Kimberly Carnevale
"Blessings come to us when we least expect them,
Challenges confront us just when we think we can't take anymore,
and miracles happen when we have faith in everything we do. "
On July 1, 1998, Kimberly Carnevale was a professional athlete vying for a spot on the United States Equestrian Team. On July 2, 1998, a horrible car accident ended her career; and life as she'd known it. Suffering a traumatic head injury, among other permanent injuries, Kimberly was forced to relearn what most of us take for granted such as reading, writing, walking, and talking.
It was a grueling rehabilitation - she wanted to give up, she tried; but something wouldn't let her. That "something" was her first service dog, Dewey. With his selfless assistance, Kimberly was able to carve out a new life from the rubble of her old one. He pulled her wheelchair, taught her how to walk again, but most importantly; he taught her how to live again. Kimberly thought her troubles were over … little did she know they were just beginning …
Shortly after becoming partnered with her service dog, Kimberly experienced access denial and other forms of rude behavior. Her slurred, dyslexic speech refused to cooperate when confronted with the illegal denial, and she would often return home, back to the prison of her disabilities. Dewey was the key that set her free. With her canine sentinel remaining steadfast by her side, Ms. Carnevale worked very hard at cognitive therapy, learning to convey the laws that governed service dog use. Realizing that access denial was a growing problem for service dog teams throughout the country, Kimberly armed herself with an arsenal of information and headed back to the businesses that had denied her access and offered to speak with their staff about service dog laws, demonstrated tasks, and offered her own personal message of hope and inspiration; derived from a need to share with others her own prolific journey through a near-death experience to convince her audience to believe in the power of their own dreams.
Kimberly's first book details her life before and after her accident; and how Canine and Abled grew into the award-winning program of today. In her motivational program, she shares with audiences the tools she once used as a professional athlete, then as a recovering accident survivor; and how we can all use those same tools to become champions in our own lives. In her speech, "Principals of success that I've learned from my dogs," Kimberly outlines the often humourous insights of looking at life's challenges through the k-9's mind. She shares how seemingly inperceptable behaviors of her dogs have shaped her own positive outlook on life. Her 'live in the moment' mentality derived directly as a result of her canine teachers. This unique approach at life's lessons is thought-provoking, insightful, and a sheer delight to all. Kimberly Carnevale lives in the Eastern United States.
Articles
- Taking the "dis" out of disabled!
- Kimberly tells the story of her motor vehicle accident, her feelings of loss following a head injury and how she met her companion Dewey. Published: October 2004
Bookings
Kimberley is available for world-wide bookings. She can be reached through her web site Canine and Abled by emailing canineandabled@aol.com or by phoning (US) 609-213-7790.
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