Disaboom

The case of the redundant roomate

Cynthia — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:19:00 GMT

Finally got toTIRR this afternoon and landed in Room 412. Did some OT and PT evals today. Scheduled to have my pump doseage increased in the morning. Will start therapy at 9 a.m. My phone dosen't work and I dropped my blush on the floor and broke it into pieces.

My roomate also has MS aparently with cognative problems.She has told me the same stories and asked me the same questions several times already. This could get really old, really quick.

How to Tick People Off...

naomimimi — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:08:00 GMT

Found thanks to Artlung.com

----

HOW TO TICK PEOPLE OFF

1. Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.

2. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."

3. Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."

4. If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.

5. Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.

6. Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."

7. Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."

8. Practice making fax and modem noises.

9. Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.

10. Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.

11. Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."

12. Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.

13. Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.

14. Holler random numbers while someone is counting.

15. Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."

16. Staple pages in the middle of the page.

17. Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.

18. Honk and wave to strangers.

19. Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.

20. TYPE IN UPPERCASE.

21. type only in lowercase.

22. dont use any punctuation either

23. Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.

24. Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
"DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it's gone now."

25. As much as possible, skip rather than walk.

26. Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.

27. Ask people what gender they are.

28. While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.

29. Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.

30. Sing along at the opera.

31. Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.

32. Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook. Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

OFF TOPIC: The FINM Art Project

John H. Pieper — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:07:00 GMT

blank_page

FINM Project

Hello All,

I may have asked before, but I'm starting an art project called, "Friends I've Never Met".

What I plan on doing is a series of black and white portraits. I am asking that those friends who are interested in this would email me a picture at least 3" x 5" in JPEG format. By 31 July 2008. I'm hoping to put them side by side in a show. Then, I hope to put them here online.

Please email them with the heading, "FINM Project" to me at

jhpieper@care2.com (cut and paste this).

Afte this is all done, I'm hoping to have enough $$ to be able to mail the portraits to those in the show, and to those not in the show.

Peace,

John

HELLO

NTK — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:56:00 GMT

HEY GUYS,

I AM NEW 2 THIS SITE N JUST WANT 2 SAY HELLO. LOOKING FORWARD 2 MAKING FRIENDS.

You Know What They Say...

Sweetie's Mom — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:02:00 GMT

... about living in New Hampshire, don't you? If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute - it will change.

This week, however, the weather has been pretty miserably consistent here in good ol' NH - downright rainy, muggy and depressing. I genuinely feel badly for everyone who's on vacation in this state this week. Sorry, guys - you picked a loser of a week to be free from your work responsibilities.

I do think that my body has taken a purely New Hampshirian view on its state of being, though. That is, a pain I've had all down my right leg for the past few days (a new pain I've never had before - it feels as if my leg fell asleep overnight from a funky sleeping position, but then just never decided to wake up!) has suddenly all but vanish, completely out of the blue.

One day I woke up with this pain - a pain I couldn't shake no matter what - and a few days later I wake up with no trace of pain at all.

Weird. But good. I'll take it.

Maybe I did sleep in a funky position, which put out my lower back (right at the L5 position, according to my chiropractor... great! just exactly where my spina bifida lesion is! A place my chiropractor is extremely conservative in actively treating! yipee!), and then I finally slept again in another funky position, which miraculously put me back to my normal ways.

I don't know how it all happened, to be honest with you. All I know is that, without doing a darn thing (other than one chiropractic visit at which - like I said - she admitted not being able to do much for me other than diagnose the issue), and actually going through a day and a half of even worse discomfort than I started with, now everything seems A-okay.

My body... if I don't like the way it's feeling, don't worry... just wait a little while and it will change.

Monkey matter: necessary companion or health risk?

brbroadw — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:02:00 GMT

We have posted our share of Disaboom blog entries about service animals ranging from dogs to miniature horses. I know we have mentioned service monkeys on occasion, but this recent CNN video segment raises an interesting question about the cute companions who help members of the disability community.

Debby Rose, of Springfield, Mo., relies on her service monkey, Richard, to help her deal with a "debilitating anxiety disorder" that can result in her having panic attacks with physical symptoms. The presence of her "creature comfort" enables Rose to be able to function in public without taking medication.

From all that I have seen and read, she keeps her monkey, dressed in clothes, close to her at all times. Some people, however, are disturbed by the monkey and fearful about the health risk he poses. Organizations and businesses in Rose's community, therefore, are saying the monkey is not welcome to enter because he "does not fall under service animal guidelines." Rose has now filed a lawsuit, saying she is the victim of discriminatory practices.

I have to wonder whether this story would be unfolding the same way if Rose had a visible disability? It seems like a case to me where people might be more understanding if she was depending on the monkey to help her accomplish physical tasks, such as picking up dropped items or pushing elevator buttons. I would think going anywhere with a monkey would attract a tremendous amount of attention, which seems like it could be unnerving for someone experiencing anxiety. I'll be interested to find out how this issue gets resolved.

What do you feel the outcome should be?

How did you lose your leg?

silent422 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:17:00 GMT

Here's a bunch of smartass answers to the question, 'How did you lose your leg?' Some of them I got from other amps, some I came up with. If anyone wants to add to this, please do when you comment. This is for anyone who has a sense of humor about it. I, personally, find that it helps.

"I was running with scissors."
"I caught an STD and it fell off."
"Well, when you play with power tools...."
"Wait,.....what? How the hell did that happen?"
"Tree mulchers & hard liquor. Not really the best combination no matter how much your friends say."
"I heard all the kids today were doing it, so I figured, why not?" (mine)

"I went to a rowdy bar and there was some,.....'unpleasantness'". (mine)

"Well, I wasn't willing to part with my eternal soul at the time, so...." (mine)
"I didn't lose it. My leg& I are playing hide-and-seek.....and it's winning."
"It turned evil, so it had to go." (mine)
"My leg and I were having 'issues'. We decided it was best to go our seperate ways." (mine)
"Yes, I lost it! Haven't you ever lost your keys? Wallet? The personality you usually have?" (mine)

"It was a consequence of dealing with my student loan officer. Apparently, they don't like it if you keep dodging them." (mine)

What Moves You?

timothykendrick — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:29:00 GMT

What is the one thing that if you did it you would feel so much passion and freedom that you would immediately be at bliss.

Some of you are already there. If you are not, keep reading.

Is it your career?

Is it a nudge you feel down in the pit of your stomach?

A little voice that says "I want to do that".

Immediately your conscious mind discounts that passionate burning desire with the negative conformity that you are surrounded with everyday. (TV, well meaning family and friends etc)

What happens next?

You take no action and in turn get no results.

And you are Miserable!!

Everyone has their own personal heaven or hell.

Most of us have gone through hell.

It's painful and obviously not much fun.

For instance my writing was leverage to keep me out of the psychiatric wards not to mention the fact that I was about to become a suicide statistic.

It brought me from pain to pleasure.

I read about 800 books in 4 years.

I talked to people (real and imaginary) who were successful.

I went to seminars looking for that next piece of the puzzle.

I had a burning desire to become whole again.

To make a difference

I have said before "what you give you get to keep" and I had given alot of pain to other people in this world.

For every ounce of pain I gave I got a pound back. (So it seemed)

It was time to find peace and closure to my enemy namely myself and my false beliefs.

My burning desire that got me juiced every time became assisting my fellow man with the truth of what he or she could be. Not what others thought they should be.

Wonderful things happen when you help your fellowman. And better yet allow them to assist you.

A new world opens up to you.

I have friends who are salesmen, plumbers, actors, speakers, authors, professional wrestlers, millionaires, musicians, and warriors.

It is not their title that brings them fulfillment. It is their passion, their burning desire, their calling.

They took the challenge and listened to the nudge from within or that hunch to find for themselves what they wanted,

What was the magic thing they did to achieve these results?

They took massive action on their burning desire.

They knew their outcome.

If what they were doing wasn't working they changed their approach until they got the desired result.

In several of my books the grammar and punctuation is horrendous.

Finished was better than perfect. (My not so infamous Mantra)

It was not the punctuation I was concerned with.

It was the message I wanted to get out.

Getting the message out assisted me more than you will ever know.

It taught me clarity mixed with action is power and in that power I can be "apart of" instead "apart from" this world.

I found my major definite purpose in this life.

Whatever your burning desire I say Do It Now!!

When you have a flash of inspiration Do It Now!!

When you want to put off a task that will free you from your own emotional chains, Do It Now!!

Do It Now!!!

You ask "how do I make up for my past?"

Answer: By cleaning up your future

You ask "How do I start?"

By being the person you always wanted to be at this precise moment.

It's what I call "acting your way into right thinking".

You ask. "When is a good time to start?"

Answer: When is Now a good time.

Abundant blessings and peace be with you

Timothy Kendrick

John McCain Confirmed for July 26th AAPD Forum (Webcasting Live on Disaboom)

Disabled Politico — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 19:11:00 GMT

The AAPD recently released some exciting news: Senator John McCain has confirmed that he will participate in the National Forum on Disability Issues in Columbus, Ohio, on July 26th. The forum will be webcasted live on Disaboom. Senator McCain will participate in the forum by remote satellite.

John McCain's Democratic rival for the Presidency, Barack Obama, will be out of the country Saturday. Senator Tom Harkin, who has been a longtime friend of the disability community and who helped to advise Obama on his "Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities," will participate in the forum on Barack Obama's behalf.

Saw Tom Petty Last Night: A Review

Tiffiny — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:19:00 GMT

Last night I accompanied my mom, step-dad, sister, my sister's bf, my step-sister, my step-sister's bf, my cousin, his friend, my brother, his wife, my other cousin Jon, his gf Alicia, plus two friends of the family to see Tom Petty and The Heartbreaker's last night at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Steve Winwood (of "Bring Me a Higher Love" fame) opened for them, and copious amounts of beer was consumed.

We met at the Hard Rock Cafe Minneapolis (right across the street from the venue) 2 hours before the doors opened. There were SO many people in the city for the show last night (it looked close to being sold-out), not to mention all the families who were in the downtown city limits for the city of Minneapolis' annual Torchlight parade, well, we didn't get a table. The people at the Hard Rock however are damn smart, and had a beer girl (complete with the belly-baring boob top) and a full bar outside on the patio for everyone waiting unendingly for a table, buzzers in hand, to no avail.

Let's be honest: Petty is about boozing it up anyways. We can have a cheeseburger, fill our guts on food, any other night of the week. So we weren't THAT bummed. So, after putting 3 beers into my tiny 120lb, 5'10 frame (that doesn't walk and therefore doesn't burn that many calories), hanging with the fam outside, meeting other Petty fans, etc, etc, we crossed the street and got inside the stadium. It's crazy. Minnesota has SO many people who use wheelchairs here. I ran into a para at the Hard Rock who kept smiling at me, and once I found my seat I was sat next to a C2 quad. Cute guy too. We talked, and this was his 9th Petty show.

I was sad that I had to sit alone though, away from my family. We all bought our tickets at different times. And the fact that I need special seating didn't help this predicament. Third song in the set though my sadness went away, when my sister and her bf snuck down and sat next to me (there was an open seat by me thankfully). So there we sat for the next 1.5 hours, jamming out to hits like "Saving Grace" and "Free Fallin."

My evening could've been a bust too. When I bought some chicken fingers I heard, said "Do you need help?!" and looked. It was Elaine. A PCA I had to fire 8 years ago after she stole my ATM card while I was in the shower, and took $300 out to give to her crackhead bf at the time. I just ignored her, grabbed my food, and sped off back to my section. Out of ALL the food vendors in the stadium, I had to choose that one.

Anyways, still had a blast, and here are som pics from the show!

a freak-man in paris

srvannest — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:33:00 GMT

A Freak-Man in Paris

I flew into Paris from Boston expecting an hour layover, then I’d connect and fly to Nice. Instead I spent two hours in a security line and another hour explaining to Jacques at the screening that what his wand was picking up in my spine was a metallic implant, a surgical rod, not an assault rifle. I had gotten used to good treatment in Boston, and in Baltimore, where my journey began, and now I was pissed the security guard at Charles De Gaulle wasn’t whisking me away through the long security line.
    “You can walk, no? You are standeeng? You are a young man.”
    All true. I do walk with a cane, and in America this is cause enough for special treatment. Apparently not in France. This worried me. I was visiting to see my girlfriend of almost three years, who not a week earlier sent me an email saying she hasn’t told her housemates I have a disability, on the grounds that they might judge her. Judge her. I was suddenly questioning my self-proclaimed crusade for disability rights in America via an SMP on Disability Studies, a school of literary criticism. What am I bitching about, I wondered. I have it great in the States. I should crusade here. Too bad the exchange rate would kill me.
    While I waited for the next connection to Nice I sat next to a guy who had to be ninety and his wife, who connected there from Atlanta on their way to Stockholm to see their Granddaughter get married. He walked with two gold canes with duck heads for handles. His wife can’t walk, and CDG wouldn’t let her bring her motor chair on the plane, promising they’d wheel her around in one of the airport’s chaises. They’d missed two connections to Stockholm, and had been there for eight hours, because no one paid attention to them, and none of the airport staff acknowledged the man’s requests for a wheelchair. I even asked for them, using what little French I know. In response, Pierre asked me if the old man was my grandfather, and when I said “non” he was wondering, “then why do you care?”
    He was a WWII veteran, this guy. He was in the Ardennes when Berlin fell. It was too good, the way he cursed the French without actually cursing, his wife stroking his arm to calm him down when he would say something like “tarnation.” I usually feel uncomfortable when people are so outwardly intolerant, but I was willing to make an exception with the French. Their own intolerance for our collective disabilities earned them my intolerance. The contradiction of these two hatreds only dawns on me now: intolerance and the French.
    I missed my connection and had to wait three and a half hours for the next one. I sat and read, got a croissant and an espresso, craved a cigarette, and felt French. I liked it, even as I hated everyone around me. I felt snobby; too busy and self absorbed to acknowledge anyone, with my legs crossed, brushing croissant crumbs off my lap and sipping espresso. I fit right in, except for the old blue forearm crutch lying at my feet. It’s how I attracted attention, and not the “wow, his shoes match his faux-hawk” sort of attention that the French admire; it was annoying attention, like I was fouling up the sweaty, hot, farty smelling airport.
    There’s this one episode of Family Guy where Peter is pronounced legally retarded. He goes next door to visit his friend Joe, who’s in a wheelchair, and asks if they can talk about things, since they can relate now. Joe says he’s not retarded, he’s disabled, and Peter says, “well now we’re just splitting hairs.” It’s funny to me, because I worry about that. Will people think I’m not right in the head when I’m in a wheelchair? Will I become a Captain Ahab, my peg-leg thumping on the deck, raving about the white whale? Disability Studies scholars call it the “twisted mind within the twisted body,” meaning that disability in literature can represent deviance. I definitely represented something unpleasant as I sat at CDG, and all I had singling me out was old blue to prop me up.
    I thought about my girlfriend, and pondered her predicament. She had told me about her housemates, all Spaniards, how they partied constantly and brought home new hookups, how to them she was a loser for staying with me and not expanding her sexual horizons by contracting syphilis in the land that made it famous and bringing it back to the States like an Eiffel Tower keychain. Imagine how she would be taunted if they knew I was crippled. I understood, or tried to. I thought of that saying: who is more foolish; the fool or the fool who follows him? Who is more pathetic; the cripple or his gorgeous, able-bodied girlfriend? Chewbacca had the right answer: “Nnnrrrraaaggghhh.”
    I did enjoy the convenience of having a minor disability in Baltimore and Boston. No standing in the long lines, the airport staff all empathetic smiles.
“Would you like a wheelchair, sir?”
“No, I’m fine thank you. I can walk OK.”
First onto the plane, the bubbly stewardess gently stashing my crutch into the overhead compartment, telling me that anything I needed was a shout away. In the States I was “aww,” and in France I was “eww,” a simple change of vowel that made all the difference to a crippled boy in an airport. In France I was Ahab, and in the States I was Tiny Tim.
“God bless us, every one.”
Sure it was nice in the airport, but that’s not what I want either. I’m not a squeaky, sympathy-inducing, God-appreciating Tiny Tim, but neither am I the hobbling, cane-clutching, twisted Scrooge. There must be something better in between France and the US, I thought. The Atlantic.

Little Town / Large City

Sister Lisa Catherine Obl S.B. — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:26:00 GMT

I'm livid right now...

As a matter of fact, I'm so angry I'm about to blow a gasket... I NEED $3,000.00 to move From Cheyenne WY. 40 miles to the East to a lovely little town called Pine Bluffs. It's not much really, a small town with few people, high school and Elm. school, and Jr. high school. A public pool in the summer and ... oh yeah, FEW PEOPLE. I've wanted to move there since my 30s and now I'm able to move there, take our mobile home and live in a very small, quite park right across the 'street' from an amazing Statue of our Holy Mother Mary.

In Jan. my folks said when we found a place to move, they WOULD pay for us to move the trailer... Now................... UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH no, they just don't think they have the money to help us do this. WHY must EVERYONE CONTROL MY LIFE ?????????????????????????????????????????? I've had it.

Did my becoming handicap make me STUPID also ??

the blue place

bunnymay — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:46:00 GMT

I read Nicola Griffith's amazing "The Blue Place" about a year before I was injured, and loved it. About a year after, I read it again and felt like I was reading it for the very first time.

Before it was a detective story with one of the baddest-assed broads ever penned, Aud (rhymes with shroud).

After? It's the story of a woman, the author, who has lost her physicality and has reclaimed it by writing a story about the hopes and dreams of her former self. Not that you'd pick that up, I just happen to find out that Nicola Griffith had MS and had lost her own physicality much the way I have. Two tough chicks forced to go soft by no choice of their own.

Back when I was playing college field hockey, I used to spend time visualizing myself playing, going over a particular move. I always found as I became more skilled that visualizing became easier, I suppose because I had finally figured out what muscles had to go where at precisely when. These days my visualizing seems to happen most in dreams, and the weird thing is that I'm forever forgetting how to walk. When I walk in dreams now, it feels like I'm underwater, lost and limping against the current. It's as if I no longer even know how to put one foot in front of the other, even though I did it for 29 years. That part of me is becoming a stranger to me, which really isn't as awful or bad as it sounds, as it is turning out.

"Who are you when you have nothing left but your inner resources?"

Assistive devices becoming status symbols?

Finetooner — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:07:00 GMT

If I didn't get much response from my previous blogs, this one ought to engender responses both pro and con! I'm writing this upon reading a couple of Silent422's thoughtful blogs.

When I was getting fitted with my lower left leg/ankle/foot orthotic, the technician handed me a brochure with an endless number of graphic designs that I could have had impregnated into my brace. I opted for the standard, dull, boring, neoprene look instead. Apparently, a LOT of people are not!

Before I retired from the airport as a Flight Coordinator, I saw a proliferation of very high-tech, flashy, colorful assistive devices ranging from prosthetics, and orthotics, to wheelchairs. I remember helping a young Mom and her son. The Mom was sporting a wildly colorful high tech right-below-knee prosthetic and obviously made no effort to disguise it or cover it up since she was wearing walking shorts. She ambulated gracefully without a trace of a limp. Impressed, I casually asked her about her prosthetic: "how is it working for you." Her reply: "It's working beautifully." And it obviously was because she seemed very proud of her assistive device and how much it improved her gait.

My point? Since it is pretty difficult to disguise or cover up a missing limb or a spinal cord injury, are the proliferation of these high-tech gadgets gradually reaching the level of status symbols? I mean many people (no,not all) who depend on such devices seem to be showing them off to the world-at-large like tattoos or body piercings. Am I way-off base here or is there at least an element of truth to what I'm observing out there?

Your comments are certainly welcome! Thanks, Disaboom, for the opportunity to share my thoughts.

More about the National Forum on Disability Issues

AdvocacyCenter — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:55:00 GMT

"Senator Tom Harkin Confirms as Obama Surrogate"

hospitals

patrick1176 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:42:00 GMT

my wife has being drs at unc for 3 years. they are constantly changing. where is closest hospital that have doctors there all the time. we live at zip code 27870. we appreciate any help . thank you pat

More Fun at the Lake Villa MDA Summer Camp

mlc1451 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:39:00 GMT

Additionally, the flyer from the MDA camp asked for our help in cleaning up the campsite besides just donating food and medical supplies. The cabins needed to be scrubbed down before “Jerry’s kids” arrived for the week. These cabins were at least 40 years old and in need of new paint jobs as well as serious scrubbing to get rid of as much of the mold as possible, since most of the campers had breathing difficulties. I hesitated sending Jay after a few years, since he always came back home with breathing problems from the humidity and mustiness of the cabins. However, maintaining the friendships with the same people he had connected with during the previous summers was the incentive that made me send him back a few more times. But we did request that he be allowed to sleep in the nurse’s cabin, since it was the only place that had air conditioning. I found it ironic that portable air conditioners were never added in the cabins for necessary respiratory relief. I never heard the telethon mention that money would be needed for food supplies or to help the campers breathe easier either.

When Jay went to camp, I’d keep my fingers crossed that it wouldn’t rain that particular week (the camp began on Father’ Day until the following Saturday) since the camp turned into a muddy mess, and the campers were required to put a poncho over their wheelchairs in order to get to the “mess” dining hall. That situation wasn’t corrected either in any of the years that Jay attended. It’s a shame that the telethon showed smiling cherubic children rolling around at a sun-filled camp rather than showing a rain drenched and run down facility like Lake Villa.

Want to hear another observation? Ever notice how the telethon features poster children who are adorable, sweet young kids? They have round, smiling faces and are very pleasing to behold. Muscular Dystrophy is a disease that wastes away your muscles, yet Jerry is always shown with very “normal” and healthy looking kids and not ones who might resemble Stephen Hawkings, the brilliant scientist who suffers from ALS, a form of Muscular Dystrophy. Is that part of an MDA advertising campaign so people won’t be “turned off” by less than pleasing faces and be more willing to donate money for the cute members of “Jerry’s kids”? Just wondering..

I’d be happy to check out any websites that anyone may know about which shows how much and where the telethon monies go for the summer camps. And maybe the time is ripe for MDA to really “put their money where their mouth is” and provide services that will impact the greatest number of MDA families. How about starting by renovating those ancient campsites?

A New Beginning

ebreedlove4 — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:43:00 GMT

I have had many blogs over the past four or five years, but I have noticed that most of my writing, at least the writing that I do for pleasure, is very much oriented by my disability and things related to the disability field. So, as a new coping mechanism, if you want to call it that, I will be writing here. My ambitions for future careers are also in the disability-related field, so I wanted to be able to share my dreams with people who could also relate to them on a personal level. First, I would like to introduce myself.

My name is Erin, and I'm an 18 year old senior in high school. I have spastic hemiplegia (cerebral palsy), and my right side is affected. I have been a gifted/honors student since first grade, and my speech and cognition is in no way affected by my CP. I didn't walk until I was five-and-a-half, but that was okay. I also have a twin sister, Caitlin, who is an athlete and is the drum major for our marching band. I have been working with individuals with disabilities since I was 13 years old, and I have worked with babies all the way up into the elderly ages.

At present, I am working on getting ready to apply for college and get the services that I need. The college that I will be attending is Georgia College and State University. I have been looking at them since October of 2007, and their services are wonderful. Because of the coordinator there, Mike Chambers, I have decided that after completing my bachelor's degree in special education, I will pursue my Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling so that I can either work for the state as a VR counselor or work as a disability services director at a university.

I hope that this blog will assist other teenagers and young adults with disabilities who are in search of higher education opportunities. Though I will be focused on one school in particular, since GCSU is part of a university system, the layout of services and such is pretty universal.

I can't wait to get to meet some of you and to start this journey with Disaboom. Have a wonderful day, and please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to know more or have additional questions!

tips for parents who have a hard of hearing child

gargoyles — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:55:00 GMT

Some people need a basic training? when it comes to communicating with people with hearing loss. Here are five simple pointers that can go a long way toward facilitating and easing conversation with a deaf or hard of hearing adult or child.

1.Pay attention to noises around you
Any noise is amplified as loud as the person talking. Thus, background music, finger drumming, keys tapping, fan blowing, cars going by, etc. will all make it more difficult for the person to hear. Contain and control the noise in your environment as much as possible.
Whats your location?
2.Proximity to the person is very important. The farther away you are, the more a person with hearing loss will miss. Situate yourself comfortably close to them. Ask the person if they have a better ear. Sometimes people will prefer that you sit on a particular side when you're talking. For other people, sitting opposite them is best. Asking them is a courtesy they will appreciate.
3.Attention please!
Get the persons attention first, make sure you have it and then tell them whatever it is you want to say. This will reduce your having to repeat what you say and any ensuing frustration on both sides. Note if their attention is wavering. This could be a sign that the person is becoming tired. It is hard work for people with hearing loss to listen and participate in conversations.
4.Pay attention to how you speak
Do you mumble, talk with food in your mouth, speak quickly or use hand gestures? All of these will impede how well someone can understand you. Look the person in the eye and speak clearly without food or gum in your mouth. Keep your hands away from your face. Speak at a normal rate. Slowing down your speech dramatically only exaggerates it and makes it more difficult to understand.
5.Find a quiet spot
If youre at a group gathering, try to find a quiet corner where you can converse with the person. Sometimes, stepping out into the hallway or outside can make a dramatic difference. Remember, the person with hearing loss has to work very hard to keep up in social situations. It can be very exhausting for them, especially a child. They may welcome the relief a quiet corner or place offers them, even momentarily.
Print these tips and give them out to family members, co-workers or anyone you think can benefit. Using these simple ideas can strengthen relationships between people with hearing loss and the people who surround them with normal hearing.
This article is one in a series of Pauls Pearls articles intended to support people with hearing loss and their family members. To see the complete list of articles, visit the Pauls Pearls page here.
Paula Rosenthal, J.D. has had a life-long hearing loss and is a bilateral cochlear implant recipient as is her daughter. She is the founder of HearingExchange and HearingExchange Kids and also speaks around the country to organizations and parents about hearing loss and related issues. For more information, read Paulas complete bio here.
Â© 2008 Paula Rosenthal and HearingExchange. All rights reserved. For reprint permission send an email with your request to info@hearingexchange.com.
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools Vol.26 45-57 January 1995.
Â© American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

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Analysis of Successful Initiations of Three Children With Hearing Loss Mainstreamed in Kindergarten Classrooms
Melissa Murphy Hulsing 1
Barbara Luetke-Stahlman 1
Diane Frome Loeb 1
Peggy Nelson 1

Jane Wegner 1
1 The University of Kansas, KS
The communicative interactions of three mainstreamed children who are deaf or hard of hearing (deaf/HOH) were investigated. These children were matched with a classmate who had normal hearing (NH) according to chronological age, sex, race, and socioeconomic status (SES). All subjects were white females approximately 5 years of age. The subjects were videotaped while involved in normal classroom activities. The videotaped interactions were coded for: (a) activity, (b) play level, (c) partner, (d) interactive status, and (e) mode of communication.
Dyad interactions were analyzed for average length, frequency, and total number of interactions. The children's interactions varied by child and classroom setting. Results regarding the success of initiations were that one subject who is deaf initiated less often and was more successful than her peer with NH; the other subject who is deaf initiated less often and was less successful than her peer with NH; and the subject who is HOH initiated more often and was less successful than her peer with NH. Factors found to affect the success of initiations were the number of children involved and the accompaniment of actions and/or gestures with spoken or signed communication. These results suggest that children who are deaf/HOH often are less successful at initiations than children with NH, but the success of the initiations by children who are deaf/HOH may depend on more variables than past research has led us to believe (Arnold & Tremblay, 1979; Lederberg, Ryan, & Robbins, 1986; Levy Shiff & Hoffman, 1985; Vandell & George, 1981). Possible factors that contribute to interactions and successful initiations by children who are deaf/HOH are discussed.
Issues in the Development of School and Interpersonal Discourse for Children Who Have Hearing Loss
Richard R. Kretschmer Jr. 1
1 University of Cincinnati, OH
Richard.Kretschmer@uc.edu
English instruction for children with haring loss has traditionally focused on teaching about language conventions, with much less attention to learning language, or to learning through languageâ??especially its discourse features. The author argues that language intervention, through the collaborative efforts of speech-language pathologists and teachers, should promote communication interactions that emphasize English discourse that facilitates interpersonal and school language learning. Particular focus in this article is on issues of teacher talk, talk around print, self-talk in problem-solving, and the uses of narrative and descriptive discourse in interpersonal and school contexts.
Social Behaviors of Children With Language Impairment on the Playground
A Pilot Study
Martin Fujiki 1
Bonnie Brinton 1
Ted Isaacson 1

Connie Summers 1
1 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Martin_Fujiki@byu.edu
Purpose: This pilot study examined the social behaviors of children with language impairment (LI) and their typical peers on the playground.
Method: Eight children with LI and their age-matched peers were videotape recorded for 45 minutes during morning and lunch recesses. Samples were divided into 5-second segments and coded according to the child's behavior occurring during the segment. The behavior displayed during each interval was then coded into one of 37 subcategories. These subcategories were grouped into six general categories of (a) peer interaction, (b) adult interaction, (c) withdrawal, (d) aggression, (e) victimization, and (f) other.
Results: Significant differences were observed in the categories of peer interaction and withdrawal. Typical children spent significantly more time interacting with peers than did children with LI. Conversely, children with LI demonstrated significantly more withdrawn behaviors than did their typical peers. Analyses of effect size using 2 indicated that group membership accounted for approximately 30% of the variability in both of these types of playground behavior. No other significant differences were observed. These findings support the conclusions of researchers using teacher interview procedures, indicating that children with LI are more withdrawn than their typical peers at school.
Clinical Implications: Specific intervention targeting social language skills in playground contexts may be warranted to include children with LI in social interactions at recess.
Contributions of Motherâ??Child Storybook Telling and Joint Writing to Literacy Development in Kindergartners With Hearing Loss
Dorit Aram
Tova Most
Hanny Mayafit
School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Contact author: Dr. Dorit Aram, Constantiner School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 69978. E-mail: dorita@post.tau.ac.il
PURPOSE: This study investigated motherâ??child storybook telling and joint writing as predictors of early literacy among kindergartners with hearing loss.
METHOD: Participants were 30 Israeli kindergartners with hearing loss and their mothers. Early literacy assessments tapped children's alphabetic skills (e.g., word writing, word recognition, and letter knowledge) and linguistic skills (e.g., phonological awareness, general knowledge, and receptive vocabulary). Each mother told her child the story of a wordless book and helped her child write words. Both interactions were videotaped and analyzed.
RESULTS: Our major findings showed that maternal storybook telling correlated with linguistic skills, and maternal writing mediation correlated with basic alphabetic skills. A series of 3-step hierarchical regression analyses revealed that beyond children's age, children's degree of hearing loss, and joint writing, storybook telling predicted children's phonological awareness (22%), general knowledge (28%), and receptive vocabulary (18%). Beyond children's age, children's degree of hearing loss, and storybook telling, joint writing predicted word writing (15%), word recognition (31%), and letter knowledge (36%).
IMPLICATIONS: Recommendations focused on encouraging parent and teacher awareness about the differential contributions of storybook telling and writing mediation to early literacy. We also advocated enhancing parents' skills for promoting children's literacy.

http://lshss.asha.org/

Special Education

Hard of Hearing and Deaf Students:
A Resource Guide to Support Classroom Teachers
Tip Sheet for Classroom Adaptation
Students with hearing loss need to see your face all the time to speechread and get meaning clues. Your non-verbal communication is crucial. Use your smiles to encourage, invite, and include. Optimum natural lighting is important. Try not to stand in front of lights or windows as they cause your face to go in shadow.
Speaking naturally is the most help to your student with hearing loss. Talking very loudly or over-enunciating does not help your student, in fact it makes it harder for him/her.
You will need to discuss the best seating arrangement in the room with the student. Consideration must be given to the best place for receiving maximum information within the normal flow of classroom activities.
Vocabulary lists with definitions of new terms and concepts to be used during the day help the student to develop a personal dictionary of words learned.
An outline of the class agenda--just 3 or 4 points jotted on the board really helps the student get a sense of purpose, direction, and timing for short term work which fits into the longer range planning.
Course or grade outline of the topics and kind of work to be done may be useful.
Provide an outline of a typical school day with the student's own timetable. Include room numbers and a list of people who can assist (e.g. counsellor, school secretary).
If there is class discussion or group work, it is useful to summarize on the board or have the groups report their work on large paper that can be read as a group.
Use of overheads, visuals, handouts and outlines may be helpful.
Other students in the class may be asked to volunteer as a buddy to take notes and help you watch for the need for more clarification.
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/speciale...

For parent/parents who have a HOH child info

gargoyles — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:46:00 GMT

beginningssvcs.com
Kid-Friendly Parenting with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Book

http://books.google.com/books?id=K...
The Prevalence and Incidence of Hearing Loss in Children
The number of Americans with a hearing loss has evidentially doubled during the past 30 years. Data gleaned from Federal surveys illustrate the following trend of prevalence for individuals aged three years or older: 13.2 million (1971), 14.2 million (1977), 20.3 million (1991), and 24.2 million (1993) (1, 2). An independent researcher estimates that 28.6 million Americans had an auditory disorder in 2000 (3). This estimate is reasonably well within projections from the 1971-1993 trend line that evolved from Federal surveys (4).
Children who are hard of hearing will find it much more difficult than children who have normal hearing to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic expressions, and other aspects of verbal communication (5).
The number of children with disabilities, ages 6-21, served in the public schools under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B in the 2000-01 school year was 5,775,722 (in the 50 states, D.C., and P.R.). Of these children, 70,767 (1.2%) received services for hearing. However, the number of children with hearing loss and deafness is undoubtedly higher, since many of these students may have other disabilities as well (6). Data by disability are not reported by the Department of Education for ages birth to 5 years.
Several studies indicate variance in the prevalence of newborns with congenital hearing loss in the United States. The overall estimates are between 1 to 6 per 1,000 newborns (7, 8). Most children with congenital hearing loss have hearing impairment at birth and are potentially identifiable by newborn and infant hearing screening. However, some congenital hearing loss may not become evident until later in childhood (9).
According to Blanchfield, et. al., as many as 738,000 individuals in the U.S. have severe to profound hearing loss. Of these, almost 8% are under the age of 18 (10).
Among African-American, Cuban-American, Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, and non-Hispanic White children, it is estimated that approximately 391,000 school-aged children in the U.S. have unilateral hearing loss (11).
According to Niskar and colleagues, approximately 14.9% of U.S. children have low-frequency or high-frequency hearing loss of at least 16-dB hearing level in one or both ears (12).
Profound, early-onset deafness is present in 4-11 per 10,000 children, and is attributable to genetic causes in at least 50% of cases (13).
Effects of Hearing Loss on Development
It is well recognized that hearing is critical to speech and language development, communication, and learning. Children with listening difficulties due to hearing loss or auditory processing problems continue to be an underidentified and underserved population.
The earlier hearing loss occurs in a child's life, the more serious the effects on the child's development. Similarly, the earlier the problem is identified and intervention begun, the less serious the ultimate impact.
There are four major ways in which hearing loss affects children--
1. It causes delay in the development of receptive and expressive communication skills (speech and language).
2. The language deficit causes learning problems that result in reduced academic achievement.
3. Communication difficulties often lead to social isolation and poor self-concept.
4. It may have an impact on vocational choices.

Specific Effects
Vocabulary
Vocabulary develops more slowly in children who have hearing loss.
Children with hearing loss learn concrete words like cat, jump, five, and red more easily than abstract words like before, after, equal to, and jealous. They also have difficulty with function words like the, an, are, and a.
The gap between the vocabulary of children with normal hearing and those with hearing loss widens with age. Children with hearing loss do not catch up without intervention.
Children with hearing loss have difficulty understanding words with multiple meanings. For example, the word bank can mean the edge of a stream or a place where we put money.
Sentence Structure
Children with hearing loss comprehend and produce shorter and simpler sentences than children with normal hearing.
Children with hearing loss often have difficulty understanding and writing complex sentences, such as those with relative clauses ("The teacher whom I have for math was sick today.") or passive voice ("The ball was thrown by Mary.")
Children with hearing loss often cannot hear word endings such as -s or -ed. This leads to misunderstandings and misuse of verb tense, pluralization, nonagreement of subject and verb, and possessives.
Speaking
Children with hearing loss often cannot hear quiet speech sounds such as "s," "sh," "f," "t," and "k" and therefore do not include them in their speech. Thus, speech may be difficult to understand.
Children with hearing loss may not hear their own voices when they speak. They may speak too loudly or not loud enough. They may have a speaking pitch that is too high. They may sound like they are mumbling because of poor stress, poor inflection, or poor rate of speaking.
Academic Achievement
Children with hearing loss have difficulty with all areas of academic achievement, especially reading and mathematical concepts.
Children with mild to moderate hearing losses, on average, achieve one to four grade levels lower than their peers with normal hearing, unless appropriate management occurs.
Children with severe to profound hearing loss usually achieve skills no higher than the third- or fourth-grade level, unless appropriate educational intervention occurs early.
The gap in academic achievement between children with normal hearing and those with hearing loss usually widens as they progress through school.
The level of achievement is related to parental involvement and the quantity, quality, and timing of the support services children receive.
Social Functioning
Children with severe to profound hearing losses often report feeling isolated, without friends, and unhappy in school, particularly when their socialization with other children with hearing loss is limited.
These social problems appear to be more frequent in children with a mild or moderate hearing losses than in those with a severe to profound loss

Costello Calls to buy a computer from Abbott....

Mshores — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:17:00 GMT

Since I spent 9 years being a Microsoft rep before I got hurt... I found this one really funny.

Costello Calls to buy a computer from Abbott....

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out something like this:

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on "START".............

Institutionalism

lastcrazyhorn — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:22:00 GMT

I've had writer's block for more than a week.

But I'm hoping this next thing here will fix that. I woke up with this in my head (at like 5 am this morning). For the record, it's 5:18 am now.

The inky blackness steals away the feeble flickerings of the light from my torch;
The nightmare that I have dreamed of for years has finally arrived;
My footsteps echo against the stony walls, quickly fading into oblivion;
It is obvious to me that they are desperately seeking a quick escape as well;
I place my hand against the wall and shiver deeply inwardly at its coldness;
The granite here has never seen the light of day;
These tunnels were carved long ago, by some other ruler, for some other purpose;
I slowly descend the steep path that the stairs set before me;
I breathe through my mouth shallowly;
The air is dank, with an undercurrent of mold and rot;
And perhaps something else my brain chooses not to identify;
As I approach them, my soul tries to shrink away;
It does not want do this, this last deed;
I do not want to fulfill this last promise, made to dying man so long before;
Madness threatens to break my mind, as I come to the first of them;
They are already reacting to my presence;
Howling at my disturbance of their constant nightmare;
They beat their frail bodies against the impenetrable bars guarding them;
Their eyes are widely exposed, searching for relief from the unending night;
But they will not find it, as they have long been blind from lack of light;
Outwardly I revile from their outstretched arms;
But inwardly I weep for what they have become;
No more than creatures now;
We have sucked the last dredges of humanity from them;
In a vain attempt to punish them and their nonconformist ways;
Their human ways;
Some had always seen them as creatures;
But I did not, knowing them to be no more or less than myself;
Cursed, they said she was;
No more, no less;
My breath quickens as I reach the last cell block on the right;
It is for this that I have made my journey;
In my mind, her beauty has no boundaries;
She is like an angel to me, pure and whole;
I begin to wish that I were blind as well;
As to not see what I am destined to soon see;
The guards here do little more than provide just the most basic sustenance;
They are no caretakers;
Nor do they give a damn about the lives under their thumbs;
They do their menial duties as quickly as possible;
Leaving their human filth to rot in their own waste;
The rats don't even venture forth here;
The prey is not worth it for them to make the trip;
If there is a hell, then I am truly standing in it now;
Looking upon my sister and her once lovely hair;
Her shining eyes, the wondering curiosity that was always alight in them;
Shine no longer, glint no longer;
The vestiges of her last beating still are dimly apparent even in my feeble light;
No more will I ever hear her laughter;
Not even in my dreams;
For I will always be haunted by her dull eyes forever more;
Watching me without sight in this cold dank place;
A place of bad dreams, of desolation;
Isolated from the rest of the world;
Saving them from their cruelest actions;
Made upon the least deserving of their children;
Even my family, with its wealth and dignity;
Could not bear her and her wild fantasies;
But in my youth, she was to me a fairy;
A magical creature through which dreams come true;
She was truth and humility;
And although not like her, I saw myself in her;
Only to see that part of myself wither and die now;
At the sight before me;
I was not yet a man when she was brought here;
Otherwise I would have stopped it;
Or so I tell myself;
In reality, I’m not sure what my actions would have been;
It is only the thoughts of her imprisonment;
That have been part of my every waking day;
From that time onwards;
That have made me into the person I am now;
Without those thoughts–without those nightmares;
I wonder at whom I might have become;
Just another soulless human?
Waiting to strip another of their rights to humanity?
A moan escapes my lips, and I fall to the cold stone floor;
Barely managing to hold onto my lit torch;
She makes no movements;
She is completely still here, unlike in my memories and dreams;
In my mind, she is always dancing to a tune no one but she can hear;
Sometimes, as a child, I would think I could hear it too;
And I would dance with her;
But now the music has dried up;
The joyful sounds of the drums, of the lute and harp, no longer sound;
Deathly silence now abounds;
Breaking all creatures who dare stand in its way;
The other soulless figures around me moan and gibber;
Once they too were also bright beacons of light into the drabness that we call life;
Now, they too fade dimly into the morbid background of existence;
She is quiet now, uttering no sounds;
Not letting on to anyone that she is here;
I had hoped, with the faithfulness of a lost child;
That I would come here and see her smile once more;
But I bow my head against the truth of reality;
Her once shining eyes, her once dancing spirit;
Will never again move with the light of the fairies and their magical ways;
No, because of my cowardliness, and my parents’ respect for society;
I will never see my sister again;
I see before me a lost little creature;
Dried spittle is caked on her cheek;
Two of the fingers on her right hand are missing;
Missing for an untold length of time;
She is bald, or nearly so;
From her administrations, or from her poor diet, I’m not sure;
Her skirt is hiked up, and is ripe with once fresh blood;
And she sees nothing now, at long last;
Not because she is blind with darkness;
But rather because she is blind with death;
Its icy fingers have finally squeezed her mighty heart into listless silence;
Her rape may have had something to do with it;
It may have just pushed her past her will to live;
Alone here in this lonely night;
Away from the demons at long last, she is now free to dance as she will;
In my heart of hearts, I hope with that faithful hope of youth;
That she will go back to her company of fairies;
So they can dance away the night;
And bury her life’s memories with each passing song.

===========================
If you liked this post, you can find more like it at my regular blog. :)

The Savage Nation Show 7/23/08

AbilityLane — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:34:00 GMT

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After listening to Dr. Savage last night, I am convinced that he has his heart in the right place in his concern for children with Autism. One issue seems to be, surprisingly for a Talk Show Host, a linguistic one. Dr. Savage is having trouble expressing clearly his concerns.

There was an expert present on his show last night, one who is a Psychiatrist – a graduate of Harvard. While anyone can probably find an expert somewhere to support their position, there was an interesting point made by both this Psychiatrist and Dr. Savage. The point was that the medication industry is influencing the practitioners of medicine in America to the point where broad spectrum diagnosis are being made without regard to actual biological symptoms. Both this expert and Dr. Savage suggested that the influence of the drug manufacturers in America has become so powerful that children are being diagnosed with Autism when in fact they do not actually have it, for the sole purpose of making more drug sales.

The ramifications of such an accusation are staggering. If the drug manufacturers are indeed powerful enough to have accomplished such sway in the medical community, to the point where Doctors are actually making diagnosis of Autism in an effort to sell more drugs, there are some larger issues to approach. Certainly not last on this list of concerns is the placement of financial gain over human welfare.

Among the red flags raised by this issue Dr. Savage and his expert have presented to America is the one associated with the medical community itself. If medical practitioners are dishing out diagnosis for the sole purpose of financial gain, not only for themselves but for the drug manufacturing industry – how many other, “diagnosis,” are actual and relevant? How many people have been diagnosed with unreal, “disabilities,” they do not actually have?

In the same vein; how can we trust a medical community that does practice such a thing as diagnosing people with disabilities that are not actually present? The medical community is built on the trust of the people it serves; if there is question concerning the trustworthiness of the medical community, especially during a time when there is a health care crisis in America, what will the results be? If we cannot trust the Doctors and other medical practitioners we rely on for accurate health care and treatment, how are we to ever feel comfortable going to see them again? How are we to ever regain that sense of trust? Who can we rely on to take care of our medical needs?

Another red flag raised by the issue Dr. Savage and his expert brought up relates to the Food and Drug Administration. If Dr. Savage and his expert are right, and children are being diagnosed with Autism when they actually do not have it, only so that drug manufacturers can sell more drugs; who at the FDA is in the pocket of these drug manufacturers? How can Americans trust the Food and Drug Administration?

The United States Government is in charge of the Food and Drug Administration, is it not? How far does this corruption suggested by Dr. Savage and his expert reach? Are we, as American citizens, to question our very government because of this? How far are we supposed to take this thought line? How far does this corruption go? How powerful *are* these drug manufacturers in America?

Dr. Savage has suggested that an entire industry has arisen around the Autism diagnosis. Could it be that he is correct? Could it be that he is paranoid? Could it be that he is partially right? The accusation Dr. Savage has made has incredible ramifications – can he support them with more than just one expert? Is Dr. Savage prepared to present documented cases where abuse of this diagnosis is concerned? Is Dr. Savage prepared to back up what he claims?

As shocking as what Dr. Savage is suggesting is, I do not find it altogether unbelievable. Money is an immense motivating factor in America, and greed follows closely behind it. It would not surprise me very much if major drug manufacturers in America put their own financial interests above those of children. Still – to suggest that the outright intensity of greed required to influence the Food and Drug Administration, the medical community, schools, and organizations along with vast numbers of American citizens is something that will need far greater proof, as far as I am concerned, than what Dr. Savage and his one expert have provided to date.

The case Dr. Savage is attempting to make would be much easier for me to accept if he had a greater awareness of Disability culture. Last night, Dr. Savage closed his show by describing his own brother as, “poor,” because he, “never said a word.” Pity is certainly something that any person with a disability does not desire, Dr. Savage. While his heart is in the right place, and I believe it is; if he is ever going to prove what he has begun presenting in regards to children, Autism, and the drug industry – he has a very long way to go. Dr. Savage has much yet to demonstrate to the American public in order to substantiate his claims.

OFFICE 2000 EXPERTISE NEEDED

fearless — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:59:00 GMT

G'day,

2 QUESTIONS:

1.WHAT TOOLS ARE INCLUDED IN OFFICE 2000

2.WHAT APPLICATIONS ARE INCLUDED IN OFFICE 2000

We Don't Know What Tomorrow May Bring

michellerkidwell — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:43:00 GMT

We Don't Know What Tomorrow May Bring

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 - 4:37 PM

Picture of my Friends Daughter Katelyn and I

We don't know what tomorrow may bring, so I try to cherish each day, I try to live life, like it could be my last day and it really could be, but I also look for the promises of tomorrow, I wonder what God has in store for my life, I find myself praying, my physical weakness, does not affect my spirtual strength, unless I let it, and sometimes being weak in the body can make you strong in the Spirit, having a condition that leaves you weak in the body, makes you grow closer to the Lord, makes you appreciate life more, cherish your loved ones, praise God for the blessings in your life, if you let it, and I choose not to dwell on the "I can't ir what if's" Instead I am going to focus on what I have...