About this episode

The episode explores the dynamics of friendship in the context of disability, highlighting personal experiences and communication challenges.

The Friendship series has kicked off to examine what is similar and different when a disability is present - and how friendship development is a lot like dating - they both involve vulnerability, taking risks, and acceptance. Two Friends, 40 Years Kathy O'Connell and Nancy met at 18 as freshmen at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. Nancy first noticed Kathy when a professor seemed impatient with her during class — likely because of Kathy's disability — and introduced herself afterward to say so. Kathy had no idea it had even happened. That moment bonded them, and nearly 40 years later they're still close friends. Nancy's Experience as a Friend Nancy never found the friendship difficult or different in any meaningful way. She simply saw Kathy as a funny, trustworthy person and treated her accordingly. The one hard moment she witnessed was a stranger at a bar assuming Kathy was drunk because of her speech and movement — something Nancy found genuinely upsetting to watch. The one real communication challenge: when Kathy gets emotional, she speaks faster and becomes harder to understand. The clearest example was the day Kathy called to share that her son Jaden's adoption had been approved…

People in this episode

Host: Kathy O'Connell

Guest: Nancy

Topics covered

• friendship
• disability
• relationships
• vulnerability
• communication

Keywords

• friendship
• disability
• relationships
• communication
• vulnerability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Le Moyne College

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