Look through the disability And See The Person

Hey Guys~

How was everybody's weekend? Mine was okay, but as you can see I'm still trying to catch up on some things. Therapy is going well as I have said. On a personal level, I am struggling. It's been so hard to find friends down here; the only people I know here are my family. On the one hand, it just makes me learn to appreciate my friendships developed in college so much more.

I'm sure my disabled readers know where I'm coming from. We just want someone to look beyond the disability and see us.. a person with the same hopes and dreams as anyone else. With that in mind, I came across this unique video presentation about Dave. Please take a look
http://garr.posterous.com/look-through-the-disability-an

Friday's Belated Post

Okay,

So I realize therapy and the busyness of life have kept me from posting lately. Progress has been slow and steady, but I am learning how to move again. Like my occupational therapist says, it's more about learning how to move your arms and fingers separately rather than just improving appearances (i.e. my tightness and rigidity). I'm glad we are on the same page with that because it's easy to lose sight of the little accomplishments. I barely have time for myself anymore

Anyway, it's been difficult to find anything new and exciting in the disability world these days; so, for right now, this is the best that I can do. Below is the blog of the current Ms. Wheelchair Washington. It's amazing what people with disabilities can do..

http://mswheelchairwashington.blogspot.com/2009/03/ms-wheelchair-washington-loves-her.html

Encouragement: Never Give Up: Appropriate for Today, Don't You Think?

Okay,

So I found this foundation/blog and I thought it was pretty appropriate for today. Having a disability, giving up seems like a easy way out at times, but it's not. This foundation sheds light on the different avenues available to people with special needs.

http://nevergiveupfoundation.blogspot.com/2009/03/parenting-for-children-with-special.html

A. is for Attitude

Welcome Back ~

How's it going with my friends in cyberspace.. I hope my readers took some time to rest up and relax as well as accomplish some goals that had long been forgotten. I certainly did. This weekend, thanks to the advice of a long-lost friend, I took up the task of re-working a book I had started in my youth.I have a long way to go, mind you; but I am happy to find that something jumped-started the process again.

That being said, the topic for today's post is about attitude.. Having a good one is not always easy, especially when we are confronted with challenges on a daily basis. I came across the following blog and was once again reminded of the purpose of staying positive. Hope this encourages you as much as it did me.
http://www.momon4wheels.blogspot.com/

Hard to believe but it's Friday again

Hey Guys~

It's hard to believe but it's Friday. I had a few days there where I thought I was going to be out of commission with my computer. Luckily, it's up and running again. But I learned my lesson about what and what not to do with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. For that reason, I have a lot to catch up and am just going to post a link to today. This is just another example of disabled people overcoming challenges on a daily basis

Feel free to take a look:

http://www.themiamihurricane.com/2009/03/11/um-students-with-disabilities-succeed-despite-challenges/

Encouragement: Graduating Peter

Hey Guys~

If you're a parent of a child with a disability, I'm sure you are somewhat familiar with the "inclusion" or "mainstreaming" process. I certainly am. As a matter of fact, it's this process that has helped me develop into the person I am today. But not everyone is that lucky. Depending on the severity of a disability, the road towards inclusion can be a difficult one to travel. What makes it so difficult? That's a tough question. Several factors can impact the process, such as setting realistic goals for the child to achieve, the ability to connect with people etc.

In a recent documentary on HBO Family, inclusion issues like these were discussed. The documentary entitled "Graduating Peter" follows the journey of a young boy with Down Syndrome as the makers the transition from middle school through high school and into the real world. Like most parents, Judy just wants the best for her son. This simply means being able to live in the community as independently as possible, to have "a meaningful job" that he enjoys and maintain friendships.

"In order to do that, you need to learn the skills to get along in the community and those things absolutely cannot be taught in a self-contained class.." said Judy.

Besides the education, inclusion provides a foundation where students learn to socialize and interact with others. It also serves as a place to observe and practice appropriate behavior in everyday situations. With down syndrome, social and communication skills often come to play a huge part in a child's development. Unfortunately for Peter, communication is often really difficult. This often results in Peter acting out in the classroom.

"I think part of it too is the loneliness, not being able to talk and tell people what he would like or what he might be thinking," said Chris Vestal, a middle school Special Education Teach

Some inclusion programs, like Peter's focus on more than just academics; depending on one's goals, part of the time may be spent in the workplace developing the necessary skills to hold down a job. These jobs can range from anything to a janitor of a store, cleaning the city bus etc.

"My role is to try and make this gradual change from from school to work as an adult for Pete, so that when he leaves school that there's a worksite in which Pete has been performing at, been trained at that worksite and that he has expressed a real interest in," said Wayne Zellers, the high school Special Education Teacher.

Like most students, the transition from middle school to high school can be a difficult one. Especially for people with disabilities. They just want a place where they can be themselves and still fit in with the crowd. For more information about this documentary, feel free to to go to:http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/graduating_peter/

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Citation for TV program: "Graduating Peter" HBO Family Channel 407, 16 March 2009 (original air date:1/21/03)

Coping with A Disability: Both Perspectives

Welcome Back~

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Mine was uneventful, except for our weekly family dinner. It was nice just having time for us to talk and be a family. As I get older, I learn to treasure these times, creating mental pictures to remember for the future. In fact, I can hardly believe I will be 29 soon. But you know what they say-time flies when you're having fun. Life should be fun though..

Growing up, people have asked how I am able to maintain such a positive attitude and outlook despite my daily challenges. I hope I have made it clear through my posts that I haven't done this alone. It is only because my faith in God and the belief in my future that this is possible. In today's post, I have included two links. The first is a blog that features a YouTube link on the theological aspect of suffering in life. Why does God allow it? In this video, Joni Eareckson Tada debuts topics that will be featured in a new class at Dallas Theological Seminary:
http://lifereframed.blogspot.com/2009/03/joni-eareckson-tada-on-disabilities-and.html

The second link features a blog focusing on a parent's perspective of coping with the disability. It features some of the most common questions that will surface. These questions include: how will my life change when my child arrives and how to deal with the emotions of guilt:
http://fragilex.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/coping-with-a-diagnosis/