My perspective on the blog is they should know that I’m an advocate and I like to speak about different things that are important in life. It’s a fun thing to do, and it’s important for people to know what Cow Tipping does and helping people with disabilities in the community.
– Shaunte Martin
Mooosings: A Cow Tipping Blog
October 2024
An Advocate’s Fight for His Community: Interview with Nick Papadopoulos
By Maeve McDevitt
I interviewed Nick Papadopoulos a Cow Tipping Press author who’s been featured in Remember The Octopus, Casino Queen, My Beloved Son of a Gun, South Georgia Surprise, and The Best of Cow Tipping Press: Volume 4. Nick is a Greek American New Yorker living in Georgia. He is a prolific aspiring writer with big dreams.
“Room 130 is kind of like a meditative space. When I am here I spend large portions of my day contemplating events and moments in my life. From the moment and I wig. I am on a blue mattress that is filled with air. The air mattress is located on the frame of a hospital bed. It feels like sleeping on a cloud.”
– Nick Papadopoulos, “Room 130″
Maeve McDevitt: How has Cow Tipping Press benefited you?
Nick Papadopoulos: It’s a way to express my thoughts.
MM: Do you otherwise not have a way to express your thoughts?
NP: I feel just dark, pain, and a lot of thoughts and feelings that I can’t normally express. A lot of those feelings get locked up because there’s no avenue to express them, and there’s not really anyone to talk to about them. So when Cow Tipping Press came and said, we’re allowing you this platform to talk about your feelings and express your ideas, this was the perfect avenue to do that.
MM: Have you been doing any advocacy work lately?
NP: I’ve done podcasts with other advocacy groups. I’ve done outreach with L’Arche, which is another advocacy group in Atlanta. I’ve done work with the GAO. Georgia Advocacy Organization. Basically they’re a government-run entity that supports advocacy organizations in the state of Georgia, and I think every state has their own organization that works the same way.
MM: In the state of Minnesota, we have really good disability services. So the groups that you have done work with, what do they advocate specifically for people with disabilities?
NP: We advocate for people to have their own voices. We advocate for people with disabilities to make their own choices, work at their own jobs, to have their own employment, and to have supported employment. We advocate for people with disabilities to vote – voting is big for our work, and I suspect nationwide. We advocate that people with disabilities use and become fluent with technology services. I just advocate that people with disabilities have as normal and functioning a life as possible, like everybody else, so they can shoot for the stars and have the best life possible. I advocate that they can become the best version of themselves.
MM: That sounds like great work. So, are you living in a nursing home?
NP: Yes and I’m currently a couple of months from leaving. In the state of Georgia, we have what’s called a Medicaid waiver. So I’m allowed to have the same services that I have in a nursing home, but in my own home. We’re transferring the services I have here into a home, into the community.
MM: So you’re going to be able to live on your own with some support.
NP: Correct.
MM: I’m so happy for you! What was your experience at the nursing home? Some people were very overworked, and missed a lot of things?
NP: That’s true that people in the nursing home, they’re very short-staffed. There’s a lot of people who live here, and there’s just not enough staff to cover the amount of people. So what happens is the staff become over-worked, frustrated, and they become aggressive and unhappy. The patients end up getting the brunt of that frustration.
MM: Since you’re going to be moving out in two months – is that correct?
NP: That’s what I’m hoping for.
MM: I pray that you will. If you do get to move in two months, do you have plans for what you’re going to be doing?
NP: I plan to carry on my advocacy work. I plan to carry on writing. I really want to start an adventure blog, like a travel blog, and share my experiences with people, show them that I have been through the system and I have come out and survived. Show them the lessons I learned and become a motivational speaker. Maybe inspire people to keep on fighting, and show them not to give up.
MM: That sounds wonderful. Is it true you’re from New York?
NP: It’s true. I love New York. It’s a great state.
MM: So what were you doing for a living when you were in New York?
NP: IT work, and I did some real estate investment.
MM: I hope you don’t mind me asking, but were you always disabled?
NP: Yes, I have had Cerebral Palsy since birth.
MM: If you had known that you would end up in a nursing home, would you have moved to Georgia or would you have stayed in New York?
NP: That’s a tough question. I don’t like the fact that I was in a nursing home, but at the same time, I’ve grown a lot as a person through my advocacy and the connections I’ve made while being in a nursing home. I wouldn’t want to change that part. I would go through it again, because there are hardships, but I’ve touched a lot of people’s lives and was able to be part of the 6,000 Waiting documentary, which touched a lot of people, and was very educational for a lot of people. The way I look at it is, everything I’ve been through in life has brought me to where I am. If it wasn’t for the nursing home, I probably wouldn’t have learned about Cow Tipping Press.
MM: That’s a very good point.
NP: What doesn’t kill you in life makes you stronger. And this is definitely a learning experience.
MM: It really is, yeah. So, if you were a motivational speaker, where would you present it?
NP: I would love to be able to give a TED talk. That’s my ultimate goal.
MM: A TED Talk. Just make sure it’s captioned.
NP: But yeah, anywhere that I can tell the audience my core message, which is to never give up on your dreams. Just be motivated to keep going.
MM: What’s one thing you would change about the state of Georgia in terms of how they approach disability?
NP: The three things I would change are: fund our direct service personnel more, provide more funding for disabled accessible housing (I mean, really accessible housing), and fund more money for mental health services.
MM: And voting too?
NP: Yes, voting.
MM: Is it more difficult for people with disabilities to vote in Georgia?
NP: It’s not the easiest. We have a good support system, and we have good advocates out there, but there’s more that could be done. I think in our state in particular, there’s a lot of laws that make it difficult for people with disabilities to vote, or provide unnecessary obstacles. But I think that someone who’s determined to vote can vote, and they should. I also encourage people with disabilities all across America to contact their legislators and fight for what they believe in in their state.
MM: How do the disability rights laws compare from Georgia to New York?
NP: I think there are more advantages for people with disabilities in New York because it’s a big city and it’s more liberal. It has more government programs and state programs because they have more money – New York City in particular, which is where I’m more familiar with. Georgia doesn’t have that many programs that I’m familiar with.
MM: Overall, would you say New York has better disability programs than Georgia does, especially New York City?
NP: New York City has more availability in those programs, more money for those programs. They have more open slots for programs and people.
MM: I’m sure Georgia has been lucky to have a disability activist like you.
NP: I’m glad to do my part. I’m always going to fight for people who don’t have a voice.
Nick Papadopoulos is a 45 year old self-advocate with cerebral palsy from the great state of Georgia in Franklin County in the great town of Royston. He joined this class for self expression and to help advocate for others. He enjoys adventures of all sorts and meeting people everywhere and anywhere he goes. He loves to make people laugh, he wants to make people smile, he wants to leave an indelible mark on the world and his motto is “never give up, never surrender, always keep swinging and keep your eye on the prize. You’ll always come out ahead if you work hard enough and keep at it.
August 2024
Shaunte Martin’s Journey: Don’t Accept Bullying
By Shaunte Martin
When I think about bullying it’s not right to do that to people because it can hurt their feelings. It can hurt other people’s feelings because that’s not okay. I don’t think that’s right.
When I was like in high school, it was really hard to make friends. I was bullied because of my culture. I don’t feel that people with disabilities should be treated different from everyone else. They’re not the same as everyone else, but they should be treated equally as everybody else.
I thought my family just didn’t believe me, and I said that I was being bullied. That they didn’t care about my feelings and about how I felt. But I realized that family does love me, and I shouldn’t think about the negative. I should just think about the positive, because I know the family loves me a lot, and I do appreciate that.
I was trying to be an advocate for the school, so the bullying can stop, because I don’t appreciate it. I thought, I’m going to do something about that, so I told the principal that there’s bullying going on in the school. I told the principal, and he came down and said, why are these people with disabilities and without disabilities getting bullied in the school? I think we should have a meeting with all the juniors, seniors—freshman upwards—in the gym.
I was blindfolded and I didn’t know what was going on. The principal did something to honor me, and I got flowers and posters. They had a lunch for all of us. It made me so happy and I started to cry. I was so happy with what the school did for me and the family, and I really appreciated that. That’s a memory I will always cherish for the rest of my life.
Then they had me come into the gym and I made an announcement in the gym to everyone that I was very upset that they were bullying people with disabilities. It doesn’t matter who we are, we should be treated equally in every school. The bullying just has to stop.
Being a woman of color, I shouldn’t have been bullied. I shouldn’t have been bullied because I believed in Christianity and because of my color, and being bullied because of the color of my skin. There are some days I didn’t want to get up for school at all I felt lost I felt undetermined.
I felt like it was going to continue to happen. I felt like I didn’t belong in the school, and that I wasn’t wanted as a friend. And then the next day, I finally made some friends. The next day I went to school, my friends waited for me at the door of the gym. They gave me flowers and cards to say that they were sorry for what they did and made a poster with all their pictures and names on it.
There was an anti-bullying movement when I lived in the Rondo community, and I was really glad to be a part of that, so we can make it a law in every school that doesn’t accept bullying. it was really great to know that I wasn’t the only one who was dealing with that.
I just want kids to stay in school and not be fighting and learn from their teachers that they should stay in school. Graduate with a diploma and be safe out there in the communities. Do the right thing and stay in school.
I’m happy to just be out of school, don’t have to worry—bigger and better things going on. Focus on the positive things. I just leave my past behind me and focus on my future.
Being bullied as I grew up and the years went by, I was bullied as an adult because people didn’t really understand what my disabilities are. They don’t understand that being bullied in different ways as an adult can be hard as well.
I deserve positive people who are friends, who are going to be supporting me in all the things that I’m doing, and be here for all the things I’m doing in my life. Be there whenever I need them. I just need to be around positive people in my life. Even though I lost a lot of people, I still keep the friendships closer.
July 2024
Interview with Strive founder Mary Taris
By Maeve McDevitt
When I first caught sight of Strive, it did not look like what I had expected for it was this elegant looking old building. I thought that it would be in a modern looking building nevertheless I was pleasantly surprised being the history buff that I am. The building wouldn’t look out of place in the art deco era. When I entered the building, I saw tables littered with books. Behind the counter stood an African American lady with eye glasses and long curly black hair. I got right to explaining the mission of Cow Tipping Press. She gave me the impression of a nice soft-spoken woman. The space looked somewhat cozy with the addition of aqua armchairs. I later learned that Strive has held events in their space.
Maeve: So this bookstore specializes primarily in Black literature?
Mary: Yes, and we are trying to reach across cultures, so we lift up other underrepresented voices—voices from other cultures, abilities, and gender identities.
Maeve: How long has this store been in business for?
Mary: This is our one-year anniversary this month. We opened last June.
Maeve: So the store is that new.
Mary: Yes, it’s new. We have a mini-bookshop that we’ve had for three years. It’s in the IDS center. That’s the one that has only Black literature.
Maeve: The other one?
Mary: Yeah, it’s in the Sistah Co-Op in the IDS center.
Maeve: Is it still around?
Mary: It’s still there.
Maeve: As far as what I have read online—I learned about the store, like how the owner of this place wanted to open a bookstore that would sell books featuring characters like her.
Mary: Yes, and that would be me. I’m the owner of the bookstore. When I was growing up, I didn’t see books that affirmed my identity. And then I got into teaching when I was 40, and there still weren’t books for children who looked like me. That’s why I started publishing.
Maeve: That’s great. So what’s the best-selling book here?
Mary: It’s called All About Love by bell hooks. That’s our best-seller.