The terms ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) are often used jokingly to excuse someone’s inability to focus.  However, ADHD is no joke - it is a pervasive disorder that  an estimated 4% of adults manage every day.

Dear Restaurateurs and Restaurant Staff,

I love eating out! I really do. Eating out lets me experience flavors, sights, and sounds from around the world. If the staff and restaurant have made for a good experience, I leave feeling satisfied, enriched, and even a little bit pampered.

But, as an individual who uses a wheelchair, I find that many of you have a bit to learn about how to make people like me feel welcome in your establishment. Unsure about how to do this? Fear not! I am here to help with a list of Top Five Things Restaurants Can Do To Make Individuals Who Use Wheelchairs Roll In. So, let’s get right into it.

As a recruiting manager staffing for clients such as Google and Apple, I was concerned about three things: experience, unemployment gaps, and the probability of the person becoming a long-term employee.

I interviewed few disabled candidates and rarely considered their job prospects. As a recruiter, I rarely debated if and how they would be able to perform the duties of a position. I soon found a new perspective — one that changed the way I viewed both the role of the recruiter and the place of people with disabilities in the job market.

Much has been written about the Sandwich Generation — that population of 24 million caregivers who are squeezed between caring for children while simultaneously caring for an older parent. According to a 2013 Pew Research study, 47 percent of people in their 40s and 50s fall into the Sandwich Generation category and one in seven of these adults are providing financial assistance to college-age children and older parents.

Many people have never heard of a small building in Southeast Washington DC called The National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, doesn’t have quite the same ring as The Library of Congress. But for blind people and individuals with physical handicaps this can be an important tool.

Nothing arouses my senses quite like a new city. In major metropolitan centers, there are a multitude of things that scream out, “Here! Come here. We’ve got something fascinating in store for you.”

A street full of manic traffic informs me it’s a major thoroughfare and I should use it to navigate this new domain.

The smell of coffee whispers, “We can awaken your brain with a delicious cup of brew.”

The distinct scent of certain chemicals gently reminds me I’m due for my bi-weekly haircut.

And, once night descends, the laughter and music radiating from doorways is an open invitation to go dance the night away in a club. Walking back to my hotel, I know my face will soon be hitting the pillow when I smell the pizzeria right next door.