Barton and Megan Cutter have been married for ten years. They met in Arizona while training in martial arts, and they realized they were both writers.
In February 2013, they released their memoir: Ink in the Wheels: Stories to Make Love Roll, http://inkinthewheels.com. They were featured on WRAL’s Tarheel Traveler!
Together, they own Cutter’s Edge Consulting, leadership coaching and writing business. Visit their website at www.cuttersedgeconsulting.com.
Over the last ten years, Megan and Barton have collaborated on program design, leadership training, individual coaching, and professional communication projects.
Together, they have over twenty years of leadership, speaking, and writing experience with published credits in Mobility Resource, Disability.gov, Natural Awakenings, The News & Observer, The Tuscaloosa News, Persona Magazine, Med Monthly, ABILITY Magazine, the NC Office on Disability & Health and the NC Disability Action Network.
Barton and Megan,
I love your blog! It lifts me up and fills me with inspiration for what I can do, when I step out of my own box of limiting (and false) beliefs, and collapse it like the cardboard boxes I bring to the recycling center. I’ve been consciously working on that for a very long time, yet it seems to get recycled back into my life at times.
I know your intention for this blog is to address the many unanswered (and unasked) questions people have of your unique relationship, yet as I read, I find the “inter-ability” aspect of your relationship to be immaterial, in a sense. You are two beautifully inspired people, living love for each other and a love for life, on a level most people can’t even conceive of, let alone live. The physical aspects of your relationship and your life seem so secondary. Perhaps you will help people learn that the importance of the energy of love that we live internally is so much more important than the physicality of us. When we live that love, everything that we create in our life, is a reflection of that love.
This is SO great! I hope your relationship, and mine with my husband Bryan, can attest to how ordinary AND extraordinary inter-ability relationships can be. Thanks for all your support of my life coaching and motivational work as well at http://www.butterflywheel.com. I only hope I can be as helpful to you as you have been to me.
Monica J. Foster
I loved reading your blog and do enjoy the name of it very much also. It is so nice to be able to read about positive outlooks in life, it seems that we don’t often get enough input like that in today’s world.
The only thought I had about how your relationship might work differently is to presume that your day to day household chores are not really a big source of debate (such as who takes out the trash, or has to do the yardwork)- is that true?
I know it is not any different than another relationship where everyone finds their roles in keeping the household running, but I would be interested to hear your comments and outlook on the funny quirks of marriage.
Hey we love your blog here at the UCP National Office. Keep it up!
I am enjoying your blog so much….especially your writings about meeting and falling in love.
Hi Megan,
Your poem was very beautiful indeed. I am sure your grandfather knew what you would write.
Your mutual efforts have really made your online prescence grow and prosper as you thrashed about defining yourselves, what concepts and thoughts were to be your muse and keeping flexibility to change and improve.
You are suceeding! Keep it up
Enjoyed reading your blog. My partner, Mike, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We can relate to so many parts of your story. Thanks!
Helo Megan.. how r u ? and how r Barton ?! hope u all good ..
u know what! I’m talking to u from Middle east,from United Arab Emirates,DUBAI city! think maybe u have heared about this country !
anyway I’m a T12 Complete paraplegic ..I saw ur Videos on youtube,and saw ur Wonderful blog ! Nice Blog !well I’m Enjoy reading ur blog !
Send my Regards to barton and greetings from DUBAI !
I’m looking forward to getting more information about this topic, don’t worry about negative opinions.
You are such an inspiring couple and i love the fact that bartons disability doesn’t get in the way of your marraige i am only 12 but have always thought about disabled people and how we should treat them just the same.Megan you are a very nice,kind and loving person and i can tell that barton and many other people including me have a lot of respect for you.Barton- you are a cutieee!!! lol you are such a nice person and i really admire you. don’t let people get you down you are really special.
I know this sounds really strange but i have always wished that i had a disabled brother or sister so that i could help them out out and be there for them .when i get older i think i might adopt a disabed child and then my dream would finnaly come true or you never know i might even marry someone with disabilities just like Barton and we might be as nicer couple as you.You are my rolemodels.I really admire you two.
My heart and love goes out to you i hope god watches over you and keeps you both save and well.I’ll pray every night that one day i might get to meet you and tell you in person all my thoughts.
love From
?Z? xxxx
Hi Barton and Megan! I stumbled across a youtube video of yall while watching the one where my fiancee proposed to me. I was truly inspired to find it as my fiancee also has cp. I am so blessed to have my honey in my life and know that we look forward to sharing many years together. I plan on showing this to my fiancee in the morning and following you guys here. We have a blog
http://themanyadventuresofkatieandjeremy.blogspot.com/
thank you so much for visiting my daughters website,, You two are a beautiful couple and i am so glad that you were able to have the life you both deserve!! i will check back and see what you guys are doing !!
with love
rachelles mom
Dear Megan and Barton,
You are very interesting and inspiring. I love your website!
I am very interested in what the daily life/care
of cerebral palsy is like.
Megan, could you write an article about how you care for Barton – eating, bathing, therapy, going to the bathroom, etc?
Could you make a video, too?
I am very interested in caring for someone with cerebral palsy.
Thanks a lot!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog and your inquiry about caring for someone with cerebral palsy. Since Barton and I are married, we have received many questions about how we live, how we work together, and different aspects of an inter-ability marriage. We began the blog as a way to share different aspects of our lives together.
We did post a blog about care taking (link below), and we think you will find it interesting because it explores care taking as a two-way dynamic flow versus my taking care of him. I didn’t marry Barton to be his caretaker- I married him because I love him!
Realistically, there are times when I do fulfill the care taking role, but we are conscious about how it affects both of us so that we don’t lose balance within the relationship. And we find what works for us, which will be different from other couples.
What is your relationship to people with disabilities? Do you know someone with cerebral palsy or are you in a direct support role? The relationship would indeed be different in a direct support role, and we would be happy to address your questions from that perspective as Barton has many years of experience working with those in direct support field. In other types of relationships- friendship, romantic, sibling, etc. focusing on the relationship will allow both of you to see each other as whole and work through supporting each other in a more fluid manner.
Feel free to email us with direct questions at megan@cuttersword.com or barton@cuttersword.com!
Warmly,
Megan
http://loverollson.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/taking-care-personal-care-assistants-care-taking-and-the-husband-wife-relationship/
I am a female with CP and you guys inspire me. I have been married for eight years. I have bookmarked you.
Great to find your website :)! Looking forward to reading the helpful perspectives you are sharing here!
Hello Megan and Barton,
Thanks so much for your blog, it’s really great and insightful. My older brother has mixed cerebral palsy (spastic and athetoid), and I care for him, basically by myself (my parents are divorced and work a lot), but he also is an independent man. Even though there are challenges for both of us, I love my life and my brother. I’ve learned so much through my experiences with him. I don’t know anyone in a similar situation to me, so thank you for all of your information. I want to suggest that you make a video or clip on what your daily life/routines are like. This would give a lot of information and be a great resource to all, giving viewers an insight and understanding about your very interesting lives. Please continue to blog all kinds of stories – they’re wonderful. And, good luck with your book! (I’d love to hear what you have to say to this comment – your opinion/reaction?)
Sarah,
Thanks for your comments! We love your idea of making videos- a new flip video recorder is on our wish list ;o) but we also know that video flips can’t convey the fullness of our lives. Our book will be out in October/November, and while it is our story, we hope that others find inspiration and insight to carry on discussions and increase independence in their own lives and for those they know. I’m sure you have your own adventures! Feel free to email us outside of the blog with questions or specifics!
Thank you for your website! I’m looking forward to learning from your helpful stories.
Hi I have Moderate cerebral palsy as well
I have relationship questions I would like to talk to you both about stuff I would like to keep between us could u please email
I was looking for couples like ours, and I stumbled upon your page. I’m ecstatic to have finally found my soulmate, who is in a wheelchair. I expected family and friends to be as happy as I am. Unfortunately, I’m finding myself a little isolated in my happiness and my fears about our future. Our love keeps me going. I am happy to see a couple I can relate to and look up to. Thanks for doing what you’re doing!