not being able to go to shelter because the only shelter available to me required me to be fully independent and functioning. Some resources I encountered couldn’t help me because I was too young or because I had a child. I encountered a lot of barriers when I was trying to get help getting out of my situation, and I know that I’m not the only one out there going through the same experience. I’m definitely not the only disabled person going through this experience.

Luckily, I eventually was able to get the support I needed and form the system. But the amount of struggling I had to experience in order to do that, in my opinion, was unnecessary. I don’t want to see anyone else struggle like that to get the help that they need.

Sitting here today. I know that the support and resources that I did have and do have were essential for where I am at today. I couldn’t have gotten here on my own. I don’t even know if I would be here if it wasn’t for my support system. I never thought that I would be able to sit here today and say that I am actively recovering and that I feel strong.  Now I will give credit where credit is due and say that if it wasn’t for my own determination and tenacity, I wouldn’t have got what I needed in order to be here today with you talking about this. But that support system I have has been just as essential to me finding my footing again, as my own qualities that helped me recover. I remember not that long ago I thought something like this would be impossible. Now it’s possible, and I want to show other people that. I want to share my story, my thoughts and my experience in the hope of inspiring real change. Change that will allow people like me, disabled or not, to have a better quality of life, find their strength again and to feel valuable and heard.

If you’re interested in hearing more about my story and what I’m trying to accomplish, I have blogs and video clips on my website discussing issues that people in the disabled community face as well as my own experiences. If you’re interested in speaking with me, you can book time with me on my website. Doing so is a good way to find out If you would like me to give a longer talk or be on an upcoming panel. I would love to speak with you and share my experience and my thoughts on how we can better support people in vulnerable situations, especially the disabled community.

My Website https://thedifferentlyabledadvocate.org