Hey Guys~
So, I'm behind with a couple of my posts. But I came across this article that I thought you might find interesting since it's difficult to find toys useful to children with disabilities..
http://toycom.co.cc/toy-ideas-for-children-with-cerebral-palsy-and-special-needs/
Friday, March 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The rest of the Patrick Henry audio book review being postponed..
Okay,
So I don't know how it happened but my audio files of the I Am Potential book got mixed up and are not in order. It's going to take me a while to rearrange them. There were in order on my iTunes, but now they're scrambled. I can't figure it out. I must have accidentally pressed a button on my iTunes to sort them somehow. That being said, I will need some time to figure it out. I will still post things like news articles for encouragement. Please bear with me!
So I don't know how it happened but my audio files of the I Am Potential book got mixed up and are not in order. It's going to take me a while to rearrange them. There were in order on my iTunes, but now they're scrambled. I can't figure it out. I must have accidentally pressed a button on my iTunes to sort them somehow. That being said, I will need some time to figure it out. I will still post things like news articles for encouragement. Please bear with me!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Update on artist "King Gimp".
Welcome Back,
I don't remember the first time I saw the Dan Keplinger story but I must have been a teenager. I was inspired by his story because it gave me hope for my future. I'll have to admit though, I was a little surprised that he allowed himself to be labeled "King Gimp". Anyway, his art continues to move millions. Recently, though, he accomplished another lifelong dream- he got married.
Read more about his story here:
http://ksusentinel.com/arts-living/fighting-spirit-dan-keplinger%E2%80%98king-gimp%E2%80%99-speaks/
I don't remember the first time I saw the Dan Keplinger story but I must have been a teenager. I was inspired by his story because it gave me hope for my future. I'll have to admit though, I was a little surprised that he allowed himself to be labeled "King Gimp". Anyway, his art continues to move millions. Recently, though, he accomplished another lifelong dream- he got married.
Read more about his story here:
http://ksusentinel.com/arts-living/fighting-spirit-dan-keplinger%E2%80%98king-gimp%E2%80%99-speaks/
Friday, February 26, 2010
Another Lesson from Patrick Henry Hughes
Hey Everyone~
It's Friday again and as I look forward to this weekend I can't help but be amazed at how fast the time flies. Just yesterday, I was thinking about this while having dinner with my father. He's getting older as much as we both hate to admit it and it shows- in the little things such as the wrinkles of his hands and his "memory lapses". It scares me to think of a future without my parents because it's all I've ever known. I know I will have people that take care of me and support me, but nothing can ever take the place of your parental support. That brings me to the topic of this post; as promised, it is a continuation of Patrick Henry's book, "I Am Potential: Eight Lessons to Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams." Ironically enough, the next lesson is this: Be the You Your Mother Would Be Proud of.
Being Different
What does it mean to be different? Growing up, Patrick Henry liked to feel things with his hands. He would notice small differences of how people's eyes would flutter when he touched them; unlike his own, which were hard and didn't move. His family treated him like everyone else, so Patrick just assumed everyone had to be carried around or fed. Eventually though, he began to wonder how his parents got from place to place.
"They must be able to do something I can't," he thought. From then on, he was even more determined to do everything to be "less" different and try to walk on his own. But to no avail, Patrick still got a wheelchair at the age of four. "Why do I need a wheelchair?" Patrick would often ask. His parents explained that God made him different, using that example of a box where God gives out different abilities to different people when they were born. He accepted this explanation.
For many people, acceptance of a disability can lead to many misunderstandings among the nondisabled community. After all, wouldn't we love to be able to walk or see? Of course we would. But here's the difference: "Some might think I don't care or that I'm hiding from reality," Patrick says, "I do care- very much. If God said to me, 'Patrick Henry, would you like to start walking today?'I'd immediately say yes. I believe most people in a wheelchair would love to be independent of their chair and live life completely on their own.. but nothing is accomplished by dwelling on what you can't do ! So you have to shrink its importance down in your mind .."
After a while, his grandparents became increasingly concerned that Patrick didn't know how to socialize with kids his own age. As a result, his parents tried getting him into daycare. Many of the centers wouldn't take him because of his disability.
That is, until his parents found the Wesley Community House. Like most parents, their first days proved difficult for parents and son alike. Eventually, though, some kids warmed up to Patrick listening as he played music on the electric keyboard. One day as he was playing, Patrick Henry was asked, "why are you blind?"
He replied he didn't.
His friend continued, "Because you were born that way."
This brings up such an important point.. Having a disability, many of us don't know what life would be like without one. We have nothing to compare it to.. Just as, Patrick is often asked "What do you see?" He can't tell you. As a result, he depends on his other senses such as touch and smell to create mental models of what he thinks something they look like.
When Patrick entered public school, his disability was a attention- grabber from the start; everyone wanted to push his wheelchair or read to him at story time. As time progressed, though,, he realized the source and felt differently.
".. I didn't want to be seen as so different," he says.
When he was mainstreamed, he had to have personal assistants. Patrick participated in every activity he could in the effort to be accepted by his peers. And he was. Despite all this, one quote stands out the most for me.. Patrick says, "but no matter what you do and however much people welcome you among them, the truth is, if you are special and you can never be exactly like everyone else.."
Eventually, he accepted this as well and started looking at his music talent in a different way. "This [my music] allowed me to be recognized for a different kind of special! The kind I wanted to be. Once I go it, I could let the other feelings go,"
It's Friday again and as I look forward to this weekend I can't help but be amazed at how fast the time flies. Just yesterday, I was thinking about this while having dinner with my father. He's getting older as much as we both hate to admit it and it shows- in the little things such as the wrinkles of his hands and his "memory lapses". It scares me to think of a future without my parents because it's all I've ever known. I know I will have people that take care of me and support me, but nothing can ever take the place of your parental support. That brings me to the topic of this post; as promised, it is a continuation of Patrick Henry's book, "I Am Potential: Eight Lessons to Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams." Ironically enough, the next lesson is this: Be the You Your Mother Would Be Proud of.
Being Different
What does it mean to be different? Growing up, Patrick Henry liked to feel things with his hands. He would notice small differences of how people's eyes would flutter when he touched them; unlike his own, which were hard and didn't move. His family treated him like everyone else, so Patrick just assumed everyone had to be carried around or fed. Eventually though, he began to wonder how his parents got from place to place.
"They must be able to do something I can't," he thought. From then on, he was even more determined to do everything to be "less" different and try to walk on his own. But to no avail, Patrick still got a wheelchair at the age of four. "Why do I need a wheelchair?" Patrick would often ask. His parents explained that God made him different, using that example of a box where God gives out different abilities to different people when they were born. He accepted this explanation.
For many people, acceptance of a disability can lead to many misunderstandings among the nondisabled community. After all, wouldn't we love to be able to walk or see? Of course we would. But here's the difference: "Some might think I don't care or that I'm hiding from reality," Patrick says, "I do care- very much. If God said to me, 'Patrick Henry, would you like to start walking today?'I'd immediately say yes. I believe most people in a wheelchair would love to be independent of their chair and live life completely on their own.. but nothing is accomplished by dwelling on what you can't do ! So you have to shrink its importance down in your mind .."
After a while, his grandparents became increasingly concerned that Patrick didn't know how to socialize with kids his own age. As a result, his parents tried getting him into daycare. Many of the centers wouldn't take him because of his disability.
That is, until his parents found the Wesley Community House. Like most parents, their first days proved difficult for parents and son alike. Eventually, though, some kids warmed up to Patrick listening as he played music on the electric keyboard. One day as he was playing, Patrick Henry was asked, "why are you blind?"
He replied he didn't.
His friend continued, "Because you were born that way."
This brings up such an important point.. Having a disability, many of us don't know what life would be like without one. We have nothing to compare it to.. Just as, Patrick is often asked "What do you see?" He can't tell you. As a result, he depends on his other senses such as touch and smell to create mental models of what he thinks something they look like.
When Patrick entered public school, his disability was a attention- grabber from the start; everyone wanted to push his wheelchair or read to him at story time. As time progressed, though,, he realized the source and felt differently.
".. I didn't want to be seen as so different," he says.
When he was mainstreamed, he had to have personal assistants. Patrick participated in every activity he could in the effort to be accepted by his peers. And he was. Despite all this, one quote stands out the most for me.. Patrick says, "but no matter what you do and however much people welcome you among them, the truth is, if you are special and you can never be exactly like everyone else.."
Eventually, he accepted this as well and started looking at his music talent in a different way. "This [my music] allowed me to be recognized for a different kind of special! The kind I wanted to be. Once I go it, I could let the other feelings go,"
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Basketball is more than just a game..
Welcome back,
Okay, so I have decided to delay this week's encouragement untill Friday to bring you this special new segment I sawI was just about to change the channel from the news when a interesting sports story was shown. The story featured high school senior Tyler DeVries. Tyler isn't your typical basketball player. You see, he has cerebral palsy- the kind that affects his walking etc. But that hasn't stopped him from wanting to play basketball. Throughout his high school career, he tried out. He didn't make it .Eventually, though, he settled for being a manager for the team.
But that all changed Tuesday night. It was Senior's Night and the last game of his high school experience and the coach gives him an extra uniform to play. Unfortunately, the first two shots he missed while playing a game. He was devastated. But his teammates assured him they would put him back in soon..
They did. Tyler was able to shoot the last ball of the game. They won the game and are off to the playoffs. However, that isn't why they are excited. It's because Tyler accomplished one of his dreams that night.
"I can't believe it happened.. I felt like Michael Jordan," said DeVries
What does he hope to show people with disabilities?
"I just want to represent all people with disabilities and all the people who went out for basketball and didn't make it."
-- --
Citation for TV Program: News segment, Beth Parker reporting Fox channel 5 WTTG DC, News at 5 pm, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Okay,
Another week has passed and I'm just now posting Monday's post. How bad is that? The next two posts are more in-depth, so I thought I would make this one simple. Many of us wish our lives could be more "normal". But what is normal really? In one way or another, each family is unique.
Here is an example of one such family.
http://ourversionofnormal.blogspot.com/
Another week has passed and I'm just now posting Monday's post. How bad is that? The next two posts are more in-depth, so I thought I would make this one simple. Many of us wish our lives could be more "normal". But what is normal really? In one way or another, each family is unique.
Here is an example of one such family.
http://ourversionofnormal.blogspot.com/
Friday, February 19, 2010
Smart House
Hey Guys,
I thought this article was interesting. What will they come up with next? I'm waiting for a totally voice-activated house..
I'm just kidding, but who knows? If they came up with this, who knows what will happen next
http://www.munhallnewswatch.com/2010/01/smart-homes-assist-residents-in-daily.html
I thought this article was interesting. What will they come up with next? I'm waiting for a totally voice-activated house..
I'm just kidding, but who knows? If they came up with this, who knows what will happen next
http://www.munhallnewswatch.com/2010/01/smart-homes-assist-residents-in-daily.html
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