by Carmen G. Farrell | Jan 16, 2026 | Uncategorized
Why Community Beats Individual Ego: The Psychology Behind Collective Mattering From a Solo Request to a School‑Wide Movement When a group of elementary‑school friends decided to form “Club G,” they weren’t just creating a pastime; they were constructing a concrete...
by Carmen G. Farrell | Jan 2, 2026 | Uncategorized
Belonging vs. Mattering: Why the Distinction Matters When I read Gordon Flett’s work on mattering, which is the inner sense that our presence matters to others and that we matter to ourselves, I heard the same refrain that has echoed through every page of my life with...
by Carmen G. Farrell | Oct 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
On Monday, the New York Times published this article: “A Furious Debate Over Autism’s Causes Leaves Parents Grasping for Answers.” Exactly. I have experienced what these parents face. The last time autism received this much media attention was in the early 2000s, as...
by Carmen G. Farrell | Aug 30, 2025 | Uncategorized
It’s back-to-school season. For kids, it’s back to classrooms, playgrounds, and the give and take of school friendships. It’s also the month when I expect we’ll be reminded of exclusionary attitudes toward disability. The US Secretary of Health and...
by Carmen G. Farrell | May 1, 2025 | Uncategorized
Blogs don’t exist without readers, so whether you’re new to turnofphrase or a long-time loyal supporter, I thank you. Truly. Growing pains have meant none of you have received notifications of the last few posts. Here’s a link to the one published at the end of April...
by Carmen G. Farrell | Apr 22, 2025 | Uncategorized
I used to believe Ges’s condition—how his mind and body work—made him broken. That he was somehow “less than” because of his impairments. It was hard to talk about his disabilities because I feared judgment — that he’d be pitied. It came from a set of beliefs my...
