Calling Me....

I hear the waves calling my name. Sand fingers reach out to tickle my toes. Life slows down and my smile speeds up.

It's summer time...

It's vacation time...

Maybe, just maybe I will come home. But then again, maybe I won't.

This Is So Badly Needed

One Man's Mission to Map More Accessible Cities

Sign Language Ban??

I really, really hope that this child's parents have contacted an attorney. It amazes me that this kind of stuff still goes on. Who is running this school district?

School officials have threatened a hearing-impaired girl with suspension if she uses sign language to talk to her friends on the school bus, the girl's parents say.

Special Exposure Wednesday

Being out of school doesn't mean losing touch with your signing friends.  It just means you have to move to the video phone!  Hi Mark!!

This Doesn't Surprise Me

Anne Belanger was heartbroken when she discovered her son — who uses a wheelchair — had been placed off to the side in his Grade 2 class photo.

Check out Ms. Belanger's story here, and then go read one of my very early blog entries.  It's obvious that in the last 8-10 years, and I'm sure longer than that, nothing has changed.  Oh, we might see little victories here and there for our children with disabilties, but the overall attitudes are still the same.  Very sad...

Yet Again

Life changes yet again today.  I'm not ready for it...

When Ashley moved to our state's Developmental Disabilities Medicaid Waiver, she became eligible for many services, one of which is a personal care aide through an agency.  In the past, Ashley has had what is called a 'consumer directed' aide, a person that I would seek out and hire.  But now, we are relying on an agency to do the seeking and hiring.

Several other families referred me to a specific agency, saying they were really good and worked hard to find an aide that was the best match for your family.  I want to believe that, but the jury is still out in my opinion.

In the past several weeks, I've met five aide candidates, and three others cancelled their appointments at the last minute.  Of the five, I'm only really impressed by one, and that person is only available three afternoons this week - and that's it.  Which leads me to the second issue that has me worrying...

I *think* we have two aides that will work this week - I won't really know until they show up - and then the agency is going to keep looking for others because I still don't have all the hours covered.  My biggest concern is the number of people who will be coming in and out of the house to work with Ashley, none of which will be around long enough to build up the trust and type of relationship Ashley needs and deserves.

I'm still hopeful that the agency will find the exact right person, and maybe one more to cover one evening (so I can go to Ronnie's sporting events) and a few hours on the weekend so I can get some errands done.  That would be my ideal situation, and one to which  Ashley would best adapt.

For a person with deafblindness, building a trusting relationship with someone, especially someone who is going to be helping with the more intimate parts of her daily routine, is paramount.  But if we are constantly changing aides, I am worried that won't happen.  Please keep Ashley in your thoughts and prayers, hoping she will find the right person (people) to help her while also making her comfortable with their presence.

Be My Brother

This is one of the films from the Sprout Touring Film Festival.  It is well worth nine minutes of your day, I promise!

A young man's charm and charisma challenges the prejudices of a stranger at a bus stop.

Be My Brother stars aspiring actor Gerard O'Dwyer as Richard, a young man with Down syndrome. His acting practice while waiting for the bus is meant to entertain himself and ultimately the others at the bus stop. When he impacts on the stranger’s world, he also impacts on the heart and mind of someone else close by.

Be My Brother won the top prize in Australia's TropFest Film Festival in 2009.