My daughter turned 18 a few months back. Long before she aged into majority, a wonderful old friend who happens to be a social worker with the state took me aside and gave me the inside skinny, the keys to unlocking the complexities of the social services system in this the “47th state”. I was grateful for the advice, and put on my to-do list all of the things she told me to do.
and then…didn’t.
The above categories and questions are only my own personal ‘guidelines’ of what I consider before I get myself involved – I’m sure there are many other questions you may consider in your own mind!
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A career in higher education means that May is the official start of my summer. Don’t get too jealous… I work in the summer just at a more relaxed pace. After an academic year that almost did me in, I’m ready to settle into summer… regroup… and start blogging on a regular basis.
This summer, like all the others before will be full of adventure! Graduations, weddings, beach trips and of course afternoons at the pool are on my agenda.
Do you have any big plans for summer? Are you going to the OI Convention?
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Any tips for those going off to college?
It’s around that time of the year when school is wrapping up and everyone is looking forward to graduation parties, and time off to spend with friends! If you are one of those happy members of the class of 2012 –
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
All of your hard work has paid off and soon you’ll be moving off to exciting new ventures into the near future. For some of you that exciting new venture includes going off to college. What to pack? What questions to consider? One reader asked about any tips I had so here’s my list of suggestions–
Here are a list of a few things that I have been told, or have heard being said — and my response is usually a silent groan followed by a disapproving shake of the head.
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How to Promote Respect and Understanding for People with Disabilities Among Children
At some point, usually around pre-school age, children will begin to develop a natural curiosity about the differences between themselves and the people around them. They will notice such things as difference in size, shape, hair color and other physical characteristics, as well as differences in behavior. Regarding people with disabilities, they may ask questions about things they don’t understand:
Have you ever given a presentation to your classmates about O.I.?
Yes! When I was younger, my elementary school had a week called “Understanding Me.” This was the week where fourth and fifth graders learned about people with varying abilities via hands-on learning, guest speakers, and presentations from yours truly.
Because my friends had grown up with me since Kindergarten they knew, by then, what to expect from me. So while they saw how I lived my life with them at school, they had no idea what my life was like when the school day ended. And very few knew what my life was like at home. This was the part of the “Understanding Me” week that I enjoyed sharing with my classmates, that other part of my life. Things like how I moved around at home (at that time mostly by crawling around), whether or not my brothers or anyone else in my family had O.I., how many fractures I have had, or what my first broken bone was. I remember talking about how my parents still had to carry me around “like a baby,” that I would never grow to be taller than 3ft., why I needed to wear leg braces, and when it was that my mother found out “something was wrong” during her pregnancy.
What are the upsides to being in a wheelchair?
1. Awesome concert seating accommodations. Whenever I go to concerts or sporting events I have always been appropriately accommodated. This usually means getting seats that enable me to view the stage / field, but also maintains my safety. Sometimes there is a roped off section for wheelchair seating (plus one or two guests), other times accessible seating is intermingled with the rest of the concert goers. Either way though, I have never complained about this and … neither have my friends =)
2. Courteous and chivalrous behavior. Although there will be some obnoxiously rude moments, for the most part I can expect people will treat me courteously. Who said chivalry was dead? Nothing says chivalry like being able to board planes before first-class passengers.
I went swimming with my daughter and her physical therapist the other day. They swim twice a week as part of her personalized PE class, and this is the first time I’ve been able to go along. Many years ago, my daughter and I went swimming frequently, almost every day in the summer. Now I had a chance to see how much she’d grown without me.
I slipped into the water as my daughter ran the chair lift to get herself in. As the chair glided into the water, I thought of all the different methods we’ve used to get her into the water in pools with limited accessibility. If there are steps into the pool, we’re golden, but if it’s a traditional, competitive pool–like the one at her school–getting in and out is actually dangerous for her. I’d sit her on the edge of the pool, get in myself, then go pick her up off the side. When she was feeling healthy, she’d “jump” into the pool, pushing herself off with her legs, landing semi-gently in the water near my arms. If she had any kind of pain, I would lift her in.
Are there right words to say to a parent who just received an O.I. diagnosis?
I once imagined what a newborn with a disability might tell a parent.
But like I said, I just imagined it. It might be quite awhile before we know exactly what those new additions to our families are really thinking.
I think that to answer this question there are two possible perspectives: you might already have experience with O.I. yourself (as either a fellow parent or as the child), or you might not have any first-hand experience. In this instance I can’t say for certain that one perspective may be any better than the other.
