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ABOUT ME
Chris sits in his wheelchair in Duke's restaurant in Waikiki, Hawaii. There is a beige wall with turquoise lettering behind him and a few patrons on ocean-blue couches. He is wearing a red Patriots and Atlantic blue bucket hat and glasses.
A brain tumor survivor since the age of 8, and handicapped since the age of 10, I am now 37. I fell in love with creative writing after writing a poem about my struggles in the 7th grade. Since then I have self-published five books: Born on Friday the 13th (2018), Torghatten (2016), Hard Polish (2013), 4wheelin' (2011), and Spawning Gray (2010). After 2 years at The University of Arizona, I graduated from Stonehill College in 2009 and earned my Master's degree in English in 2011 from Salem State University. I now live in Beverly, Massachusetts.
My screenplay Lagom (the Swedish word for 'just the right amount') was a finalist for best screenplay at the 2017 Massachusetts Independent Film Festival, as well as the 2015 Catalina Film Festival. In 2016 my screenplay Spawning Neon was a semi-finalist at the 16th annual Awareness Film Festival.
Below are links to my articles, short stories, and poems:
-The Sony Access Controller is a Beautiful Addition for All Gamers, Wired, 2023: https://www.wired.com/review/sony-access-controller-review/
-Finally, airlines may accommodate travelers that stay in their wheelchairs, Boston Globe, 2023: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/07/04/opinion/finally-airlines-may-accommodate-travelers-who-stay-their-wheelchairs/
-Ramping Up Fashion's Accessible Future, Yes! Magazine, 2022: https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/bodies/2022/11/21/ramping-up-fashions-accessible-future
-For the Disabled, Consumer Electronics Aren't There Yet, PC MMag 2022: https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/for-the-disabled-consumer-electronics-arent-there-yet
-Inclusion is coming to the metaverse soon, PC Mag 2022: https://www.pcmag.com/news/disability-inclusion-is-coming-soon-to-the-metaverse
- The metaverse marginalizes disabled persons — how virtual worlds can be more inclusive Laptop Mag, 2022: https://www.laptopmag.com/features/the-metaverse-marginalizes-disabled-persons-how-virtual-worlds-can-be-more-inclusive
-Disabled Passengers Were Promised Autonomous Vehicles--They're Still Waiting, The Verge, 2021: https://www.theverge.com/22832657/autonomous-vehicles-disabled-accessible-challenges-design
-The Pixel 6's Accessibility Features Give Me Hope for The Future of Smartphones, Gizmodo, 2021: https://gizmodo.com/the-pixel-6s-accessibility-features-make-me-hopeful-for-1847997736
-Why We Need Astronauts with Disabilities, Gizmodo, 2021: https://gizmodo.com/why-we-need-astronauts-with-disabilities-1847667167?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=_facebook&fbclid=IwAR2976eHC0DSx2nmq58XOkAdjw9WfZs0v7yNAHRqrtVAUApeJjsygQVhcuo
-Why 'Smart' Feeding Tubes Can Benefit Patients and The Environment, Discover Magazine, 2021: https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/why-smart-feeding-tubes-can-benefit-patients-and-the-environment
-Creating A Phone for Disabled People--How Companies Can Be More Inclusive, Laptop Magazine, 2021; https://www.laptopmag.com/features/creating-a-phone-for-disabled-people?fbclid=IwAR0MU9M8wSPLNJuxYOQEng1TsM4BFt3IbsEtFZAVT0kVkkaX65QIoZfMlzc
-It's Time for Microsoft to Update The Xbox Adaptive Controller, PC Magazine, 2021: https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/its-time-for-microsoft-to-update-the-xbox-adaptive-controller
-Google Stadia Opens Up New Options for Disabled Gamers, Reviewed, 2021: https://www.reviewed.com/accessibility/features/google-stadia-review-accessible-disabled-players
-Electric Vehicles Are The Future for Everyone-Except Disabled People, The Verge, 2021: https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/2/22550853/electric-vehicles-disabled-wheelchair-conversion-battery
-Google's Project Euphonia: What it is and how it can help people with atypical speech, Laptop Mag, 2021: https://www.laptopmag.com/features/project-euphonia-help-people-with-atypical-speech
-Building the ultimate laptop for accessibility: Features to help those with disabilities, Laptop Mag, 2021: https://www.laptopmag.com/features/building-the-ultimate-laptop-for-accessibility
-The internet isn't inclusive enough — here's how it can be more user-friendly, Laptop Mag, 2021: https://www.laptopmag.com/features/the-internet-isnt-inclusive-enough
-The Edification of Paul Baker, Deaf Poets Society, 2019: https://www.deafpoetssociety.com/c-r-reardon-prose-issue-8?fbclid=IwAR3v6EgT5_ykmgW-W9U6ZkM7vJqlQMkR2s1RPQ9X3Y3IYiocL8HkmTR_daY
-'Viva Tortuga' is featured on a premier travel company's website, Disabled Accessible Travel, 2018: https://disabledaccessibletravel.com/testimonial-chris-r/?fbclid=IwAR0kqNCL9qwkj49siew87SBdd4PIA3Tq_q8k9Rg2kRZjwkqeQUR2zrD5qWo
-The Guardian, 2018: https: https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2018/jan/09/randolph-bournes-1911-essay-on-disability-shocked-society-but-whats-changed-since
-New Mobility Magazine's website, 2017: http://www.newmobility.com/2017/07/the-healthcare-saga/
-The South African disability journal Rolling Inspiration, 2017: https://www.rollinginspiration.co.za/language-defiance-expression/
-U.K. blog Disability Horizons, 2017: http://disabilityhorizons.com/2017/10/using-poetry-to-overcome-disability/
-Short story 'Doc Star', LGBTQ online literary journal Crab Fat, 2016: http://crabfatmagazine.com/2016/02/doc-star/
-Short story 'Electric Skillet', Mobius: A Journal of Social Change, 2015: http://mobiusmagazine.com/fiction/electric.html
-Between 2013 & 2014 I had four poems published in the disability literary journals Kaleidoscope, Breath & Shadow, and www.wordgathering.com:
https://www.abilitymaine.org/BS2013Fall/%22No-Lie%22
http://www.wordgathering.com/past_issues/issue26/poetry/reardon.html
Chris as a toddler stands on a Cape Cod beach. He has brown hair and a mushroom cut, and has the strap of a swim bubble across his chest.
Chris is behind a microphone giving his high school baccalaureate speech. He is wearing a dark tie and a light blue shirt. He is in a wheelchair, has glasses, and is holding his hands together.
Chris sits on a deck in front of foliage in Vermont. He has a buzz cut, glasses, and is wearing brown pants and a heavy blue & red plaid long-sleeve shirt.
Chris sits in his wheelchair in the corner of his bedroom in front of a beige wall and white door. He is wearing a pastel pink shirt, khaki slacks, and his hands are resting on his lap.
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