The Snow Smile

Our neighbors down South in Atlanta are dealing with a winter storm that brought many of them out to deal with bad roads and such. But some are finding joy in the snow.

Here's a photo of a giant smiley face in the middle of a parking lot at a housing complex with a snow angel to its left. If it loads slow below, here's a link.

The storm's heading our way. Wishing everyone safe thoroughfare and a chance to appreciate nature.

Crying out to God: Prayers from Haiti

I'm reading a book entitled Wild at Heart: Radical Teachings of the Christian Mystics by Tessa Bielecki, who describes prayer as "crying out to God."

On a day when the earthquake in Haiti is two weeks old and massive suffering is ongoing, I can't help but add that crying out to God can be, and has been, accompanied by tears.

There is nothing dry about my prayers for Haiti. I have wept openly when talking about the lack of resources for Haitians with disabilities with my friends and colleagues. I've asked people to send donations, on an ongoing basis, to various organizations . Even as amputations continue, amputees are being released out of the hospitals because the space is needed. In a country where mobility is accomplished mostly on foot or bicycle , and where many jobs involve physical labor, amputees face insurmountable obstacles getting to church, school and work. Medical equipment is needed, as well as ongoing medical care.

(Find ways to help here.)

Then there is the danger of child trafficking, of trucks pulling up to groups of children and offering them food before taking them away to become victims of sexual trafficking or slaves, called restaveks. (Find ways to help here.)

Some of the most vulnerable cry out, asking where God is. These are their prayers. ( Read A Prayer after the Earthquake in Haiti here.)

Let us pray and help answer their prayers.

[For a 360 degree view of streets in Haiti, click here.]

Amputations increase in Haiti due to infections, delays in care

The growing number of amputations in Haiti are raising concerns among medical professionals about those who will be living with disabilities, as can be seen in this video. If you can, please give to Portlight Strategies, Inc. or Whirlwind Wheelchair International to help meet the medical equipment and other needs.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Whirlwind Wheelchairs: thousands of wheelchairs needed in Haiti

via Rolling Rains Report :

Whirlwind Wheelchairs is rushing an order of their durable rough terrain wheelchairs (called the Rough Rider) down to Haiti - their chairs are good quality and will work in the environment. You can learn more about them in this video.






Each chair costs $220 and they are raising $22,000 for the first order. Please help if you can.

You can donate at Whirlwind Wheelchair here.

Portlight Strategies, Inc. seeks donations and staff

The woman is laying on a stretcher in a medical tent in Haiti. A reporter asks a doctor what procedure needs to be done and he replies that an initial foot amputation is now infected and they must amputate more of the leg. When the reporter asks a second doctor if patients like this woman will receive prosthetics, he replies noncommittally. Maybe. If they survive, maybe. First we save their lives. It's a realistic answer for those who survive with a disability in Haiti, but there is a way to help.

As a person with a disability, I know how difficult it is to have any quality of life without the necessary medical equipment to be mobile. Yet I also know that people who live in poverty around the world often wind up living on the floor or in bed, immobile, because they don't have a wheelchair or a prosthetic leg.

Knowing how many amputations are being performed in Haiti due to crush injuries, as well as the fact that 38% of the population is under the age of 15, we can anticipate a great need for medical equipment for survivors of the earthquake that will be ongoing.

Please keep in mind the mission of Portlight Strategies, Inc. who will serve the specific needs of people in Haiti with disabilities. They work with a community of Catholic nuns who will be opening shelters in Port Au Prince. They need both donations and staff.

Any funds we raise will be used to defray shipping costs of medical and clinical equipment...and for the purchase of food and other shelter supplies...Haiti is our neighbor...and Haitians are certainly forgotten people...people with disabilities in Haiti are frequently barely seen as human...

Anyone interested in going to Haiti to help staff one or more shelters for Haitians with disabilities please email us..at paul@portlight.org

With their bare hands

In the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, reports came out that survivors were digging their fellow countrymen and women out of the rubble with their bare hands. Haiti is a place that had no infrastructure before the earthquake hit. None of the medical assistance we take for granted- ambulances and 911- are in place. Doctors without Borders lost their facilities and cannot locate many of their staff, but found two hospitals in good condition. They still need more staff, medicine and equipment because surgery needs to be available ideally within 48 hours to save lives, according to the head of Medecins Du Monde, Oliver Bernard.

As the rest of the world responds with troops, medical teams, and cash donations, those who have worked in Haiti on missions pray that the world will be generous. Considering the lack of infrastructure, debates are going on about the kind of help to send. There are at least 10,000 private organizations providing help and the deep poverty continues. It is clear that long-term planning requires "a model for independence", such as Partners In Health provides.

In the short term, there are many organizations you can give to which will help. Laura Hershey has provided a list of organizations, including Portlight Strategies Inc., which is a more disability specific group.

Last night as I was finishing up my work and preparing to go to bed, I discovered a website for St. Joseph's home for boys in Haiti. It indicated that the children were safe because they were outside at the time of the earthquake. The home includes a place called Wings of Hope for disabled children, where graduates of St. Joseph's care for them. Those children were safe as well. The director however was injured and the road was impassable. Hopefully rescue members will get to him soon.

This kind of urgency deserves any help we can provide. May our prayers be with our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Updates: Sadly, CNN reports that a seminary student, Ben Larson, is believed to have died at St. Joseph's Home for Boys during the earthquake. He was in Haiti helping with a church school.

The injured director and others with injuries have received medical care.

Jetstar working on alternative boarding procedure for wheelchair users...

.after Paralympian Kurt Fearnley refused to be pushed through the airport and crawled to the plane boarding area.

Jetstar said it was its current policy that wheelchair users check in their personal wheelchairs as luggage, then have them pushed to the boarding gate in a wheelchair designed by planes by a staff member.

Fearnley, who just completed a 60 mile crawl in the Papua New Guinea jungle, chose the alternative of crawling as a protest after staff insisted on taking his personal wheelchair away from him.

The airline issued an apology and Paralympian Fearnley said he was happy as long as they are "going ahead" with an alternative boarding policy for disabled passengers.

Fearnley also won the NY City Marathon and is shown in his racing chair in the photo above.

The other balloon boy

I found a story on BBC last evening about a five year old boy in the UK who is also a balloon boy. It says:

Charlie Castle was one of about 50 schoolchildren who released balloons during an end-of-term farewell at his school near High Wycombe in July.

The green balloon that Charlie released was found by the Queen of England while she was walking her dogs, approximately 14 miles away. The Queen wrote the boy a personal note, sending back his balloon.

There's a delightful audio interview of Charlie on the right side of the article page. Here's a link as well. In an interview, Charlie said "It was so exciting to get the letter. I was surprised my balloon had flown so far. I'm just glad that the Queen's dogs didn't eat it!"

[Photo from hellomagazine.com] shows Charlie in a blue collared shirt, holding up both his note from Buckingham Palace and his deflated green balloon.

Game over: Serena versus the line judge

As a retired competitive wheelchair tennis player, I saw my share of tossed rackets and profanity on court during the decade I played the sport. I saw players hurl their rackets to the ground in exasperation after a bad play and would joke that I couldn't because mine was duct taped on. I saw them question line calls. I heard profanity and a few tirades.

At one tournament I played down south, the line official told us before the match began that he was a Baptist and said that there would be a penalty for any cursing on his court. I knew my opponent had a habit of cursing and realized this could be an issue. In the northeast where I generally played, none of the officials called him on it. In the second set, first game, my opponent lost his cool and cursed. The official issued a warning. In the second set, third game, my opponent cursed again. The official walked over to him and said "Now I told you, I don't want to hear any of that" and gave him a point penalty. " My opponent did not curse again.

This morning some people are questioning the calls during the Williams-Clijsters match last night. Serena Williams, who was warned by an official when she threw her racket to the ground, approached a line official after a foot fault was called and used profanity, pointing her racket at the female official. I couldn't hear what was said, although the microphones apparently picked up some of it, which papers are reporting.

The rules are there for a reason. Behavior that is not allowed on the court is usually distracting to an opponent and falls under the category of unsportsmanlike behavior. It is also true that it can be distracting to officials or make their jobs impossible to do. A tennis match requires that officials maintain control.

Why? Because as a former player, I can tell you that the game of tennis isn't just physically demanding. It requires the ability to think, to strategize. Having no parameters on behavior would be like trying to play chess with your opponent jumping up and down and cursing after a move. It's both distracting and unfair. Worse yet, such antics are used intentionally by some players to regain control of a match when things don't go their way. I've seen it time and time again in matches where officials didn't make calls they should have. I once had an opponent disappear for a half hour leaving me in the 90 degree heat on a court. The official didn't call my opponent on her long bathroom break and wouldn't allow me to get into the shade. Although I was ahead by a set, I was almost unable to play due to overheating when she returned and lost the match. I found out later she was sitting most of the time in front of a cooling fan inside the building by a ladies' room.

So there are reasons why rules should be enforced. Sometimes as a player you just have to play on even though you disagree with the call by an official. Serena, as a professional tennis player, should know that. When you walk (or roll) onto a court in a USTA match, you agree to abide by the rules, whether the prize money is fifty dollars for a wheelchair tennis player or - well- lots more for an able bodied one.

She's not the only player, however, to lose a match due to unsportsmanlike conduct. John McEnroe was defaulted in a masters match in 2008 after four calls.

Update: Serena Williams has issued an apology for her behavior on court.

Quadriplegic Dumping: Watch what you say about quads, please

Tom DeLay now claims that quadriplegics on gurneys were dumped in front of his podium at town hall meetings in the '80s, claiming this has been going on at health care town hall meetings "forever".



This article thinks DeLay has had a memory lapse, noting a May 1996 article about an ADAPT protest that he could be mixing this up with, which is a far different thing .

It begins like this:

"Groups of protesters, most of them in wheelchairs, barricaded two local political offices Tuesday to demand changes in the way disabled people receive care in America. ... A second group of about 150 ADAPT supporters blockaded and occupied U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay's office in Sugar Land [Texas], until DeLay agreed to meet with them. "

And continues:

"Tuesday's protesters narrowly escaped arrest by Stafford police when DeLay, who is in Washington, D.C., agreed to meet with them next month."

First of all, his claim feeds into peoples' comments about how anyone with a disability who dares to speak up at a health care town meeting is a setup, as if people with disabilities should not have an opinion or, if they express one, someone told them what to say. There's always that passive element involved, as in someone bringing them in - i.e. dumping them- not attributing self determination to our actions.

If you think that assumption isn't a big deal, take a moment and ponder how this waters down our opinions if people take a look, see a disability and assume we are fed our opinions. And by the way, this assumes all of us with disabilities think the same way, which is laughable if you've spent any time among us.

Secondly, this is typical of the ableist tendency to remain ignorant about the differences in disability. Any two people in a power chair have different disabilities, although they may look the same to someone who is ignorant about disability. Even if this claim by DeLay was true, it's incredible to think that someone went out, recruited all quadriplegics, put them on gurneys and brought them in. Did they raid local nursing homes to find enough quads? Not to mention, most quadriplegics on gurneys are only on those because they can't afford a wheelchair.

Just an FYI for anyone who thinks we live on gurneys.

So taking the name of quadriplegics in vain appears to be a story behind the story here that most likely will garner no attention. I'm tired of these passive characterizations of quadriplegics and angry that those of us who work so hard to get rid of myths and assumptions continue to be bombarded by them, as if it's socially acceptable.

The next time you hesitate as a person with a disability to speak up, remember that your opinion matters. Those who see us as objects who are dumped, those who still insist on turning us into lemmings who all look the same are not going to shut up on their own. Their insistence on doing this obscures the real issues about disability and health care - long term care and the Community Choice Act, among others. It is up to us to claim our personhood and to insist that generalizations about disability and, at times our disability in particular, are untrue and that it's unacceptable to view us that way.

Agencies report increase in college grad volunteers

Several volunteer organizations are reporting increases in the number of college graduates they place, as a response to "the tight job market or simply from a desire to do some good."



The Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, which places volunteers in rural and urban areas in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, accepted 101 volunteers at the start of the 2009-10 service term, a 40 percent increase from the previous year.

Teach for America and the Peace Corps also have tracked big surges in volunteer numbers since the nation's economic downturn began in the fall of 2008 -- about 40 percent for Teach for America and 16 percent for the Peace Corps. via catholicnews.com

The directior of Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, Jeanne Haster, credits the President's call for involvement in community service and the signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in April, which increases the number of spots in the AmeriCorps service program.

"This bill will dramatically increase the amount of support for service opportunities throughout the United States, enabling more Americans to volunteer during a time when so many in our country are in need," said Jim Lindsay, executive director of the Maryland-based Catholic Network of Volunteer Service.

The network, with more than 200 member-programs, hosts an online directory of full-time service opportunities. Those logging on to search the opportunities have increased by 32 percent from a year ago. In a recent poll of network members, two thirds reported a "significant" increase in applications from previous years, he told the Catholic Sentinel, Portland's archdiocesan newspaper. via Catholicnews.com

To read the rest of the article and read about some of the students involved, click the link above.

Forgiving a felon: why Michael Vick's situation is the wrong discussion

There are those who say Michael Vick should never play NFL football again, while others say he did his time and deserves a second chance. This debate is about many things, but there's an aspect of it that, as an attorney who has practiced criminal law, concerns me a great deal.

I've met many young men and some young women who get into trouble at a young age. Many times it involves drugs. If they have committed a felony, they face serious hurdles in obtaining employment. In fact, those hurdles can be so high that their chance of reintegrating into society after imprisonment is low and they re-offend.

Efforts to employ felons could stand a great deal of improvement. For example, a program like Felony Franks is found in the "odd news" section, as if the name of the program is the greatest concern.

A Chicago restaurateur has earned praise from the community for hiring convicted felons, but the eatery's name -- Felony Franks -- strikes some as bad taste.

Jim Andrews, owner of Felony Franks, said his goal is to have a chain of the hot dog stores staffed by convicted felons

I'm all for businessmen and women who create programs to hire convicted felons, because we lack enough resources. There are some solutions , like transitional employment that teaches job skills and provides a work history. There are federal and tax credits for hiring felons. But getting business people to give chances to those with a record is difficult in good times and practically impossible during a recession.

I've had many conversations with young people about to leave jail or halfway houses. They call my office and ask what to do. Terrified that they will never be able to get a job, they often cry and express great remorse about what they did. They admit they didn't think it through. I make suggestions. I refer them to people in the community who I know will extend that extra hand. I urge them to use the prison ministry program and, if appropriate, the 12 step programs in the jail to form a network of support. Help can come from many places, I tell them.

I hear back from a few who have made it - far too few. There are many more I never hear back from. I know some go back to jail and, after watching these transitions for over twenty years, I know that the hurdles they face is a part of that.

Michael Vick is not your average felon. He is an extremely talented young man and because of that talent he is at the center of many discussions. But those discussions don't solve the real problem which is, as a society, how we somehow expect those transitioning out of jail to get jobs and housing and become productive citizens, yet provide few, if any, avenues to do so.

What I'd like to see come from this is not a resolution of his unusual situation, but a discussion of what our society can do for the average person who has served his or her time and emerges into society, often unskilled, certainly without the advantages and connections that Vick has. Perhaps this is a good opportunity for all of us to think about things like forgiveness and redemption. Otherwise, we will continue to face high levels of recidivism when convicted felons who really try can't find any honest job.

Sen. Kennedy to be awarded Medal of Freedom

Sen. Ted Kennedy will be awarded the Medal of Freedom today, the highest civilian honor in our country. His daughter, Kara Kennedy, will be on hand to accept the award for him in Washington DC. He is presently mourning the loss of his sister, Eunice and balancing his work with treatments for cancer.

Held in high affection by colleagues, Sen. Kennedy is missed.

A lot of times I've asked myself, 'What would Teddy do?' " said Sen. Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who is filling in for his friend at the helm of the Senate's health committee. In the Senate, Kennedy "is one of the pillars," said former senator John Warner, a Virginia Republican who retired last year. via usatoday.com

Other 2009 recipients include Desmond Tutu, Stephen Hawking, Billie Jean King, Mary Robinson, Sidney Poitier , Nancy Goodman Brinker, Pedro Jose Greer, Jr., Jack Kemp, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow, Harvey Milk, Sandra Day O'Connor, Janet Davison Rowley, MD, Muhammad Yunus and Chita Rivera.

Zac sails home

Some readers may have noticed I've been following the voyage of 17 year old Zac Sunderland, who is returning home today after sailing around the world solo for 13 months. You can see a photo of Zac at sea above.

You can also find Zac's blog here, along with some great photos and stories about his journey.

Congratulations, Zac!

Higher utility bills? You're not alone

At least on the East cost.

Thanks to the vagaries of Mother Nature this year, my friends and neighbors are being hit with unexpected higher utility costs. If you're on an equalization payment plan, these accrue and are due in June. Most seem to owe between 350 or more dollars than last year.

Funny thing is that when the bill came in, a friend told me that he thought he was the only one affected by it. (I had a heads up because Meredith got hers first). I was thinking about how often that's a reaction we have, but I bet if I took the time to go up and down my block I'd find a lot of others in the same boat.

One thing you can do is call the utility company and check to see if the bill is actual or estimated (i.e. whether a real meter reading was done.) If you can't find the code, call the billing department and have them help you locate it.

This comes at a really bad time for many people, so although I know it's off topic I wanted to share that bit of information.


A bit of blogging trivia - I somewhat broke the quote key on my laptop with my assistive device which I was using since my voice recognition wasn't working properly, so if you see posts with inconsistent quote marks or creative ones Ive invented , please dont assume Ive lost all the grammar the Sisters of St. Joseph drummed into me.

Social security benefits to disabled delayed by state cuts says official

The nation’s top Social Security official says benefits for tens of thousands of people with severe disabilities are being delayed by furloughs and layoffs of state employees around the country.

The official, Michael J. Astrue, the commissioner of Social Security, said Sunday that “governors are hurting their own states, their own citizens, and increasing the backlog of claims” by furloughing workers who make disability decisions. via nytimes.com

He argues that, since states are reimbursed for the salaries of the state employees doing those jobs, as well as the benefits paid to people with disabilities, no money is saved by furloughing or laying off the employees. The backlog, causing years of waiting, was addressed by $500 million included in the stimulus bill.

Today is a Via Crucis

Pope Benedict XVI gave special dispensation for a funeral mass held earlier today on Good Friday, a day when Mass is not held, for those who died in Italy's earthquake. The death toll has reached 287 people. Thousands of survivors are in tent camps, facing difficult conditions.

"Today is a 'Via Crucis' for each of us," said Stefania Pezzopane, one of the top officials of this medieval city in central Italy. The "Via Crucis," or "Way of the Cross," is the procession held on Good Friday in commemoration of Jesus' suffering before crucifixion. The 6.3-magnitude quake struck Monday at 3:32 a.m., catching many in their sleep. It collapsed buildings and reduced entire blocks to piles of rubble. L'Aquila was among the hardest hit, but the quake damaged some 26 towns in the central mountainous region of Abruzzo. via msnbc.com

Please keep all those grieving in your prayers.

4 residents die in fire in NY group home

An early morning fire took the lives of four residents with developmental disabilities at the Riverview state-run home in the southern Adirondacks.

They are: 52-year-old Anthony Vitti, 60-year-old Theresa Williams, 43-year-old Gloria Bonilla, and 32-year-old Corey Desotelle.

Five of the home's nine residents survived. One, 71-year-old Blaine Edwards, is being treated at a Utica hospital. The other four were relocated to another home. The two staff members also survived.

According to the article, five of the nine residents were plaintiffs in NYCLU's landmark class action suit over inhumane conditions at Willowbrook State School in 1972.

An investigation of the fire was called for by NYCLU "claiming a sprinkler system was knocked out immediately - possibly because a generator was too small."

Fast tracking production of electric vehicles: what about the safety issues for pedestrians?

Ford's electric Focus that will roll out for sale in early 2011 was made by a company named Magna. It's purely electric - and goes 100 miles without recharging, while the Chevy Volt goes 40 miles on electric before going on gas. The Focus uses no gas reserve. Ford is also introducing a small electric work van next year that was also made by an outside supplier.

Magna plans to sell the system used on the Focus to others, part of their deal with Ford, which lowers Ford's cost. Using Magna has allowed Ford to bring the car to market quicker.



The pedestrian safety issues are addressed in this video. The Ford representative minimizes the issue and says "We'll be prepared, when the vehicle goes into production, to address that issue."

They need to be held to this, since these cars, as well as hybrids, present an enormous mobility and safety issue to legally blind pedestrians and others.


Related: That Blissfully Quiet Electric Car Might Just Kill You

H.R. 5734 Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act of 2008, introduced April 9, 2008

National Federation of Blind information page on Quiet Cars (a plethora of information, including interviews, sample legislation, safety task force reports, resolutions, etc.)

This video shows one type of audible warning that has been developed.

I think these guys have been in charge of the economy

In this famous apple scene from The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, three men discuss whether apples have a will of their own.