Teacher

Chip is a business major (information systems) in college, and is doing very, very well at that. He is also a burgeoning photographer and is doing very, very well at that. He also loves to cook gourmet meals, and again, he is doing very, very well at that. But there is also something else that he is doing well with, and that is being a teacher for Ronnie this summer.

Chip has taught Ronnie to do his own laundry – from start to finish. When adaptations or modifications were needed for Ronnie to accomplish that, Chip figured it out and implemented them.

He is teaching Ronnie how to cook. So far Ronnie has made peanut butter fudge and the best baked beans ever.

He is teaching Ronnie how to clean up the kitchen. Ronnie loads dishes into the dishwasher, adds the soap, and know how to start it.

He is teaching Ronnie about money – about the exchange of money for goods and services, and how to make sure the right change is received. Chip’s next plan is to teach Ronnie how to save some of the money he earns as his allowance.

Chip has taught Ronnie how to clean his room and make his bed each morning. He has taught him how much easier it is to move around the room when the floor isn’t littered with objects, and how much easier it is to find things when they are put in their proper place.

In short, Chip is teaching Ronnie the skills he will need to live independently as an adult.

I know Chip likes information systems and photography and cooking, but I do have to wonder if he is missing his calling as a teacher and mentor for people with disabilities!

Hail To The King

At a school meeting held several weeks ago to discuss Ashley’s need for communication support, consultants and school staff alike scoffed at me when I replied to a very important question. Their question was “What did I believe the future held for Ashley?”

Before I could even begin to speak, one person said, “Well, you don’t ever see her living on her own, do you?” Another said, “We need to work on her vocational skills, don’t we?” When I finally could speak, I said, “I see her living as independently as she chooses. I see her having a job she enjoys and wants to go to each day. I hope she meets a man she loves and wants to spend her life with, and I hope she enjoys motherhood.”

Their jaws dropped, and then the subject changed. I wonder if Dan Keplinger’s mother experienced something similar.

I met Dan about 5 years ago when he came to speak at an inclusion conference in my city, and he then very graciously agreed to spend the evening at our Dreamcatcher’s support group meeting. To say that meeting Dan changed my life is an understatement, and I believe if you will take a few minutes to get to know him, your life will be changed also.

Dan is an artist as well as a motivational speaker. Stop by his website, and check out his art. And, if you live in the Baltimore area, he has several shows scheduled in the next few months. If after visiting his website, and viewing the movie of his life, as aired on HBO, you need further convincing that no one should ever put limits on our children with special needs, then view this video of his recent wedding.

And just for the record, school staff, I dare you to ever, ever put limits on my child again.

Friday Videos

I'm taking the lazy way out today and not writing anything. Instead, I am sharing some of my favorite web videos. Enjoy...

First up, the following is a Thai Pantene commercial. The story of a deaf girl who learns to play the violin against all odds. And, of course she has beautiful hair :)



Secondly, in these tough economic times, a girl has to get her priorities straight :)


null - Watch more free videos

Please no one show this video to Ashley. If she sees it, she will never stop asking me where she can sign up for the next jump.



HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Things That Caught My Eye This Week

I’m a Facebook user and have often wondered how accessible it was to someone who is blind. I have JAWS, the screen reader software, at work, but am not supposed to go on Facebook at work. So, I was pleased to find the following news story about Facebook’s commitment to making its site more accessible. Improvements will include:

• Audio CAPTCHA.


• Full HTML version of the site to make it easier for screen readers to decipher.


• Facebook Chat accessible by screen readers.


• Addition of a "no javascript" version of Facebook Gift Shop.


• Shortcut keys to major areas of the site.

**********

This week was the season opening for baseball. My sons have spent most of their Spring Break from school watching game after game on some TV subscription service they saved their money to buy. Yesterday, Mark Wetzel’s story appeared on the Sports Illustrated website. Mark is legally blind and is one of the most successful baseball hitting coaches in the world. After reading the article at Sports Illustrated, check out his personal website, The Blind Guy.

**********

Now from the land of ‘what the hell’, check out this story about Eddy Morten. Eddy Morten has Usher’s Syndrome, a condition causes him to be deaf and blind. Air Canada refused to let Mr. Morten travel on their plane alone. Mr. Morten is the father of two and is a Paralympic bronze medalist in Jude, and he can’t fly on a plane alone???? What is up with that?

**********

Hope Everyone has a safe and happy Easter, and finds lots of hidden eggs!!

Another Role Model

Back last September, I wrote about how difficult it is to find adult role models for a child like Ashley - people who are deafblind but who are also successful, happy members of society. I told you about Nancy Brown, a woman who is deafblind and who is very happy with her life and with herself just as she is.

Well, I have found another role model - a young woman living an exciting life in New York City - a young woman who is deafblind, but who refuses to dwell on that. In her words, "If you were in my shoes, you’d do the same thing. If these were the cards you’d drawn, you’d play them. You would." According to the author of an article in New York Magazine about Rebecca Alexander, who is being interviewed while she prepares for a party, "She grabs a scarf and waves me out the door, past her cane. Her friend,Tony loudly yells good-bye. While she hails a cab on the corner, I tell her about a poll that says Americans are more afraid of blindness than of AIDS, cancer, and heart attacks. She looks dumbstruck. “Cancer? For real? I don’t get that. Really, it’s not that bad.”

I don't know Rebecca Alexander but she reminds so much of my Ashley. Here is a link to the New York Magazine article (Going Deaf and Blind in a City of Noise and Lights). It's long, but an extremely interesting read.