According to the American Center for Disease Control & Prevention, one in four adults in the United States has a disability that affects their daily life. Despite being disabled, a highly respected hair stylist and beauty educator from Kitsap County has refused to add to these numbers.

A quarter of all people have a disability, but in the Kits/De Winter family, that percentage is much higher. For grandfather Jan Kits (85), daughter Helene de Winter (59), and granddaughter Maartje Reggin-de Winter (29), living with a disability is normal.

“So young and using a mobility-aid?” Such a remark can really hurt, much like receiving a chronic illness diagnosis. Especially as age does not determine the onset or severity of an illness. Seeing young people with mobility aids at school should be just as normal as seeing elders using walkers while grocery shopping.

Receiving a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis is anything but easy. It’s life changing and challenging in so many ways – mentally, emotionally, professionally. You don’t want to give up your old life, but you do wonder how you are going to cope with it from now on.

Dreamy white landscapes, hot chocolate and the joy of Christmas holidays make winter time a wonderful season. For people with mobility issues however, walking with a rollator in winter can also be filled with anxiety.

It may seem difficult to walk up or down inclines while using a rollator, especially if fully leaning on it for support or when a slope is long or steep. Slopes are increasingly present around buildings, bridges, and parks to enhance accessibility to them.

The term ‘best rollator’ might mean different things to different people. Determining what rollator is the best fit for someone often comes down to their personal situation, lifestyle, and needs.

Over 240 million children around the world have disabilities that withhold them from enjoying their life fully. That’s one in 10 children who couldn’t learn the life skills they need for everyday life.

A chronic illness diagnose can change one’s life completely and although there are things that can be done to help make the person’s life easier, the process of adapting to the new reality could come with obstacles.