About Me

Hey y’all, so, are you thinking, “What do you mean, not able to talk”?  I am Ana Celia Berlowitz and I’ve never spoken a word in 31 plus years – all the time I’ve been alive.  Why not?  I had a problem when I was born: I didn’t get enough oxygen. The parts of my brain that make speech were damaged and so that is why I’ve never talked.  So how are these words getting to you?  Well, I use something called AAC, or Augmentative and Alternative communication.   You can click on the link to get a definition and some examples.  I use a device called ECO which lets me say “hey” to a friend, go online, write a paper, send a text, or tell people if I am in pain.

Oh, yeah, I can’t walk either. I use a power wheelchair to get around in my house and almost everywhere else. If I have to travel or go anyplace that has steps, people have to push me in my manual chair, which is falling apart right now and I’m hoping to get a new one…

I’ve had my own house since I was 18. I have attendants who come in to help me do things like eat, dress, bath, in other words, just about everything.

I have a pretty interesting life and I have had some wild adventures: I’ve flown across the world, skied Alpine Meadows, gone white-water rafting on the Sacramento River, spent time in Cuba, spoken to audiences in Barcelona, Düsseldorf, Odense, Denmark, Los Angeles, and Oakland. I had the same boyfriend for 9 years.  My hair has been so many different colors that I can’t remember them all, except for the hot pink (in the pic below). I have 3 tattoos. I have a famous sister.  I met Stephen Hawking and Ella Fitzgerald and Jamie Lee Curtis.  Oh, and I love kids and listen to every type of music except heavy metal.

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