Now sitting pretty at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart (and still climbing), the hit single "Renegades" has earned the band X Ambassadors a lot of fame and recognition.

It's likely earned them a pretty penny, too - considering it's in every new Jeep Renegade commercial on TV. 

What many people may not know, however, is that the song is actually a tribute to people who have disabilities - and a celebration of their abilities and their strength. 

Their inspiration may have come from the fact that the band's keyboardist, Casey Harris, is blind. 

When you see the video and read through the lyrics (posted below) you'll hear the song in a whole new way - and it might just mean a little more.

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At MediSked, we are carefully designing every page and choosing every word to make sure that our software is as person-centered and people-first as it can possibly be.

Why? Because what we say and how we present things really does matter. It sets the tone. It says something about us - and how we view people with disabilities. And it can help shift the mindset of the people who log in and use our systems everyday. 

One of the words you'll see used fairly frequently is "Services" - because people with IDD do receive various services. 

When you type "Services definition" into Google, the very first entry reads "

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The celebrated Depression-era photographer Dorothea Lange once said, “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” 

I have never believed that more than I do now, having just experienced Rick Guidotti’s incredible Positive Exposure: Change How You See, See How You Change installation.  

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As we're designing new person-centered software platforms we're incredibly committed to using person-first language and doing everything that we can to change attitudes and perceptions about people with disabilities. 

We know that if we want to achieve true inclusion and support people in the dreams to be independent and live happy and fulfilled lives, it's essential to shift society's way of thinking. And we need to change policy too - because the very government who is in charge of supporting these individuals can oftentimes hold them back. 

A recent article in The Washington Post really resonated with me this morning. The piece, titled Why a man with intellectual disabilities has fewer rights than a convicted felon tells the story (and struggles) of Ryan King, an employed and independent man with developmental and intellectual disabilities who wants independence. Ryan's parents, who serve as his legal guardians, want independence for him too - but the courts disagree. 

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