At one middle school in Tennessee, students with disabilities dress up for interviews and apply to work in a school garden, thanks to the efforts of staff who want to prepare them to have a hands-on experience with academic and life skills.
The students have big plans for their garden, which includes a wish list for a picnic table and a shed and even an irrigation ditch.
h/t to Woodlands Foundation via Twitter : @Woodlandsfdn
where their kids will soon be planting an adaptive garden of their own. If you'd like to make a donation, click here.
3.30.2010
3.28.2010
It's about respect - and mobility
This video talks about the lack of respect by those who violate handicap parking laws. I liked it because the speaker mentions the impact on his life- how he has to drive around to find spots because of violators who are taking up the spots.
Of course, those of us with disabilities who have transportation are the lucky ones. Not to minimize the problem of being late or missing appointments because we have to drive around to find a place where we can get out of our cars-and sometimes can't, but there are many more who face serious danger trying to get around in their wheelchairs on roads that aren't built for wheelchair pedestrians.
As I was reading the news this morning, I saw several articles about wheelchair pedestrians in accidents. Sadly, this is daily fare. One wheelchair user was stuck on the tracks near Chicago, but fortunately didn't touch the electrified third rail. Then there are the fatalities. The wheelchair users who wind up dead with photos of their wrecked and twisted chairs in an article that usually reads: Wheelchair user killed. Blind pedestrian hit by car. Sometimes there isn't even a name. I hate that the most, when the person isn't even named.
So often I hear people say that wheelchair users or blind pedestrians (or others with disabilities) shouldn't be here or there. Of course, that's easy to say if you don't face paratransit cuts that are becoming deeper all the time.
But none of these stories mention that.
And, as I said before, every day these stories are in the news. That's because many of our streets- including sidewalks, curbcuts, intersections , and bus stops - are built only for speeding cars.
I ask you to check out the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.
Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
It's not just for people with disabilities, but for bicyclists, all pedestrians, motorcyclists and others.
If you're concerned, learn more about it here.
Or check out this slideshow:
Of course, those of us with disabilities who have transportation are the lucky ones. Not to minimize the problem of being late or missing appointments because we have to drive around to find a place where we can get out of our cars-and sometimes can't, but there are many more who face serious danger trying to get around in their wheelchairs on roads that aren't built for wheelchair pedestrians.
As I was reading the news this morning, I saw several articles about wheelchair pedestrians in accidents. Sadly, this is daily fare. One wheelchair user was stuck on the tracks near Chicago, but fortunately didn't touch the electrified third rail. Then there are the fatalities. The wheelchair users who wind up dead with photos of their wrecked and twisted chairs in an article that usually reads: Wheelchair user killed. Blind pedestrian hit by car. Sometimes there isn't even a name. I hate that the most, when the person isn't even named.
So often I hear people say that wheelchair users or blind pedestrians (or others with disabilities) shouldn't be here or there. Of course, that's easy to say if you don't face paratransit cuts that are becoming deeper all the time.
But none of these stories mention that.
And, as I said before, every day these stories are in the news. That's because many of our streets- including sidewalks, curbcuts, intersections , and bus stops - are built only for speeding cars.
I ask you to check out the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone.
Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind - including bicyclists, public transportation vehicles and riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
It's not just for people with disabilities, but for bicyclists, all pedestrians, motorcyclists and others.
If you're concerned, learn more about it here.
Or check out this slideshow:
3.27.2010
Love: The challenges of raising a child with disabilities
via YouTube:
Jane Bernstein, a parent and author of Loving Rachel and Rachel in the World - books which look at life with her daughter who has developmental disabilities was the keynote speaker at the 26th New England Regional Seminar for Children with Visual Impairments and Their Families (birth-7 years of age). This webcast is a tape of her keynote presentation. (These videos are part 1 and 2- others may be found on YouTube by clicking on the video).
Part 1:
Part 2:
Jane Bernstein, a parent and author of Loving Rachel and Rachel in the World - books which look at life with her daughter who has developmental disabilities was the keynote speaker at the 26th New England Regional Seminar for Children with Visual Impairments and Their Families (birth-7 years of age). This webcast is a tape of her keynote presentation. (These videos are part 1 and 2- others may be found on YouTube by clicking on the video).
Part 1:
Part 2:
3.25.2010
Haitian amputees create community at L'Escale
via MSNBC's series on Haiti's amputees Building a Life Worth Living:
In this video, a 4 year old tries out his prosthetic leg for the first time:
Limbs for Life is collecting used limbs for amputees in Haiti.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
In this video, a 4 year old tries out his prosthetic leg for the first time:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Limbs for Life is collecting used limbs for amputees in Haiti.
3.20.2010
Enabling Faith conference in Lawrenceville, NJ
The Enabling Faith Conference in Lawrenceville, NJ will be held on April 19-20, 2010 at:
April 20: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Dr. Dan Gottlieb and Ginny Thornburgh are presenters. The film Praying with Lior will also be screened and discussed.
Adath Israel Congregation
1958 Lawrence Road
(Rt 206 Northbound)
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
www.adathisraelnj.org
Adath is fully handicapped accessible.
April 20: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Dr. Dan Gottlieb and Ginny Thornburgh are presenters. The film Praying with Lior will also be screened and discussed.
Workshops are listed here. A brochure and more information can be accessed online.
via NJCIM list serv
3.18.2010
Amputee Empowerment Partners
A new community, called Amputee Empowerment Partners , just started in February 2010, as a safe place for amputees and those they love to connect, share and understand each other. The site includes forums, blogs, videos and photos - and more- and there are already 400 members and counting. Membership is free. Members range from those who have been amputees for decades to those who recently became amputees, amputees who have diabetes to congenital amputees to veterans who are amputees, young and old.
I visited the site a few times and was touched by the warm support shown by members toward each other. It's easy to find and make new friends who have dealt with the same issues.
The resources are wonderful. I watched a video of a woman's first steps as an amputee with her prosthetic leg, read about sports and social outings and was able to find information on everything from adjusting to becoming an amputee to fine tuning one's life and self empowerment.
Below is a video called Walk Day:
Find more videos like this on Empowering Amputees
And here's one showing Heath, who is a bilateral above knee double amputee, cycling for the first time:
Find more videos like this on Empowering Amputees
The founder of the site is Carrie Davis, who has a congenital below-elbow limb deficiency and is an Upper Extremity patient advocate. Her mission is to provide real life information from people who really get it to empower amputees. She's created a site that does that.
I hope my readers will spread the word about this warm, strong and supportive community to amputees and those they love. As a person with friends who are amputees, I'll be visiting again and again.
I visited the site a few times and was touched by the warm support shown by members toward each other. It's easy to find and make new friends who have dealt with the same issues.
The resources are wonderful. I watched a video of a woman's first steps as an amputee with her prosthetic leg, read about sports and social outings and was able to find information on everything from adjusting to becoming an amputee to fine tuning one's life and self empowerment.
Below is a video called Walk Day:
Find more videos like this on Empowering Amputees
And here's one showing Heath, who is a bilateral above knee double amputee, cycling for the first time:
Find more videos like this on Empowering Amputees
The founder of the site is Carrie Davis, who has a congenital below-elbow limb deficiency and is an Upper Extremity patient advocate. Her mission is to provide real life information from people who really get it to empower amputees. She's created a site that does that.
I hope my readers will spread the word about this warm, strong and supportive community to amputees and those they love. As a person with friends who are amputees, I'll be visiting again and again.
3.17.2010
The first thing that goes is the lights...
Picture this: a quadriplegic in a house with the power off. No lights. A strange sound coming from the basement. Try to call the neighbors, but the landlines are dead. Cell phone getting lower and lower as I try to reach someone.
Welcome to my world last weekend when the Nor'easter hit.
I like horror movies. I'm the one checking out alternate plot lines when this kind of thing happens. So I wasn't scared. I was- concerned, mostly about the strange sounds, which turned out to be a battery backup alarm. But I didn't know that and crawling into the basement isn't possible for me physically, although I'm sure in a horror movie that little detail would have been tossed out of the window. The quadriplegic would have dramatically and slowly and painstakingly gone down those steps and then been trapped down there. Bwa ha ha.
No, in my world I duct taped a flashlight on and went to the front porch waving it at the few passerbys who were out in the dark streets. No one responded, probably having watched horror movies themselves about entering dark houses. So I came back inside and someone called back and came over to check out the basement.
Anticlimatic, I know. I had none of the fun that Jamie Lee Curtis had in Halloween, although the setting was right.
Now all I hear is the sound of damaged trees being cut down. Hmm, chain saws. Didn't I see a movie where-never mind.
Welcome to my world last weekend when the Nor'easter hit.
I like horror movies. I'm the one checking out alternate plot lines when this kind of thing happens. So I wasn't scared. I was- concerned, mostly about the strange sounds, which turned out to be a battery backup alarm. But I didn't know that and crawling into the basement isn't possible for me physically, although I'm sure in a horror movie that little detail would have been tossed out of the window. The quadriplegic would have dramatically and slowly and painstakingly gone down those steps and then been trapped down there. Bwa ha ha.
No, in my world I duct taped a flashlight on and went to the front porch waving it at the few passerbys who were out in the dark streets. No one responded, probably having watched horror movies themselves about entering dark houses. So I came back inside and someone called back and came over to check out the basement.
Anticlimatic, I know. I had none of the fun that Jamie Lee Curtis had in Halloween, although the setting was right.
Now all I hear is the sound of damaged trees being cut down. Hmm, chain saws. Didn't I see a movie where-never mind.
3.16.2010
Have you written a blog post about the Paralympics?
If you've written (or seen) a blog post about the Paralympics, please go over to We Push Sports and add it to the Paralympic blog post Roundup. It can be on any aspect of the Paralympics: disability rights, sports, athlete's stories, etc. - just leave a link in the comments so I can find it. If you've been thinking about writing about the Paralympics, here's a good chance to join in a roundup!
Thanks, everyone.
Thanks, everyone.
3.13.2010
Stanford students design assistive devices in course
Via YouTube:
Stanford lecturer David Jaffe's "Perspectives in Assistive Technology" class gives budding engineers hands-on experience with projects that help people with disabilities in the local community.
Students came up with several assistive devices after working directly with people with disabilities to find out what their needs were.
The four year old course is designed to provide engineering students with practical experience rather than come up with a product for the commercial market.
However, as students said in the video, they also learned that having a disability does not mean one has to be disabled.
Stanford lecturer David Jaffe's "Perspectives in Assistive Technology" class gives budding engineers hands-on experience with projects that help people with disabilities in the local community.
Students came up with several assistive devices after working directly with people with disabilities to find out what their needs were.
The four year old course is designed to provide engineering students with practical experience rather than come up with a product for the commercial market.
However, as students said in the video, they also learned that having a disability does not mean one has to be disabled.
3.12.2010
The first 24 months after acquiring a spinal cord injury: on YouTube
Andrew, a T-7 paraplegic, has started making videos of the first 24 months after he acquired his spinal cord injury.
In his first video, he introduces himself and talks about his injury.
In this video, he filmed a typical day going to work.
Looking forward to more!
In his first video, he introduces himself and talks about his injury.
In this video, he filmed a typical day going to work.
Looking forward to more!
The Paralympics are Coming! The Paralympics are Coming!
In fact, the Opening ceremonies are today.
Over at We Push Sports, you can read about the Paralympics: see profiles of athletes, videos of the action and updated information as Vancouver hosts the world's elite athletes known as Paralympians.
Meet Heath Calhoun, the US flagbearer.
Go Team USA!
Over at We Push Sports, you can read about the Paralympics: see profiles of athletes, videos of the action and updated information as Vancouver hosts the world's elite athletes known as Paralympians.
Meet Heath Calhoun, the US flagbearer.
Go Team USA!
3.09.2010
I Walk for Love: raising money for Haiti
When '09 grad Jordan Dibb couldn't find a job after applying to 1200 places, he decided to try to help out Haitians. After non-profit organizations turned down his help, he took the advice of someone who said to him when he asked how he could get to Haiti :"you can walk".
Dibb partnered with Action Against Hunger, a non-profit that works in over 40 countries to provide food and clean drinking water. Together with the organization, Dibb plans to raise $100,000 in charity money for Haiti and the relief effort.
Calling his project "I Walk for Love", Dibb has set up a web page where you can follow his journey that starts on March 27, 2010 as he walks from Minnesota to Florida. You can also find links to donate there.
The urgency of the needs that continue in Haiti can not be more succinctly stated than this:
There are 1.2 million children under the age of 5 in Haiti. Over half of these children suffer from malnutrition.
Good luck , Jordan.
[visual image: On the left are footsteps that extend from the words "I walk for love" to "Taking steps for Haiti" to "From Minneapolis MN to Miami FL" ]
3.08.2010
Announcement: Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities on April 26, 2010
via USAJOBS site:
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U. S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) are sponsoring a historic day-long Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities. Representatives from many agencies will be reviewing resumes prior to the event, and inviting prospective candidates for interviews.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
Review the Hiring Event information, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities page, or Veterans page on USAJOBS.gov. You must submit your resume to the following email address: Hiringevent@opm.gov. Documentation supporting your disability (e.g., proof of disability and job readiness certification letters) and/or veteran’s status (e.g., VA letter and DD-214) can be provided with your resume, or at the time you are interviewed. [Note: To ensure the hiring process moves quickly and to expedite the agency's ability to make tentative offers, you are strongly encouraged to submit your supporting documentation along with your resume.]
Disabled veterans with less than a 30% rating or with non-service connected disabilities are encouraged to submit their resumes, along with proof of disability and job readiness.
If you need assistance submitting your resume or have any questions regarding this Event, including the type of documentation required please forward your inquiry to the following email address: Hiringevent@opm.gov.
For more information, go the USAJOBS site directly.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U. S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) are sponsoring a historic day-long Federal Hiring Event for People with Disabilities. Representatives from many agencies will be reviewing resumes prior to the event, and inviting prospective candidates for interviews.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE?
Review the Hiring Event information, as well as the Individuals with Disabilities page, or Veterans page on USAJOBS.gov. You must submit your resume to the following email address: Hiringevent@opm.gov. Documentation supporting your disability (e.g., proof of disability and job readiness certification letters) and/or veteran’s status (e.g., VA letter and DD-214) can be provided with your resume, or at the time you are interviewed. [Note: To ensure the hiring process moves quickly and to expedite the agency's ability to make tentative offers, you are strongly encouraged to submit your supporting documentation along with your resume.]
Disabled veterans with less than a 30% rating or with non-service connected disabilities are encouraged to submit their resumes, along with proof of disability and job readiness.
If you need assistance submitting your resume or have any questions regarding this Event, including the type of documentation required please forward your inquiry to the following email address: Hiringevent@opm.gov.
For more information, go the USAJOBS site directly.
3.07.2010
We Push Sports: a new blog
For readers who enjoy my occasional sports posts, I've started a new blog called We Push Sports. I'm also hoping it will be a way to get the word out about wheelchair/adaptive sports that are under-reported. Based on the recent response to a petition to televise the Paralympic games , I know many others agree that it's time to push this issue. Sponsorship and expanded TV coverage are key to promoting the Paralympics. Far too often, wheelchair sports stories get buried in a Lifestyle section of a newspaper and don't even receive sports page coverage. And, although many of us are interested in these events, the lack of media coverage continues.
I will also promote women's sports , which present some interesting developments as Title IX's legacy continues to grow. And, of course, I'll report on all sports, although it's important to keep in mind that there are plenty of sites that already cover the top stories on ESPN and SI.com .
With the upcoming Paralympics, I hope to help draw attention to the event and those participating in it. If anyone knows a Paralympic athlete who would like to share his/her experiences, let me know. Or if you play wheelchair/adaptive or women's sports and want me to know about your team, results or player profiles, please pass the information on via Twitter (below) or in the comments over at the blog. I'm also open to the idea of guest posts if anyone is interested in doing that.
Let the games begin!
(We Push Sports can be found on twitter at @wsportstweets )
I will also promote women's sports , which present some interesting developments as Title IX's legacy continues to grow. And, of course, I'll report on all sports, although it's important to keep in mind that there are plenty of sites that already cover the top stories on ESPN and SI.com .
With the upcoming Paralympics, I hope to help draw attention to the event and those participating in it. If anyone knows a Paralympic athlete who would like to share his/her experiences, let me know. Or if you play wheelchair/adaptive or women's sports and want me to know about your team, results or player profiles, please pass the information on via Twitter (below) or in the comments over at the blog. I'm also open to the idea of guest posts if anyone is interested in doing that.
Let the games begin!
(We Push Sports can be found on twitter at @wsportstweets )
Students from California School for the Deaf thank YouTube for adding closed captioning
via YouTube
A Message of Appreciation regarding the addition of closed captioning to YouTube from the California School for the Deaf High School Talon News Crew.
h/t @NADtweets
A Message of Appreciation regarding the addition of closed captioning to YouTube from the California School for the Deaf High School Talon News Crew.
h/t @NADtweets
3.05.2010
Access-orizing the iPod touch: voice control apps
I've written before about how I use an iPod touch as an assistive device.
Recently I've added a few voice recognition apps by Dragon, including Dragon Search and Dragon Dictation. Both are free. Below is a video showing how Dragon Dictation works.
I've found Dragon Dictation to be very accurate. You can paste your text to most applications, which allows you to take notes, send email, texts, and leave messages on Twitter or facebook.
Dragon Search has a moving bar which includes twitter, wiki, YouTube, music and google. This video compares it to Google Search, another free voice controlled app.
I have both apps on mine, but you can decide for yourself since it doesn't cost anything to experiment with free apps. I've found very little need to use anything but my voice now that I have these three apps.
When it comes to accessories, however, it takes a bit of thought to get all this to work on the iPod touch. If you have an iPhone, you have a built in mic, but the iPod touch doesn't. And if you plug a mic in, you lose the sound since you have to use the headphone port. So in order to use these apps on an iPod touch and still be able to hear the iPod, you'll need to use a corded headset with a microphone. If you buy a 3G iPod touch with 32GB or 64GB, you get that headset with it. Otherwise, you can pick a set up.
You can also use a bluetooth headset and use a plug in mic. You'll need to have the 3.1 software upgrade for your iPod if you have a 2G iPod touch - or a bluetooth adapter- to use bluetooth. Make sure you purchase a bluetooth headset that works with iPods, which run the A2DP spec. I suggest you read reviews on the headset you plan to purchase. It's important to understand that this type of bluetooth limits the headset functions, at least according to the reviews I read. People report that they can work some of the buttons, such as volume, but not advance to songs. More importantly, the microphone in the bluetooth headsets doesn't work, which is why you'll need a separate plug in mic. I bought one for about four dollars on amazon, but this company sells mics that cost a bit more and may be of better quality. (I have no affiliation to them, nor have I tried their products.) Hopefully future software updates will enable bluetooth headsets to act as both a headset and mic, which would be a lot less cumbersome, especially for those of us with disabilities.
In any event, this technology has the capability of providing me with a greater degree of independence, so I don't mind investing some time into figuring out how to make it work. I hope this helps someone out there too.
Recently I've added a few voice recognition apps by Dragon, including Dragon Search and Dragon Dictation. Both are free. Below is a video showing how Dragon Dictation works.
I've found Dragon Dictation to be very accurate. You can paste your text to most applications, which allows you to take notes, send email, texts, and leave messages on Twitter or facebook.
Dragon Search has a moving bar which includes twitter, wiki, YouTube, music and google. This video compares it to Google Search, another free voice controlled app.
I have both apps on mine, but you can decide for yourself since it doesn't cost anything to experiment with free apps. I've found very little need to use anything but my voice now that I have these three apps.
When it comes to accessories, however, it takes a bit of thought to get all this to work on the iPod touch. If you have an iPhone, you have a built in mic, but the iPod touch doesn't. And if you plug a mic in, you lose the sound since you have to use the headphone port. So in order to use these apps on an iPod touch and still be able to hear the iPod, you'll need to use a corded headset with a microphone. If you buy a 3G iPod touch with 32GB or 64GB, you get that headset with it. Otherwise, you can pick a set up.
You can also use a bluetooth headset and use a plug in mic. You'll need to have the 3.1 software upgrade for your iPod if you have a 2G iPod touch - or a bluetooth adapter- to use bluetooth. Make sure you purchase a bluetooth headset that works with iPods, which run the A2DP spec. I suggest you read reviews on the headset you plan to purchase. It's important to understand that this type of bluetooth limits the headset functions, at least according to the reviews I read. People report that they can work some of the buttons, such as volume, but not advance to songs. More importantly, the microphone in the bluetooth headsets doesn't work, which is why you'll need a separate plug in mic. I bought one for about four dollars on amazon, but this company sells mics that cost a bit more and may be of better quality. (I have no affiliation to them, nor have I tried their products.) Hopefully future software updates will enable bluetooth headsets to act as both a headset and mic, which would be a lot less cumbersome, especially for those of us with disabilities.
In any event, this technology has the capability of providing me with a greater degree of independence, so I don't mind investing some time into figuring out how to make it work. I hope this helps someone out there too.
3.03.2010
It's not cool to use the R word: Spread the Word to End the Word Day
Today is Spread the Word to End the Word Day- the R word, that is.
I can't tell you how many well meaning people have asked me what the big deal is with using the R word. People who would never argue with me when I say that the American with Disabilities Act is needed and who know that services to deaf and blind communities must be further recognized as part of access.
But when it comes to the R word, they hesitate. They look at me and say "I don't get it. It's just slang." They don't see the harm.
Perhaps they haven't had the word directed at them - or at a loved one. This would explain why they don't feel as passionate, as certain as I do that we must eradicate the use of the R word. When words are slung at people to hurt them, those words demean and dehumanize people.
But it doesn't stop there. Language frames how we think about other people. The words we use about disability are no different. Listen to how people use the R word. As this parent points out in his article in the Huffington Post,
There are two relatively simply exercises that expose the R-word for the instrument of hurt that (in it's contemporary context), it has evolved into. First; is there a single instants when the R-word is used as compliment? Do we find ourselves showering our peers with the R-word after a great triumph or a significant achievement? Is the R-word the stuff that support and elevation are made of?
The answer is, of course, a resounding no. The R word is used negatively. It is used to insult, label, demean, and dehumanize. As slang, it's become so ingrained into our speech that its use is thoughtless, like many other slang phrases, but unlike saying "Hey that's cool" or "You rock", if you substitute the R word, which is often done, the words reinforce the negative. The R word becomes an insult hurled at individuals or a group of people.
How did that become cool? You only have to look at the history of the disability community to realize that hurling derogatory terms in public at people with disabilities has been acceptable for far too long. For this to change, we need to go further than letting people with disabilities out in public. For, before we clap for the changes wrought by the ADA, isn't that what it's been about in part? Mandating through legislation that we have to allow access for people with disabilities wouldn't have been necessary if the history of the disability community wasn't one of exclusion.
We also need to change how we think about disability. Part of that may be to take some time to visit the Spread the Word to End the Word site and take the pledge. Believe me, if you think this is an attempt to infringe on your right to speech, read more of what a parent has to say.
...armed with the knowledge that the R-word is a source of pain and that using the R-word demeans a group that is not in a position to defend itself and who definitely never did anything to merit this kind of derision, the hope is that people will exercise some degree of compassion or at least a heightened sensitivity toward the continued use of the R-word. Again, this is not an invasion of the Bill of Rights. Rather, it is a civil call to integrate a simple change into the way we treat, regard and address the special needs population.
And read what others have to say over at the site.
"I pledge to be kind and respectful to all people and never use the r-word"
Now that's cool.
I can't tell you how many well meaning people have asked me what the big deal is with using the R word. People who would never argue with me when I say that the American with Disabilities Act is needed and who know that services to deaf and blind communities must be further recognized as part of access.
But when it comes to the R word, they hesitate. They look at me and say "I don't get it. It's just slang." They don't see the harm.
Perhaps they haven't had the word directed at them - or at a loved one. This would explain why they don't feel as passionate, as certain as I do that we must eradicate the use of the R word. When words are slung at people to hurt them, those words demean and dehumanize people.
But it doesn't stop there. Language frames how we think about other people. The words we use about disability are no different. Listen to how people use the R word. As this parent points out in his article in the Huffington Post,
There are two relatively simply exercises that expose the R-word for the instrument of hurt that (in it's contemporary context), it has evolved into. First; is there a single instants when the R-word is used as compliment? Do we find ourselves showering our peers with the R-word after a great triumph or a significant achievement? Is the R-word the stuff that support and elevation are made of?
The answer is, of course, a resounding no. The R word is used negatively. It is used to insult, label, demean, and dehumanize. As slang, it's become so ingrained into our speech that its use is thoughtless, like many other slang phrases, but unlike saying "Hey that's cool" or "You rock", if you substitute the R word, which is often done, the words reinforce the negative. The R word becomes an insult hurled at individuals or a group of people.
How did that become cool? You only have to look at the history of the disability community to realize that hurling derogatory terms in public at people with disabilities has been acceptable for far too long. For this to change, we need to go further than letting people with disabilities out in public. For, before we clap for the changes wrought by the ADA, isn't that what it's been about in part? Mandating through legislation that we have to allow access for people with disabilities wouldn't have been necessary if the history of the disability community wasn't one of exclusion.
We also need to change how we think about disability. Part of that may be to take some time to visit the Spread the Word to End the Word site and take the pledge. Believe me, if you think this is an attempt to infringe on your right to speech, read more of what a parent has to say.
...armed with the knowledge that the R-word is a source of pain and that using the R-word demeans a group that is not in a position to defend itself and who definitely never did anything to merit this kind of derision, the hope is that people will exercise some degree of compassion or at least a heightened sensitivity toward the continued use of the R-word. Again, this is not an invasion of the Bill of Rights. Rather, it is a civil call to integrate a simple change into the way we treat, regard and address the special needs population.
And read what others have to say over at the site.
"I pledge to be kind and respectful to all people and never use the r-word"
Now that's cool.
3.02.2010
Hitting moon balls
When I first started playing wheelchair tennis competitively, I went to a tournament in Lehigh Valley. My opponent was into hitting lobs* (also known as moon balls) for almost any shot. She liked to hit the ball high over my head so that it would land behind me since, as a newcomer, I still had the bad habit of moving forward on the court. I'd watch the ball sail past me, grimacing.
It was during that match that I finally figured out how to handle a lob. If I worked the court like an NFL receiver, watching over my shoulder, I could catch the ball either in flight or after a bounce. Of course, when I hit the ball back triumphantly, my opponent just hit another lob. She was like a wall.
I began to lob back at her, except I aimed my lobs to land deeper than hers, right on the baseline. This forced her to move so far back on the court that if I hit wide on the next shot at the point farthest away from her, she was hard pressed to get to the ball.
After three hours of this, we were both exhausted. Although my duct tape had wilted on both my racket and my arm, those shots left me with more energy and I went on to win the match.
"Those lobs are hard to get," my opponent told me.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that she gave me the idea. If I hadn't been on the receiving end of so many moon balls, I wouldn't have figured out how to place my offensive shot so well.
Years later, a coach told me lobs were a desperation shot for a player who wasn't in the right place set up for a better shot. I shifted my duct tape a bit and smiled, thinking of how many matches I won hitting moon balls.
I still smile thinking about it.
Knowing how moon balls work can come in handy in real life too.
*A lob is a ball that's hit high and deep and can be hit offensively or defensively.
It was during that match that I finally figured out how to handle a lob. If I worked the court like an NFL receiver, watching over my shoulder, I could catch the ball either in flight or after a bounce. Of course, when I hit the ball back triumphantly, my opponent just hit another lob. She was like a wall.
I began to lob back at her, except I aimed my lobs to land deeper than hers, right on the baseline. This forced her to move so far back on the court that if I hit wide on the next shot at the point farthest away from her, she was hard pressed to get to the ball.
After three hours of this, we were both exhausted. Although my duct tape had wilted on both my racket and my arm, those shots left me with more energy and I went on to win the match.
"Those lobs are hard to get," my opponent told me.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that she gave me the idea. If I hadn't been on the receiving end of so many moon balls, I wouldn't have figured out how to place my offensive shot so well.
Years later, a coach told me lobs were a desperation shot for a player who wasn't in the right place set up for a better shot. I shifted my duct tape a bit and smiled, thinking of how many matches I won hitting moon balls.
I still smile thinking about it.
Knowing how moon balls work can come in handy in real life too.
*A lob is a ball that's hit high and deep and can be hit offensively or defensively.
3.01.2010
Judge orders NY to move people with mental illness housed in group homes
A judge who was "disappointed and frankly incredulous" at the state's proposal ordered today that NY immediately begin to move thousands of people with mental illness out of group homes into their own housing. Conditions at the group homes, described as warehouses which resulted in isolation, amounted to violations of the ADA, he ruled.
Only those with the most serious conditions who are a danger to themselves or others will be excluded under the plan, which was backed by the Justice Department. The plan calls for NY to provide 1500 new units of supportive housing annually for the next three years. Supportive housing costs $7500 less a year for a resident than a group home.
Furthermore, Judge Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn appointed a federal monitor to oversee the process.
“Defendants’ demonstrated resistance to the remedy, as evidenced by their refusal to abide by the court’s findings in crafting their patently inadequate proposal, further highlights the need for a Monitor in this case,” he wrote
Only those with the most serious conditions who are a danger to themselves or others will be excluded under the plan, which was backed by the Justice Department. The plan calls for NY to provide 1500 new units of supportive housing annually for the next three years. Supportive housing costs $7500 less a year for a resident than a group home.
Furthermore, Judge Garaufis of Federal District Court in Brooklyn appointed a federal monitor to oversee the process.
“Defendants’ demonstrated resistance to the remedy, as evidenced by their refusal to abide by the court’s findings in crafting their patently inadequate proposal, further highlights the need for a Monitor in this case,” he wrote
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